There are two ILBE packs in my house. One for my son and a loner pack. I have a Kifaru ZXR and love it. Having said that I'm not sure if I would have got it if the ILBE's came first. The ILBE's are very well constructed, but a little heavy. Having looked at 30+ ILBE packs the only sizing I have seen is in the belt size, S,M,L and the same sizing for women. Be careful if you are not able to get the lid with the pack as the Gen1 and Gen2 do not interchange, black buckles to black buckles, an to tan.
For the money I don't think you will find a better deal than the ILBE, at this time. As for packing game we used an ILBE, my ZXR and a Kelty Super Tioga to pack out an Elk back in 2012. Each pack ran 80lbs+. I think it was a toss up between the ILBE and ZXR for stability and comfort.
Parko
Last edited by parko; 03/19/13. Reason: add info
