Back pack review

[Vance in AK]

Glad to hear another good review of their packs. I'm dropping the hammer on a Blue Widow this coming payday been wanting one for a while and with a hike in trip planned soon I've finally got an excuse. Keep us informed on how it holds up through the season and any tweeks you make to get it just right for you.

I have a Blue Widow & really like it but this year I went to a Kifaru Duplex frame with Highcamp 7000 bag & am pleased I made the jump.
The Blue Widow is comfortable for me up to 60ish#, but the Kifaru is even more so. Above 60# there is just no comparison for me. It's the Kifaru by a landslide.
The Eberlestock is well made & a great pack within it's weight limits (for me). My son will start using it this year & I'm sure it will serve him well until he (we?) can afford a second Kifaru some years down the line. The cost difference is very notable. I would do it again & it was money well spent, but I had to save for it for quite a while...

[Dogbuster0006]

Glad to hear another good review of their packs. I'm dropping the hammer on a Blue Widow this coming payday been wanting one for a while and with a hike in trip planned soon I've finally got an excuse. Keep us informed on how it holds up through the season and any tweeks you make to get it just right for you.

[Smokey]

I bought a new pack a couple weeks ago for a moose hunt in NL next fall and thought I would share some info...

I bought a Eberlestock X1E pack. It has a built in scabbard that pretty much centers the rifle in the middle of your back and muzzle is pointed down. This makes it very nice to carry your rifle, shooting pods etc while leaving your hands free. I was curious how hard it would be to retrieve my rifle and it was much tougher than I hoped for. I am 57 and do not have the flexibility I used to so a younger person may be able to reach the rifle much easier. Now, I did solve the challenge by simply taking a 4 foot piece of 1/4in rope and looping it around the grip and then letting the loose end hang over my left shoulder. That made getting the rifle out a snap! I was also surprised to find that I grabbed the loose end and held on with my left hand and it felt good to take some pressure off that arm?
I am 6ft 2 - 265lbs and I will say that a taller person may find this pack to short for comfort. It has a fair amount of adjustment range but I am at the top of it. It has a pretty comfy lower strap that has nice padding to ride on your lower back. There are several places to lash on more gear and ample cargo space for more than I want to carry for sure. I bought a water bladder for this and it works very well. My back is not good and I was able to carry the gun and water bottle pretty well for over a 1 mile walk so hoping as I get into shape I can up the load capacity more. I intend to use it as a day pack only so basic gear like rain gear and some odd dry clothing and food/drink is about it for me...
I think it is a good pack but may not be a great pack for hauling out a ton of gear or meat. If your not afraid of a big furry critter eating you then the rifle scabbard is very nice to free up your hands for walking sticks etc....

Hopefully someone will find this info of use.... I paid $199.00 for it and got free freight and a free water bladder...online retailer.