Thoughts on Badlands Vario pack system

[kwren]

Hey everyone, I'm obviously a newbie on this thread! I'm 19 years old and am in the process of getting gear for my first elk hunt (Colorado OTC archery backpack hunt) Yeehaw on that one I am sure I'm in for a rude awakening, but that being said I love the hunt and the challenges that present themselves throughout! Anyways I have done quite a bit of research on packs and see a lot of things I like about the badlands Vario system. If anyone has any insight on these packs I would love to hear it! Also, I'm about 5'11 and 160 lbs with a 29" waist so any insight to how small the waist belt can get would be awesome as well!

 

[Cant hit em]

Never tried it , just want to say welcome to the forum and good luck on your hunt. In that price range $4-$500 ish there is alot of options as far as packs go. In no particular order Exo , Kuiu pro , Kifaru , or Stone glacier is what i would look at close to that price range. The classifieds here are a great place to look.


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[kwren]

Never tried it , just want to say welcome to the forum and good luck on your hunt. In that price range $4-$500 ish there is alot of options as far as packs go. In no particular order Exo , Kuiu pro , Kifaru , or Stone glacier is what i would look at close to that price range. The classifieds here are a great place to look.


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Thank you for the warm welcoming, and thank you for the advice!

 

[slick trick]

I have the vario and love it.

 

[whoami-72]

Vario gets squeaky over time and isn’t really bearable afterwards. The manufacturer is aware though and still sells them. However, their customer service is fantastic and they are willing to replace mine for free. It’s a trade off

 

[Where's Bruce?]

Never buy any pack that begins with the word BAD. Just trust me on this one.

 

[roosiebull]

for that price, you better hope it fits you well, because the resale would be brutal. i think it's a lot safer to go with a kifaru, exo, stone glacier, seek outside, or mystery ranch. i know at least EXO and kifaru have insane good customer service, and both great packs, never had a SG because of their frame height, but have had seek outside and mystery ranch. seek outside is a cool system, they make great stuff and are very reasonably priced.

mystery ranch makes a solid pack too, i just think they have a narrower range of body types they fit well, and i'm built similar to you, the mystery ranch pop up fits me better than their hunting frame.

i have used a bunch of packs the past few years (even a badlands briefly... very briefly) kuiu, horn hunter full curl, etc. i have settled on EXO and Kifaru, both are awesome, both companies are awesome, and they are pretty safe to buy, because if they don't work for you, you can send them back or if you keep it awhile, sell it and get most of your money back.... those 2 have really good resale value

 

[whoami-72]

for that price, you better hope it fits you well, because the resale would be brutal. i think it's a lot safer to go with a kifaru, exo, stone glacier, seek outside, or mystery ranch. i know at least EXO and kifaru have insane good customer service, and both great packs, never had a SG because of their frame height, but have had seek outside and mystery ranch. seek outside is a cool system, they make great stuff and are very reasonably priced.

mystery ranch makes a solid pack too, i just think they have a narrower range of body types they fit well, and i'm built similar to you, the mystery ranch pop up fits me better than their hunting frame.

i have used a bunch of packs the past few years (even a badlands briefly... very briefly) kuiu, horn hunter full curl, etc. i have settled on EXO and Kifaru, both are awesome, both companies are awesome, and they are pretty safe to buy, because if they don't work for you, you can send them back or if you keep it awhile, sell it and get most of your money back.... those 2 have really good resale value

Although, I don’t track the resell value of the other brands. I will say the resell value of Badlands isn’t as bad as most of the industry. I wouldn’t ever pay full price for a badlands item though so that probably effects the percentages lost. Typically I don’t buy any of their gear unless it’s 40-60% off. This includes the vario bag I bought.
I’d personally pay more for a used badlands item then I would Sitka. Kinda like old school vortex vs leuopold optics. Buying used, I can get a good deal on vortex and still have a warranty when leuopold doesn’t offer anything used. There are times for both. Just make sure to only buy new badlands at 40-60% off

 

[whoami-72]

For reference my full vario 33 kit was $317 brand new to my door

 

[Patriot2]

I am new here as well and looking for a western hunting pack. I have hunted out west 20+ times over the last 3 decades. I have contacted half a dozen mfrs and most of these top tier packs only come I cordura nylon bags. I have a pet peeve about noise and just can't bring myself to buy a noisy pack. Am I being unreasonable? Am leaning to Badlands for that reason. Eberlestock has quiet fabric too but I don't see a pack size/configuration I like.

 

[Justin Crossley]

kwren, where are you located? There are Rokslide members all over that are happy to let a fellow Rokslider try out their pack.

 

[canyonhunter47]

Not really seeing much to impress in the Vario. It’s selling for $500, it’s 7lb 3oz, even without a meat shelf, and made of mystery fabric. The frame doesn’t look like it has a ton of adjustability so I doubt it’s gonna ride well.

A Mystery Ranch Terraframe for $400 (full price) or latest Kuiu is much better option for the same or less money. Or a used made in USA pack.

 

[pc3]

My son has a kuiu 6000 pro, it was within in his budget. Gee it’s nice pack and well thought out, it’s the latest iteration and I think it’s a good pack.

I have a couple of Kifarus which are also very nice.

 

[jdmaxwell]

Badlands packs aren't in same ball park as other top pack choices out there