How durable is the pop up feature?
I'm buying my new son-in-law a pack for Christmas. Have been looking at several online. It will be a general purpose camping, hiking, hunting pack. Probably 40-50lbs at most but with the ability to pack out large game as well. This will be his only pack.
Was thinking the pop up 38. He is young and will carry more stuff than he should.
Are they durable for long term hard use?
I have a MR Selway but don't abuse it like my Kifaru.
Go ahead and abuse your MR packs, including the Pop Ups. They're built like tanks and can take whatever you can throw at them. In the 3 years that I've had my PU 28, it's been on a western antelope hunt and spent 4 weeks each year on my back pursuing NE whitetails in the Catskills and Adirondacks. It has packed out one pronghorn and 5 whitetails, and aside from some stubborn blood and mud stains, shows zero signs of wear.
Now, having said that, you mention that it will be his only pack. That being the case, I would suggest going for the versatility of the Guide Light MT frame with a Sawtooth 45, a Pintler. You can then switch out to whatever MR offers as a bag only option in the future. That frame can haul bigger loads in better comfort and either of those bags has larger capacity and excellent organization compared the the Pop Ups.
