When EXO Mountain gear says “a perfect do-it-all-hunting pack” referring to the k3 4800 pack, they are not fibbing… This past fall gave me experience in utilizing the pack at the maximum and minimum outputs in performance and every level in between! From a rough, wet, cold and rugged Colorado wilderness elk hunt, to summer scouting, and packing 2 public land whitetails out! This past fall in 2020 was a year to remember, and the k3 was there through thick and thin with me. Here is my honest, tried, and true Exo Mtn Gear K3 4800 Pack Review.
K3 4800 Frame Pack System
A perfect do-it-all frame pack offering the space you need while still able to compress down to fit every style and profile of backcountry elk, deer, or public land hunting.
Price: $649.99
• Quick-access load shelf
• Roll-Top Design
•Horshoe-shaped Zip Access
My First Elk Hunt and Why I Needed the K3 4800 Pack
I did a lot of research from the Eberlestock RMEF pack, to mystery ranch and more, becoming one of those “internet experts” I felt without even handling some of the packs. Honestly – coming from a marketing background myself, what taught me the most about a rough and rugged pack to fit my every need was watching the hunting public and born and raised run this specific pack through every possible scenario! Some of the most authentic guys I know simply wore this pack out on hunts and it seemed to never falter.
My hunting crew and I had plans to do it…a couple of hoosiers going out west for their first time to suffer at DIY Colorado elk hunting. I just needed a DIY elk hunting pack! Seeing as I had also just dropped $**** – more than I would like to mention price tag on first lite hunting clothing, I started also looking into getting a pack in first lite. The K3 4800 again stuck out. I also just recently in the beginning of 2020 lost a TON of private land access in the Midwest for whitetail hunting. While looking for a great elk hunting backpack, I was also looking to dramatically upgrade my public land whitetail hunting pack with the intent to go in light and come out heavy. I needed to find a great size/ weight comparison ratio in a pack that could really perform in multiple disciplines.
The other big factors that stood out right away was the weight, material, and overall TIGHTNESS of the entire pack. Exo Mtn Gear uses the word “streamlined” and I doubt you could find a hunter out that to look this bag over and not call it anything different than streamline! This frame pack can be compressed into a pancake in seconds for just the simple fact of meat hauling, scouting, shed hunting, or whatever you need when it comes to a lightweight hunting frame pack. The comfort was another huge factor, with a custom-fit lumbar design, plenty of padding, sweat relief for the back and more, it had what it needed to carry an elk out as comfortably as possible.
It seemed to me an easy decision to buy into the Exo Mtn Gear K3 frame pack system, but there was still one big question on my mind…should I get the K3 3200, 4800, or 6400 with an elk hunting and public land whitetail application?
Should I get the Exo Mtn Gear K3 3200, 4800, or 6400?
This actually was not my single purchase here, but a team, we ended up all buying one so there was much discussion around the too big or too small? Larger or smaller? Would it force me to be lighter weight or limit my days out in the wilderness? Would I regret the smaller choice???
This is a big factor when deciding between the Exo 4800 versus the k3 3200 or k3 6400.
I ultimately chose the 4800, even considering we were going to be extended day hunting – 3-5 days at a time AT LEAST, and in the wilderness, which means we needed to have bear proof food storage.
As a team we dropped thousands in ultralight hunting equipment even before the packs, shaving ounces according to the well-known Brady from Go Hunt’s videos on packing for backcountry elk hunts. I couldn’t settle for anything less ha! I was lucky to get an approved Ursack bear storage sack when it came to bear safe food storage, my partners didn’t fair so lucky and ended up needing to get the big round containers…we all had 4800’s and it still held all necessary supplies + that god awful big round container!
So does the 4800 have plenty of room for a backcountry elk hunting trip – absolutely! Although a late season hunt would no doubt stress it’s limits. I had another friend go with the 6400, for a early season elk hunt in Wyoming. He killed a giant bull, and had zero regrets about going with the larger pack. Again, these packs compress to nothing, allowing multiple use. I would say if you were to likely find yourself in a hot tent or lots of mid-late season type hunting scenarios the larger pack may be warranted.
The K3 4800’s Performance when Elk Hunting and More…
We experienced all the beauty of a Colorado elk hunting season in a few short days, in what ended up being a glorified backpacking trip while wearing camo…we just simply did not find the elk. We put on up to 17 mile days, trekked into 11k feet, got tangled in the nastiest of blowdowns, got covered in 8 inches of snow, and that was just the first half of the trip. It was a very rewarding and shockingly realistic slap in the face of a hunt for a couple of Midwesterners!
But through it all, our research from YouTube and specifically Go Hunt had dialed in our gear with zero…and I mean zero complaints! That’s what held everything together in fact when the suffering really kicked in… The pack allowed for flawless performance as a elk hunting day pack as it compressed to a very slender profile. The roll bag allowed it to handle long multiday trip on the first half of the trip, with smaller gear loadouts for quick hunts. I absolutely love the top pocket cinched down to compress the pack, this design works perfectly when the K3 4800 pack is maxed out.
Unexpected Winner in the Whitetail Woods
When I got back from elk hunting my mindset had changed for the better…going in “DEEP” on public for whitetails…meaning 1.5 miles or 2 miles was not a unreachable feat anymore. Last fall I was able to make all the right move and in late October I killed a high 140s, maybe 150s 4 year old about 1.2 miles back. I used the Exo Mtn Gear k3 4800 to pack film gear in, and film gear + some meat out, then the full meat packing. While it wasn’t an elk, I was able to load the pack up heavy with a whitetail and push some real terrain straining under a load. Again…flawless performance. While the pack may not be setup “organizationally” or lack support for film equipment like some other packs more specifically designed for whitetails might, it did perform well as a public land whitetail pack. The main benefit is the large space and roll top design, and that very nice horseshoe zipper giving you complete access to the gear inside, but again, it just sits loose and open for smaller gear for the whitetail woods.
I had some late season success in Kentucky public in muzzleloader season as well, really rounding this pack’s use out in 2020 and giving me plenty of experience with it. All in all this pack got a 10/10 for me this past season on the mountain and back home in the Midwest. This has got to be one of the nicest and most well designed backcountry elk hunting packs, and it’s not too shabby for a meat hauling public land whitetail pack either!
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AUTHOR BIO
Weston Schrank is a hunting industry professional with years of whitetail management and hunting experience in the Midwest. He is currently expanding that experience in the mobile hunting world, and the world of western hunting.
Instagram- @wes.schrank
