Backpack
 

I have been using a 1000cu backpack for day hunts. The idea would be to be to have a small load to hike around and spot and stalk.

Issue is hauling the meat back, I have to make it back to the truck to get the frame and then make the trips back and fourth.

What kind of packs are you all using? What works best for you?

I have the eberlestock just one pack. Has enough pouches to carry the essentials and then the main compartment opens up to haul out quarters. Not the lightest pack but not the heaviest either. Has a nice pouch you can put a rifle in to free up hands if need be as well.


https://eberlestock.com/collections/...ducts/just-one

absolutely spend the money and get a kifaru or a stone glacier. The initial cost hurts but they are the best there are and will haul meat like nothing else. Eberlestock are ok but theyre heavy and don't handle the heavy load very well. A plus with kifaru and stone glacier is that once you buy the frame, you can then buy different bags to go on that frame. Meaning you can buy a smaller day hunting bag for day hunts and then get a larger one for multi day hunts and they all use the same frame.

I used a stone glacier solo for day hunting. Its meant for 2 or 3 day trips but I love it for day hunting. I also used it for heavy weight training for my mountain goat trip, Ive had 80 pounds on it and it handle it amazing. I also used a Kifaru ma deuce for my 10 day goat trip and it performed awesomely. If I had to pick one brand over the other, I would go kifaru over stone glacier, but both are at the top of the list for packs and you cant go wrong with either. Packs are one of those things that it pays to shell out the cash up front because youll have it for a long time over some of the other cheaper packs.

I have an exo that would suit your purpose very well. Works great as a daypack, but the bag separates from the frame and can pack meat or supplies between.

Check out their website.

Look into a kifaru Stryker. Good daypack size, but with a built in shelf that will hold as much meat as one would care to carry.

You can go mountaineering route also, lots of proven value there. Arcteryx bora line or more blue collar Osprey. I’ve had the 700 dollar kifaru and it hurt me more than any pack I had before it. I run Osprey xenith 88 now, it squished down to nothing but can take me in for a few days and let me come out with a ewe pretty easy and it cost less than half of a ‘hunting’ pack. I don’t chase elk though, may want a real frame for continued back country elk/moose duty.

Depending how far you’re going from the truck, there isn’t anything wrong with your current strategy. Sure... can always spend more money on another pack lol. That’s what the industry pushes these days- spend spend spend. I have a pack that I hunt with, it’s purpose is to be light and comfortable, carry what I need to be successful in hunting all day and hopefully harvest an animal. I’ll go as far as 3+ km from the truck with it. Then return for my frame pack and field processing gear. If I’m going further than 3km, I’ll use my frame pack as it has a removable pack itself that carries all my gear/water/food.

Kako,

My Vote is Mystery Ranch.

I Found myself in the same dilemma last year, spent hours going to multiple stores, adjusting/ trying on packs, and reading reviews online. Look into Mystery Ranch Packs (Jim Bows carries them). I ended up getting the Metcalf, soon as I put it on it was night and day comparison. The one thing I didnt like about the pack was the $$$. But if your like me, I never regret (afterwards) spending the extra money for something that is Quality and will last for years.
https://www.mysteryranch.com

Cheers

Top tier packs will cost close to 1000$. For me even though I see and agree with the fact that they are better/ lighter ECT. It's hard to justify the cost of these when you only use them a couple times a year.
There are more affordable options.
Alps outdoors commander x hybrid
Horn Hunter full curl is another good budget pack

When i bought my pack crappy cause it would have been nice to go to a store that has a few different brands and try but i ordered and got lucky

There's a HH full curl system in the EE right now for a decent price. This pack is very versatile and can be run as a light day pack yet will pack 100lb loads should you be successful.

Look into the mystery ranch pop-up 28 great day pack and can haul meat too.

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I have the mystery ranch Marshall as my main pack, with the frame I can swap out to a smaller bag.

The pintler (what I have on it for bow season) can be purchased as a bag only or with the frame. The mule is the other smaller bag that can be bought on the frame or bag only.

I had a Eberlestock dragonfly last year. Not a bad pack, just a little heavy and I could not get it to fit me comfortably. I found the balance a little off and getting the waist belt cinched up properly.

Great north precision and Mountain Man outdoors have good prices and stock on Mystery ranch. I bought the Marshall from great north and the bag from mountain man, both were great to deal
With.

Jim bows in Edmonton has some mystery ranch on the shelf if you want to buy local. They did not have the right waist belt size when I was looking last year so I had to branch out.


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I have a Stone Glacier 6900 Archer something. Its a god send for general pack work and handles massive loads very well. Was a significant upgrade from my Eberlestock.

I would spend the 1k again in a heart beat.

Nice packs but they come with a substantial weight penalty.
Another vote for Exo Mtn. Buy once cry once. Hauled 2 rams in it now and couldn’t be happier with how it loads and rides. Very stable and perfect distribution in every way. Can’t say enough of how I like that pack, especially considering how light it is

I have a Kuiu 7200 for multi day trips. It works alright, it can carry a lot of meat, gear or both. But it only starts to carry well when it's 3/4 full. For a day hunt, it's too much.

I guess what I'm saying is don't go too big. If I was going to get a day pack now I would probably get something in the 3000-4000 cubic inch range. Maybe the SG SOLO. That's enough space for all the warm stuff you might need for a cold day in November.

Packs are getting crazy expensive. If you want to do it a bit cheaper, second hand is the way to go. Any hiking backpack can do the job. The most comfortable pack I used, was loaded to the gills on a sheep hunt, Lowe Alpine. I sold it because I thought I needed a meat shelf, it's nice, but I was wrong.

Maybe Check out Alps Outdoorz

Another vote for Stone glacier, I have the sky talus 6900 and couldn’t ask for more in a pack. Big enough to fit everything for a week long trip but packs down nice and small as a day pack too.

I have the same pack and love it for multi day backpack hunting, absolutely night and day compared to my old eberle J107 and I've had the fortune (or unfortune) of packing meat back in both with a full set of multi day gear.

I don't think that is what the OP is after though. As a day pack I wouldn't go for something like the sky talus bag. It's meant to be loaded up for multi day trips and then expand with the meat shelf if you kill something. The top bag is absolutely akward unless the main bag is full.

I've been looking at a better light day pack to replace a badlands superday and the mystery ranch pop up 38 has really peaked my interest. Seems perfect for a lower profile day pack that can haul some meat out if needed. Can't seem to find one in fat guy size though.

No experience with it obviously but seems to check a lot of boxes for that nice compact day pack that can do some hauling if needed.

Thanks for all the replies!

I almost bought the 38 than realized I did not want to have two frames so I went the pintler route and swapped out the Marshall bag for my non-overnight trips.

Love the Marshall I just was not able to cinch down enough to keep it from swinging in the breeze for a day trip load out.

So it came down to saving a few dollars to swap bags out when I need to.

Not a 5 minute job as I have an older guide lite frame so I have to swap some buckles, but an easy 20 minutes in front of the TV


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I’ve got a sitka bivy 45 and it’s comfortable and has packed a few rams off the mountains.

Don't overlook the new 2019+ Kuiu pack, on another forum they are doing comparison tests and it's ranking as the top pack. Yes in the past they sucked, they improved it since Joe Blow tested them a few years ago. Used ones come around after the season is over for good prices, along with Mystery Ranch (although they are heavy empty).

I also bought my pack used for 1/3 the price of new. Swapped out the pack to 1800 cuin for a day pack. Later season you might want ~2200 cuin with an extra layer and if you're packing a spotting scope tripod (which I did not problem last week).

Exo, Kifaru, Seek Outside, Stone Glacier, etc. are all good packs but good luck buying used and be willing to spend $800+ to import those outta the states. Based on what I read online and actual tests comparisons I would pick Seek Outside or Stone Glacier out of those groups, Exo has some work to do on slipping waistbelts and Kifaru is very expensive and can be confusing to set up.


Personally if you don't find anything just use a daypack and pack frame, you can pack the frame in part of the way in the AM to save some time.

I’ve hauled 2 rams off the mountain in the Exo. Absolutely zero “slipping” in the waistband. But yes the pack is very expensive and takes time to ship. Not a perfect company by any stretch but the product is top notch.

Interesting to hear Kuiu possibly getting their act together on their packs. Be nice to see some real world reviews in the near future.

I personally like buying from companies who specialize in their market. Seek makes a great tent. Exo makes a great pack. Kuiu makes awesome lightweight clothing etc...

I saw Mystery Ranch mentioned but the pack mentioned is significantly larger than what I think you're looking for.

I have 2 Mystery Ranch packs and I highly recommend them. You can read reviews all over the place about the quality of their packs.

If you're looking for something comparable to your 1000cu-in pack the Pop Up 18 is exactly that but with a meat hauler frame built into it.

The pack I'd prefer, in your situation, if I were to get another one, would be the Pop Up 28 which is about 1700cu-in and has the same meat hauler that the Pop Up 18 does.

I would get the bigger one because of the extra space and Mystery Ranch packs tend to pack quite nicely even when they're not full so it won't be a problem being a bit big. The bigger one is also only .3 lbs heavier as well.

You could do your hunt, carry your pack and haul the meet out without having to walk back to your truck to get your hauler. Depending on the size of your quarry you would only have one trip, or at least one less trip than before.

This is an image of the Pop-Up 28 opened up.
https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-divm...982509.jpg?c=2

I really like my Mystery Ranch Pintler. Has lots of room for day trip hunting and can handle a load of meat (boned-out deer) quite easily on the pack out.

Love my exo packs. I’ve got a frame and two bags a 3500 for longer trips and a 1800 as a day pack.
With my one frame I can switch between packs as needed.

here's the Mystery Ranch Pop up 28 .with a rear quarter. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...dc4b00a010.jpg

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I have also had my exo weighed down very well (unfortunately not with a ram) and also no slippage. In fact I would say there is absolutely zero issues and it is by far the best fitting pack I have ever tried. After a multi day caribou hunt of wearing it daily for miles of hiking it had a pretty good test.

Another vote for EXO here.
 

I bought an EXO 5500 off of a member here for a very fair price and been using it for both a day pack, multi day and hauling.
On multi day back pack trips it packed the bulk well.
As a day pack it can be strapped up small and is super light.
And hauling it worked really well for a successful moose hunt we just got back from.
Some of the others are probably great but the EXO is what I have and it works well.