EXO 3500/5500 -> MR Metcalf -> Kifaru ???

[bhylton]

The thing about Kifaru packs is adding on the pockets. While the Woodsman matches up best with the EXO 3500 main bag wise you have to add a Guide Lid for $70 plus and I guess at least a Spotter Pocket or two at $44 to $88. That's way over your $550 price. Using the Reckoning will work too and you already have the side pockets but you still need to order a Guide Lid and something to make up for the stretch pocket on the front of the EXO. The belt pouches for Kifaru are $12 more for the smallest size so at least another $24 there. I really wanted to try one of Kifaru's new packs (Woodsman/Reckoning) because they made some great improvements but when I put everything in my cart any which combination I came up with I was always around $700+ for the Woodsman and closer to $800 for the Reckoning.

a guy (OP) getting his first nice pack probably does not even know if he likes/ wants a bunch of extra packets. nice thing about kifaru is you have the choice. i personally do not like a bunch of extra pockets. i would be more interested in getting into a new bomb proof pack that can carry anything i want than pimping it out with a bunch of pockets for an extra 250$ at least right of off the bat... i think my previous statement still makes sense and is a helpful consideration to the OP. sounds like he is going to buy both and try them which is the best thing he can do anyway

 

[Crotalus]

a guy (OP) getting his first nice pack probably does not even know if he likes/ wants a bunch of extra packets. nice thing about kifaru is you have the choice. i personally do not like a bunch of extra pockets. i would be more interested in getting into a new bomb proof pack that can carry anything i want than pimping it out with a bunch of pockets for an extra 250$ at least right of off the bat... i think my previous statement still makes sense and is a helpful consideration to the OP. sounds like he is going to buy both and try them which is the best thing he can do anyway

I prefer simplicity. That's one of the main reasons I have the EXO at the top of the list, i like their pack layout a lot. I wanted to find a Kifaru that was close to the same layout without a lot of extra pockets hanging off of it. I'll probably give some more consideration to the MR and possibly a Stone Glacier as well. Then I can base my decision on frame comfort.

Cost is less of a consideration than comfort. This is going to be a buy once, cry once long term purchase. Which is where Kifaru pulls a bit of an edge, if i ever need to expand my carrying capacity i can do that easily.

Its going to be a fun decision process.

 

[nphunter]

Decide what is important to you and what you want in a pack. I really liked my old Sitka Flash 20 for day hunts but it ended up being too small once i started taking my kids with me and needed a little extra space, i then bought and really liked the Bivy 30 pack, the layout was nice and i could keep stuff organized. The pack really sucked when hauling a heavy load though and i ended up selling it and buying a horn hunter full curl. My first horn hunter sucked but i liked the wing design, shortly after buying it (used) they came out with the adjustable harness, I bought the pack and it was a great pack for day hunting and being able to carry small heavy loads like boned out meat. When really loaded up though for multiple day backpacking trips it did not carry large loads very well, the load was too far from my body and it wasn't super stable.

I sold the horn hunter and went with a Kifaru T2, this pack was very comfortable, i bought it off of ebay thinking it was the DT2 but it was the pack with the built in frame. The pack was good sized but worked well as a day pack other than it was hard to access my day stuff when all sucked down. I ended up selling it and bought a Kifaru UL Hunting Frame which is very comfortable, i put a nomad on it since i liked the wing style of the horn hunter for hauling heavy loads, and the problem is that the Kifaru nomad design sucks for trying to get anything out of the wings when it is clipped together. (Probably why Kifaru just redesigned it). It worked ok for multi-day hunts with a dry bag between the wings but has been a pain for day hunting. I couldn't find a Kifaru bag i liked so i ended up finding a used Kuiu Icon Pro 1850 bag and put it on my frame, it is a good fit and awesome day pack other than it will not fit all of the daytime gear in it once i add any food or a coat or puffy.

I recently purchased a Kuiu 5200 out of the Kuiu outlet for $169 and it fits the Kifaru frame very nicely, I took the lid off and with the sides sucked down in day pack mode it is probably close to 3000ci of capacity and seems like it will work well, I can also unzip the main bag and access all of my gear or any piece that i want to access without having to dig everything out like in my Kifaru bags. When i do need to take more gear for a back country hunt or if I am taking my kids i can release the side compression and have room for whatever i need to pack.

Sitka Flash $269
Sitka Bivy 30 $350
Horn Hunter Full Curl System $325
Horn Hunter Full Curl (Adjustable) $225
Kifaru T2 $531 Shipped
Kifaru Frame with Nomad $683.25
OR Drybag to go with Nomad $55
Kifaru UL Pullouts $95
Icon 1850 Used $99 Shipped
Icon Pro 5200 $189 Shipped

$2,821.25

I think figuring out what has worked best in the past for you or what you really want / need will save you a lot in the long run. I did a lot of wheeling and dealing with the above packs and have sold all but the Nomad and Kuiu stuff so I am probably our just over 1K when all is said and done and after I sell the Nomad and possibly the 1850 I will be into it even less. I am really hoping the 5200 bag will be what i am looking for, I had to modify the horseshoe zippers so they zip from the top down but other than that i think it will work well. I do a lot of back pack camping and bivy hunting summer and late Nov. This year we did an early spring hunt with my kids so I had to take a large shelter and Ti Stove with me, every time i spend several days out in the field living out of a pack i find things i don't like about it and want to change. If there is a perfect pack I haven't found it yet, maybe the Kuiu bag on the Kifaru frame will be it for me.

 

[boom]

i cant keep up with Kifaru's new designs. i do know my DT2 is oh so..."2012!" and damn near obsolete. i honestly dont use it much anymore. i hated daypack mode..it was just a tangled mess. pulling a buried clifbar out of the folds was a good time. it is now my annual 10 day into the sierras trout fishing pack. my grab-it holds a tiny pack with my fishing stuff. the system works pretty good.

i'm a mystery ranch guy now.