First Frameless Pack

Also, my requirements are bottle pockets, hipbelt, and front mesh pocket.

I freakin’ love my Kumo.

Dumb question, if you don’t get the hipbelt with pockets add on option, does the Kumo automatically come with a basic webbing hipbelt or is it none?

Hoosier,

I love my Kumo as well, I have the older version though.

My pockets came separately and the pack came with a removable webbing belt.  It was a great first frameless pack for me, and I also came from a gorilla.

Went from a Gorilla, to a Kumo(still have it/ still love it) and recently got a Murmur. The Kumo has transitioned itself to be my wife’s pack, we both like it, we both think it is comfortable.

Hoosier, I have the late 2015 version. It came with the webbing belt by default. I assume it still does but you might want to check. They answer their email quickly.

Reasons I like the Kumo:

• wide shoulder straps
• comfortable without hip belt up to 16-18 pounds for me
• excellent shape for packing my stuff (better than my Burn)
• excellent closure (I’m tired of the Drybag closure on my Circuit and Burn
• i can easily access Smartwater bottles in the side pockets
• best stretchy front pocket I’ve used
• side compression cords are useful for a sit pad or water shoes

fwiw, I did not like it with the pad installed. Without the pad it melts perfectly into my back.

One complaint: I wish the shoulder straps were slightly closer or had an S-shape. They are slightly too wide for me. I’ve got a very ribcage and my shoulders are not superwide. I have to use the sternum strap to keep the shoulder straps on me.

I’ve thought about sending my Burn and my Kumo to Zimmer and asking him to make me a Kumo-clone with Burn straps…

Well this just got tougher. Chris said he has a black quickstep mostly pre made and could add a thin padded hipbelt ( I like something minimal) and throw on some lightly padded shoulder straps similar to the burn and it should come out to just under 15 oz. Anyone that can comment on the carry of the quickstep? Thinking this might be my perfect pack and since it would be the same capacity as my Gorilla, I would just sell the gorilla and end up with a single pack quiver. My weight will likely never go over 20lbs fully packed. If I went with the Kumo, I would probably have to keep the Gorilla for winter trips. Damn this is tough.

I feel I would be doing myself and the cottage guys an injustice if I don’t at least try out a customized cuben pack. So…I am pulling the trigger on the Zimmer pack. Base black Quickstep and adding:  foam padded shoulder straps, 3d mesh hipbelt, shockcord pad keeper, sternum strap. Should be 15 oz said and done. Gotta say I’m crazy pumped. If I don’t like it hopefully it will sell well on here. :) Thanks for all the help.

i looked at getting a Quickstep before I got my Murmur. Would still like to try one and all the add-on’s you got are what I would have gotten so, if you do find yourself selling it….hint hint :)

Haha, well there’s plan B!

Wait, dude you’re in Indy?! I’m in Carmel. I am considering a Murmur to replace my wife’s Gorilla. Maybe a meet up to check out each other’s packs will be in order.

And now I realize that your profile pic is the exact spot I camped at on my last trip to Deam. Nice…never seam to find anyone from my area on here.

Hoosier please post a review and lots of pics of the new pack!

Okay, can someone please give me a sanity check. Chris is currently working on my pack but I keep looking at pictures of the Quickstep and I’m starting to get worried about volume. The goal of this pack is to be a lighter weight, cuben replacement for my GG Gorilla, which has the perfect volume for me for trips down into the 30’s. Pictures make the Quickstep look smaller than the Gorilla but they both have the exact same stated capacity. Anyone handled both of these and can confirm they’re similar in volume?

someone please give me a sanity check.

Looks like the stated dimensions are roughly the same. Think the main difference will be how the rolltop and/or extension collars work with big loads.

Can always stuff the quilt a little more on all these small packs..

I guess that’s always an option on the quilt. With my Gorilla, I’m easily able to fit a three season load with the quilt unstuffed just put in the bottom of the pack so I’m hoping I’ve made the right call on size and the quickstep will roughly afford me the same. FWIW, I never and up using any of the extension collar on the Gorilla so a true 28l internal is plenty, which is what the Quickstep is rated at. Just being paranoid I guess due to it’s appearance in photos.

K folks, I need some quick input so I can instruct Chris one way or the other. For the main seams of the pack, he uses grosgrain on the inside so he can sew through the cuben layers and a grosgrain layer for strength. I do want this pack fairly water resistant so should I have him do it this way and I just use some seam grip on the inside, or should I have him skip the grosgrain and I use some 1″ cuben tape when I get the pack so the seams are taped, like a Zpacks Zero?

NVM, made the call to have him leave it off and I’m going to tape the seams with the 1.0 black cuben tape from Zpacks. I think taping the seams will offer more strength than the grosgrain would anyways.