Good, Bad, and the Ugly! 2014 Gear review!

[rtspring]

5'8" ?  Hmmm you must have grown alot!   

Standing next to Coach and I you look maybe 4' ha ha.

One day you might grow up..

Getsum

[DIYARCHERYJUNKIE]

Nice review .  The cost seems high but twenty extra lbs every trip sounds good.

. It def is a big expense but I could have bought two of these packs for the amount I have spent on packs in the last decade.  Def not a pack for everyone but if you spend a large amount of time with a pack on and carry big loads often,  its priceless.

Could you post the link to your pack?  I'm the exact same size and weight.  Just not as fit.  Thanks blr

[Karl Blanchard]

Frame:  http://store.kifaru.net/mobile/duplex-platform-frame-and-suspension-p8.aspxg

[Karl Blanchard]

Bag: http://store.kifaru.net/mobile/duplex-timberline-1-7200ci-bag-only-p9.aspx

[MooseZ25]

Thanks for the information guys

[Magnum_Willys]

For meat bags the kuiu Xxl dry bag works well.  Lighter and cools quicker than seat summit .   Only holds about 70# boned meat tho. 

[scottcrb]

tag tag tag

[Whitpirate]

I want to hear Coach's review of his pack.... damn that thing is heavy before he kills something.

[Karl Blanchard]

I want to hear Coach's review of his pack.... damn that thing is heavy before he kills something.

. Its loaded down with all the tags he had!  And RT's snickers!

[Karl Blanchard]

One of my other big purchases for the year was a new panhead for my tripod.  Previously I had been using an Outdoorsman's pistol grip head.  Top quality, very functional, but lacked the stability to support a large 80mm+ spotting scope.  I researched a ton of different heads as I really, really, really, didn't want to spend the cash on the outdoorsmans head.  Like any quality piece of gear though, you get what you pay for most of the time. 

No plastic parts to flex but still very light weight.  Individual head locks for tilt and pan.  Smooth as silk with no creep at all.  Huge fan of the individual locks for grid glassing.  Its not a fluid head so it doesn't freeze up in cold weather.  I used it in Montana this year in -20 weather with no issues.

Really the only complaint I have about this product is the price!  In the end, it is worth every penny but man oh man is it hard to pull the trigger on a $375 hunk of aluminum.

[Karl Blanchard]

Side views and one with the spotter attached. 

[Karl Blanchard]

Probably the biggest waste of money I have spent in the last few years was this Kifaru meat bag.  Claim is 100lbs of boned meat and keeps blood out of your pack.  Also you can use the handle to hang the bag so the meat cools, but it is def all false.  Blood pours out of this thing and if there is a load in it, 60ish pounds max, and you try and hang it up, the draw string won't hold and out comes your meat. I was very lucky that I had hardly lifted the bag off of the game bag I was using as a ground cloth.  The meat fell right out onto the game bag so no harm no foul but can you imagine if you had made it to a branch and out it all came onto the dirt!?!?!?

This product would work well if you weren't concerned about blood in your pack and just wanted something to keep a load centered and tight on a pack frame or in your pack.  Just don't use the handle, keep the draw string open end upright.


EDIT:  IM GIVING THIS PRODUCT A SECOND CHANCE, THIS TIME WITH SOME SEAM SEALER TO SEE IF IT WILL KEEP IT FROM LEAKING.  STILL WONT HOLD A LOAD IN A HANGING POSITION OR HOLD 100LBS BUT THEY DO WEIGH NEXT TO NOTHING SO MAY SUB IT FOR THE SEATOSUMMIT BAGS FOR BACKPACK HUNTS IF IT DOESNT LEAK.

[Karl Blanchard]

Here it is next to my son.  He is almost 3 but is only about 26#

[ridgefire]

sent you a pm. I will take the meat bag. I was going to brag the bags up. seam seal them and I use them to keep stuff dry in my pack like clothes or gamebags and drop meat in them and keeps your pack spotless from blood. once you get to camp, hang the meat in game bags and rinse meat bag out. dries real quick and ready to use again. bt2 worked great this year, packed out a couple elk with it this year and no complaints. not to impressed with my first lite brimmed beanie, thinking I will stick with the beanie and ball cap. I have a gun bearer but never have tried it yet. will have to try it out.

[Karl Blanchard]

So after trading PM's with ridge fire, he has convinced me to give the dry sack another run, this time with some seam sealer as insurance.  I guess I will hold off judgement on this product for now.