SO Fortress vs Kifaru MW

[JigStick]

Im curious to hear from people with these two packs as they seem to be designed very similiarly. I was pretty set on a Mountain Warrior, however I recently started to take an interest in the SO Fortress 6300 with Merlin Talon attachment.

The Merlin could be used for all the quick access items, negating the need for the panel load on the MW. Plus the entire SO pack is waterproof. I think the SO also has a meat shelf. How do the SO frames compare to the Kifaru ones? Are they comfortable?

 

[Runningwater]

I've had both frames and they are both comfortable to me. However they are very different in style, fit, and ride - so I think it's very possible some folks could significantly prefer one to the other. I personally prefer the SO frame, the kifaru as sold has too pronounced of lumbar pad for me (but that could be changed of course). The SO as sold has no lumbar pad at all, but you can purchase an adjustable one to go with it. I purchased mine with it, tried it out for a few days, and returned it.

The Fortress 6300 with no lid and the Merlin is perfect to me - I have no wandering eye for anything else. To me the big differences between the two are weather resistance (the Fortress if you seam seal it is as waterproof as you'll get in something with seams), weight (the SO is going to be noticeably lighter), and size (in my experiences with 2 kifarus and one SO, the SO is definitely a bigger pack vs its stated size). That said, fit and comfort of frame likely trump all that. I'll also give the nod to kifaru for durability- they are built like a Sherman tank. I've not had any issues with my SO nor do I expect too, just saying you are getting something with the extra weight of the kifaru. So after frame fit it depends on what features are highest priority for you.

Btw - my profile pic is with my Fortress loaded with my share of camp and bear. It's with the standard talon before I got my Merlin. Good luck and I'm sure you'll be tickled with either of those packs.

 

[Lawnboi]

I can’t comment much on the specific packs, but can tell you about the fabric either one uses. I would consider your uses when picking what fabric you want. The x pac on the seek will be more water proof, but it is slightly louder in warm environments, and very noisy in cold weather. The 500d on the kifaru is quieter but you lose that water resistance. Something to think about. I would not be grabbing my seek outside if I were going on a brushy bowhunt or a close in still hunting style hunt. I can even get away with using 500d as a whitetail pack, no way that’s happening with the seek outside. However if I were doing an open country hunt, or a hunt with a lot of weather forecasted, the seek outside will save some weight.

I can’t speak for the load hauling of the seek outside compared to kifaru, i have yet to pack an animal in the seek outside, but have no complaints packing meat in the kifaru duplex. With backpacking weight loads I have no favorite between the two.

 

[ljalberta]

New MW packs also come with meat shelves. I'm not familiar with SO's return policy, but with the Kifaru you could order it, put some weight in it and see how it fits your back and have a 30 day (I believe) window to still return the pack if it's not right for you. Obviously there's some shipping costs you gotta eat, but it may be worth it.

 

[Runningwater]

The SO does have a meat shelf, and as mentioned above, the SO x pac material is definitely louder, especially in the cold - forgot about that! That wasn't much of an issue for me, but if you were still hunting dark timber with a rifle or still hunting archery it that might matter to you. Again, hope you enjoy whichever you decide on!

 

[Kevin_t]

New MW packs also come with meat shelves. I'm not familiar with SO's return policy, but with the Kifaru you could order it, put some weight in it and see how it fits your back and have a 30 day (I believe) window to still return the pack if it's not right for you. Obviously there's some shipping costs you gotta eat, but it may be worth it.

We have a 30 day return policy as well.

 

[JigStick]

Frame fit and comfort are a high priority. I have products from both SO and Kifaru and all are solid performers. So I know I can’t go wrong. This is going to be a hard decision to make. I may have to order both and see which is most comfortable for my body.

 

[RockChucker30]

Pack noise is more a function of size and shape than it is fabric.

Several years ago I traversed oak brush wearing a fully loaded pack with gear enough for several days. It was really noisy, but mostly because the brush would snag on the pack and then whip as I pulled away.

Last year I traversed a ton of oak brush with the same sized pack, but compressed for a day load. Still noisy (oak brush is always noisy), but much better than with a big pack.

Brush scraping on 500D cordura will sound very similar to brush scraping on 420D packcloth in the face of X-Pac.

Where X-PAC is noisier is opening and closing or otherwise manipulating. As long as you don't dig around in your pack while within 50 yards of game it's really an overblown issue.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Runningwater]

RockChucker is right, really the only time I realize the noise of the xpac is when its really cold, combined with opening or closing the roll top.

 

[MTSabo]

I experienced a lot of barreling when I test drove a kifaru frame. I loaded it up with 93lbs and did not like it. I ended up with the SO fortress 6300 with merlin. For me it was way better.