Question for you kuiu pack guys

[wyelkhunter]

For those of you that have used the newer packs. I am looking at kuiu and trying to decide between the ultra and pro suspensions. How much thinner are the ultra belts?

 

[JNDEER]

Most, even the skinny guys prefer the pro suspension over the ultra. I don't think it is that the ultra are thinner, they are just not as wide or long. I would look at the pro suspension over the ultra.

Do a search as I believe there has been a review on the ultra and pro before by Luke. I think he upgraded the ultra with the pro suspension and said it was much better.

 

[LaHunter]

I have had an Icon Pro for the past 2 hunting seasons. My hunting buddy has the Ultra. The belt on the Pro suspension has rigid support built into it. The Ultra belt has no rigid support and is not as tall. This results in the Pro belt being able to support / manage more weight than the Ultra. Also, the Pro belt has 'power pulls' which allows you to cinch it as tight as you can tolerate. I don't think the Ultra belt has this feature.
I am not an OCD ounce counter, so I don't see any advantage in the Ultra over the Pro. I have had 80+ lbs in my Icon Pro and it handled it well. I have been very happy with my Icon Pro. Hope this helps.

 

[lonedave]

I don't have the Icon Pro, but on the Ultra 3000 I have, the belt is roughly 1" thick and about 4 7/8" wide. For comparison, my Exo 5500 belt is about 3/4" thick and just shy of 6" wide. I think it's not a question of thickness but more the quality and density of the foam used for the belt padding. I'm guessing the Ultra is less dense to save weight. I bought the Exo for hunting and it worked very well packing moose this fall. I really don't think I can handle the huge loads that some here talk about, but it felt fine with 85+ pound loads. I bought the Ultra mainly to use for backpacking where I wanted a lighter pack and for hunting as a day pack that could handle a first load out if needed. I really don't plan on carrying more than maybe 50 pounds with it and figured it would serve me well in that respect. I picked it up before Christmas on the 30% off sale, so that helped with the choice too. I used it last Sunday for a short training hike of maybe a mile with a 1000 ft climb/descent and with a 40# sack of wood pellets and small water bottle, it felt great. I think it will work fine for my intended use, but for a longer backpack/hunting trip or to just carry meat I'll definitely use the Exo. Oh, and my Ultra does have power pulls.

 

[doverpack12]

You must have a special ultra or they changed it because no ultra I have owned or seen has had power pulls. The original icons had them and the pro has them.

 

[209hunter]

Yeah the ultra does not have power pulls. Ive run the ultra 6000 the last two seasons and its a nice pack, Ive never had 100 lbs in it but Ive packed between 55-85 multiple times and it handles it well. I just upgraded to the Icon Pro suspension and the shoulder straps are considerably thicker and the waist belt is much stiffer. I've only down one trip with the icon pro suspension hauling about 55 lbs and it felt pretty good.

 

[lonedave]

Sorry, I lied... I was thinking they did because it snugged up so easily Sunday. I can't imagine needing it to be any easier, but I suppose with much heavier loads it might. The Exo has them and it does cinch up nicely.

 

[MT_Wyatt]

Another difference between those two packs, at least in the larger sizes, is the ability to shape the bag size with the lower compression straps. Since the icon pro has that shelf/diaper that wraps over the bottom of the bag, it's much easier to compress. The lower straps on the ultra are small, which is ok on the smaller bags, but that 6000 bag has a ton of width/depth low on the bag, and it's really hard to get that sucked in. I think the ultra hip belt concentrates the load on your waist quite a bit compared to the wider hip belts offered out there.

One thing kuiu doesn't get a ton of credit for, but nails, is materials. Both backs use a good foam.