Kuiu ICON 6 6000 vs Stone Glacier Col 4800
Quick take: The Kuiu ICON 6 6000 carries more (98 vs 79 liters); the Stone Glacier Col 4800 is lighter (4.44 vs 6.15 lbs).
Which one to buy
How long are your hunts? Both packs cost $699 complete, so trip length decides it. Stone Glacier rates the Col to 150+ lb; Kuiu publishes no load rating for the ICON 6. The Stone Glacier Col 4800 is a 79 L bag aimed at three-to-five-day archery hunts and cold late-season days. Owners of Stone Glacier's smaller and larger bags call its size the sweet spot. The Kuiu ICON 6 6000 holds 98 L for week-long self-supported trips and weighs about 1.7 lb more.
The Col is the more refined pack for its size. It weighs 4 lb 7 oz on the Krux frame, and Stone Glacier's height-and-angle-adjustable harness plus a Krux Short frame option cover more torsos than a two-height frame. Owners who moved up from the Solo praise the dual front pockets and side stuff pocket. Its limits come from the bag: no lid option for overflow, limited top compression when you lash on antlers, and an internal spotter pocket you reach through a 3/4 zip. Hipbelt pockets and a hydration sleeve cost extra, so a fully built Col costs more than $699.
The ICON includes those pieces in the price, along with a rifle quick release, two hip belts and a load sling. Its trade-off is a frame launched in 2025 with little field record, against Stone Glacier platforms with years of owner use. Kuiu frames are also known among owners for running short: hunters near 5 ft 9 in end up with weight on their shoulders unless they choose the Tall frame. Some experienced owners rate Kuiu's frames below Stone Glacier's for comfort with heavy quarters, and the ICON hasn't been out long enough to show otherwise. For hunts of five days or fewer, the Col is the better pack. The ICON earns its extra weight only on trips long enough to need the extra 19 L.
Kuiu ICON 6 6000
Best if your hunts run a week or longer and you'd rather get the hipbelt pockets, hydration sleeve and rifle carry in the box than buy them separately.
Stone Glacier Col 4800
For three-to-five-day Western hunts where a lighter, proven frame and fine-tuned harness fit matter more than having every accessory included.
| Spec | Kuiu ICON 6 6000 | Stone Glacier Col 4800 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $699 | $699 |
| Rating | — | — |
| Type | Hunting Pack | Hunting Pack |
| Frame Type | External Frame | External Frame |
| Capacity | 98 L | 79 L |
| Weight | 6.15 lbs | 4 lb 7 oz (Krux) / 4 lb 11 oz (Xcurve), complete with medium belt |
| Max Load | Not published by the manufacturer | 150+ lbs |
| Torso Fit | 3 suspension sizes (S/M, L/XL, XXL/3XL); Regular frame fits 5'2"-5'9", Tall fits 5'10"-6'6" | Hook-and-loop harness with continuous height and angle adjustment; S/M/L belts (28"-37"+); Krux Short frame option for shorter torsos |
| Material | 330D double ripstop CORDURA nylon with waterproof-coated CORDURA main compartment | 500D Cordura + X-Pac laminate, YKK #10 zippers, 1" Duraflex military-spec hardware, made in USA |
| Back Panel | Patent-pending 3D corrugated thermoplastic carbon fiber frame (made in USA) with Flex-Forward geometry, breathable spacer air mesh and dual-density foam shoulder straps | Foam-padded carbon-stay frame panel (Krux or Xcurve frame) with nitrogen-infused foam harness |
| Adjustable torso | Yes | Yes |
| Ventilated back | Yes | No |
| Raincover included | No | No |
| Hipbelt pockets | Yes | No |
| Removable lid | Yes | No |
| Hydration sleeve | Yes | No |
| Fits BV500 bear can | Yes | Yes |
| Warranty | Kuiu warranty: defects in materials and workmanship for the practical lifespan of the product; original purchaser with proof of purchase, one repair or replacement per purchase | Lifetime warranty against defects in materials and workmanship |
Pros & cons
Kuiu ICON 6 6000
- ✓At 6 lb 2.4 oz for the complete 98 L kit, it undercuts comparable Kifaru and Mystery Ranch expedition haulers by a pound or more while keeping a genuine load-hauling frame.
- ✓The 3D corrugated thermoplastic carbon frame is engineered to yield rather than shatter — a direct answer to the cracked carbon frames owners reported on the old Pro system.
- ✓Load-sling mode opens roughly 5,000 cubic inches between bag and frame for quarters, and the Pack Load Hauler doubles as a glassing pad for direct on-frame meat hauls.
- ✓$699 buys the entire kit — frame, bag, two hip belts, load sling, rifle quick release and gear strap — while owners note comparable Exo K4 and Stone Glacier builds push north of $800.
- ✓The horseshoe zipper across the back panel lets a rifle or a whole elk quarter slide down against the frame without unloading the bag, a feature early reviewers single out.
- ✓An internal waterproof-coated drop pocket carries up to 45 lbs of boned-out meat high and tight against the frame, keeping the weight where the suspension can handle it.
- ✓Hook & Barrel's tester found the suspension 'began to distinguish itself around the 80-pound mark' with zero frame creak or squeak — a common gripe on older Kuiu carbon frames.
- ✓Nearly five inches of half-inch-increment shoulder adjustment plus Regular and Tall frame heights covers hunters from 5'2" to 6'6", with a dedicated women's version.
- ✗Zero backward compatibility — Kuiu states the ICON 6 'shares zero key components' with the Pro/Pro LT systems, so existing Kuiu bag owners must rebuy everything.
- ✗Some experienced owners still say Kuiu frames aren't at Stone Glacier or Kifaru level for comfort under loose meat and heavy quarters.
- ✗It's a brand-new 2025 system with essentially no multi-season durability record, versus the proven Exo K4 and Stone Glacier Xcurve platforms it competes with.
- ✗Kuiu's 'Regular' frame sizing historically runs short — several owners warn hunters around 5'9" and up end up with weight stuck on their shoulders unless they size up to Tall.
- ✗Only 7 verified reviews existed on Kuiu's site as of mid-2026, so crowd-sourced validation is thin compared to packs with hundreds of reviews.
- ✗No rain cover is included; the uncoated weight-saving panels and unsealed seams mean a soaked pack in sustained downpours without a liner.
- ✗At $699 the kit costs $100 more than the outgoing Pro 6000, and it's over twice the weight of ultralight crossover haulers like Seek Outside's Divide if you don't need the full 98 L.
Stone Glacier Col 4800
- ✓Fills the gap owners begged for between the Solo 3600 and Sky 5900 — owners of both call roughly 5,000 ci the sweet spot for everything from day hunts to 5-day backcountry trips, and several say they'd have skipped the 5900 had the Col existed.
- ✓Solves the Solo's single biggest complaint: dual front pockets plus an external side stuff pocket give real organization, and Solo upgraders specifically praise having a dedicated spot for a bugle tube or Nalgene instead of one overstuffed pocket.
- ✓Internal spotting-scope pocket plus tri-slide attachment points for Swing-Out and Camp Pockets let you build out the interior — a modularity approach closer to Kifaru's without the weight penalty.
- ✓Complete system is only 4 lb 7 oz on the Krux frame yet keeps the full 150+ lb load rating and 2,500+ ci expandable load shelf shared with Stone Glacier's biggest expedition bags.
- ✓Thoughtful weight distribution for carrying a rifle or bow alongside a tripod and spotter — the layout was designed around glassing-heavy Western hunts rather than adapted from a backpacking bag.
- ✓500D Cordura and X-Pac construction with YKK #10 zippers and Duraflex hardware, sewn in Bozeman, MT with a lifetime defect warranty — the same materials story that wins Stone Glacier cross-shopping against Mystery Ranch and Kuiu.
- ✓4.9/5 across owner reviews on stoneglacier.com, and field reports from elk-hunting owners rate it more practical than the 3600 for multi-day use.
- ✓Same $699 price whether you choose the lighter Krux frame or the load-focused Xcurve, so you can match the frame to your typical pack weights instead of paying for an upgrade.
- ✗Not compatible with the Sky Series Lid at all — unlike the Sky 5900/6900 there is no lid option, which caps flexible overflow storage on longer trips.
- ✗One owner's detailed review returned the pack over limited top-end compression and awkward antler/rack attachment — lashing a rack to the top costs you even more compression, a task the Sky bags handle better.
- ✗The spotting-scope pocket is internal-only with no external zipper access, so unlike the Sky Archer 6400 you have to open the 3/4 main zip to grab your spotter.
- ✗Still no stretch side pockets for a Nalgene or trekking poles — a common Stone Glacier gripe among owners applies here despite the added stuff pocket.
- ✗Hipbelt pockets, hydration sleeve, and interior organizer pockets are all sold separately, so a fully built-out Col runs well past the $699 sticker.
- ✗3/4 zip access falls short of the Sky 5900's full front-panel zip for digging out gear at the bottom of a loaded bag.
- ✗Released in 2023, so it has a fraction of the long-term track record (and only 19 site reviews) compared to the hundreds behind the Sky Talus 6900 and Sky 5900.
- ✗At $699 complete it costs meaningfully more than a Mystery Ranch Metcalf or Exo K4 4800 system on sale, and the frame-plus-bag price advantage only materializes if you later swap bags on the same frame.
Kuiu ICON 6 6000 vs Stone Glacier Col 4800: common questions
Is the Col 4800 big enough for a week-long elk hunt, or do I need the ICON 6 6000?▾
Stone Glacier designed the Col for three-to-five-day trips, and it has no lid option for overflow. For a full week with camp and food, the ICON's 98 L is the safer size. For shorter trips, the Col's 79 L plus its 2,500+ ci load shelf is plenty.
Which comes with more for $699, the ICON 6 or the Col 4800?▾
The ICON 6. Its kit includes two hip belts, a load sling, a rifle quick release, hipbelt pockets and a hydration sleeve. On the Col, hipbelt pockets, the hydration sleeve and interior organizer pockets are sold separately.
Which frame fits a hunter near 5 ft 9 in better?▾
Kuiu lists 5 ft 9 in as the top of its Regular frame, but owners warn it runs short and recommend the Tall. Stone Glacier's harness adjusts continuously for height and angle, and there's a Krux Short frame for shorter torsos, so it's easier to dial in without guessing between two sizes.