Welcome to the "WHY DO WE?" video series.
Every stitch and square inch of our K4 Packs are designed on purpose and built for a purpose. The videos in this series will go behind the design to explain why we build our packs the way we do.
This video explains why we design our K4 bags with minimal internal organization and surround the main bag with external pockets. Our bag designs are optimized for lightweight backcountry hunting, with a focus on simplicity and efficiency.
Efficiency First (Well, almost first.)
From a high level, the performance of the frame is always THE priority for us. Bag design doesn’t matter if the fit, performance, or comfort of the frame is compromised in any way. So we invest most of our time, effort, energy, and innovation into the frame’s design, materials, and construction.
But when it comes to the design of our bags in particular, efficiency is our first focus. Our bag designs will help you hunt more effectively by avoiding complexity and enabling versatility for changing seasons, conditions, and gear loadouts.
Optimized for Lightweight Backpack Hunting
As backpack hunters, we optimize the design of our bags for that specific pursuit. Of course, our bags can be used in other ways, but our multi-day pack options are built specifically with backpack-style hunting in mind.
The main storage area of the pack is an open compartment, without internal pockets or dividers. This enables you to efficiently store and access items you do not need throughout the day, such as your shelter, sleep system, and extra days of food.
The main storage area has top access via the roll-top design, as well as zippered access directly into the main compartment. This zip access enables you to quickly store or retrieve items that you want in the main bag, but may need throughout the day — such as an insulation layer or backpacking stove.
Hunt-Specific Organization & Access
While the main storage area of the pack is a “blank slate”, the rest of our bags are wrapped in pockets that are intentionally designed to make you more efficient as you hunt throughout the day. This includes specific storage and quick access for hunt-specific items, such as a tripod and spotting scope, and also covers other essential items that you need throughout the day, including snacks, water filter, wet wipes, headlamp, etc.
For example, if you start the day with a chilly pre-dawn hike, but as the sun comes up and the temperature rises, you need to ditch your headlamp, gloves, and beanie. Without taking the pack off, you easily store those items in our angled lower side stretch pockets.
Another example is if you arrive at a glassing location, you can set the pack down, quickly get your glassing pad out of the front stretch pocket, quickly deploy your tripod from the side of the pack, and then easily retrieve your spotting scope from one of the full-length zippered side pockets.
Accessories Add More
The K4 Lid comes included with all of our multi-day bag models, so it isn’t an “accessory” per se, but it is a great way to leverage your ability to use organization with the Lid’s two zippered compartments.
For users who want to add more organization and security for small items, our K4 Stash Pockets are a great addition to our K4 bags. There are two connection points for Stash Pockets in the main bag, another connection point in each of the full-length side pockets, a 5th connection point in the K4 Lid, and a 6th connection point in the bag’s rear bladder sleeve.
K4 Hipbelt Pouches are also a great way to add to the pack’s quick-access storage.
How We Do It
If you want to see the nitty-gritty of the exact ways we load our pack for backpack hunts and how we use the various aspects of our bag designs, watch as Steve loads his pack on a recent backpack bear hunt in Idaho...
In addition to that video, we have a podcast and a written article about some pack-loading principles. And for an example of how to load and compress our bags for a day hunt, you can see Mark load a pack for a day hunt.