Review: Exo K4 5000 Hunting Pack

A do-it-all hunting pack that sets a high bar.

For those who like to get off the beaten path, a comfortable, functional hunting pack is essential. Over the years, I’ve tried a lot of different varieties and ended up with all kinds of shoulder rashes, hip bruises, and neck pains. This spring, though, I tested out a pack that may be the last one I ever need: the K4 5000 from Exo Mountain Gear. Built start-to-finish in Boise, ID, this pack is designed by serious outdoorsmen who thought through every aspect of it with a hunter-first mentality.

Sizing & Comfort
With most other packs, I’m constantly adjusting the load-lifter and hip-belt straps throughout the day. Not so with the K4. It took a few training hikes with a sandbag to dial the fit in, but once correct, it felt like an extension of my body. That’s thanks to Exo’s frame design. Two beefy carbon stays offer vertically rigidity, while smaller horizontal cross-members provide lateral flexibility, allowing the pack moves with the body when monkeying through deadfall or shimmying around cliff bands. Even when loaded with unwieldly cargo, like elk antlers, the weight is balanced and centered. Best of all, though, I appreciate how narrow the frame is. It doesn’t protrude out the sides of my back, which allows for a full range of flexibility and motion.

Sidenote on sizing: There are several videos on Exo’s website to walk you through the fitting process. Heed the sizing charts closely. At 6’ 2” the 26.5” frame was an obvious choice, but I was on the cusp between a small and medium waistbelt (34”, measured at the hip bone). I went with the small, but after one training hike it didn’t feel quite right. Exo quickly mailed me the larger size with a return label to send the smaller one back. The new belt was easy to swap out with the frame.

Pockets and Straps
Exo’s bags are interchangeable on the K4 frame, so you can swap out the bag size depending on the trip you have planned. I tested out the 5,000 cubic-inch version (the middle-of-the-road bag), which is technically 93L including the pack’s lid. It fit six days of food, plus a spotting scope and tripod, standard backpacking gear, and a few extra warm layers with no issues. On another trip, I fit a similar amount of gear and strapped a packraft, paddle, and PFD to the outside.

Once camp is set up, the bag compresses down for day-tripping thanks to six heavy-duty straps—two on each side and two on the front. A U-shaped zipper allows for access into the main body of the bag, and two full-length zippered side pockets provide even more storage.

The lid has plenty of room for essentials like a first-aid kit, water filter, parachute chord, and a headlamp. It’s adjustable on all four corners, so you can cinch it down or remove it entirely to bring into the tent at night or head down to a creek for water.

Room for improvement: Accessing the U-zip into the main body of the bag requires unbuckling the front two straps and removing whatever they were holding down—usually some combination of a rifle, a tripod & spotting scope, a foam sitting pad, and antlers. In a future version of the pack, I would like to see one of the side zippers provide access directly into the main bag to alleviate this issue.

Load Hauling
Though hunters use and abuse their packs more than most normal backpackers, the meat-hauling capabilities are what set a hunting pack apart. On the K4, the bag breaks away from the frame, so meat can be sandwiched between the two. The conversion takes only a few seconds. An additional set of three straps on the frame are designed to keep meat secure. Once the meat is loaded, simply buckle the bag around the meat, clip on the lid, and voila—you’re in pack-out mode.

Durability
Brush-busting with the K4 was never an issue. After a week of plowing through ungodly thick thorns and willows in search of elk sheds, the 500-denier Cordura fabric showed no signs of wear and tear, and the material brushed off mud, dirt, and rain. While I’d probably look into a pack cover for a trip to Alaska or the high Cascades, the fabric offers enough water resistance for most hunting trips, spring or fall.

Equally as important, the stitching on all the straps seems bullet-proof. I’ve reefed on them with a packload of antlers, and they are going to last a long, long time. The YKK zippers are also high quality, designed to take a beating.

Should something break, however, Exo has a rock-solid warranty. Mail in the broken component, and they’ll fix it at their shop in Boise. That’s the nice part about buying from a company local to the Rocky Mountain West. If something were to malfunction in the peak of archery or rifle season, I have no doubt that Exo would do everything possible to get the pack back on the mountain as fast as possible.

Accessories
With Molle-compatible panels on both hip belts and shoulder straps, swapping out accessories is easy. I used a K4 Hipbelt Pouch ($28), which I found to be ideal for keeping my phone, electrolyte tablets, and snacks easily accessible. Additionally, the K4 Stash Pocket ($18) made for a great dop-kit. It can be connected with a buckle onto the interior or exterior of the pack in multiple places, but I just stashed it in the lid.

Finally, I was intrigued by the K4 Insulated Nalgene Holder ($39). While the pack has built-in water-bottle pockets on each side, I liked the idea of keeping a bottle more easily accessible and thawed out when the temps drop come fall. However, with all the Gorilla tape wrapped on my Nalgene, it didn’t fit in the holder. Still, I use the holder on training hikes with a smaller water bottle, when I’m running the frame without the bag attached.

Final Thoughts
At $700 for the frame and 5,000 cubic-inch bag, the K4 is not cheap. However, for people who bank their time off for hunting trips, spend hours poring over maps, and focus on all the little details, the importance of a good pack is a no-brainer. The folks at Exo understand that, and they’ve put all their experience into what is certainly one of the best hunting packs on the market.

Pack and accessories are available at exomountaingear.com.