Katabatic Gear Knik 40

[foodbag]

Has anyone had any experience with Katabatic Gear's Knik V40 or any of the other Knik 40 ultralight packs. I'm thinking of getting one.

[SWODaddy]

I have one and like it a lot. Very comfortable, well made. It may not be as light as cuben fiber, but its much more durable. To make it absolutely waterproof, I turned it inside out and coated the seams in seamgrip. It's so waterproof I can carry water in it now. I've heard one review which complained about the hip belt placement - honestly, I don't use a hip belt on frameless packs.

Unlike a lot of other "cottage vendor" backpacks, it's actually made in the USA and not outsourced to a Chinese sweatshop (confirmed this before ordering).

[trailmercury]

Unlike a lot of other "cottage vendor" backpacks, it's actually made in the USA and not outsourced to a Chinese sweatshop (confirmed this before ordering).

You confirmed that a lot of "cottage vendors" use Chinese sweatshops? Could you be more specific? I'd like to know which ones quickly without doing extensive reasearch. Could you post a list?
Thanks!
PS that pack looks really nice

[foodbag]

I just placed my order for one - 5 week lead time. I'll post a review once I have it in hand and have a chance to try it out.

[foodbag]

The much anticipated day arrived yesterday - the Katabatic Gear Knik V40 was delivered. I spent several hours experimenting with it, with a late-fall base weight of about 7.5 pounds, give or take a few ounces. With the testing behind me I have decided to return the pack. I will give my reasons below so that anyone who is considering this pack can have some additional information for decision-making.

I'll start with the pros:

1. Made in the U.S. as was mentioned by SWODaddy. I feel that this is important nowadays. I will spend extra for gear made by cottage industries, and I will patronize smaller retailers, as opposed to the behemoth Amazon, which I am coming to dislike more and more as the traditional retail world is disrupted around them and as people lose their livelihoods.

2. Utmost quality. This pack is probably the most well-constructed piece of outdoor equipment that I have ever seen. It is a shame to have to return it.

3. Magnetic roll-top closure. No snagging of delicate fabrics with the absence of velcro.

4. Gigantic rear mesh pocket. Self-explanatory and made of mesh that won't tear easily. It isn't stretchy because the mesh is so durable but I'd take durability over stretchy.

5. Responsive customer service. They stay on top of things.

Cons:

1. It doesn't take the load as I would have hoped and hangs awkwardly on my back. In plain English, I decided that not having a padded hip belt and some sort of internal frame is not for me. I had hoped otherwise because I was looking forward to losing about 20 oz. over my Crown 2 60L. I knew going into this that it was going to be completely different without a traditional suspension but I've decided that I'm not willing to give up the comfort in order to save the weight. This was a very difficult decision to make.

2. Side pockets not quite there. I had read a review that told how the side pockets were not optimal for the tall Smart Water bottles. Katabatic Gear attempted to remedy this by installing a small cinch cord, which does work well in helping to keep the bottles stabilized; however, you can't reach around to return them to their pockets while you're moving because the cinch constricts the opening. I also found the reach-around difficult for this old guy LOL. (I will say that the pockets appear to be ideal for Platypus water containers, as they are wider and flatter).

So, there you have it from my viewpoint. I have nothing but good things to say about the company. This pack just wasn't ideal for me, so back to the drawing board (or maybe I'll just keep on trucking with the Crown 2)....

[OwenM]

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.

2. Utmost quality. This pack is probably the most well-constructed piece of outdoor equipment that I have ever seen. It is a shame to have to return it.

That's how I think of my Katabatic Palisade. I'm about the furthest thing there is from a fanboy, but owning a quilt from another brand, and having had the opportunity to compare a few other makers' offerings in person over the past several years, it's hard for me to even consider buying a quilt from anyone else.
I'm also eyeing their Bristlecone Bivy.
But their packs don't do anything for me, particularly the frameless ones.
'Course I can't find a single current model pack I DO like, regardless of manufacturer, so that's probably not saying much!

[Dogwood]

Foodbag, were the side pocket top? cinch cords a custom option or are they now stock?

No matter what frameless pack one goes with there is a learning curve in achieving an appropriate comfortable functional virtual frame. It can take time getting used to the different "feel" of frameless packs. FWIW, I initially struggled much with getting it right in the GL Jam 2. I came close to abandoning frameless packs altogether. By the time I replaced the GL J2 with the ULA CDT frameless pack I had gained more experience and familiarity with frameless packs. What made it additionally easier is the CDT virtual frame with an inflatable pad as then Brian Frankle suggested doing it was more intuitive with less for me to think about.

I'm currently giving a good hard look at the Katabatic Knik LiteSkin 40L. TU for your input.

[cmoulder]

Indeed, frameless is a whole 'nuther beast... packing for comfort is an art.

I have a pack that is similar to the Knik, which is a custom zpacks zero that I got second-hand some years ago, but which is nearly identical to the current Nero except for the Nero's adjustable-height waist belt webbing — whose adjustability I don't need — and the Nero's top closure system — which I very much dislike anyway.

After experimenting with different ways to load it — the "taco", the "air mat beam" and the "pile driver" (just cram it, baby) and maybe some other concepts — what works for me is a 3-zone system. Quilt (or quilts, if hammocking) and air mat (if groundling) go in the bottom (zone 1), and in this rare instance I actually put the quilts in a roll-top stuff sack to prevent the pack from "sausaging" into a round lump. Next zone up (zone 2) is tent or hammock/tarp, and finally food, cook kit, spare clothing, FAK/toiletry/repair kit and a few other items. This results in the back of the pack remaining fairly flat and with some "hinges" that let it bend a bit and contour to the back.

And, for me, the weight limit (TPW) is about 18 lbs, maybe 20 lbs tops as long as the couple extra pounds are food and not base. And maybe a bit more if the weight is a short water carry at day's end. Anything above that and I'm using the Arc Blast.

Photo demonstrating "hinges"... this actually works.

Zero_with_hinges.jpg

[Two Tents]

Thanks for the review. I'd been watching and waiting to hear your thoughts. A possible work around is a hydration tube system from Source Hydration. Its basically a tube, stem, cap and valve that allows standard use on many water bottles including the tall Smart water bottles.

[foodbag]

Dogwood, the finches are standard and were added to the design to help with keeping bottles in place.

[foodbag]

That's cinches not finches! Stupid autocorrect at work....

[Dogwood]

Out feeding the birds today, hey? Eyeballing those Angry Birds briefs as a Christmas gift?

THX Feedbag. Yeah, Kris said the same. He got right back to me.

TU for the show and tell Moulder.

[Sara]

I hiked most of the Pacific Crest Trail with the Knik last year.

Smart water bottles constantly slipped out of the pockets so I switched to more stout Powerade bottles. I folded my Neoair Xlite Torso pad against my back to keep things flat. The hipbelt only stablized the backpack from swinging, so don't rely on it to transfer any load off the shoulders.

I only ran into trouble in the Sierra with the long section from John Muir Trail Ranch to Lone Pine. I weighted my pack on the scale and it was 20 lbs including food, water, and the bear canister. Very uncomfortable for the first few days!

Very nice pack - just don't put heavy loads in it!