Why buy a Stone Glacier?

I went with a Stone Glacier for the simplicity as well as the weight of the packs. All the zippers, bells and whistles of Kifaru were unnecessary weight to me and I felt nickel and dimed when pricing out a Kifaru High Camp. To me it seemed at every turn they were more than happy to add on another $20 for a color selection, buckles etc. Currently rocking a SG Solo/Approach setup but testing and playing with the Cirque. Lots of versatility in these packs
 
I went with a Stone Glacier for the simplicity as well as the weight of the packs. All the zippers, bells and whistles of Kifaru were unnecessary weight to me and I felt nickel and dimed when pricing out a Kifaru High Camp. To me it seemed at every turn they were more than happy to add on another $20 for a color selection, buckles etc. Currently rocking a SG Solo/Approach setup but testing and playing with the Cirque. Lots of versatility in these packs

Sounds like you have good taste in packs and jeeps (my xj was stolen and found totaled in connecticut :(
 
I've owned both, first a DT1 with several add-on's that I used for a couple years, then a SG with Terminus and Solo bags. Once I bought the SG and used it for a season, I sold the DT1 because the SG just seemed to fit me better/more comfortable and of course much lighter. Both great packs for sure and I'm sure you won't go wrong either way.
 
I have had a SG Solo since June 2013. I upgraded to a 3 pc belt. It has made a world of difference. I have not packed heavy with the new belt, but I know it will be much better than before based on my packing around this spring.

I was on the fence for months between these 2 pack systems.
1. Meat in bag or on shelf? I was pretty new to the idea of a big dry bag in a pack bag for meat. I was leaning toward the expandable shelf. Kifaru didn't really offer that type of system at that time.

2. Belt for loading items? I use a 2" belt for everything, so the SG belt fit my way of thinking. I am not a military guy, so I am not familiar with most of the mounting systems and terminology used on Kifaru packs. This is just due to my ignorance, but it made me lean toward the SG.

3. Access to try it on: I will do months of research on stuff because I am just F'd up. I also hate to buy anything that I can't put my hands on. I had an opportunity to go through Bozeman and try the SG on. I ended up buying the whole package there, and getting fitted up properly at Schnees.

4. Overall weight: When I was looking at getting this pack, weight was a large factor. This made me lean toward the SG.

Here is what I know today:
I found Rokslide after I bought my pack. With the Rokslide community available to "try on", I may have gone with a Kifaru setup. who knows. I was running around on the Eastman's site most of the time. I wasn't seeing very much info on that forum regarding the higher end pack systems.

It was not until spring of this year that I actually saw a Kifaru pack. I met Aron at the Portland show, and tried on all of his packs he had and stole about an hr of his day I think. I had 80# duplex frame on, and it felt great. He said I could run around the show for awhile if I wanted to, but I passed. As much as I would have liked to try it out, it wasn't going to make me buy one so I felt it should be there for a customer actually ready to buy.

So for what it's worth, this is what I now have.
SG Solo bag:
I think this is the best bag he has.

3 pc LG belt:
I am about 36" waist size.

SG meat bag and OR 55L dry bag:
I find the SG bag a little small. I was heaping out the top with an ID Mule Deer. I picked up the 55L for more capacity.

Kifaru XTL lid:
My bag is too old, and does not have the new straps for the Sky Lids. Just got this XTL a couple weeks ago. I think it offers some added features that the Sky lid lacks. Took me 5 minutes to hook this up. Uses the 2 unused straps at the top of the frame. I hooked straps to the bottom horizontal compression straps on the Solo bag using a couple tri slides. I am going to get a couple G hooks and possibly sew a couple loops on the bag for a more efficient on-off. I haven't expanded the load shelf yet to make sure there is a hookup method there. I am sure I will come up with something if it doesn't come right together.

Conclusion:
If I had it to do all over again, I would use my Rokslide community to try on and beat around a couple different scenarios. I would likely lean more toward a 5000 range bag, but only if it was exactly like a Solo but larger. The single top pocket and the large panel zipper is great. I still use the 2" belt, and the SG 3 pc belt actually improves the way the belt works. If I ended up with a Kifaru, I am sure I would love it, but I have no regrets with the setup I have.
 
Cares given what anyone other than myself uses... Zero

But since kifaru was brought up I thought I would chime in.



Thanks Luke. I really appreciate that response, especially about the new belt. I really wish I could try them on. I wish I still lived in the west where people have these packs for me to try out, and nearby stores sell them.




Score another point for Stone Glacier. :)
 
One of my hunting partners went with stone glacier. He did so because he wanted simplicity of adjustment. The kifaru frames take some tweaking and adjusting to get the most proper fit possible. My buddy rather undo the velcro on the SG, move the straps up or down and be done. He also liked the looks and he felt he didn't have straps hanging everywhere. I went with Kifaru and all of my wildest dreams have come true :) Thery're both awesome, you can't go wrong. Go with whatever you feel is coolest. Let that be your tiebreaker!
 
I went with a stone glacier solo after going through everything you currently are. I could not be happier. I really enjoy how simple, lightweight, and durable it is. My plan is to pick up a serac or archer in the coming months to add some room for the longer trips. The horseshoe zipper really makes packing easy and you can fit a lot in it. I actually bought the solo and 5100 to try them both out. I found that he solo was easier to pack/unpack than the 5100 in bivy mode. I've email back and forth with the owner of SG more than a few times and found that he always got back to me within a day or two and gave extensive answers. Either way, I don't think you'll be dissapointed as long as it's adjusted properly.... But buy a SG.
 
Ive had my stone glacier pack for about a month now. It gets thrown in and out of a helicopter all day, along with hiking it through some of the thickest and nastiest brush and devils club you can imagine. So far, couldn't be happier. Its been awesome. Comfortable, lightweight, and so far standing up to the rigors i have been putting it through.
 
I was in the same boat as you last year. I ordered both a SG Sky 5100 and a Kifaru T1. I kept the Stone Glacier and sold the Kifaru.

The comment above about It's the pack not the company is a good one.

You need to decide what type of hunting you do and which pack fits that.

I'm no pack expert. I don't live in these things like some of these guys do.

I elk hunt once a year out of state with a few friends. We pack in a spike camp and set up and then hunt out from there. The majority of my time wearing a pack is for hunting not hauling. I didn't need and don't want a hauler. I've done the carrying a bunch of weight out off the mountain thing and won't do it again. I'll make a second trip. Because of that the Duplex was out, the Bikini as well. I didn't want that type of frame for hunting everyday. I wouldn't have considered the Bikini either way, if I wanted a frame I would get a Duplex.

The only thing I liked better about the Kifaru was the belt. I have the 3 piece SG belt. I emailed and talked to Kurt a few times and he sent me additional padding for my belt to make the lumbar pad thicker and I think the belt ended up being a wash. I got the extra padding after I sold the Kifaru.

The SG has a much better load compression system than the Kifaru. I don't mind straps, I can't see them when the pack is on my back and it takes .2 seconds to unsnap them when I want in the pack. You can place a load in multiple places with a SG by tightening the different straps. You can also cinch the load down as tight as you want. With the Kifaru you can't get good compression unless the bag is full of you buy an add on "compression strap kit." Even with the add on kit it isn't as good as the SG in this department. You also must purchase a lid separate with the Kifaru and the SG comes with a 500 c/i lid.

I like the load shelf concept. I would much rather put meat in a dry bag and put it on the load shelf than put it inside the bag itself. Keeps my day hunting gear and bag blood free. It doesn't push the load too far out behind you if you only have day hunt stuff in the bag. It works really well. The load shelf is also nice for packing food. Food takes up a ton of room inside a pack, for the trip in food goes in a meat sack on the load shelf, compresses down nicely and the rest of camp goes in the bag. 10 days worth of food takes up a lot of room in a bag.

When testing the packs the heaviest I carried was 100lbs. There was negligible difference between the two in comfort with this load and this would be the heaviest pack I would ever carry anymore. Were I going to do this on a regular basis, again, I'd have bought a Duplex. In the Kifaru with the 100lb load I had to roll up towels and put them in the bottom of the bag to get and keep the weight higher on my back, otherwise it wanted to sag pretty low. With the SG simply pull the bottom two compression straps completely tight and it essentially removes the entire bottom half of the bag.

For my purposes it was a fairly easy choice. I want a light pack that is comfortable for day hunting as well as with a moderately heavy load. The SG is lighter and IMO equal in comfort to 100lbs. It also folds down into the "bivy mode" which makes it smaller and cleaner for day hunting. I like the compression system of the SG and prefer to have a meat shelf as apposed to putting it inside the bag. I didn't want to have to purchase a lid and compression straps as add ons.
 
Last edited:
*I haven't tried the SG with its 3 piece waistbelt. The SG pack I used was the full wrap version, I feel a 3 piece waistbelt from SG would tighten if not close the comfort gap between the two frames.

This just shows you how different everyone is. I've owned a Kifaru, the EXO, the SG, and the Paradox. I still have the SG and Paradox. I absolutely HATE the big thick lumbar pads, so the SG one-piece works better. However, for me the best of all is the Paradox belt. I wish I could get that belt on my SG.

A few years ago I was trying to build my own pack setup for how I wanted it. Then someone told me about SG before they were mainstream, and all I could say was "THAT's what I'm trying to build". Love the functionality of how it all sets up and works with the load shelf and added capability because of that. Also at 4lbs empty weight, that's a big plus as well.

But as said.......everyone is different. You may want/need a big ole lumbar pad instead of a one-piece belt. Seems like there are more folks that prefer them than not. Maybe it's only lefties that prefer a one-piece?????:cool:
 
Thank you to every last one of you. This has been immensely helpful. Every single post just made me want a Stone Glacier even more. I was mostly worried about belt quality/comfort, and Luke saying that his review was with the one piece and much support for the 3 piece has alleviated my worried about comfort. Really, thanks to everyone for making my decision easier. Especially jmez for writing such a thorough review. It really resonated with me.

I wish I could try out every pack on the planet. But I can't. Buying a SG with their 30 day warranty seems like my best route. At this price point, I want the best pack I can get for me. Kifaru very well may be a great pack, but too many over the top Kifaru fan boys on Archerytalk, Elknut, etc have just left a bad taste in my mouth. I know that's unfair to the company, but it's the truth. If Kifaru was the stand-alone winner, I'd get one. But SG being neck-and-neck, I'm excited to give them the first shot.

Now, I just have to decide which one! 5100 or 6200... oh decisions, decisions...
 
I wasted a lot of money finding the right pack.. Original pack was a Dana Design External frame, then moved to a KUIU Icon 7200. The ICON was a decent pack, one of my favorite pack bags, but I had issues with the waist belt and with stories of broken frames I moved it along. I then tried a Kifaru EMR II and a Stone Glacier 7200. I used then back and forth for a spring and ended up going with the SG. In the end I chose the SG, but it was really due to how it fit me as much as anything. I also really like the load shelf concept.

http://www.rokslide.com/easyblog/entry/backpack-month-on-rokslide
 
Thank you to every last one of you. This has been immensely helpful. Every single post just made me want a Stone Glacier even more. I was mostly worried about belt quality/comfort, and Luke saying that his review was with the one piece and much support for the 3 piece has alleviated my worried about comfort. Really, thanks to everyone for making my decision easier. Especially jmez for writing such a thorough review. It really resonated with me.

I wish I could try out every pack on the planet. But I can't. Buying a SG with their 30 day warranty seems like my best route. At this price point, I want the best pack I can get for me. Kifaru very well may be a great pack, but too many over the top Kifaru fan boys on Archerytalk, Elknut, etc have just left a bad taste in my mouth. I know that's unfair to the company, but it's the truth. If Kifaru was the stand-alone winner, I'd get one. But SG being neck-and-neck, I'm excited to give them the first shot.

Now, I just have to decide which one! 5100 or 6200... oh decisions, decisions...

I had the same dilemma with the 5100 and 7400. All their packs compress so well, I say go bigger. The difference in weight is negligible, and its nice to have the extra room if you need it.

That being said, I have a sky 7400 and have never used its full capacity. The Archer was not an option when I bought my pack last year, but it would be my pick from the current selection. Perfect size and the two side pockets are great options to carry a fishing pole, trekking poles, rifle, etc without the need for additional accessories.
 
I had the same dilemma with the 5100 and 7400. All their packs compress so well, I say go bigger. The difference in weight is negligible, and its nice to have the extra room if you need it.

That being said, I have a sky 7400 and have never used its full capacity. The Archer was not an option when I bought my pack last year, but it would be my pick from the current selection. Perfect size and the two side pockets are great options to carry a fishing pole, trekking poles, rifle, etc without the need for additional accessories.
I like the archer as well. Probably would go that route if starting over. Seems like a pretty good set up
 
This just shows you how different everyone is. I've owned a Kifaru, the EXO, the SG, and the Paradox. I still have the SG and Paradox. I absolutely HATE the big thick lumbar pads, so the SG one-piece works better. However, for me the best of all is the Paradox belt. I wish I could get that belt on my SG.

You do know the Kifaru lumbar pad can be swapped out? The Paradox belt didn't work for me at all, the bottom of the frame continually bumped me in the azz. Mine was a loaner and I didn't want to mod it but I may give the new Divide a whirl and bend the bottom of the frame to suit me.
 
. Kifaru very well may be a great pack, but too many over the top Kifaru fan boys on Archerytalk, Elknut, etc have just left a bad taste in my mouth. I know that's unfair to the company, but it's the truth. If Kifaru was the stand-alone winner, I'd get one. But SG being neck-and-neck, I'm excited to give them the first shot.

So you must be a SG fanboy without even trying one on! hope it works out for you and it works with your body type/hunting style. No doubt they are top tier packs as are the other ones mentioned here. Don't let Internet opinions be only one deciding factors. Use what works best for you regardless of the name on the pack. Guess you don't until you try and have to start somewhere.
 
I bought the SG a long time ago. I bought the Krux frame and a solo bag. Since then I have bought a minimalist bag, 5100 bag and now the Sky Archer 6200. I love the ability to go into the mountains with the 6200 bag and take the minimalist bag with me. 5 minutes I can have the 1800 cu in bag on and ready to hunt from there. The meat shelf allows for carring your kill on the shelf and get the prize back to the truck. I do not care for a lot of pockets with bells and whistles. The SG within less than 5 minutes of adjustments was fitting me like a glove. I have sent the frame back to Kurt when he came out with the 3 piece belt to have it swapped out. Now the fit is even better than it was before. I have never owned a Kifaru pack, I do own a few of the other products. I will say I hunt with a buddy that has a few of the Kifaru packs and they are top notch. I just really like my SG and do not see me hunting out of another pack.

Glenn
 
I have an SG and LOVE the Krux especially since Kirt sent me the 3-piece belt after listening to feedback I provided. Right now I'm running a Mystery Ranch Hitchiker on it but will be getting the Serac shortly... This pack does everything for me from day hunts to 5-day bivies...

I understand completely how you feel about the "fanboy" aspect... feedback from Aron, Luke, etc. is invaluable but the "don't waste your money on anything else" comments get old... It's also why I don't shoot a Mathews :)
 
i'm also interested in the SG packs and the one thing holding me up is the velcro attachment of the shoulder and belt. it just seems like over time this isn't going to hold up. it's probably not an issue but i just worry.
 
Back
Top