We decided to run up to the Utah Hunt Expo yesterday, mainly to look at packs. Too last minute to meet up with anyone, sadly, but seeing the gear was worth it. Three points before I dive into my impressions of 7 hunting packs.
1) Toddlers love taxidermy. Our 18 month old added "elk", "lion" and "bison" to his vocabulary thanks to the show. Great fun.
2) Folks who think the expo is crowded should try summer OR; 4 times as many booths crammed into the same space.
3) Until recently I worked at Seek Outside, and have used their suspension almost exclusively for the past 3 years. That's my frame of reference.
Kuiu
The first booth we found that was on the list was Kuiu, which was easy to find due to the massive crowds. Their carbon frame is an elegant way to combine stays, framesheet, and strap attachment into one, but I found the lumbar pressure to be far too aggressive. It was uncomfortable at first, and became painful in short order. Why they made the base of the frame so narrow makes no sense to me. I like the shoulder straps a lot, and the belt fine, but the lumbar pressure is a deal breaker.
Takeaway: Unless they make big changes, not interested.
Stone Glacier
Most excited to try on an X Curve. I had a first gen Solo bag that I used on various frames, and liked the simple features, nice little details, and burly materials. Their aesthetics appeal to me, too. SG had very pro booth staff, and an X Curve loaded with what they claimed was 60 pounds. It was obvious from the first that the pack fitted me very well, and I spent as much time with it on as I felt like I could justify. Belt and especially shoulder straps are in my book the ideal mix. The new tension adjusting straps on the X Curve belt didn't seem like they did much, but I'd happily learn differently with 100 pounds on board.
Takeaway: I want an X Curve and Sky Archer
Exo
Exo didn't have a pack with significant weight in it. Wtf? Makes it hard to compare with the above. Their packs look great, especially the ranger green. Very Osprey with the stretch pockets and many features and are busy, but coherent. I'm actually surprised I haven't heard of more folks trashing the side pocket material, as it feels like stuff I've killed in the past. Their pack sizing is very generous, the 2000 daypack is close to 3000 in my opinion. The new snap in dry liner for the 2000 seemed heavy, but well executed. Biggest contrast was the lumbar bad, which is both massive and very soft, especially compared to to Kuiu. I didn't feel as good as Stone Glacier, but was definitely something I could live with. The shoulder strap attachment clips did make for a very vague feel to that connection, and most worryingly the belt connection is very narrow. The pack felt tippy, with no way to cinch things tight to the belt.
Takeaway: An odd mix of dialed features and looks with some suspension details that just don't make sense.
1) Toddlers love taxidermy. Our 18 month old added "elk", "lion" and "bison" to his vocabulary thanks to the show. Great fun.
2) Folks who think the expo is crowded should try summer OR; 4 times as many booths crammed into the same space.
3) Until recently I worked at Seek Outside, and have used their suspension almost exclusively for the past 3 years. That's my frame of reference.
Kuiu
The first booth we found that was on the list was Kuiu, which was easy to find due to the massive crowds. Their carbon frame is an elegant way to combine stays, framesheet, and strap attachment into one, but I found the lumbar pressure to be far too aggressive. It was uncomfortable at first, and became painful in short order. Why they made the base of the frame so narrow makes no sense to me. I like the shoulder straps a lot, and the belt fine, but the lumbar pressure is a deal breaker.
Takeaway: Unless they make big changes, not interested.
Stone Glacier
Most excited to try on an X Curve. I had a first gen Solo bag that I used on various frames, and liked the simple features, nice little details, and burly materials. Their aesthetics appeal to me, too. SG had very pro booth staff, and an X Curve loaded with what they claimed was 60 pounds. It was obvious from the first that the pack fitted me very well, and I spent as much time with it on as I felt like I could justify. Belt and especially shoulder straps are in my book the ideal mix. The new tension adjusting straps on the X Curve belt didn't seem like they did much, but I'd happily learn differently with 100 pounds on board.
Takeaway: I want an X Curve and Sky Archer
Exo
Exo didn't have a pack with significant weight in it. Wtf? Makes it hard to compare with the above. Their packs look great, especially the ranger green. Very Osprey with the stretch pockets and many features and are busy, but coherent. I'm actually surprised I haven't heard of more folks trashing the side pocket material, as it feels like stuff I've killed in the past. Their pack sizing is very generous, the 2000 daypack is close to 3000 in my opinion. The new snap in dry liner for the 2000 seemed heavy, but well executed. Biggest contrast was the lumbar bad, which is both massive and very soft, especially compared to to Kuiu. I didn't feel as good as Stone Glacier, but was definitely something I could live with. The shoulder strap attachment clips did make for a very vague feel to that connection, and most worryingly the belt connection is very narrow. The pack felt tippy, with no way to cinch things tight to the belt.
Takeaway: An odd mix of dialed features and looks with some suspension details that just don't make sense.
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