I’ve always been intrigued by the setup and this thread has been very informative:
Pros: It’s comfortable.
Cons: Heavy, wide, bulky, expensive, ropes and straps everywhere, the fork makes noise, too restricted to shoot, hard to lean in, have to switch out pack to use it, can’t access gear, heavy and still need a climbing method, climbing method doesn’t pack well with it.
I realize it was purposefully designed as a “What’s your bitch” thread, but people will normally highlight the things they like as well and so far that has been “its comfortable”. Not exactly an inspiring endorsement for the total package. My Cruzr XC is also very comfortable. I’ve never sat a JX3 but will assume the XC is somewhat less comfortable, but it is certainly not uncomfortable by any means. For some folks, comfort alone may outweigh all other negatives. But when I look at the whole package, the JX3 seems to miss several key metrics for a method (saddle hunting) that purports to key on being light and mobile. Additionally, when you start trying to fix the JX3’s biggest detractors, there is a good chance that you will start impinging on the one thing that sets it apart, it‘s comfort. Be interesting to see if and how it can evolve.