USA vs Overseas Made Packs - Is The Extra Cost Worth It?

[Phaseolus]

Your bag needs some re-design to get into serious contention No matter where it gets made. Your side pockets share room with the main bag so you must pick which one you want to use the most. Same thing with having the main bag space divided into two pockets. Losing two inches of height from your load lifters when carrying meat between the frame and bag is not a $700 pack/bag combo no matter how you slice it.

 

[Marbles]

USA made helps, but quality and function come first. I like supporting small companies with US manufacturing, but I have a hard time putting a dollar value on that. I can say I feel more brand loyalty for companies with US based manufacturing.

I could be wrong, but after looking at your pack I do not see anything that temps me away from the Exo or Seek Outside I already use (both are minimalist designs, which work well for my simple mind, lucky for you lots of people are not simple like me). As such, I would say go for the lower price point. Those packs are in the price range of $535 to $675. So stiff competition at the $700 price point.

Of course, as I have done no market research and am simply stating my own preferences and have not used your pack, the above is worth about what you paid for it.

 

[JMatt]

Made in USA is good. Made anywhere but China is better. Anymore, when I research a product I’m interested in finding one that’s not made in China. In a global economy, there’s plenty of room for workers in and from developing countries. As long as your business isn’t contributing to our top economic threat and competitor, I’m in!

 

[wysongdog]

That’s awesome! I would pay an extra $250 - $300 for an all USA made product.

Me too. I’m seriously over being held hostage by outsourcing our products oversees.

 

[justinspicher]

Nope. Not a chance I’d buy a pack for that price, don’t care if it was made in Heaven. Maybe if you included a Sherpa I’d consider it.

 

[md126]

AKEK, That $700 USA made pack category is super tough to break into. Most guys will stick w/ Kifaru, Exo, and SG for the most part. If you want to go that route just ask yourself is the cost/risk worth it.

A high quality pack/frame in the 300-500 range is an easier market to compete in and fills a bigger void for a lot of guys that want quality but not the price tag.

Make it in the Phillipines (Mystery ranch) or Vietnam and you'd have less of an issue. Made in China will turn a lot of people off for sure.

Just my 2 cents

 

[bsnedeker]

The guys from AKEK must be loving their participation in this forum at this point.

They start out by posting about their new product and they get SHREDDED because the pack/frame is made in China. They respond by saying they are going to move their operation to the USA.

When people hear the price of the USA manufacturing (which shouldn't have been a suprise to anyone) the overwhelming response is: TOO EXPENSIVE! MAKE IT IN CHINA!

Lolz!

Sent from my SM-G998U1 using Tapatalk

 

[AKEK]

The guys from AKEK must be loving their participation in this forum at this point.

They start out by posting about their new product and they get SHREDDED because the pack/frame is made in China. They respond by saying they are going to move their operation to the USA.

When people hear the price of the USA manufacturing (which shouldn't have been a suprise to anyone) the overwhelming response is: TOO EXPENSIVE! MAKE IT IN CHINA!

Lolz!

Sent from my SM-G998U1 using Tapatalk

It's definitely comical when you word it like that lol. Regardless, we plan to stop manufacturing our packs in China and our next batch of carbon fiber frames will be USA made.

 

[strattonje2020]

one positive i see in you systems is it comes with accessories the other places charge more for.

negatives is i don't see anything better than what's already available. I want a initial ascent to test but resell value sucks for a test pack. and its more expensive than the known best.

 

[strattonje2020]

It's definitely comical when you word it like that lol. Regardless, we plan to stop manufacturing our packs in China and our next batch of carbon fiber frames will be USA made.

i think even kuiu makes theirs frames in the usa. just maybe see if you cant get investors to help you buy more inventory. I'm sure it doesn't help with extremely high prices wage/ material wise.

 

[xcutter]

If I can afford the USA product I will spend the extra money. Buy once cry once.

Not that all foreign made stuff is bad. Not what I'm implying.

 

[Phaseolus]

It's definitely comical when you word it like that lol. Regardless, we plan to stop manufacturing our packs in China and our next batch of carbon fiber frames will be USA made.

Where will the bag be made?

 

[JGTWI]

The guys from AKEK must be loving their participation in this forum at this point.

They start out by posting about their new product and they get SHREDDED because the pack/frame is made in China. They respond by saying they are going to move their operation to the USA.

When people hear the price of the USA manufacturing (which shouldn't have been a suprise to anyone) the overwhelming response is: TOO EXPENSIVE! MAKE IT IN CHINA!

Lolz!

Sent from my SM-G998U1 using Tapatalk

Not to re-start the whole thing, but it’s not only about made in USA vs China. It’s about being fully honest and transparent with people from the start.

I am probably not a person who would spend $700+ on a pack. If I did though, it would be from a proven, established company that is known for treating their customers right and their quality & rigorous testing. That leaves me with a couple good options we all know about.

If I’m going to go with a pack that’s made overseas, there are still a lot of good choices in the $350-$550 dollar range from well established companies.

So it’s not just about where it’s made and the associated price- it’s about the value proposition. Either make a budget pack overseas that has features that may not be typically expected at that price point, or make an expensive pack that truly has something new to offer.

 

[Bubblehide]

@AKEK and others, There is a sponsor here that touts it's product as being American designed, but manufactured overseas, and as a direct to consumer business model. From my experience, most view the direct to consumer model as a means of saving the consumer money by cutting out the middle man. If the model does not work in this manner, then it becomes obvious that the business views this model as a means of maximizing profit. Being viewed in this manner is not good for business.

From what I see on this site, is a pretty good level of products made anywhere but China. IMNSHO, you'd be fine with a product not made in the USA, but also not made in China; the frame being made in the USA would likely be a plus to many.

Being one of the luck few that received a pack to review (for free), with the only obligation being to provide an unbiased review, I am fortunate enough to actually have an AKEK pack, frame and all. I and others have noted some design changes that we think will make a significant difference, if implemented, despite where the pack is made. I get that any changes are not likely to happen until you (AKEK) make a final decision on where the pack will be made (my personal preference is the Philippines over Vietnam). However, I also think that many here on Rokslide may be waiting to see if those changes come to fruition or not.

Overall, I like the pack, a lot. If the recommended changes are made, I am sure I would love the pack. Generally, I pack in to hunt, and need a much higher volume pack for my hunts (not all hunts). I view the AKEK as an excellent day hunt pack, a good 2 to 3 day hunt pack (if the changes are made, I would change that rating to excellent). For those that go very ultralight, the pack could work for 3-4 day hunts (I don't go that ultralight normally). The AKEK pack is light and bulk free enough that I can see taking it on some of my pack hunts where I pack in and set up a basecamp, as the pack has handled the weight of a boned out animal very very well, for me. In short, I was seriously impressed.

I have wanted to play more with the AKEK rifle carry system. Unfortunately, a very recent shoulder surgery has put that on hold for a bit. But I will be getting to it and review the rifle carry system much more extensively. I have had another unfortunate development that snuck up on me much faster than I thought it would. My knees are now bone on bone, both knees. For some time now, I have managed to push through the pain and continue to hunt the way I want to hunt. That, for the foreseeable short term future is not possible, as I need complete knee replacements in both knees. So once I am done reviewing the rifle carry system, I may pass the pack on to a friend to abuse and report back.

In short, after using the AKEK pack (not as much as I would normally have by now), I feel AKEK has a lot to offer the hunting community here at Rokslide, and I hope AKEK is successful in there business venture.

 

[cmahoney]

Yes


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[roosiebull]

700$ will be tough unless you stand out… you have seek outside which are great and sub 600, EXO sub 700$, kifaru and stone glacier close to that 700$ for a basic pack system… so hopping up to the top of that cost will be tough without something that sets you apart… that’s my opinion

 

[Jimbob]

Performance is the number 1 concern for me. The second is where it's made and this needs to be connected to durability (my general thought is that American-made means better made). I like the idea of locally produced stuff but it's not a deal-breaker.

If your pack is made in America but doesn't have the performance and durability then it's a hard pass.

Performance/Durability/American made = top dollar pack. Remove any of those three and you are going to get roasted for charging that much.

Your website/marketing needs to address all of these

1. Performance - number one is how it carries, the design of the bag is secondary. Show me how this frame carries 70lbs comfortably. Show me that it can handle loads over 100 lbs. I need testimonials of hardcore hunters that have used this frame on some big pack-outs. Otherwise, I am not even giving it a second thought. does any of your marketing show this?

2. Durability. Show me your long-term test of the durability of this frame and pack. Have multiple people used it to pack out 10 plus animals a year? Has it spent 100 days in the mountains and still going strong? Show me this.

3. American-made is the easy one.


So, I cannot answer your question because when considering the price of a pack American made is only one small part of it.


If your poll implies that the pack performs exactly the same regardless of where it's made then my answer is that I am choosing the overseas option and the huge cost savings. However, if you convince me that local-made adds performance above the overseas stuff then ya I will try and save and buy the better performing option.

Also, if you are not providing an expedition-style pack then I am not considering you.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

When made in the USA is an option, I'll take it.

If there are no made in the USA options then I dont worry about it.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

I would pay more for a quality american made product. I would be comparing your product to other american made products. So how is your pack better than say Kifaru? That is what you will have to support to steal market share.

 

[sr80]

make em overseas like you started and don't try to compete with the greats that are heavily touted on this forum.