I've been a kifaru guy for awhile so when they came out with an upgrade to my beloved duplex I jumped at the chance to experience the new and improved kifaru goodness. Per the recommendation for my usage I ordered the hunter frame and like any gear junkie I was like a kid in a candy store when it showed up. My initial impressions were exactly as expected, it is well made just like my old duplex but it was more comfortable in a couple ways and the new load lifter system is way more convenient and it is noticeably lighter, basically everything you want in an upgrade.
Well I mounted my emr2 to the frame through some weight in it and gave it a test run for about 1/2 mile, came back and adjusted some things and went again until I got it mostly dialed and had Frank and Aron on the phone a couple times to make sure I was doing it right. Everything felt pretty good at 30 lbs but certainly had a different feel than my old duplex, much more flex to the new one so it moves with you better. So I started in with my normal training regimen of weighted hikes with varying weights, distances and speeds.
After a pretty fair amount of use, 500-750 miles last year and some more fine tuning I came to the conclusion that I did like the frame but I didn't love it. The flex was nice at lighter loads but once I got north of 60 lbs I had a very difficult time keep the weight on my hips where it belongs. It seemed the new frame was superior in many ways but sacrificed some of what I loved about my old duplex to obtain that.
At the suggestion of a friend of mine who had similar issues as me, I decided to give the tactical frame a go, so I traded my hunter for a tactical with aluminum stays. I haven't had it terribly long yet and I've only got 30 or so miles on it, but in my opinion the tactical is superior in every way but weight. This is the upgrade I was hoping for in the hunting frame. While it is noticeably heavier in the hand the way it rides makes the extra 1 lb. 1 oz. unnoticed and worth every oz. on my back. It locks into place and stays where it belongs regardless of load or weight.
I am quite sure that the hunting frame works for many guys but for me with the way I hunt and train the tactical solved my issues and simply works better. If you are not quite happy with your hunting frame don't give up on kifaru, give the tactical a try.
Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
Well I mounted my emr2 to the frame through some weight in it and gave it a test run for about 1/2 mile, came back and adjusted some things and went again until I got it mostly dialed and had Frank and Aron on the phone a couple times to make sure I was doing it right. Everything felt pretty good at 30 lbs but certainly had a different feel than my old duplex, much more flex to the new one so it moves with you better. So I started in with my normal training regimen of weighted hikes with varying weights, distances and speeds.
After a pretty fair amount of use, 500-750 miles last year and some more fine tuning I came to the conclusion that I did like the frame but I didn't love it. The flex was nice at lighter loads but once I got north of 60 lbs I had a very difficult time keep the weight on my hips where it belongs. It seemed the new frame was superior in many ways but sacrificed some of what I loved about my old duplex to obtain that.
At the suggestion of a friend of mine who had similar issues as me, I decided to give the tactical frame a go, so I traded my hunter for a tactical with aluminum stays. I haven't had it terribly long yet and I've only got 30 or so miles on it, but in my opinion the tactical is superior in every way but weight. This is the upgrade I was hoping for in the hunting frame. While it is noticeably heavier in the hand the way it rides makes the extra 1 lb. 1 oz. unnoticed and worth every oz. on my back. It locks into place and stays where it belongs regardless of load or weight.
I am quite sure that the hunting frame works for many guys but for me with the way I hunt and train the tactical solved my issues and simply works better. If you are not quite happy with your hunting frame don't give up on kifaru, give the tactical a try.
Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk