- Banned
- #1
Hey everyone, I'm VERY excited to have entered the world of Rokslide and Kifaru with my brand-new Kifaru Crater in Ranger on the 26" Hunter frame which just arrived at my house on Wednesday! I feel this is a HUGE upgrade over my previous Eberlestock system already, but of course I need some field-time with it before I proclaim anything.
Here is my question: In all of my previous backpacks I've always had a sleeve for my water bladder inside the pack, which Kifaru just doesn't seem to do. I know the Kifaru staff likes Nalgene bottles so maybe that's why, but I'm a fan of using a WB as my primary system and I carry a nalgene as a backup. My concern is having the WB exposed in the pack to any sharp/pointy corners that may happen inside the pack under compression. Is this something I should be worried about, or am I making a big deal out of nothing? Do you just need to be careful how you pack to make sure there is some cushion around the WB?
I REALLY like the idea of the WB system in the Reckoning pack, and almost went that direction, but the extra capacity and the side-zip access on the Crater sold me. That said, I really like the idea of being see how full the WB is without opening the pack since I use Katadyn pump filter that fills through the hose. I'm considering just sewing in a Reckoning-style system on the back of the Crater (hanger and a velco strap to secure it) which seems like would be a really easy mod to make by someone with sewing skills.
Any input would be greatly appreciated from this group. Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me!
Here is my question: In all of my previous backpacks I've always had a sleeve for my water bladder inside the pack, which Kifaru just doesn't seem to do. I know the Kifaru staff likes Nalgene bottles so maybe that's why, but I'm a fan of using a WB as my primary system and I carry a nalgene as a backup. My concern is having the WB exposed in the pack to any sharp/pointy corners that may happen inside the pack under compression. Is this something I should be worried about, or am I making a big deal out of nothing? Do you just need to be careful how you pack to make sure there is some cushion around the WB?
I REALLY like the idea of the WB system in the Reckoning pack, and almost went that direction, but the extra capacity and the side-zip access on the Crater sold me. That said, I really like the idea of being see how full the WB is without opening the pack since I use Katadyn pump filter that fills through the hose. I'm considering just sewing in a Reckoning-style system on the back of the Crater (hanger and a velco strap to secure it) which seems like would be a really easy mod to make by someone with sewing skills.
Any input would be greatly appreciated from this group. Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me!