Comfiest packs, and why?

[KJStechly]

So after my debacle last year with my gen 1 exo, I’m in the market for a new pack. Let me fill you in

Me and 2 buddies did a 12 day back country elk hunt in Idaho last year. First time out west for me, I knew it was gunna be tough. To keep things short, I’ll summarize. My pack felt like it was eating through my back and shoulders by the time all was said and done. I tried adjusting it multiple different ways, but could never get it to feel totally comfortable. Total pack weight was 52#. That was with water and bow too.

So I guess my question is, am I asking too much from a pack? Is 12 days too long to carry around that much and it get uncomfortable? And before I get “that” comment. Yes, I did do pre season hikes. However, I never put my gear in the pack until we got out there. I just used a duct taped sack of cement. And it felt fine on my hikes. Not great, but not terribly uncomfortable.

So what’s everyone like when it comes to comfort? And why?

Btw, some info on me. 6’4”, 205#, 19” torso, 34” waste.

Thanks in advance guys


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[Billy Goat]

You should be able to make 50# reasonably comfortable. I don't have any discomfort at those weights. Could be your pack wasn't fitted correctly at the jump and once the bruises set in and the sore muscles you couldn't get comfortable. Exo has some videos on their site about fitting the pack, you might be on the verge of being too tall or too tall for the Gen I frame. Some packs just don't work for some people, I'd try getting it dialed in to you. If it doesn't work for you try something else. Fortunately we have lots of options. Not every pack works for every individual.

Weight should be carried by your hips, the shoulder straps just help to balance it.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Fit is a big deal but even the best pack is going to feel heavy with 50# or more.

I have used a variety of packs over the years from military ALICE and Lowe alpine packs to north face and arcteryx to kifaru and mystery ranch. Mystery Ranch works best for Me but preferences vary.

at the risk of sounding preachy, what kind of training are you doing? 12 days without a tune up would be tough for me. Most of my backpacking and hunting is down from May to October. I get lazy over the winter usually start about March with a couple of miles and 30# 1-2x per week. Depending on my schedule, I will ramp up frequency to 2-3 x per week but usually not mileage beyond 2-3 Miles. I will add #. Generally up to 60-70#. I keep away from pavement but don’t often hit tough trails, although I will seek out a hill or two. Dirt roads and easy trails work fine for me. With that weight in shortish training hikes I find my shoulders and back are well acclimated once I hit the trail for real with a lower trail weight. I do other Hiits and cardio work but to me, there is just no substitute for walking under a load.

 

[USMC-40]

Packs are very personal - I have tried Alice, Tactical Tailor, Mystery Ranch, Arcteryx, Kifaru, Kuiu, Exo - by 'tried' I mean i have lived out of them for many days on backpack hunts and while deployed. I have settled on Mystery Ranch as my favorite (most comfortable). The MR packs feel like they were made for my body, for comparison I am 6'3" and 210. Fairly long-legged with a 34" waist.

 

[SWOHTR]

You were carrying 52lb daily everywhere?

 

[bsnedeker]

52 pounds should feel heavy as in, it will tire you out if you are doing it day after day, but a correctly fitted pack should not feel uncomfortable in my opinion. It should be distributing the weight between your hips and shoulders and give you options to redistribute the weight throughout the day so that it isn't causing discomfort in any specific area. I do 40ish pounds for 3-4 days and it's fatiguing, but my shoulders don't hurt. Training with cement on your back for a few hours on a hike and carrying that weight up and down mountains all day, day after day are, unfortunately, very different things so I'm not surprised that you didn't notice this issue at home.

First thing I would do would be to call up EXO and see what they have to say. I've heard great things about their CS so what they should ask you to do would be to take some pictures of yourself with the pack loaded up so they can review the length of the shoulder straps, the angle of the load lifters, the position of the hip belt, etc. and give you some recommendations. If they give you some things to try you should try them out, then load up your pack and go out for a weekend and spend a couple of days with that weight on your back. If it still doesn't work for you that is going to be the time to try out a different pack manufacturer. The reality is that some people's bodies just work better with different brands of packs whether it's Kifaru, SG, MR, etc.

 

[Huntindog45]

If you could not make your EXO feel comfortable then ... well.. Try a bunch on. Everyone here will respond with their favorite and for their reasons they are all correct...It wont be hard for you to get a short list very quickly ... on this site you will get most people telling you to buy a Kifaru. and that would be a good decision. you will also get a bunch telling you mystery ranch, exo, stone Glacier... and a few more. and they are all correct too. any one of those would be good for most people. but get in a shop, find one you like...and one that fits correctly.

 

[mlob1one]

It sounds like you were maybe carrying too much weight on your shoulders. I carry 7-10 days with 45-60#. While I get sore, it's usually my hips and not my shoulders that get the brunt.
6' 215# 33" waist with a 30" inseam. I'm all torso and I have a 26" frame which has helped a ton to not put strain on my shoulders with the frame being short.

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[Huntindog45]

If you can make it to one of the bigger outdoor trade shows (who knows when those will happen again) you can try on a bunch of different packs in the same place and talk with industry experts i learned more about setting up a pack properly in 4 hours at the sheep show than i had in 35 years of actually using the stuff. Found a few little things that made a hell of a lot of difference.

 

[Farmingdale's Finest]

So after my debacle last year with my gen 1 exo, I’m in the market for a new pack. Let me fill you in

Me and 2 buddies did a 12 day back country elk hunt in Idaho last year. First time out west for me, I knew it was gunna be tough. To keep things short, I’ll summarize. My pack felt like it was eating through my back and shoulders by the time all was said and done. I tried adjusting it multiple different ways, but could never get it to feel totally comfortable. Total pack weight was 52#. That was with water and bow too.

So I guess my question is, am I asking too much from a pack? Is 12 days too long to carry around that much and it get uncomfortable? And before I get “that” comment. Yes, I did do pre season hikes. However, I never put my gear in the pack until we got out there. I just used a duct taped sack of cement. And it felt fine on my hikes. Not great, but not terribly uncomfortable.

So what’s everyone like when it comes to comfort? And why?

Btw, some info on me. 6’4”, 205#, 19” torso, 34” waste.

Thanks in advance guys


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Are you sure your Torso is only 19”? That seems very short for someone who is 6’4. Are you all legs?

The reason I ask is I am 6’2 with a 21” torso and my son is 6’5 with a 23” torso.


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[KJStechly]

You were carrying 52lb daily everywhere?

Yessir. Trailhead was at around 7900. Camped anywhere from 9500-10500. Put in about 8 miles/day on average once we got acclimated.


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[KJStechly]

Are you sure your Torso is only 19”? That seems very short for someone who is 6’4. Are you all legs?

The reason I ask is I am 6’2 with a 21” torso and my son is 6’5 with a 23” torso.


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Lol yes, all leg. 36” inseam in most pants.


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[KJStechly]

It sounds like you were maybe carrying too much weight on your shoulders. I carry 7-10 days with 45-60#. While I get sore, it's usually my hips and not my shoulders that get the brunt.
6' 215# 33" waist with a 30" inseam. I'm all torso and I have a 26" frame which has helped a ton to not put strain on my shoulders with the frame being short.

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I had to start carrying more weight on my shoulders towards day 6-7 because my hip belt started chafing and blistering my hips and my lumbar pad was like I said “eating” my iliac crest


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[KJStechly]

If you could not make your EXO feel comfortable then ... well.. Try a bunch on. Everyone here will respond with their favorite and for their reasons they are all correct...It wont be hard for you to get a short list very quickly ... on this site you will get most people telling you to buy a Kifaru. and that would be a good decision. you will also get a bunch telling you mystery ranch, exo, stone Glacier... and a few more. and they are all correct too. any one of those would be good for most people. but get in a shop, find one you like...and one that fits correctly.

That’s my problem. I’m in WV. Nobody sells serious mountain packs around here


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[KJStechly]

52 pounds should feel heavy as in, it will tire you out if you are doing it day after day, but a correctly fitted pack should not feel uncomfortable in my opinion. It should be distributing the weight between your hips and shoulders and give you options to redistribute the weight throughout the day so that it isn't causing discomfort in any specific area. I do 40ish pounds for 3-4 days and it's fatiguing, but my shoulders don't hurt. Training with cement on your back for a few hours on a hike and carrying that weight up and down mountains all day, day after day are, unfortunately, very different things so I'm not surprised that you didn't notice this issue at home.

First thing I would do would be to call up EXO and see what they have to say. I've heard great things about their CS so what they should ask you to do would be to take some pictures of yourself with the pack loaded up so they can review the length of the shoulder straps, the angle of the load lifters, the position of the hip belt, etc. and give you some recommendations. If they give you some things to try you should try them out, then load up your pack and go out for a weekend and spend a couple of days with that weight on your back. If it still doesn't work for you that is going to be the time to try out a different pack manufacturer. The reality is that some people's bodies just work better with different brands of packs whether it's Kifaru, SG, MR, etc.

It’s kinda late for that. Before I went on my first hike ever with it, I watched all the videos I could find on how to fit that exo. She’s long gone now. I sold it the day I got back from Idaho


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[KJStechly]

Fit is a big deal but even the best pack is going to feel heavy with 50# or more.

I have used a variety of packs over the years from military ALICE and Lowe alpine packs to north face and arcteryx to kifaru and mystery ranch. Mystery Ranch works best for Me but preferences vary.

at the risk of sounding preachy, what kind of training are you doing? 12 days without a tune up would be tough for me. Most of my backpacking and hunting is down from May to October. I get lazy over the winter usually start about March with a couple of miles and 30# 1-2x per week. Depending on my schedule, I will ramp up frequency to 2-3 x per week but usually not mileage beyond 2-3 Miles. I will add #. Generally up to 60-70#. I keep away from pavement but don’t often hit tough trails, although I will seek out a hill or two. Dirt roads and easy trails work fine for me. With that weight in shortish training hikes I find my shoulders and back are well acclimated once I hit the trail for real with a lower trail weight. I do other Hiits and cardio work but to me, there is just no substitute for walking under a load.

Most of my training was pacing up my boots and going to check trail cams twice a week. About 3 miles total.


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[bsnedeker]

I had to start carrying more weight on my shoulders towards day 6-7 because my hip belt started chafing and blistering my hips and my lumbar pad was like I said “eating” my iliac crest


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My Kifaru belt does the same thing sometimes so I've taken to Leuko-taping my hips just like I do my feet before I head out hunting.

If you've already sold the EXO and are ready to try another brand, I'd go with a Kifaru next. As one of the above posters mentioned, pack fit is very personal and you'll get guys who swear up and down that SG's are more comfortable than Kifaru's and those people are correct because that's what works best for them. That said, looking at years worth of posts on this site I have come to the conclusion that Kifaru packs tend to have the smallest amount of people saying they don't fit well so you'd have pretty good odds that it would be more comfortable for you. My primary hunting partner just switched over to a Kifaru from an SG and he is loving life this season for whatever that is worth!

 

[Topo_trekker]

I had to start carrying more weight on my shoulders towards day 6-7 because my hip belt started chafing and blistering my hips and my lumbar pad was like I said “eating” my iliac crest


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What pants were you wearing? I’ve seen issues with pants that ride weird in the waist because of materials, construction, or fit like low cut vs full waist that aren’t backpack friendly.


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[KJStechly]

What pants were you wearing? I’ve seen issues with pants that ride weird in the waist because of materials, construction, or fit like low cut vs full waist that aren’t backpack friendly.


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I had 2 dif pair. 1 was Sitka mountain pants, the other was Eddie Bauer


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[Quant]

I have a similar build. 6’4” / 215 / 36 inseam and an average length torso. Ended up with a MR Beartooth, after trying Kifaru and EXO. All three are great packs, but the MR felt the most comfortable to me. Unfortunately packs are nearly as personal as boots.