Which pack ?!?! MR/Kifaru/exo

[SilkOnTheDrySide]

I see what your talking about silk, that's quite a load.

I'm not trying to cause a huge fight, but it's the main reason I don't like the Meat Shelf.

That pack is a 3k cu pack, likely with all his day hunt gear.

That quarter probably is in the 75-80 pound range with the bone in.

Plus day hunt gear he's looking at 100-110. 

I think that's a very fair analysis and comparison.

But if that's how you want to pack and like it...knock yourself out!


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[Duckslayer89]

I see what your talking about silk, that's quite a load.

I'm not trying to cause a huge fight, but it's the main reason I don't like the Meat Shelf.

That pack is a 3k cu pack, likely with all his day hunt gear.

That quarter probably is in the 75-80 pound range with the bone in.

Plus day hunt gear he's looking at 100-110. 

I think that's a very fair analysis and comparison.

But if that's how you want to pack and like it...knock yourself out!


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I don't know why someone would ever hike bone-in meat out of the backcountry anyways.

[Dhoey07]

Here is an example of why I don't really like the Meat Shelf...notice how far forward he has to lean to compensate for the weight pulling him backward. He's created an additional 10-14" of horizontal space.

Plus...where are his trekking poles? Ha.



Here is Scott and I with 2 full loaded packs...notice we are standing vertical...




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And also posing for a picture 

I took a nice picture one time with my loaded day pack, a front quarter strapped to it and a rear quarter over my shoulder......it doesn't mean that's how I ended up. 

[kentrek]

Load shelfs just give you one more option to pack stuff

If you miss use them that's your fault....not the load shelfs

[trophyhunt]

This thread has been very helpful to a few of us on here, thanks for all the input, opinions and examples guys!  Now I just need to pull the trigger!  Really like the sky 7400 stone glacier, the kifaru and the price of the pro icon 7,200 kuiu but haven't heard many good thoughts on the kuiu frame.  Thanks again for the info.

[buglebrush]

Here is an example of why I don't really like the Meat Shelf...notice how far forward he has to lean to compensate for the weight pulling him backward. He's created an additional 10-14" of horizontal space.

Plus...where are his trekking poles? Ha.



Here is Scott and I with 2 full loaded packs...notice we are standing vertical...



I agree that looks horrible.  I have packed out many many animals and never had a pack look anything like that.  It's not a problem with a meat shelf that's a problem with the load.  When done properly there is nothing that keeps the weight tight and high on my back like a "properly utilized" meat shelf.  I'm glad their are options out there for different preferences. 

Plus why would you ever carry out a bone in quarter?!!!       

Here is a random example of what a normal load looks like.



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[deerslyr]

Load shelfs just give you one more option to pack stuff

If you miss use them that's your fault....not the load shelfs

Bingo. If you have an empty pack it makes no difference. If you load the pack that's more room you wouldn't have with out a load shelf, however it wont ride as good, but isn't completely terrible. It is nice to have the option. I had to pack two spike camps,a little bit of meat and a 6 point head while my partner packed out the last third of his bull. I'm glad I had the load shelf for that.

[Karl Blanchard]

since you guys are keeping this thread alive ill chime back in ! i did actually decide to go with kifaru and i went with hunting frame and  the DT2 . and got to load it up and take it on a turkey hunt so wasnt loaded up heavy at all just minimal camera gear / tripod / optics / extra jackets maybe 20 lbs if that . and compared to my kuiu it blew it out of the water i didn't even hardly know the pack was on my back. but bag layout in my opinion is doo doo compared to the kuiu . im kind of weird and ocd and like things separated . and i really did like the horseshoe zipper that the kuiu had the kifaru does have the bottom zipper to get stuff out from the bottom rather than digging through all your stuff . but when loading up for long hauls and when you have lots of little items .the pockets on the kuiu were certainly nice to have i had lots of little items i liked to take with me that i cannot find spots for in the kifaru bag . butttttttt its hauling capability is amazing the frame and the way it feels is amazing i just might be looking into another bag with some layout differences . cant wait to get it under serious weight and try it out . and for some reason i keep looking and the new Mystery ranch page to see when the new Marshall will be available 

Few suggestions I could make would be first off, get a few of Kifaru's pullouts.  I have all my items sorted into various sizes.  One for a kill kit, one for a firestarter/emergency stuff kit, then one for all the odds and ends you don't use very often like electrical tape, extra batteries, extra light, etc.  Those go in the main bag along with my puffy and my sea to summit 65L dry bag.  Bag gets compressed down to nothing and I rarely access it on day hunts.  Everything I use often, like gps, headlamp, extra gloves, beanie, phone, etc go either in a belt pouch, or in the two main pockets on the bag.  Food and often used things go in the top lid.  This enables me to have quick access to all of my heavily used items without the need to uncompress my main bag.  The pullouts are fantastic for finding and organizing gear as well.  I can completely empty my whole pack just by pulling out 3 or 4 pouches.  After a kill, I bone out all meat, place in game bags.  Game bags go in the S2S dry bag inside my pack.  No blood, no mess.  My whole camp, a boned out deer and head, and my 85mm razor and tripod, will all fit in my DT1 quite nicely.  No need for a load shelf and the awkwardness that comes with them.



In my personal opinion, a bunch of "gimmicky" pockets are just sales fluff and usually shrink the actual holding capacity of the pack.

Folks on here that know me, know that I am a full on gear junkie.  If there is something bigger and better out there, I am the first one in line to either get it or really really want it.  If there was a better heavy hauling, comfortable and streamlined pack system out there than the Kifaru, I would either have it or be saving for it.  There isn't though, at least none that I have laid my hands on

[trophyhunt]

Contacted a rep from kuiu a bit ago and asked him about the kuiu frame and why they are not getting a good review on our forum. He said they changed their pack design in the middle of 2014 and haven't heard any complaints since.  I also asked what they changed exactly, waiting for his response.  I'm hoping their packs can be a top pack someday, absolutely love their clothes.

[Karl Blanchard]

Contacted a rep from kuiu a bit ago and asked him about the kuiu frame and why they are not getting a good review on our forum. He said they changed their pack design in the middle of 2014 and haven't heard any complaints since.  I also asked what they changed exactly, waiting for his response.  I'm hoping their packs can be a top pack someday, absolutely love their clothes.

For the money they are a decent option.  My big complaint is the waist belt and the cheapness of the zippers.  This is a pack that I believe I would wear out in under 5 seasons.  Also the load lifters would slip under heavy weight and need constant tightening. 

[trophyhunt]

I will copy and paste your comment for them.

[kentrek]

Contacted a rep from kuiu a bit ago and asked him about the kuiu frame and why they are not getting a good review on our forum. He said they changed their pack design in the middle of 2014 and haven't heard any complaints since.  I also asked what they changed exactly, waiting for his response.  I'm hoping their packs can be a top pack someday, absolutely love their clothes.

I've ran the kuiu ultra for the last 2 years and pretty easily have put 200+ days in the field with it, everything from packing bulls to climbing mountains I've done in this pack.....it's a great pack, one the majority of outdoor enthusiasts would get by with nicely but when a offer came up to take it off my hands It was an easy decision

The frame breaking seems to be a mute point in my experience(ten bulls packed) with the new kuiu frame but the hip belt leaves abit to be desired on the heavy loads...it was supposed to be contoured similar to kifarus but that is not the case...also I don't think the foam is holding up that we'll either...I've noticed recently that the foam seems to be less supportive than I remember in the past and that also leads to less comfort on the heavy loads

I'm sure the icon pro would solve some of these issues,I've played with them and used one for a short hike and wish i would have known they were coming out with it at the time I put my preorder in for the ultra

Fast foward to taday and wanting to keep my money local, kifaru was a no brainer...it wasn't that much more then the kuiu,made in America, sold locally, killer hip belt, and probably one of the best reputations for durability out there...it's not much heavier and is as customizable as anything out there

I went with the new 24 inch duplex and the grab it with lash kit to attach which ever sized dry bag I want....so for around 400 bucks you can get into what the majority of people say is the "best" load hauling pack out there

Best thing to do is buy one of the top tier packs and use the heck out of it ! They all should do the job nicely 

Ps. The zippers on the kuiu have held up fine, zero problems there

[7mag.]

My hunting partner has a Kuiu Icon 7200 and loves it for packing in camp (40-50 lbs), but under heavy loads (80-100 lbs), the frame waist belt buckle and load lifter buckles slip. He's been having some zipper problems as well. The Icon Pro seems to have fixed most of the problems on previous versions, except light weight buckles and zippers that don't seem to hold up.

I have 2 Kifaru packs and have no complaints. They are a little heavier and don't have all the bells and whistles as the Kuiu, but the comfort, load hauling ability and durability are unmatched. Kifaru is also 100% made in the U.S.

I used to have a Mystery Ranch, and while well made, it was very heavy and the comfort wasn't even close to Kifaru.

I'm basing my comments on my experiences backpacking for multi night hunting and scouting trips. If that's not your intended use, you may not need a high end pack.

[Smossy]

I have a kuiu 3000 and a 6000 pack with belt/carbon fiber frame. Anyone have an idea to tell what series they are?


Nvm looks like they're both ultra's. Still not sure about the frame though.

[kentrek]

I think the bags say ultra on them...and the hip belt on the ultra doesn't have power pulls..the icon pro has power pulls

The frames are identical