Sounds almost too good to be true. Hopefully Kifaru is really on to something here that will change the market. To this point, it has been my experience that lightweight packs lack durability, comfort, or function. Being familiar with the Kifaru fabric used in their shelters, I would be somewhat reticent to have a pack with it, even double layered.
I look forward to you 24hourcampfire guys doing some additional "research". :-) If it turns out to be the real deal and lasts as long as a normal pack, it will be tough to pass up.
I have used/owned somewhere in excess of 100 packs over the years. Some heavy bulletproof packs, some whisper light packs and I will agree that few of the light packs have really offered anything other than being light. Not the case with the Kifaru UL. It carries up to the 87 pounds that I have had in it with more comfort than anything I have used. I say 87 pounds because to date that is as much as I have had in it. I fully expect it to easilly handle 125 pounds which is about my personal maximum.
I have also cursed some of the well built bomb proof packs I have used because they were God awfull uncomfortable.
When looking for gear, most important qualification is function. If it doesn't do what it is supposed to do well, if not excellent then it is a failure and of no use to me. For me a pack that is simple, is a product of function. I have owned packs that had so many straps, pockets and usless do-dads that they were a total cluster to try to use. I have been doing this for close to 40 years now so I am pretty well set in my ways as to what and how I want a pack set up. The Kifaru 5200 is for me, close to ideal as it is and spot on with a couple accessories.
After function my next two top qualities durability and weight. To balance these two there is always some degree of compromise. I will hunt in light trail running shoes, knowing full well they won't have the durability of a stiff leather boot, but the weight difference makes this an easy choice for me. Same thing with a sleeping bag, I use light weight down bags knowing that I need to be certain of my ability to keep my bag dry. (Although in nearly all cases a down bag will actually have a much longer life span than a synthetic)
Same thing with my Mont-Bell Thermawrap clothing. It's not as bulletproof as some, but for me the weight/compressability is well worth the trade.
How long will the UL's last. My quess is a long time. As long as a Long Hunter, maybe not but my understanding is that Kifaru's warantee will be more than fair. Especially considering that many ultralight gear companies like BPL have no warantee svae for defective products because it is UL gear.
Also, the bottom on the UL 5200 I have is triple layer fabric.
