Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Buy once, cry once pack

I know we have a few pack threads going on, but hey, what's one more? I did my first backpack hunt and loved it buy my pack frustrated me. I kind of felt it would but I was spending money elsewhere and had what I had so I used it. So I'm looking into getting a new pack and am looking for a top of the line pack that'll only have me crying when I pay for it and no other time. Right now I've narrowed it down to Stone Glacier, EXO mountain gear and Kifaru. Any thoughts on these 3 from experience or any other suggestions? Thanks in advance!

Don’t rule out the Western Colorado made Seek Outside packs. I love mine.

I have a Kifaru mountain warrior and I really dig it. Sorry but I cant speak to the other brands.

Can’t really go wrong with any of those 3 pack choices! So many options and bags/accessory pouches available for all 3 also. Kifaru will probably be the next pack I try out.

You need to road trip down to Kifaru. Living in CO, I'd go Kifaru all the way. Daughter just got the Muskeg 5000 and it is really nice. I love my mountain warrior I've had for several years. Son is running some huge version they sell, AMR maybe. The guys there are all hunters and are putting out some great gear. Regardless, stick with a made in the USA company.

Those are all 3 great brands, best bet is to try out what you can. I've had all three and currently am very happy with the stone glacier.

Mountain Hardwear is having 50% off sale on their packs AND sleeping bags!

You want waterproof pack? Aight den...

I think that my wife cried more than once when she found out what I paid for my Stone Glacier pack. Fits me well and doesn't hurt when I load it up. Great packs for the ounce counting hunter.

I have a Generation I Late Season since I don't know when. One word, bulletproof. I have used it hard since I got it afield and otherwise (plane trips back east) Still no holes, no zipper problems ,not a broken buckle, etc. The thing is faded from the sun but otherwise as useful today as when I got it 10 years ago? If you can visit the show room you may get lucky and have Patrick answer your questions like he did for me. First class operation.

You’ve named 3 of the best in the business. I would add Seek Outside and Mystery Ranch to those options if you want expand your options.

I've tried the EXO and Kifaru and bought the Kifaru. It just fit me better. I really liked the layout of the EXO though. PIcked up a DT1 bag and guide lid so I'm set from day mode to multiday mode.

If you can find someone with the packs you're interested in and try them great but, to me, it was worth the shipping cost to try the EXO be able to send it back. Both companies have great customer service and Steve really tried to make the EXO work but understood when I decided to send it back.

The Kifaru would be a truly buy once, cry once. It'll last you a lifetime. Very easy (and fun) to set them up for a wide spectrum of hunts.

Color me unimpressed with the Stone Glacier. A pard used one on a goat hunt this year and it was epic discomfort for him. The straps on his pack wouldn't stay cinched and there was a lot of swaying going on. The shoulder straps and especially waistbelt seemed less than luxurious as well. We both had 100+ pound packs coming out and each had very different experiences carrying that weight. It was the first time I'd ever seen one of their packs in person and I was surprised at how unimpressive it was based on the great reviews I've seen them get.

I can say it's difficult to go wrong with Mystery Ranch or Kifaru. I've carried out literally tons of meat on the MR and multiple friends have done the same with the Kifaru packs. They flat out work and both companies have excellent customer service. Tip: Obtain and carry an extra waistbelt buckle. They only break when you have a bunch to carry from way back in, and the weather is bad.

Probably a good tip there PA. Think I will do that actually. Never had one break, but easy insurance.

I have a Kifaru Reckoning and a MR Mule. The Kifaru is built like a tank. Great pack, possibly more than I need. It is certainly capable of carrying more than I am. The Mule has a much smaller bag, but a very easy to use load shelf. A waterproof 55-60l bag fits right in there. The Mule is a little nicer in day hunting mode. A little more compact and possibly a little lighter. I hauled out a small deboned Mule Deer buck and head and it felt really good. I’d lean Kifaru if you like to haul really heavy loads. My hip flexors and knees are screaming before the weight feels uncomfortable on my back or shoulders. Honestly I think both are fantastic packs.

The Yetti, If you want to give a SO a try you can fill up my SO Peregrine and give it a test hike. You’ll have to come to Palisade to do that.

I've owned a Kifaru Reckoning and really liked it. After I "donated" it, I replaced with a Mystery Ranch Guide Lite frame and Metcalf and Pintler bags. I find it as comfortable as the Kifaru.

I don’t know which SG he used but something was very wrong. I probably have seen more SG packs used with truly heavy loads than anyone save maybe SG themselves. Over 50 packs used with 100-130lbs by 50 different people and the only time I have seen anything like that was one person that just wouldn't grasp that a pack has to be fitted to you.


As well as more than a few Mystery Ranch and Kifaru packs.....

Good report. That pic is like $500,000 worth of bags. How'd they all end up in a pile like that?

I cant believe that horror story about stone glacier packs, in fact Im just going to call bullshit on it unless it was one of their very early prototypes. Ive had 100+ lbs in my SG pack and it was excellent. I also have a kifaru thats very nice but it is big, heavy and overbuilt.

Kifaru makes great stuff and the advantages are that its durable and you can basically set up the pack any way you want (pockets, bottle holders etc) but all that comes at the price of weight.

I haven't tried a SG but have heard good things about them and they are the lightest by a little bit I think but I have both an EXO Mountain and a Kifaru. I 100% prefer the Kifaru over the EXO for 2 reasons. 1, I find the shoulders too narrow on the EXO and can't get it to fit/ride quite right. 2, I found the EXO bag harder/more awkward to get stuff in and out of and while they offer "different bags" they are all the same shape and design just different volumes.

Long story short, I'd say Kifaru would be my buy once cry once pack.

Lots of great advice and some more thinking to do! I've been leaning towards Kifaru and think I may go that route. BeanMan, I appreciate the offer, but Palisade is a little far to go to try out a pack, although if I find myself that way doing some scouting, I may have to look you up!

Any of the top-end brands would serve you well for a long time, but I'd be more concerned with making sure a particular style of pack fit me best, and then pick one of the top brands that makes a pack of that style.

For example, I used a Kifaru LH Guide for quite a while, and it never really worked very well for me. It has the wing-style hip belt, and I didn't realize that style wasn't ideal for my body type until I tried on a SO Paradox, with its full wrap hip belt. As soon as I put that thing on it immediately fit like a glove. Packs that fit well help you bear a load with less strain, and the load feels lighter. Heavy loads always suck, but they suck less with a pack that fits your body properly.

Oh man, you're right. It was as though he was carrying clouds and fairy dust down the mountain, a truly wonderful time for him.

Maybe I'm taking this wrong because it's the internet and all, but remain calm. It's merely an observation of one pack's performance, on one trip. I'll let the OP go where the evidence leads and make his own decision. Just providing some asked for perspective.

I hear you Yetti, for my part I try very hard not to go east of the continental divide.

I love my Stone Glacier pack!

I don't blame you , would much rather be on your side!

The best piece of gear I’ve ever bought is a McHale critical mass pack. Custom fit and made of dyneema fabric (not dyneema blend). I’ve been backpack hunting since 2003 every year for stonesheep with other backpack hunts mixed in as well and I think this pack is great. I bought it in 2011. Before that I had Kifaru Longhunter, and before that a Serratus and Camptrails external frame. The Kifaru was a great pack but just didn’t fit my body shape very well. The McHale Critical Mass was a big improvement and although it’s expensive, it was worth every penny for me. My brother watched my lack of pack related suffering for a few years until he finally sold his Barney’s pack and ordered a McHale and loves his as well.

Yetti, I'm on the south side of Denver. I have 2 Kifaru G2 packs. If you want to check them out, maybe load one up and take it for a spin, let me know. Heck, they'd probably do the same at their shop come to think of it.

This^^^^^
Buying a pack on-line has its disadvantages, proper fit to your build is the main one...I bought this AlpsoutdoorZ Extreme pack before elk season thinking it would be the cats meow. After using it while scouting for several days and 10 miles. I found it would start to hurt really bad across both shoulders at the 2 mile marker hiking into the same area. Tried adjusting straps each time, but same pains. Went back to my Badlands SuperDay pack for the season. Too, bad, I really liked the features the new pack offered. 😎

I've tried Exo, SG, Kifaru and Mystery Ranch........still have the SG Evo 40/56........Kifaru was a close second.......best of luck!

I may take you up on that. I may take a day off to go up to Kifaru to check out their packs. My work hours are the same as their open hours.

Same experience for me. My Longhunter Guide never fit my slim build very well. The Mckale Critical Mass harness system has a one piece wide hip belt that has two waist straps and buckles. Able to get a very nice fit all the way around my hips. Most comfortable pack I’ve ever worn and built for heavy mountaineering loads. Lots of custom features to choose from as well.
https://imgur.com/a/IkEZqSy

I used a Kifaru Mtn Warrior on a UL duplex this year, could probably go the rest of my life with that one and be happy.

I have used Kifaru, Granite Gear, Stone Glacier and Seek outside packs. I wore out the Kifaru pack and the Granite Gear pack is a little heavy. The last couple of years I've been mostly using the Seek Outside pack and it has worked very well. But that said this fall on a whim I decided to try out the Stone Glacier pack and bought the minimalist. And at first I loved it. Way more compact and carried a moderate load better than the Seek Outside. But then we put elk on them and I hate to say it but the Stone Glacier failed. Like someone else who posted earlier, I too had the swaying thing going on - and could not get up without help. The pack is just too narrow, and there is no side to side lateral support. The stone Glacier was unstable with a heavy load (we are talking around 130 pounds). That said I think it is a GREAT deer hunting pack and good with loads up to say 110 pounds. But for elk and truly bad loads I think I'll stick with the Seek Outside. Patrick

Yeti said he wanted to cry once, not sob for a week!

You are correct though, McHale packs are very good, as they should be for what you pay. I have a CMII also and it set me back $1k when I bought it, but more comfortable than any other pack I've had, including Kifaru. The same pack today would probably be close to $1400.

as said before, order them all- load them up and try them around the house- one will jump out at you which works best; send the others back

the "good" packs are all good; fit, just like in quality footwear, is king

this goes a long ways in preventing the "crying multiple time" multiple times syndrome

Besides the functionality, features and ability to adjust torso length , proper fitting of the pack when loaded is paramount to a comfort haul.

Those *little straps and buckles* are critical to know how they affect the pack ride. Experiment.

LOL, ya it’s a painfully steep price tag. Mine in 2011 with the full Dyneema fabric cost me over $1700 CDN. My brother didn’t go for the Dyneema so I think his was around $1300 CDN a few years later. I definitely would hate to be without it now.

Just let me know, my work schedule is pretty flexible, I'm home a couple days a week and weekends of course.

Yetti

"I may take you up on that. I may take a day off to go up to Kifaru to check out their packs. My work hours are the same as their open hours. "



I did exactly the same thing 4 years ago. The guys there spent about a hour with me trying on and discussing attributes of different packs, and ultimately fitting one.

Fast forward to a month ago. Wanted to check out the new generation packs and had a bunch of questions. Called first and drove down from Ft. Collins. Certainly a impressive array of packs and equipment.
The girl up front said she could answer and of my questions. And she did with a yes or no in between phone calls...……………..

Never saw another person. Left there with plastic firmly secured in wallet....might as well gone to Dicks or Cabellas.

Perhaps it was just a bad day.


LC

If you go there, ask to speak with Aron. Last time I went he took car of me. Even offered to loan me one of their sleeping bags so I could try it out.

Smokepole,

Actually I met Aron 4 years ago a great guy and a beast of a man. I am sure he could load up 2 elk quarters and "take off'

I spent about a hour on the phne with 2 Mystery Ranch guys. I may look at one next week or order one that I could try and send back if I don't like it.


Lefty

I use a Eberlestock just one on my backpack hunts in Colorado. It is not a light pack at over 7lbs but I have had elk in it and I could not lift it alone I had my Best friend help lift it up so I could pack it out. I was amazed the shoulder straps did not give out.
Just FYI I’m 6’2 and a ExMarine and there is not much I can not lift or move if I put my mind to it. It is a extremely tough pack.
I will be taking it to Alaska next fall Caribou Hunting on a DIY hunt.

A kind of funny story. I started an outfitting and retail business in 1990 and attended an Outdoor Retailer show in Reno, Nv. Patrick Smith, Mountain smith/kifaru and Dana Gleason, Dana Designs/ Mystery Ranch were 2 of the few mfgrs. of quality gear that were interested in talking to an itinerant climber/ SAR guy w/ a startup business. They backed their products 1000% and I never had a customer dissatisfied w/ their gear decisions. 28 years later either would be my 1st choice depending on fit. These are people who have lived the life and are legends in an industry that mostly went to China.


mike r

love my stone glacier, fit is everything! try on as many as you can, the one that fits you the best is the right one.
all the packs you are looking at are first class, i would check out mystery ranch too.
have fun with it!!!

ho ho ho

Money well spent.

We are having a quick flash sale on Seek Outside packs through the 17th
Use Code: decemberpack

Seek Outside Hunting Backpacks

Thanks
Kevin

So you are going to give that old ruck sack one more try next year?