Free: Contests & Raffles.
RailBob, here's my . You say that because of the price of the Kifaru and Stone Glacier you're going to settle for the Outdoorsmans pack. Well what if, when you get that pack you find out that you don't like it because the pack doesn't carry weight well and you want to sell it to some poor, unsuspecting schmuck so that you can recoup some of your cash and then cough up the balance to purchase the pack that you now realize you should have purchased in the first place (Kifaru, Stone Glacier). So now your pack is for sale, but nobody wants to buy it at the price your asking, so in the end, you sell it for $200 and have to add $450 out of pocket to purchase your high end pack. So now you've spent $850 to purchase a $650 pack because you thought it was to expensive back in May, 2015. I'm sure you've heard it before, "buy once, cry once", and there's a reason people say it, it's true. If you still don't want to spend the money for the Kifaru, Stone Glacier, I'd recommend you look at the Horn Hunter Full Curl pack, you should be able to get into one for about $350, it's made in the USA and has load lifters on it that actually work.
Agree wise words, but if its not in the guys budget to spend $700 on a backpack, should he? If he doesn't backpack hunt, should he spend $700 on a pack? I went from an eberle pack to a Kuiu Icon. Functional load lifters make all the difference in the world. That Kuiu pack is night and day different from the Eberle. With that said, the Eberlestock pack I had was on top of Mt Adams twice, packed out a few bucks and was with me on the high hunt a couple times. It worked fine. Not the most comfortable thing in the world. All I'm trying to say is that contrary to popular belief, not everyone has to have a Kifaru pack every time they need or want a new backpack. There are other options from a budget friendly point of view. Used packs are a great option too. Save a few bucks on a great used pack. Whatever you get, I'd get something with load lifters that work.
Here's a new pack that's perfect for you back country hunters.
Quote from: jackelope on May 06, 2015, 08:38:32 PMAgree wise words, but if its not in the guys budget to spend $700 on a backpack, should he? If he doesn't backpack hunt, should he spend $700 on a pack? I went from an eberle pack to a Kuiu Icon. Functional load lifters make all the difference in the world. That Kuiu pack is night and day different from the Eberle. With that said, the Eberlestock pack I had was on top of Mt Adams twice, packed out a few bucks and was with me on the high hunt a couple times. It worked fine. Not the most comfortable thing in the world. All I'm trying to say is that contrary to popular belief, not everyone has to have a Kifaru pack every time they need or want a new backpack. There are other options from a budget friendly point of view. Used packs are a great option too. Save a few bucks on a great used pack. Whatever you get, I'd get something with load lifters that work.Very true. The op did, however, say he was looking at the Outdoorsman's Optic Hunter, which is a direct competitor to the high end backpack hunting packs such as; Kuiu, Stone Glacier, Kifaru, Exo, etc. The advice given, based on the opinions from those of us that have done it the hard way is- buy the best pack available to fit your needs.With that said, these high end packs aren't necessary for most hunters. If you're not carrying heavy loads on a regular basis, you probably don't need to spend your money on a high end pack.
All I'm trying to say is that contrary to popular belief, not everyone has to have a Kifaru pack every time they need or want a new backpack. There are other options
Quote from: 7mag. on May 06, 2015, 09:28:26 PMQuote from: jackelope on May 06, 2015, 08:38:32 PMAgree wise words, but if its not in the guys budget to spend $700 on a backpack, should he? If he doesn't backpack hunt, should he spend $700 on a pack? I went from an eberle pack to a Kuiu Icon. Functional load lifters make all the difference in the world. That Kuiu pack is night and day different from the Eberle. With that said, the Eberlestock pack I had was on top of Mt Adams twice, packed out a few bucks and was with me on the high hunt a couple times. It worked fine. Not the most comfortable thing in the world. All I'm trying to say is that contrary to popular belief, not everyone has to have a Kifaru pack every time they need or want a new backpack. There are other options from a budget friendly point of view. Used packs are a great option too. Save a few bucks on a great used pack. Whatever you get, I'd get something with load lifters that work.Very true. The op did, however, say he was looking at the Outdoorsman's Optic Hunter, which is a direct competitor to the high end backpack hunting packs such as; Kuiu, Stone Glacier, Kifaru, Exo, etc. The advice given, based on the opinions from those of us that have done it the hard way is- buy the best pack available to fit your needs.With that said, these high end packs aren't necessary for most hunters. If you're not carrying heavy loads on a regular basis, you probably don't need to spend your money on a high end pack.I don't disagree with anything you said and mostly never do...but is the outdoorsman pack really considered a direct competitor to the Kifaru and the like? You can buy them for under $400, no load lifters, etc. Don't get me wrong. I hope to have a Kifaru pack at some point soon. Just want to point out that not everyone "needs" a Kifaru or other $700 pack.
Kifaru is the best pack available.
