Real World Reviews
Let me start by saying the Exo K4 is my all time favorite pack. Exo customer service has been exceptional, and any issue ive ever had has been taken care of quickly and efficiently.
As others have said, these are a necessity to manage the length of the straps on the K4. That said, I think there are several things on these strap keepers that could use a little re working. I use my K4 pack year round between shed hunting, backpacking and guiding big game hunts. Therefore the load size on my pack is constantly changing, and im constantly adjusting the length of the straps, and strap keepers. After about 6mos of adjustments, the velcro no longer sticks to itself on about half of the strap keepers. A potentially longer or "shaggier" velcro would likely resolve this. I also feel that 4" instead of 3.5" may work better because in some applications, when my pack straps are all snugly rolled up, the keepers are barely long enough to catch themselves.
Pictures show me pinching the velcro together, and the strap separating once I remove pressure.
These are extremely useful and clean up the pack nicely. If you plan on compressing your pack for day hikes often, these are a must. I wish these were included with original purchase. Worst case scenario you don’t use them but I truly believe most guys would love these.
Another awesome product from an awesome American company!
These are simple and a must have to keep the straps from flapping around on your pack. I wish they came stock with every pack purchase but since they don't just spend the extra $ to get with the initial order of your pack!!
I agree with other reviews, these are a must due to the extremely long straps on this pack system. These should most definitely come standard on the packs. I believe if they were supplied most people would use them. Additionally, one package is NOT enough to secure all the straps, I was two or four short. I will have to buy another pack of these at a later time. Four stars due to the fact Exo should be providing these with purchase. Five stars for the actual piece of accessory. Without these, you look like a hot mess with straps getting in the way of everything.
Thanks for the review and feedback, Aaron! We used to ship more strap keepers with packs but the majority of the users didn't use/want them, as they feel like having strap keepers on all of the packs gets in the way of making adjustments on the webbing tension/compression. What we have found over the years is that there are definitely two different types of customers when it comes to the preference on strap keepers, and most don't use them, which is why we don't include them by default on all locations.