I hiked up to emerald lake in the Trinity Alps, CA over 4 days. Great views and saw some really awesome wildlife. The Kakwa is my first real ‘Ultralight’ pack and it weighed in at ~20lbs fully packed with food and water. I felt like it carried great, and was super comfortable for the whole trip. I have a few gripes with the pack though: the front pocket could be longer, and stretchier IMO, the right water bottle pocket didn’t securely hold my nalgene, and the pack isn’t seam sealed at all. It seems like a bummer to have a pack made out of waterproof material and have no seam sealing at all. I used a pack liner and all my down gear stayed dry through the rain but water definitely came through the seams. I’m thinking of trying to seam seal the pack myself but I’m not sure how to go about it. Does anyone have tips on products and application?
Good idea on contacting the company. I hear Durston has good customer service. The frame is removable through a Velcro flap so I doubt it would be too hard to remove and replace, but I’m thinking of sealing from the outside now instead.