KS Ultralight Packs

[Gonzalo Rodriguez]

Hey folks… Long time lurker, first-time poster (outside of swap forum).

A few weeks back, I came upon KS Ultralight – a seemingly small cottage pack company from Japan. Their designs are very simple yet clean, and highly customizable as to both fabrics and accessories. I was surprised to find out that the only post in this site about KS was about one of their fanny packs.

Does anyone have any experience with KS or have anything to share?

http://www.ks-ultralightgear.com/p/ks-imo-pack.html

[Nick B]

Laurent is a great guy to do business with! I had him make me an Imo pack last year. I think it took 3 weeks from the time I placed my order to receiving the pack. Very well made, too.

I’ve been considering having him make a Tao pack for me as I find the Imo a bit short for my extra long torso.

I would definitely recommend KS packs. Pricing is very reasonable, too.

[Gonzalo Rodriguez]

Outstanding! Thanks for the feedback.
If you ever get that Tao and are looking to unload the Imo, send me a line!

[Nick B]

A few pics of the Imo.  Loaded up with way more stuff than I would normally carry.  I was doing side-by-side comparisons of some gear.

This one is the TX 07 fabric.  I also added the Joker Hat closure (mostly to get a bit more torso length), mesh pocket, hip belt with pockets, and sit pad attachment points.

I think that if I hadn’t added the hipbelt it would fit me better (I have a 23″ torso, stock Imo is 19″).  I can make it work playing with the Joker Hat/load lifters and loosening the shoulder straps but it’s a bit more fiddling than I would like.

[Nick B]

Hmmm…  Photos don’t seem to be showing up.

Any advice? I’m using Flickr.

[Chad B]

That joker hat design is interesting, I’ve never seen anything like that.  What’s your opinion on it Nick?

[Nick B]

If you like load lifters it is great.  Simplifies the traditional design quite a bit.

That being said, I am not a fan of load lifters.  I feel that a properly fitted torso does away with the need for lifters with all but the heaviest loads.

I had Laurent add the Joker Hat to my pack (he also offers standard roll top and drawstring closures) to basically add a few inches to the torso length of the pack.  Unfortunately, it is still a bit short for me.

If I end up ordering another pack from KS I think I would have Laurent change the buckle configuration a bit on the closure.  Right now, the female ends of the QR buckles are both on the bag portion and the male ends are on the shoulder straps.  If one shoulder strap had a male and the other a female with the corresponding switcheroo on the bag then you would have the option of Joker Hat closure or standard Roll Top.

[Nick B]

Finally figured out how to post those pics.  Here’s my overloaded Imo.

[todd]

MY KS30 is, overall, nicer than the MLD Burn, IMO.  And external sitpad access is nice for me.  I have a very tall torso and I get a great fit.

The main drawback to me is the side water bottle pockets are a bit narrow for my tastes, but they work well enough.

[Nick B]

Todd,

What makes the KS30 better than the Burn for you?

Just curious as I have a Burn that I think is the Bee’s Knees.

[Author]

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