The Day I Became a Member of the Cult
Hey! Thought I might share some insights with you all, since this sub was very helpful (thank you) when I was choosing a backpack to fit my needs:
- The K40 is just an awesome pack with endless possibilities for customization and fun. I finally got the chance to put it to the test: a 20-ish km hike with two days’ worth of gear, food, and water.
I must say that, at first glance, the pack seemed really heavy. Even lifting the empty bag, the weight was noticeable, and the fully loaded pack honestly scared me a bit. However, once it was on my back, it was a completely different experience. The frame and the thick straps work incredibly well when it comes to carrying and distributing the weight.
- It’s worth mentioning that a factory-new Kantamus is incredibly stiff, and the padding and webbing require quite a bit of time to break in. That’s something you might want to know before taking a Savotta product on its first trip.
- This has already been said before, so I don’t really want to go too deep into how thoughtfully designed every feature of this bag is. The two 6L pouches, and especially the Askare, are perfect additions to the Kantamus 40. I felt like every piece of gear had its perfect place throughout the weekend. If only I’d had this pack earlier, it would have saved me from a lot of unpleasant surprises out in the woods.
- I went with the longer version of the pack straps, and as shown in the photo, it was probably unnecessary. I’d go with the short version instead, since I think it can handle pretty much anything you’d realistically want to do with it.
- Before making the purchase, I kept going back and forth between the K60 and the K40. My main concerns were capacity and back-length adjustment. Thanks to this sub, I went with the K40 plus some extra pouches. The K40 is a huge bag. I think that with a bit of planning, I could pack for a week with this setup, while 3–4 day trips are effortless. The K60 would probably have been overkill for most of my use cases, with extra weight and reduced mobility. I also want to mention that for my back (I’m about 193 cm tall), the standard shoulder-strap setup fits perfectly.
- Next time, I’m eager to make a few modifications. First and foremost, I want to improve the carrying handle, because right now the stiff webbing feels like a razor against my fingers when lifting the pack fully loaded. I’ll also need some pull tabs on the top of the shoulder straps (like the ones you see on Sherpa-style packs) to grab onto during steep climbs. I also think I’ll add a handle to my Askare. After that, it would be fun to make the side pockets convertible into a daypack (similar to Berghaus packs), or to make the lid convertible into a sling bag.
Hope this post will be useful to some of you as a set of first impressions. Keep on rockin’ in the free world!