"The official saddle hunting backpack thread"

[Plebe]

They just missed one

Works for me.

 

[bowhuntr09]

Works for me.

Stick it to them, buy it and make them take the loss.

 

[Plebe]

Stick it to them, buy it and make them take the loss.

lol. Got mine in Multicam. That's $460 now.

$368 is a fair price imo. Not a sale price, but a fair price. Maybe that info helps someone, maybe not. Who knows what sales they'll run? Could be better deals down the road, perhaps. I don't own stock in Kifaru. Inventory yes, stock no.

Lots of good options for those who think it's overpriced.

 

[JCLINE84]

lol. Got mine in Multicam. That's $460 now.

$368 is a fair price imo. Not a sale price, but a fair price. Maybe that info helps someone, maybe not. Who knows what sales they'll run? Could be better deals down the road, perhaps. I don't own stock in Kifaru. Inventory yes, stock no.

Lots of good options for those who think it's overpriced.

I agree. It’s top notch and I haven’t regretted the money I’ve spent with them. Just shocked at that price increase. If money isn’t an issue I still think they make the best pack system.

 

[Plebe]

I agree. It’s top notch and I haven’t regretted the money I’ve spent with them. Just shocked at that price increase. If money isn’t an issue I still think they make the best pack system.

I don't know...I haven't tried them all. But my Kifaru setup definitely suits my needs. Feeling good about my purchase. Thanks for your input.

I have the older Kuiu suspension. I understand the pro is much better. I'm sure if I got the Kuiu kit up to speed it'd be fine for me. But Kifaru build quality and modularity are great.

 

[bowhuntr09]

I think my never ending quest for the perfect pack is over. I managed to get the Kifaru frame and 22 Mag all on sale and added a StrykerXL as well before the price increase. Plenty of belt pouches, pull outs and a Sherman pocket as well. I feel great about all my purchases but they wouldn’t have happened at the current price point for sure.

 

[Brendan]

Kifaru really upped their prices this week. I don’t know that I can recommend people spend that much on a pack now. I’m going to try a Kuiu pro setup with their carbon frame and see how it compares to Kifaru for saddle hunting. Once I get some time with it I’ll post here. Kuiu is about half the price of Kifaru now and has some really cool technology in their gear. Hopefully it’s a more affordable option.

I like some of Kuiu's gear and own a bunch, but the problem is Kuiu isn't remotely in the same quality ballpark as Kifaru when it comes to packs. Much more of an off-shore mass made pack. When they first released the frames they had a bunch of failures with the frame breaking. Don't get me wrong, we're not talking western big game hunting here, so they're more than fine for saddle hunting and $$$ matters.

The other thing to remember - yes Kifaru is expensive. But what's been happening with inflation lately? Last month was close to 8% year over year as an average across the entire economy? EVERYTHING is getting more expensive - fabric, zippers, webbing, buckles, thread. And, all of their materials are American made. They will always be a premium brand, but I bet if you look at percentages over the last couple years, it's not out of line.

 

[Plebe]

I like some of Kuiu's gear and own a bunch, but the problem is Kuiu isn't remotely in the same quality ballpark as Kifaru when it comes to packs. Much more of an off-shore mass made pack. When they first released the frames they had a bunch of failures with the frame breaking. Don't get me wrong, we're not talking western big game hunting here, so they're more than fine for saddle hunting and $$$ matters.

The other thing to remember - yes Kifaru is expensive. But what's been happening with inflation lately? Last month was close to 8% year over year as an average across the entire economy? EVERYTHING is getting more expensive - fabric, zippers, webbing, buckles, thread. And, all of their materials are American made. They will always be a premium brand, but I bet if you look at percentages over the last couple years, it's not out of line.

Kuiu did change the frame layup and so far as I know that solved the problem.

Kifaru did away with the bikini design due to buckling and changed the spreader on the Duplex Lite from an arrow to a resin piece because they were breaking.

But I agree, Kifaru offers a more rugged "lifetime" build.

Just because something doesn't hit one's pricepoint doesn't mean it's necessarily overpriced. That's my take on it. Each consumer needs to decide that individually.

Is $50ish more for a Kifaru frame overpriced in the premium frame pack marketplace with Stone Glacier-$375, Exo-$375 Seek-$357? To each their own.

 

[overspined]

Used kifaru for 4 years now, I don’t think I’ve encountered better. So… get what you pay for and for elk packing it’s kifaru for me. For saddle hunting I don’t find it as important but I’d be pissed if things broke. Honestly I find buy once cry once to be true for quality. I am not tolerant of items failing when I’m taking vacation time, spending money, and effort, and everything I put into enjoying the hunt and time off to deal with equipment failures.

 

[JCLINE84]

Got my Kuiu pro 2300 setup in the mail today. Adjusted everything to fit me right and loaded around 40 pounds in it to try out. Feels well made, easy to adjust and it’s really light compared to my Kifaru setup. Carries 40 pounds as comfortably as my Kifaru. Can definitely tell that the Kifaru is better suited to carrying really heavy loads, but for saddle hunting purposes I think the Kuiu is a similar and cheaper option. One thing I don’t like about the Kuiu is that it is what it is. No way to play lego with it and customize or add storage like you can with the Kifaru. For half the price I can get over that. If I was buying my first upper end pack and money was an issue I could hunt with this Kuiu pro setup and be really happy, especially if I hadn’t used a Kifaru before hand.

 

[Maverick1]

Kifaru did away with the bikini design due to buckling and changed the spreader on the Duplex Lite from an arrow to a resin piece because they were breaking...

I have one of the very first bikini frames made in multicam and never had any issue. Been on a lot of hunts out west for elk, bear, and moose, and hauled a lot of meat with it every single year. It works great! Never heard of any sort of buckling issues, and never experienced that, either. (Not saying others haven’t, only saying I haven’t.). I’ve been happy with the purchase and thought about upgrading to a newer model a couple of times, but the bikini works great so I don’t see the need. Only use that frame for backpack hunting out west and not deer hunting as I don’t prefer to haul it up in a tree with me - just prefer a smaller footprint up in a tree.

 

[Sigz]

Not that this is anything ground breaking - but my goal next year is to go in and hunt with less gear.

I used to have a backpack from cabelas that would hold a bunch of random stuff on the inside (food, water, mini saw, calls, etc) along with an outside mesh holder for my platform, and my sticks on tied underneath it. It worked, but was heavier and it got old lugging it through thicker brush and getting a bunch of burrs and such caught up on it.

Took advantage of the current Tethrd sale and purchased the Predator XL pack carrier, along with the upgraded backpack straps, and the two HYS haulers. I used those green tactical molly draw string bags on my saddle which worked fine - but decided to take them off molly strap them to the pack.

So I'll use one of those for an extra rope, bow hanger, and a call and the other for some food/water storage.

It's already much lighter and I'm excited to give it a go!

 

[Plebe]

Got my Kuiu pro 2300 setup in the mail today. Adjusted everything to fit me right and loaded around 40 pounds in it to try out. Feels well made, easy to adjust and it’s really light compared to my Kifaru setup. Carries 40 pounds as comfortably as my Kifaru. Can definitely tell that the Kifaru is better suited to carrying really heavy loads, but for saddle hunting purposes I think the Kuiu is a similar and cheaper option. One thing I don’t like about the Kuiu is that it is what it is. No way to play lego with it and customize or add storage like you can with the Kifaru. For half the price I can get over that. If I was buying my first upper end pack and money was an issue I could hunt with this Kuiu pro setup and be really happy, especially if I hadn’t used a Kifaru before hand.

There are a lot who prefer the Kuiu Pro to anything, and I'm talking Western hunters not just Eastern whitetail folk.

The complaint that is tossed about most is the system developing an odd squeak. If you find yours follows suit, there is lots of info on Rokslide about it to help diagnose the source and fix the problem.

A couple things that seem to have worked for Kuiu users:

- wrap the frame with hockey tape wherever the frame contacts the bag or the hip belt
- put extra fine powdered graphite in the frame pocket and any where else a squeak could come from
- readjust bag and frame attachment

 

[iamcorey]

View attachment 62073

Not that this is anything ground breaking - but my goal next year is to go in and hunt with less gear.

I used to have a backpack from cabelas that would hold a bunch of random stuff on the inside (food, water, mini saw, calls, etc) along with an outside mesh holder for my platform, and my sticks on tied underneath it. It worked, but was heavier and it got old lugging it through thicker brush and getting a bunch of burrs and such caught up on it.

Took advantage of the current Tethrd sale and purchased the Predator XL pack carrier, along with the upgraded backpack straps, and the two HYS haulers. I used those green tactical molly draw string bags on my saddle which worked fine - but decided to take them off molly strap them to the pack.

So I'll use one of those for an extra rope, bow hanger, and a call and the other for some food/water storage.

It's already much lighter and I'm excited to give it a go!

Have you walked any distance with that setup?

 

[Sigz]

Have you walked any distance with that setup?

Nah, not yet. Just got the pack together last night.

Do you see potential problems with it? (Not being sarcastic, but quite curious).

 

[PEEJAY]

hard to imagine we can talk about our hunting purses for 40 pages of posts.

 

[iamcorey]

Nah, not yet. Just got the pack together last night.

Do you see potential problems with it? (Not being sarcastic, but quite curious).

To each their own but I’m not a fan for horizontal stick carrying. Ive never used the Tethrd setup you have but tried it on a Eberlestock bandit. At times they would slide one way or the other depending on the walk. The short sticks are definitely better though.


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[Hlzr]

Nah, not yet. Just got the pack together last night.

Do you see potential problems with it? (Not being sarcastic, but quite curious).

I agree that horizontal sticks are cumbersome and if they can be mounted vertical it’s a positive imo Here’s a pic of my set up as reference.

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[bowhuntr09]

Just a heads up that Kuiu has some of their packs on sale for Presidents day at 25% off.

Kuiu Packs

 

[Sigz]

I agree that horizontal sticks are cumbersome and if they can be mounted vertical it’s a positive imo Here’s a pic of my set up as reference.

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Interesting!

What little clips and attachment bands are you using?