That bikini frame looks killer. I'd been looking really hard at a ULA Epic, this may change my mind. I'll pass on the packbag. Hill People's packbag system blows that thing out of the water. I predict they will sell way more frames alone than systems. Now if HPG will come out with a spectra grid version of their Tarahumara, we'll be able to piece together a true UL pack system you can live out of that won't drag you down.
Not so sure about that. I had a HPG ( and I do love their stuff) 25 sil bag and a Tara and a Highlander to check out and the (2) of them ( Highlander and 25 sil bag) together and they weighed as much as my Kifaru LH guide bag did ( with out the lid). And... that was without any compression kit from HPG to mount it.
I thought the concept of the HPG was sound and thought there would be a wt decrease benefit. But here is what I found from weighing the gear and comparable gear- ( thank goodness for having a good scale and not just depending on the eye test and feel )
The Tara alone weighed 16.25 oz
The Highlander alone weighed 26.25 oz
The 25 sil bag weighed 7.9 oz
So Tara plus sil bag was just over 24 oz (For a about 3500-4000 ci set up - maybe)
And HL plus sil bag was just over 34 oz ( for a 4500-5000 ci set up- again maybe)
( and above gear was
without any compression straps or hardware to attach them to the duplex frame)
So how does that compare to a 7200 ci Kifaru LH guide?-
The real eye opener and one that I thought my eyes must be playing tricks on me. The HL bag and the 25 sil-nylon bag weighed more together ( just over 34oz)- even with out mounting hardware, than my 7200 ci LH guide bag weighs alone with out its hood- 33 oz.
*** and the longhunter is a whole lot easier to attach to the duplex frame than the HPG stuff.
and if I need a light weight compression panel, I can just use a Wilderness Pack specialties Handi-pak ( 4 oz.) or one of Kifaru's new load kits.
I think the New Kifaru bags are going to be very nice and much easier to use than trying to mix and match with a HPG system. And I am not opposed to mixing and matching bags - I have found ways to put a ton of different bags from different manufacturers on a Kifaru frame.
