My Kifaru Duplex/44mag vs Exo K3 4800 Review Thread

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I figured since these 2 packs are generally in everyone's backpack decision tree, Id do a thread as I go through using and testing these out. Itll probably be information overload for most, but I am at my core a gear junky. Maybe it will help someone down the line considering these 2 packs. Youve been warned about the info overload.

As a background, Ive used damn near every type of pack in the Marines from Alice to ILBE. As a young devil, I was with Scouts when we did prototype testing on the original MOLLE system. Ive hunted whitetail, hogs, gator, turkey since I was a kid. Ive done thru hikes, section hikes, backpack hikes and this was my first year doing backpack hunts in CO. I do not do thru and section hikes using ultralight gear, I carry weight because I like the physical challenge and after leaving the USMC, I feel some bizarre need to put myself through hell for no good reason. I did 2 separate weeks backpack hunting in Colorado. I did the 1st (incredibly unsuccessful) and 3rd week (a normal level of unsuccess) in September. I used a MR Metcalf on both of those hunts. No real complaints, but Ive never been a fan of the fat ass shoulder straps and equally fat ass belt. I only bowhunt, so September will likely be the only hunting Ill do with these.

Initially, I started a thread asking for advice choosing from the Initial Ascent IA4K, Exo K3 and Kifaru Duplex/44 Mag. After a lot of suggestions, and selling off a lot of other gear to swing it, I decided to go with both the Kifaru and Exo. I fully intend to keep both as I do use these a lot outside of hunting.

I ordered the Exo, and had the pack in my hand from Idaho to Louisiana 4 days later. Exo's website states they ship in stock item in 1-2 days, which they followed through with. I ordered the Kifaru on 10/12 and received it today, 11/5. So you have roughly a 3-4 week wait on the Kifaru. To their full credit, they tell you the estimate before ordering, so theres no expectation that it will ship immediately. The estimate was 11/2-11/9, which they also delivered on. No complaints, and both brands delivererd on their word.

I purposefully didnt do much with the Exo, so I could start using these 2 around the same time. I wont be doing any type of Rokslide Cliff tests (I live in louisiana, we have no cliffs) or anything to beat the hell out of the packs. Ill be using them as I normally would. I do a lot of heavy rucks, simulating hills by walking up and down football stadiums and parking garages. Concrete mountains as well call them.

I dont think I need to go over the specs and features of the packs as both Exo and Kifaru do a bang up job of explaining the features, and how to use, adjust and ass/diss their packs. Id refer you to their websites for that as they are the authorities.

Ill update this thread as I go along, goal here is to just help out those considering these 2 packs. For now, some packporn.
 

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Grumman

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Awesome, I’ve got a 44 mag and have been intrigued by EXO also. If they would only leave that dang spider off the frame.


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Solid lineup!

I have went through a pile of packs the past few years, and know what I like and don’t, but the pic of the 44mag makes me a little pack envious

kifaru is the only one left I haven’t owned, packed one bull out with an earlier version frame, but that’s my only experience... I told myself no more packs, I love my EXO, but I’m only kidding myself, I will need to try a kifaru sooner than later

how about some spec comparisons? Total volume and weight of each? Pack weight doesn’t matter much I know, it all boils down to fit... a heavier pack that hauls better is a far better choice than a light one that doesn’t fit (kuiu taught me that ;) )

look forward to your progress, unbiased reviews are not very easy to come by on the internet
 
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TheBootBowhunting
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how about some spec comparisons? Total volume and weight of each?

Specs of how I have them set up, using my Last Chance Archery draw weight scale:

Exo 4800 K3 with Lid and 2 belt pouches

5292 Cubic inches ( i figured 45ci for each belt pocket)

6.2 pounds

Kifaru Duplex Lite, 44 Mag, 2 small belt pouches on belt, and a medium and large on back

5188 Cubic inches

7.7 pounds


First impressions of each, both are impressive. Both have a high quality fit and finish. The kifaru is heavier, but its not simply lost weight. You give up something for a more durable pack and all the added molle to increase modularity. Thats not to say the Exo doesnt feel durable. But the trade off is no molle on the exterior of the 4800 and some stretch material on the front and side pockets instead of full 500D on the 44 mag. I think both will last me till my estate sale.

This evening Im going to do a 10-12 mile ruck with about 50lbs in the Kifaru. Ill do the same Sunday evening with the exo, Ill give an update on that.
 

Vandal 44

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I know this is blasphemy; however, can the EXO 4800 bag fit on the Kifaru frame?


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rclouse79

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Thanks for the thread. I have started looking at kifaru packs again. My internal frame timberline has a lot of miles and is starting to show its age. I was looking at the 44 mag and the larger version Ma Deuce. From what I saw the weight difference is negligible and the only difference is size. Even though I might never need the full capacity of the bigger pack I thought it might be nice to have. Maybe your review will convince me otherwise.
 

Grumman

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RK4 how do you feel about the sizing of the 44mag? I took my stuff out of a mostly full 5900in^3 bag and was surprised when the 44 mag held it all with room to spare. I’ve never had an EXO to compare but just from your pics the 44mag looks bigger than the EXO but specs rate it smaller.

I was also on the fence about going to a Ma Deuce but not sure I need it.


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RustyHazen

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I’ve mentioned this before, but I’ve done ten day September elk hunts in the 44 mag two years in a row, now. On the flip side, just completed a six day hunt in it, obviously with warmer, bulkier gear. It will eat a surprising amount of kit.
 
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TheBootBowhunting
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Just an update. I did 12.2 miles with about 60 pounds with both packs 3 days apart. The Kifaru first, then the Exo. I feel the Exo is slightly more comfortable at this point, but Im still tweaking the adjustments on the Kifaru. I still think these packs really come down to modularity. If you like simplicity, go with the Exo. If you like basically endless options of pockets, pouches, lids etc...go with Kifaru.

Couple of observations so far....

I bought M and L belts for both packs. With the Exo, I could use either, Id obviously have more webbing on the large, but the medium would still work. I fluctuate in weight a lot depending on what Im training for, so having both will help. With the Kifaru, I am damn near bottomed out on the large, and the medium I dont have enough webbing to really cinch it down - but its not the belt that doesnt fit. The medium wraps around my hips properly, but the webbing just seems like it should be at least 4" longer in order to have enough to grip and cinch.

A few observations:

A Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2, complete inside of its bag - poles and all, will fit in the side zippered pocket of the 44mag and the side pocket of the Exo. But the exo has water bottle pockets on the side pockets and a Nalgene will fit in the bottle pocket with the Copper Spur in the side pocket. Thats impressive.

I made some adjustments to the Kifaru, but the belt sizing does concern me.

The Exo frame system seems to be easier to get dialed in. The kifaru isnt difficult, but Im still trying to get it where I need it. Probably user error, but Im still working on figuring out the odds and ends of the kifaru duplex.

I will pack each bag with the same gear list I used on 2 6 days hunts in September to see how that all fits. Ill post pics of both packs with the same amount of gear, and a gear list in the next few days.
 
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TheBootBowhunting
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Packed both packs with the gear I took to CO for 2 6 day hunts in September. I will tweak the gear a good bit before next year, but this is the gear I brought minus food and water. The Exo was at about 32 pounds, and the Kifaru about 33.5.

Just a quick gear list, I wont go into whats in each pouch unless anyone wants to know.

Sleep System
Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 w/footprint
Big Agnes Torchlight 20 850 fill
Big Agnes Q Core SLX Wide Pad
Sea to Summit Aeros Ultralight

Cook Kit
Toaks 750ML Pot
Soto Windmaster 4 Flex
MSR Fuel
Sea to Summit Long Spoon

S&S Trekking Poles
Phelps Calls/Renegade Tube
Garmin GPSMAP 64sx
Garmin Inreach Mini
Thermarest Z Seat
Caribou Hunters Tarp
Goal Zero Nomad 10 Solar Charger
First Light Torq Flashlight
Black Diamond Spot 325
First Aid Kit
Kill Kit
Possibles Pouch
2 - RavPower 20k mah Battery Packs
Jackery 7500mah pack
Cords and cables for iphone, garmin, etc
Sawyer Squeeze w Smartwater Sport Cap (cheap upgrade)
CNOC Vecto 2L
Micropur Tabs
Sitka Pack Fly
Source WXP 3L Bladder/Storm Hose

Sitka Jetstream Beanie
Kelvin Active Hoody
Kelvin Lite Hoody
Heavyweight Hoody
Flash Pullover
Traverse gloves
First Lite Kiln Boot top bottom
Nalgene Bottle/Smart Water Bottle
Smartwool Hunt PHD Light and Med Socks



Couple more observations.

I was definitely leaning to the Exo as the main pack. The pack fits better, the belt has more adjustment for me, its about 1.5 pounds lighter and its simpler. After packing both bags, its clear that the Kifaru is just an easier bag to pack. Despite the 44 mag being technically smaller 4800 to 4400, the 44 mag feels like the larger pack.

If the Exo had some external molle, or some way of adding a pouch of two, that might be enough to put the Exo on top. But having a large and medium belt pocket, and the ability to add a claymore to the top - the Kifaru just owns the Exo in storage options. The Kifaru is basically an adult lego set. Endless options. If youre an ultralight ounce counter, using a zpacks trekking pole tent, a thin UL pad, etc, then the exo is easily your pack. I like having gear, Im not scared of the weight to a certain degree. Ill choose comfort over ounces any day of the week. Again, to a certain degree.

Flip side, even though I carry a bladder, I still wish the 44 mag had at least 1 bottle pocket on top of the side pocket. I have a bottle pocket I can attach to the belt, but I dont like having a bunch of stuff hanging off the side of the belt. Just feels bulky. I do wish Kifaru still made the "marge" belt. Like I said in a previous post, Im nearly bottomed out on the large, and the medium is a fight to get enough webbing to cinch it. I am truly between sizes on these belts.

All that considered, I could still use either one of these packs. I could flip a coin at this point.

Im going to pack spike camp in a 40L dry bag and load both packs with the dry bag on the load shelf to see how that changes the way they are packed and carry and to see how each would function as a day pack in a spike camp hunt.
 

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GZeus24

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Thanks for sharing this. I am really new on this forum but I am basically at the same point you are at. I just bought both a 44Mag and a Exo4800 to put them through their paces and select one. I also had a SG 5900 in the house but that went back after a couple of days as it just didn't fit me as well as the 44 and 4800.

So far I have done about 4 miles with each of the 44Mag and the Exo4800 with 30-40 lbs in them. I have been trying to get them both setup just right before I do any more testing.

Similar to you I found the 4800 easier for initial setup. It took 3 adjustments to fine tune the shoulder straps and 1 adjustment to get the belt right. The 44Mag has been way more challenging to get dialed in and I'm still chasing the final adjustments to get it to feel as good as the 4800 at the current weight loads. The 44Mag belt fits a bit better than the 4800 but I haven't tried the option of another insert on the the 4800 so that may be a thing to do in the long run.

The biggest fit difference I have found is in the shoulder straps. For me, the Exo4800 shoulder straps are a significantly better fit compared to the 44Mag. The 4800 straps fit the curve of my shoulders really well and, when engaged, make very even contact across the entire width of the padded strap. The straps on the 44Mag follow the curve decently (still chasing the final adjustments) but they make primary contact on the neck side of the strap, leaving a gap on the outside edge. Unfortunately there is no method I can see for adjusting the tilt angle of the straps on the 44Mag.

This seems like it shouldn't be a big deal. I have a lot of backpacking experience and I know how little weight should be carried on the shoulders under most circumstance. However, with heavier loads - and do I ever hope to have heavy loads of meat - I spend time shifting the pressure of the load between the hips and the shoulders more often. The fit difference is really a noticeable when comparing the two side by side but only more testing will tell me if its something that will make a difference in final selection.

I haven't gotten into really testing the bags yet but that will likely start in the next few days. Lots of folks say that the bags and frames are interchangeable so I guess I am really testing 4 products - 2 frames and 2 bags. Maybe I will end up with a hybrid in the end?

Thanks again for the posts - they are real informative.
 
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TheBootBowhunting
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Thanks for sharing this. I am really new on this forum but I am basically at the same point you are at. I just bought both a 44Mag and a Exo4800 to put them through their paces and select one. I also had a SG 5900 in the house but that went back after a couple of days as it just didn't fit me as well as the 44 and 4800.

So far I have done about 4 miles with each of the 44Mag and the Exo4800 with 30-40 lbs in them. I have been trying to get them both setup just right before I do any more testing.

Similar to you I found the 4800 easier for initial setup. It took 3 adjustments to fine tune the shoulder straps and 1 adjustment to get the belt right. The 44Mag has been way more challenging to get dialed in and I'm still chasing the final adjustments to get it to feel as good as the 4800 at the current weight loads. The 44Mag belt fits a bit better than the 4800 but I haven't tried the option of another insert on the the 4800 so that may be a thing to do in the long run.

The biggest fit difference I have found is in the shoulder straps. For me, the Exo4800 shoulder straps are a significantly better fit compared to the 44Mag. The 4800 straps fit the curve of my shoulders really well and, when engaged, make very even contact across the entire width of the padded strap. The straps on the 44Mag follow the curve decently (still chasing the final adjustments) but they make primary contact on the neck side of the strap, leaving a gap on the outside edge. Unfortunately there is no method I can see for adjusting the tilt angle of the straps on the 44Mag.

This seems like it shouldn't be a big deal. I have a lot of backpacking experience and I know how little weight should be carried on the shoulders under most circumstance. However, with heavier loads - and do I ever hope to have heavy loads of meat - I spend time shifting the pressure of the load between the hips and the shoulders more often. The fit difference is really a noticeable when comparing the two side by side but only more testing will tell me if its something that will make a difference in final selection.

I haven't gotten into really testing the bags yet but that will likely start in the next few days. Lots of folks say that the bags and frames are interchangeable so I guess I am really testing 4 products - 2 frames and 2 bags. Maybe I will end up with a hybrid in the end?

Thanks again for the posts - they are real informative.

Agreed on most of what you posted. I just need to get the Kifaru dialed in. I think I have it pretty close, and Ill do another long ruck with it this weekend. I prefer the belt on the Exo, but thats mostly because there seems to be more overlap between sizes than the Kifaru belts.. Like I said, I need a Marge Kifaru belt, and they dont make those anymore. The pros and cons, so far, of each of these packs are for the most part equal. If I could get a Marge belt, Id probably say I would roll with the Kifaru next September.

Couple more observations

The webbing on the Exo is (by design as Exo focuses on weight) thinner/softer than the Kifaru. People have used the Exo for a long time and I havent read anything about the webbing failing, but theres no doubt the Kifaru has the more burly strap material.

The belt pouches on the Exo are sturdier and easier to zip/unzip. Theres some rigidity to the exo pouches that the Kifaru pouches dont have. I have small belt pouches on the Kifaru and for me its easier zipping over the top (exo) as opposed to around the side (kifaru). That probably boils down to personal preference.
 
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@pods8 will build you some nice zip over the top pouches if you want.
I had him do these shorter so we had room for a water bottle pocket on a medium belt as well.
 
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Agreed on most of what you posted. I just need to get the Kifaru dialed in. I think I have it pretty close, and Ill do another long ruck with it this weekend. I prefer the belt on the Exo, but thats mostly because there seems to be more overlap between sizes than the Kifaru belts.. Like I said, I need a Marge Kifaru belt, and they dont make those anymore. The pros and cons, so far, of each of these packs are for the most part equal. If I could get a Marge belt, Id probably say I would roll with the Kifaru next September.

Couple more observations

The webbing on the Exo is (by design as Exo focuses on weight) thinner/softer than the Kifaru. People have used the Exo for a long time and I havent read anything about the webbing failing, but theres no doubt the Kifaru has the more burly strap material.

The belt pouches on the Exo are sturdier and easier to zip/unzip. Theres some rigidity to the exo pouches that the Kifaru pouches dont have. I have small belt pouches on the Kifaru and for me its easier zipping over the top (exo) as opposed to around the side (kifaru). That probably boils down to personal preference.
have you reached out to kifaru? i wouldn't be surprised if they would make you a waist belt that fits, all they would need to do is modify a medium and leave more webbing attached. you should reach out and solve that problem
 
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TheBootBowhunting
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have you reached out to kifaru? i wouldn't be surprised if they would make you a waist belt that fits, all they would need to do is modify a medium and leave more webbing attached. you should reach out and solve that problem

I did contact them, they told me that they no longer do the smedium or marge in between sizes. I assume they quit doing it to cut down on lead times by standardizing sizes. I just happen to be the goldilocks of waist sizes apparently. Ill eventually figure out a way to modify it.

Thanks brtreedogs, I sent a PM to pods8 to see if I can get those belt pouches made.
 
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