Review: New Kuiu Pro pack with Ultra 4000 Bag

Ledd Slinger

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Mar 19, 2018
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So I arrived home from a month away at work and finally got the chance to check out my new Kuiu Pro pack with Ultra 4000 bag. I thought I would post my initial thoughts in a review since there seems to be a lot of "Which pack to buy?" threads going around.

A little background on myself:
I have been hunting the high country Rocky Mountains of Montana since I was just a little tyke with my dad. I am 38 years old now, so I guess that would put my experience at around 30+ years of figuring out what works and what doesn't, what things are needed and what things are just extra dead weight. I wont go into a lot of details since I'm trying to keep this more focused on the pack, but my personal 'order of importance' for required gear in the high country would be;
#1 - The best boots you can buy.
#2 - A good quality pack with plenty of storage for all day or overnight excursions and room left over to haul out a big load of meat.
#3 - The best optics you can afford.
#4 - And of course a good quality, accurate, and dependable rifle and ragnefinder.
1a - If your feet are miserable, the hunt becomes a living hell.
2a - If your pack cant hold up to the heavy loads required, then the pack out becomes a living hell as well.
3a - If you cant find the animals using sub par optics, then you might as well not even waste your time up there.
4a - And rifle last because even though I personally prefer a top quality custom rifle and hand loaded ammo, most good factory rifles with quality factory ammo will get the job done just as well these days.

So now onto the pack and my initial thoughts on quality and build...

Unexpected Bonus:
The pack showed up with the frame, suspension, and bag I chose FULLY assembled with the extra lumbar pad and internal compression straps setting in the top pocket. I thought that was a great touch. I had been watching all the videos learning how to assemble the pack components thinking they would show up split into separate packaging. And from the videos, it really wasnt a task I was looking forward to. So that was a very pleasant surprise when I pulled it out of the box. Big thanks to Kuiu for going the extra mile and having it all assembled for me :)

Initial reactions:
The first thought that came to mind when I picked up the Kuiu pack from the box was; "Holy crap this thing is light!" Kuiu claims that the weight of the entire assembled carbon fiber frame, Pro suspension, and Ultra 4000 bag comes in at a super slim 57.8 oz (3.61 lbs). I didnt put it on a my shipping scale to check, but there is no reason for me to doubt that claim whatsoever. This thing is LIGHT!
I could tell it is built very well with good attention to detail and quality craftsmanship.
I really like the Verde 2.0 camo. Its even nicer looking in person. Seems darker than any of the pictures I saw and that's good for me because I prefer darker camo patterns.

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Fit:
I tried the pack on for a quick fit after adjusting everything where it needed to be and it snugged up to my back like it was a molded part of my body. It's so light and conformed to my back so well that it was barely noticeable walking around. I will need to put some decent weight in it and go for a hike for the true test. Probably 80-100 lbs will tell the truth of it all.

Suspension waist belt:
The curved shape on the bottom side of the waist belt padding is a very nice design because it places to load of the pack on the outside of your hips where it should be rather than digging into the top of your buttox. There are also tension adjustments on the hip pads to help give a custom fit to the shape of your hips. Another nice high quality touch.
The design of the front waist strap is also very good. It's not a single straight strap across your waist like most packs. It's more of an X pattern. I noticed right away that this was much more comfortable on my stomach when really cinching the pack up tight because it spread the pressure across a much larger area of my abdomen. Excellent design feature there.
The shoulder straps very easily adjust for up to 4 inches in ride height on the frame and varying angles to fall in your shoulder pockets perfectly and give you a fully custom fit. Simply pull the straps away from the velcro attachment point on the frame, set them where you want and press the straps back onto the velcro.
All the excess on the straps have velcro to roll up out of the way for tidiness once adjusted.
From many years experience with other packs, I can tell these belt and suspension designs will be a huge advantage to how the weight rides on my hips when the time comes.

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Main compartment and spotting scope pocket:
Next thing I really liked was the size of the outer pocket on the Ultra 4000 bag. It is a LOT bigger than the zipper opening makes you believe. My last pack required me to place my large Meopta S2 HD 82mm spotting scope inside the main bag compartment because none of the outer pockets were large enough. Not a big deal, but it did make access to my spotter a little slower when I wanted it in a hurry. I had the Swarvski ATX 95mm previously and I'm sure even that giant spotter would fit into this pocket.

The internal main compartment is very large and items are easily accessible with zippers that run half way down on both sides to really open it up. I also like the extra couple pockets in the main compartment for additional organization of smaller items. The main bag also detaches from the frame to form a nice large meat shelf between the frame and bag.

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Ledd Slinger

Ledd Slinger

Lil-Rokslider
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Messages
121
Continued...


Accessories:
The 3 liter hydration bladder is about 1/2 the weight of others I have used in the past and yet is built very well. The hose retention system on the outside of the pack (changeable to left or right side) is very well thought out and it comes with a clip to attach on the chest strap for very quick and convenient access to the hose mouthpiece.
The bladder also sits in a strapped holder bag I bought for it. This straps to eyelets in the main compartment then fits into the normal main compartment bladder pouch. It keeps the weight of the bladder riding up nice and high in the compartment and maximizes hose length to the outside of the pack. The holder bag is also waterproof to keep your things from getting wet if you have a small leak.

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The glassing pad is a little small, but it has good padding and fits perfectly between the frame and bag of the pack for quick access.

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The quick draw waist belt rifle holster...well that's just the cat's ass. Really cool :) You can watch a quick 1 minute YouTube video demonstration here:


The extra pouches and game bags I purchased are also very well built and super lightweight. All fold up into virtually nothing when not in use. Kuiu also provides extra velcro strap fasteners and a few extra buckles for quick replacement in the field if you break or lose them.

Final Thoughts:
Overall, I am very impressed so far. I will be going on an archery elk hunt next week and if my buddy and I are successful like we were last year, I should be able to provide a more detailed review of the Kuiu Pro pack performance. Although I have not tested the pack under heavy load yet, it appears ot has all the right features to be up for the task with no issues. I am not expecting to have many gripes once I finally get the chance to haul out an elk with this pack.
 
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ChrisAU

WKR
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Jan 12, 2018
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SE Alabama
I've got about 40 miles with 50-55 lbs on mine so far, exact same setup (except in Vias). Very comfortable, quiet, and light. I use the Kuiu gun holder lower on my belt and then the Kifaru gun bearer upper (the one meant for Kifaru packs, not the sloppy universal one) and it works great. The tab is lifted up in this pic to show how it is run through the buckle, it does lay flat.

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Joined
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Interested to hear how the meat section carries weight. Thanks for review. I’m considering this bag and the new Exo K3


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Ledd Slinger

Ledd Slinger

Lil-Rokslider
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Interested to hear how the meat section carries weight. Thanks for review. I’m considering this bag and the new Exo K3


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With a little luck and a straight flying arrow, hopefully I will be able to provide that answer for you by the end of next week ;)
 
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I almost bought this setup over Labor Day. Still kind of waiting for a good used K2 to come up for sale, but the weight of these Kuiu packs are really hard to overlook.
 
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Ledd Slinger

Ledd Slinger

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I almost bought this setup over Labor Day. Still kind of waiting for a good used K2 to come up for sale, but the weight of these Kuiu packs are really hard to overlook.

Yeah pack weight was one of my main deciding factors. I've been lugging around large 4000-6000 cu. in. packs that have a bare weight of 6-8 lbs for many years. I wasnt very concerned with lack of quality in the new Kuiu pack lineups after doing a ton of research and reading many very positive reviews on pack/suspension performance in all situations.
Since I am trying to lighten everything up this year, the Kuiu Pro with Ultra bag was a clear choice for what I wanted considering the fact that it cut my bare pack weight in half or more, yet could still provide the quality and strength to comfortably haul heavy loads. I can now pack my Meopta spotter with the Kuiu pack (not factoring tripod weight) and still be right at or maybe just under the bare 7.5 lb. weight of my last pack. Last pack didnt have a meat shelf either, just a huge main compartment, so the Kuiu adds a lot of packing versatility there as well.

I also liked the fact that I could buy Kuiu clothing all having the same matching Verde 2.0 camo pattern. The lifetime warranty on all their gear also gave me peace of mind in the decision.
 
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Joined
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Yeah pack weight was one of my main deciding factors. I've been lugging around large 4000-6000 cu. in. packs that have a bare weight of 6-8 lbs for many years. I wasnt very concerned with lack of quality in the new Kuiu pack lineups after doing a ton of research and reading many very positive reviews on pack/suspension performance in all situations.
Since I am trying to lighten everything up this year, the Kuiu Pro with Ultra bag was a clear choice for what I wanted considering the fact that it cut my bare pack weight in half or more, yet could still provide the quality and strength to comfortably haul heavy loads. I can now pack my Meopta spotter with the Kuiu pack (not factoring tripod weight) and still be right at or maybe just under the bare 7.5 lb. weight of my last pack. Last pack didnt have a meat shelf either, just a huge main compartment, so the Kuiu adds a lot of packing versatility there as well.

I also liked the fact that I could buy Kuiu clothing all having the same matching Verde 2.0 camo pattern. The lifetime warranty on all their gear also gave me peace of mind in the decision.

Admittedly, almost ashamed lol, this is another reason I was looking at Kuiu. I like their verde pattern and their clothes seem to be very good as well. It’s between them and First Lite for me. I like the Bino Harness from Kuiu also.


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Ledd Slinger

Ledd Slinger

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Admittedly, almost ashamed lol, this is another reason I was looking at Kuiu. I like their verde pattern and their clothes seem to be very good as well. It’s between them and First Lite for me. I like the Bino Harness from Kuiu also.


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Why are you "almost ashamed"?

Is it for having clothes that match your pack?

Big game animals see black and white, but varying patterns on a small object (human) can stand out to them like a sore thumb and create suspicion. Especially if you are not standing right in front of a tree or bushes to break up your human shape. Not so important to have matching camo patterns when rifle hunting, but it's a good practice for archery when the animals can be a mere handful of yards away and you dont want anything to catch their eye while trying to make a shot.
 
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Why are you "almost ashamed"?

Is it for having clothes that match your pack?

Big game animals see black and white, but varying patterns on a small object (human) can stand out to them like a sore thumb and create suspicion. Especially if you are not standing right in front of a tree or bushes to break up your human shape. Not so important to have matching camo patterns when rifle hunting, but it's a good practice for archery when the animals can be standing next to you at a mere handful of yards away and you dont want to catch their eye while trying to make a shot.

Oh I’m fully tracking. I always having matching camo lol. It’s an OCD. I was making a joke really about picking what brand gear I go with just so I can have all matching camo. Lol
I may even consider something in Sitka subalpine just so I can match my bow lol.

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Ledd Slinger

Ledd Slinger

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I think that it's a huge bonus to have a company that makes high quality ultralight packs along with high quality clothing. Much easier to have a "one stop shop". That's a WIN-WIN in my book ;)

I ordered the Kuiu Guide DCS jacket, Guide pants, Yukon gaitors, gloves, hats, neck gaiter, hiking socks, base layers, and other things on top of the backpack. All same Verde 2.0 camo where applicable. Kuiu clothing is also surprisingly lightweight and very nice quality. Super fast shipping too.
 
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Ledd
Great review man! The new Pro Suspension is hands down awesome.
Just an FYI you can wrap those rubber rings around your hydration tube and clip it back to the plastic clip to hold the tube in place.
 
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Ledd Slinger

Ledd Slinger

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Ledd
Great review man! The new Pro Suspension is hands down awesome.
Just an FYI you can wrap those rubber rings around your hydration tube and clip it back to the plastic clip to hold the tube in place.

I see. That makes sense. I thought they were a little loose fitting. Thanks for the tip. :)
 
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Ledd Slinger

Ledd Slinger

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Messages
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Ledd
Great review man! The new Pro Suspension is hands down awesome.
Just an FYI you can wrap those rubber rings around your hydration tube and clip it back to the plastic clip to hold the tube in place.

I'm assuming this is what you described... Much better hold that's tight and keeps the tube in place. A lot easier to remove the tube as well. Thanks again :)

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Joined
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That’s exactly how I have mine. Also the load lifter straps should be buckled to the ones above where you have them attached now. Those are the bridge straps. They are stored on the frame in that location and only used when you are in load sling mode. Unhook the bridge strap from your top buckle and hook your load lifter strap in its place. Then store the bridge straps where your load lifter straps are connected now. Hope that makes sense.
 
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Ledd Slinger

Ledd Slinger

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I thought something wasnt quite right there. I unbuckled them to see the meat shelf and when I went to put it back together realized I didnt pay attention to how it was before. Thanks again :)
 

jrich

FNG
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Oct 8, 2019
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Keep us posted on how it works in the field loaded down. I am looking at this same setup only with the 5500 bag. Thanks for the review!!
 

kvdenney

WKR
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Jun 18, 2018
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What size is your waist and what size belt did you get? I may have missed it. In the pic it looks like the suspension barely wrapped your waist.


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Jkling12

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Jan 20, 2018
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I assume the lumbar pad is way better than the icon pro? That’s my main reason for wanting an upgrade.
 
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