Pack Questions, Please Help!

bhowren

Lil-Rokslider
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Aug 1, 2017
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Oregon
7-10 day Hunting Pack Question

The Hunter
5”10” - 175 lbs. - 32” Waist – Torso longer than legs
Almost 48 Yrs. Old. Had 2 Back Surgeries (Fusion L5, S1 and Laminectomy/otomy) and Have to work out quite a bit in order to keep my weight down (Better for back- Slow Metabolism makes me have to work out harder to keep weight off). Able to Pack quite a bit, but want to be careful with my back. I need it for work (Firefighter/Paramedic).

The Hunt
Archery- Snake River Unit in Oregon. Plan is to pack in @ 10 miles, set up camp and hunt from there. Wife will be with me, but don’t want her to pack much. I will either pack in, but also toying with riding a bike with a trailer in to campsite (Ridge Road). Have been hunting the unit for several years, either with bow or rifle.

The Possible Pack Choices
Exo Mountain- K2 5500
Kifaru- Unsure-Tried on Reckoning
Stone Glacier- Not sure which one of the expedition Packs or Frames (Guessing X-Curve)
Seek Outside- Unaweep 4800 with Lid and Merlin Talon
Mystery Ranch- Metcalf or Marshall

Tried on the Exo Mountain K2 5500 and Kifaru Reckoning yesterday at the Pacific Northwest Sportsmen’s Show in Portland. Both felt great, but weren’t loaded down with weight. I am unable to try on any of the other packs, so looking for opinions for my body type/hunt plan. I currently use an Outdoorsman Pack- Works fine, but think I could get better.

Things I Liked
Exo Mountain- K2 5500
-Comfort
-Meat Shelf
-Dry Bag Liner (Could Drop off all but Day Pack Necessities at Camp)
-Ability to compress without being bulky
-Light

Kifaru- Reckoning
-Comfort
-Center Zip
-Ability to Compress without being bulky
-Light

Any Help, Insights, Likes, Dislikes, Suggestions would be greatly Appreciated.
 

handwerk

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Although I'm taller than you I also have a long torso, have had exo's and kifaru in the past, both good quality packs/companies, but in the the end the sweet spot ended up being the SG Xcurve and 5900...the best one yet for me. I'd certainly try a SG somehow before you decide.
 

oldgoat

WKR
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Ten days, and packing some for your wife, your going to need a big bag, my vote is for the Kifaru! Don't think 5500 is going to be big enough, Kifaru has some new packs out, not sure of their size, but I'd go as big as they currently have or use the bike and a smaller pack! That's the beauty of these packs, you can have more than one bag for your frame depending on what you're doing!
 
Joined
Dec 15, 2017
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I run the SG sky guide 7900. It is rather large but when carring smaller is compresses very well.

The stone glacier is very comfortable under heavy load but the kifaru is more comfortable. I chose stone glacier because of the way the bags are set up.
 

carter33

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Apr 12, 2017
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Fairbanks
I noticed you you said you liked the fact the exo has a meat shelf, the reckoning actually has a meat shelf as well. It's one of the few kifaru bags with a built in meat shelf, I beleive they have tweaked the design of how the bags attach to the frame making the meat shelf easier to access also.
 

Gumbo

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Montana
Kifaru AMR or Crater would be my suggestion. Reckoning will likely be too small. I have an AMR and Reckoning and there is no way I could do that type of trip with me and someone else's gear in a Reckoning. The good thing to me about the AMR/Crater is that they are big around so they don't get as tall as an SG of similar capacity. Never used an Exo so I can't compare them to a Kifaru.
 

530Chukar

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Jun 27, 2016
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Out West
The posts above are correct. 5500 is going to be too small for a 7-10 day hunt. I did 7 days on an elk hunt this year with the kifaru timberline and my pack was close to maxed out just with my gear. Your hunt will be much warmer so you'll be able to cut a lot of the bulk.
 

bmart2622

WKR
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Jun 16, 2013
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Montana
The Exo 5500 is a very conservative 5500ci so keep that in mind. IMO the layout of the Exo and SG bags are far and away better than the Kifaru offerings but its real tough to beat that Duplex frame.
 
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bhowren

Lil-Rokslider
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Aug 1, 2017
Messages
113
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Oregon
The posts above are correct. 5500 is going to be too small for a 7-10 day hunt. I did 7 days on an elk hunt this year with the kifaru timberline and my pack was close to maxed out just with my gear. Your hunt will be much warmer so you'll be able to cut a lot of the bulk.

Thanks! I am hoping that if I Bike in with the trailer I can get everything in between the Trailer and Pack. Will definitely keep this in mind though!
 
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bhowren

Lil-Rokslider
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Thank you all for the replies. I am taking notes! Please give more opinions and advice. I agree with those saying that these sizes of Packs are probably not big enough for 7-10 days. However with the Past Back issues in consideration and looking for long term, I am trying to keep some of the weight down a bit on my back. Hoping between my Bike Trailer and the Pack, I can get everything to camp?.?. I want to be able to do this for a very long time!
 
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bhowren

Lil-Rokslider
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Messages
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Location
Oregon
I noticed you you said you liked the fact the exo has a meat shelf, the reckoning actually has a meat shelf as well. It's one of the few kifaru bags with a built in meat shelf, I beleive they have tweaked the design of how the bags attach to the frame making the meat shelf easier to access also.

You are right. I had heard from a few people that they liked the meat shelf on the Exo Better. Do you agree, or no??? I have no idea.
 
Joined
Dec 15, 2017
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Even the the bigger stone glaciers weight less than most any pack. Thatll give you a bigger pack for less weight on your back.


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DavePwns

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Dec 9, 2017
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Stone glacier seems to have the most modifiable options for your back pads positioning and the frame should have a more anatomical curve. I haven't tried them yet just what I've researched

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oldgoat

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One other thing I'll throw out there, don't skimp on your wife's pack, they generally don't deal with "the suck" well. My wife hunts with me and getting her a pack that could actually be completely dialed in like her Kifaru is was a huge game changer for us!View attachment 66479
 
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bhowren

Lil-Rokslider
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Messages
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Oregon
One other thing I'll throw out there, don't skimp on your wife's pack, they generally don't deal with "the suck" well. My wife hunts with me and getting her a pack that could actually be completely dialed in like her Kifaru is was a huge game changer for us!View attachment 66479

Completely agree! Hoping to get her pack lined out first. I just don't want to have her pack too much, but with an excellent pack!
 
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bhowren

Lil-Rokslider
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Location
Oregon
Seeing lots of Stone Glacier so far. Sure wish I could try one of these, but so far away to try one (same with all the others on my list). Want to be able to get one completely dialed in for both my wife and I. Hard to do without being able to have an expert help us get fit perfectly. I have access to only Kifaru and Exo Mountain so far. At least distance wise. Boise not too far when we go to put my game cameras up, and have access to the Kifaru packs through xxx archery in Ranier.
 

oldgoat

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Completely agree! Hoping to get her pack lined out first. I just don't want to have her pack too much, but with an excellent pack!

Being close to a professional that can help with fit is huge, we are only a couple miles from Kifaru headquarters so it was a no brainer in my mind. My wife has the 22" hunter frame and Woodsman and it is pretty much spot on for holding what she's capable of carrying. She's usually around 25 to 30#
 
Joined
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I packed into the Pecos Wilderness 5 miles last September for a week using a Kifaru Woodsman with two scope pockets and a guide lid. Temps are cool up there at night, but not horribly cold in September, so warm clothing was minimal for me. There wasn't any extra room, but it was plenty (sleeping bag goes below the pack's bag). That extra food is what will require you to have more space. If you take a bike with trailer, I assume you'll be hunting from a base camp and you could get away with a smaller pack and your food in another bag on the trailer. By the way, this isn't my favorite pack configuration (full scope pockets cause pack to be wide enough that my arms don't swing free), but you could figure out the volume and use that as another guy's experience. I've not tried any other brands. My other bag is an AMR, and that thing is HUGE. can haul anything you'd want in there.
 
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I’m a huge fan of the Mystery Ranch Metcalf as that is what I use. That said, it is the wrong pack for the hunt you describe.
I would really look at the Kifaru offerings and call them. They are friendly and knowledgeable. Good advice so far in this thread.
 
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