Tagging in as I am looking for the same (a great quality versatile hunting pack to have forever). After a lot of searching and reading reviews, I decided to go Kifaru. I have had some issues in getting in contact with them to discuss my questions/needs/etc. If I am going high-end I want to make sure I get the best set-up for my intended use.
I am going to take one more run at them, and I'll let you know if I have a better result. It irks me when I want to buy and can't get someone to sell me on it . . .
I'll update my original post. After my initial issues getting in touch with them, I was able to track down a super-helpful guy here. It appears there was some confusion on their end - they thought I had been followed up with. They owned it and proceeded to give me the kind of technical support and recommendations I would expect from a premium product manufacturer.
Long story short I ordered a Nomad on a Duplex with a number of added pouches, a grab--it, gun bearer, lid, etc. It showed up Friday (about one month). My initial impressions are VERY positive.
It is very well made.
It is versatile/modular. You can set it up a ton of different ways.
It is well suited for packing up my LR gear (big spotter, tripod, heavy rifle, etc).
I haven't taken it up a mountain yet, but I loaded it a few ways and did some trekking around here. Packed up for a heavy day hunt (plus emergency gear) it is comfortable and well balanced. Having a GPS pouch and small belt pouch on the front works great for RF, GPS, Kestrel, etc. My total pack was about 40 lbs including water.
From there, I opened the wings (removed the rifle and water) and added an 80lb bag of quickrete. I secured it with the Grab-it and then compression-strapped it between the wings. Total pack weight now was it the 110lb range. To say packing it around was enjoyable would be a stretch, but I was impressed at how manageable it was. The load-lifters work very well on keeping unbearable weight off your shoulders. If you get a little off-balance, you quickly remember how much weight you are carrying!
Overall, I am very happy with the pack. I can't wait to get some hunting time in this fall and see if my initial impressions hold up.
Brandon