Pack selection

I had it narrowed down to Stone Glacier and Kifaru when I was looking. Both have sturdy frames capable of 100+ lb loads. I ended up with Kifaru because SG didn't come in camo. Kifaru seemed to have a lot more accessory, bag, frame, and lid options. Everyone seemed to rave about the comfort of the Kifaru belt system. The nice thing about Kifaru is once you have a frame there are a gob of different bags to choose from.
Even though I have both a Timberline 2 and EMR2...my go to is the EMR2. It has a lot more room. If it were me and I only had 1 bag I would choose a 6,000 cu in+. You can always cinch down a large bag but if you don't have enough room you are screwed! I've used mine on 2 dall sheep, 4 mtn goat, 1 bighorn sheep, and many deer, elk, and antelope hunts. I also use it for hauling turkey decoys and turkeys!
 
I love my mystery ranch with the US made Nice frame. I don't think I would buy another MR pack unless it was American made. I'm looking at a lifetime BHA membership right now and may get a Seek Outside pack to add. My main hunting buddy (fellow Metcalf user) is waiting for his Seek Outside package now. I'm waiting for his report on how good the pack is. I have a couple small Kifaru items, they are thoughtfully designed and well made. I will definitely add a kifaru pack in the future too.
 
MR has quite a following and are well made and designed packs.
I would be curious if the new mystery ranch are lighter than they used to be? When I was searching they were several pounds heavier.
 
Three of us in my group hunt with Mystery Ranch metcalf packs. Two are "Nice frame" and one is the new "guide light" frame. The guide light pack feels slightly lighter than the Nice framed packs.
 
Original NICE frame Metcalf...will never get rid of it...however have been looking at some of the Stone Glacier packs. Why? I really don't know.
 
I love the Kuiu pack. I have the Icon pro 5200 and love it. Once you have used the horseshoe zipper it is hard to go back to any other pack configuration. A few of my buddies just purchased Seek Outside packs and so far seem to like them. They are extremely light but I am not sure how the comfort will be with them.
 
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