Durston Kakwa 40 Review

I think you are referring to the Y-shaped top strap.

If so, Y-shape straps are fairly common on UL packs these days. Mountain Laurel Designs, LiteAF, and Atom Packs all offer this type of design. The rational is that the provide more stability when attaching gear to the top of the pack. This could be a bear can, a tent, or a foam pad.

It sounds like your pack compresses vertically with side straps. ULA (and others) do this on many packs. It is an effective way to compress a pack too.

I prefer a top strap for vertical compression. I find it less cumbersome for opening and closing the pack.

Yeah roll top packs can either close by clipping the two ends together (like a dry bag) or by clipping the ends down to the sides of the pack (e.g. HMG, ULA). There are merits to each, but I prefer the former because it’s simpler and lighter. When you have the roll top clip the sides, then you need extra straps on the sides of the pack (more weight, can interfere with the side pockets, dangle if you don’t use them) and closing the pack requires doing up two buckles instead of one.

Putting a large canister in the main compartment vertically is a tough one because it is a big round object that wants to protrude into the back and it makes packing other items difficult. I recommend putting canisters like this on the top. That will work as long as the main compartment isn’t entirely full. We don’t have the top straps so long that you could put a canister on top of a very full pack, because that makes for a very tall pack that we think it getting unwieldily. If the pack is less full, then the top of it is flatter and the bear canister sits more securely.

The large size has the same circumference (it is the same except taller) so it will still not fit a canister like this horizontally, but we do have a 55L version coming out in a few months that of course is larger and will hold many canisters horizontally.

I have the DD40, Dan’s prior backpack released through MassDrop. I have ~50 days of use over 2 years with it. I received the Kakwa 40 last week, and haven’t taken it out backpacking, but I have filled it with gear and compared the two packs. The first big improvement noticed are the S-straps, which perfectly hug my torso. I’m 6’2″, 180 lbs, not too muscular, and have a large Kakwa, M/L of the DD40. The J-straps of the DD40 tilted so most weight would be on the inside along the length of the straps, with the outside half or third of the strap fully off my body. The new S-straps evenly apply weight across width of the strap and there is no point where it comes off my chest.

The other big improvement is the better layering at the seams at key weight-bearing areas. On the DD40, the orientation of the fabric layers at the bearcan strap lent itself to pulling apart and stretching of stitch holes. The seam was a symmetric sandwich style, what to my amateur understanding is called a flat-felled stitch. The Kakwa is stitched flat with the fabric that will bear the load, the bottom panel- what I understand to be a lapped seam. There is the same improvement at the connection of the yoke to the pack. This will hold up much better over time and manage heavier loads better.

How does this pack handle low loads? My current setup is more SUL, but for an upcoming thru-hike I‘m looking for a kit that can handle long food and water carries comfortably. Besides a moderate increase in weight and a hip belt, is there any major downside to using the Kakwa 40 compared to say a Palante V2 with a base weight of around 6 pounds when the food and water are gone? I haven‘t used a framed pack for a while.

It would be great to see a discussion on the relationship between pack length and shoulder strap length.  The bear spray looks to sit high on Ryan which makes me wonder what it’s like with the Titanium bottles.

It brings up another discussion. What are the pros/cons of  fixed pockets vs. pockets than can be changed for the use and adjusted per user.

I just returned from a 5 day trip using the Kakwa.  It was a Sierra trip, requiring a bear canister.  I packed a hammock kit which included a top quilt and a full length under quilt rated at 20 degrees with over-fill.  Those plus my down pants, Torrid jacket, and EE hoodlum filled about 2/3 of the main compartment.  My clothes in a packing cube, and my hammock and rainfly were the only other things in the main compartment.

My 12″ Bearikade was heavy starting out.  Close to 15 lbs. which included 2 1/2 liters luxury beverages.  After about 9 miles, I had the canister slip out from under the Y-strap.  I figured my main compartment was too squishy and had settled over time.  I placed my folded sit pad inside the main compartment to form a “lip” above the front pocket, with the intention of creating more friction and articulation to hold the canister  firmly in place.  That solved the problem for me, but I also cranked that y-strap down pretty tightly.

My starting weight was around 31 lbs.  And the pack carried the load more comfortably than any other pack that I have used; including external framed, name brand packs, internal framed packs, and DIY packs.  When the canister weight dropped a bit, there was way less tendency for the canister to slip out.  And the carrying experience was far better.

Inside the tall side pocket, I carried my canister stove.  The Sterno Inferno with Flat Cat Gear HX plate and Fire Maple stove performed great.  I really loved the functionality and small packing size of that stove system.  I used the top half of the pocket for snacks,  And in the side zippered compartment, I carried my map, wallet and keys.  I found that I preferred to pack my side pockets before the main compartment.  And would remove my quilts before removing the stove from the side pocket.  Just a little easier to remove  the stove without too much friction against the pack fabric.

I carry a large I Phone.  And although it does fit in the hip packet, it wasn’t real convenient to remove and replace it.  I was able to attach a third party water bottle pocket (ZimmerBuilt), which I already owned. The ladder locks were accessible to attach it.  And I was able to use the provided shoulder pocket with a Buff and a bandana, while the water bottle pocket rode on top.  It worked perfectly without any jostling around when the cinch cord was tightened.  And it was easily accessible for photos.

The overall volume was plenty adequate for a hammock system rated to 20 degrees with 5 days of food.  I know I could easily use it for an 8 day trip, with some changes to the menu.

I imagine only a minority of people will use this pack with a canister.  But since I do, I may replace the buckle of the Y-strap with something more robust that I read about here on the forums recently, so I can synch the Y-strap down really firmly.  But just wanted to mention the technique of using something like a Z-rest style sit pad inside the main compartment to help nestle a heavy bear canister, in cases where the main compartment contains partly compressed, fluffy insulation.  Because it seemed to make a difference for me.  I am very happy with the Kakwa.

I’ll be part of the minority using a bear cannister with this pack as I like to go to the sierras. Did you end up changing the buckle/y strap? If so what did you do?