I’m very excited to see the detailed breakdown of the frame and each bag! I struggle with pretty much every pack design out there because no two people are alike and the needs are very different from person to person. Keep up the good work Steve and please never stop listening to the customers feedback.
Ive never owned an exo but they were my other choice when I made my purchase. With that said...i see a few improvements on this bag that i REALLY like. Lots of good reviews on the EXO, and I think you nailed it steve with that little stash pocket and the angled nalgene holders! If I was in the market for a pack (and I just might be for my son this year if we draw an elk tag together)....we may have to give ya a call and go thru some of this. Great job Steve and Exo on what looks to be a real good set up. What I like MOST about your bag Concept is the ability to quickly detach bag and get meat buckled in, then put the bag back on and strap everything down tight for the hike/meat haul out. My least favorite part of your bag is the solid colored panel on the back when in the fusion camo version. Id love to see the whole thing in camo. It just takes something away from the bag for some reason. Not to end on a negative, but I thought you might appreciate the feedback. Ive bought gear from Steve (via S&S) and customer service is TOP Notch. I say that because they read this stuff, good and bad, and make improvements to provide the best gear they can IMO. They do that because they are also hunters themselves using the same gear!
Appreciate the feedback and you're 100% right, we do pay attention to comments like this and do our best to listen to our customers. I prefer the matching fusion color front stretch panel as well but also hear from a lot of people how much they love the two tone look. The reason we do it is simply because of fabric availability. We have to keep some decisions simple in order to make sure we have materials to produce packs. The Fusion stretch material has to be bought from First Lite directly and its much more complicated to get with longer lead times. - Steve
My biggest issue with any pack not just Exo is that they always slip down and I spend most of my time readjusting my pack. Hopefully this will be a problem solver.
This frame is similar in some ways, for sure. Most frames these days are very similar. There are also some differences, in my opinion. Steve spoke about his design process in one of his recent podcasts, explaining exactly how he landed on this current design. I have been using Kifaru packs for a long time, and they are still my baseline when it comes to comparing all the other packs I've tested or reviewed. They are extremely durable, and very comfortable for me. I think this new pack from Exo is great for consumers because it helps to keep pushing all the top contenders to innovate and produce better products. -Justin Crossley
The compression straps haven’t changed from K3. The change is that all of the straps now have opposing male / female buckles so when running without a bag there is more versatility. The downside is the potential for people unfamiliar with the system to get straps mixed up.
I like the HydraPak for carrying extra water but not for my main water bottle. Because it collapses, you pretty much need two hands to drink from it. The Nalgene or similar are better IMO. -Justin Crossley
I use both personally. The hydrapak/water bag types are great for purely holding water and they fit nice and easy in the pack. Being able to pour boiling water in a nalgene and use it to warm up boots, puffy jackets on long cold glassing sits or warm up the sleeping bag before you get inside it on those cold nights in the backcountry is a must have for me.
Thanks for the info! I stopped by in portland and liked the design and did a pre order. Frame and belt felt very comfy on my hips with 53lbs in pack. I could tell right away it will feel good when it's loaded with 85-100lbs of meat.
Must use pure compression or put meat 🍖 in the bag itself since there is no meat 🥩 shelf. Looks like some good improvements, but I have never had a K3 on my back to know since most outdoor stores here in the east don’t carry higher end packs. Plus most of those type packs are order only and cut out the middle man of a brick 🧱 and mortar store 🏬
Wish I would of waited one more year! Dammit. Badass pack love my k3 hands down best pack out there. Glad to support a local Idaho company
I’m very excited to see the detailed breakdown of the frame and each bag! I struggle with pretty much every pack design out there because no two people are alike and the needs are very different from person to person. Keep up the good work Steve and please never stop listening to the customers feedback.
Ive never owned an exo but they were my other choice when I made my purchase. With that said...i see a few improvements on this bag that i REALLY like. Lots of good reviews on the EXO, and I think you nailed it steve with that little stash pocket and the angled nalgene holders! If I was in the market for a pack (and I just might be for my son this year if we draw an elk tag together)....we may have to give ya a call and go thru some of this. Great job Steve and Exo on what looks to be a real good set up. What I like MOST about your bag Concept is the ability to quickly detach bag and get meat buckled in, then put the bag back on and strap everything down tight for the hike/meat haul out. My least favorite part of your bag is the solid colored panel on the back when in the fusion camo version. Id love to see the whole thing in camo. It just takes something away from the bag for some reason. Not to end on a negative, but I thought you might appreciate the feedback. Ive bought gear from Steve (via S&S) and customer service is TOP Notch. I say that because they read this stuff, good and bad, and make improvements to provide the best gear they can IMO. They do that because they are also hunters themselves using the same gear!
Appreciate the feedback and you're 100% right, we do pay attention to comments like this and do our best to listen to our customers. I prefer the matching fusion color front stretch panel as well but also hear from a lot of people how much they love the two tone look. The reason we do it is simply because of fabric availability. We have to keep some decisions simple in order to make sure we have materials to produce packs. The Fusion stretch material has to be bought from First Lite directly and its much more complicated to get with longer lead times. - Steve
@@ExoMtnGear When do these new K4 packs go on sale?
Looks slick
super interested to look at the k4 when it goes on the site
My biggest issue with any pack not just Exo is that they always slip down and I spend most of my time readjusting my pack. Hopefully this will be a problem solver.
It’s funny how competitors frames just keep getting closer and closer in design to a Kifaru lite frame as the years go on.
This frame is similar in some ways, for sure. Most frames these days are very similar. There are also some differences, in my opinion. Steve spoke about his design process in one of his recent podcasts, explaining exactly how he landed on this current design.
I have been using Kifaru packs for a long time, and they are still my baseline when it comes to comparing all the other packs I've tested or reviewed. They are extremely durable, and very comfortable for me. I think this new pack from Exo is great for consumers because it helps to keep pushing all the top contenders to innovate and produce better products.
-Justin Crossley
Did Steve mention why he went to four compression straps on the back of the frame to hold the meat?
The compression straps haven’t changed from K3. The change is that all of the straps now have opposing male / female buckles so when running without a bag there is more versatility. The downside is the potential for people unfamiliar with the system to get straps mixed up.
Anyone know why the Nalgene bottle's are so popular?
Isn't a HydraPak (or similar) better as you can collapse the volume as you drink?
I like the HydraPak for carrying extra water but not for my main water bottle. Because it collapses, you pretty much need two hands to drink from it. The Nalgene or similar are better IMO. -Justin Crossley
I use both personally. The hydrapak/water bag types are great for purely holding water and they fit nice and easy in the pack. Being able to pour boiling water in a nalgene and use it to warm up boots, puffy jackets on long cold glassing sits or warm up the sleeping bag before you get inside it on those cold nights in the backcountry is a must have for me.
When will the specs be available online of the bag dimensions? I'm interested in the compressed dimensions on the 3600 vs the 5000. Thanks.
Probably mid March we’ll have that all up.
Thanks for the info! I stopped by in portland and liked the design and did a pre order. Frame and belt felt very comfy on my hips with 53lbs in pack. I could tell right away it will feel good when it's loaded with 85-100lbs of meat.
Must use pure compression or put meat 🍖 in the bag itself since there is no meat 🥩 shelf. Looks like some good improvements, but I have never had a K3 on my back to know since most outdoor stores here in the east don’t carry higher end packs. Plus most of those type packs are order only and cut out the middle man of a brick 🧱 and mortar store 🏬
There definitely is a meat shelf. The bag easily separates from the frame.
@@matthewschillo8136 oh yeah that’s right. My bad. Good catch
When will be able to purchase???
We are shooting for late March.
@@ExoMtnGear awesome 100% getting one. Thank you 😄
Approx March 28