Contributors to this thread:
Looking for a good pack for about 5 days in the wilderness on foot. I would want it to carry all may gear in and also to pack out a bull if lucky. How big of pack would I need and what should I be looking for?
I would say 5000-7000 cubic inch.
I would also recommend Kifaru. Pick a bag and put it on a duplex frame and you will be set!
^^^ Good advice right there. If you want a little lighter frame that will hold up to 100 lb loads go with the bikini frame. I have the T1 which has its own frame. I really like my pack. I bought it used for $500 shipped.
You likely won't be able to fit a boned mature bull elk hind quarter "inside" a pack smaller than around 6,000 cu in. If you have the $ take a look at Kifaru or Stone Glacier. As suggested look online for a used one if you can't quite afford new.
In regard to what you should look for: Most 2200 to 5,000 cu in packs aren't designed for weights over around 50 lbs. 6000 cu in+ would be on top of my list for hauling out an elk. It's also nice having pockets with quick, quiet, and easy access to spotting scope and other gear. Proper fit is super important! A pack with load lifters is super nice for heavy loads. Nice having straps for attaching bow.
I think 5000ish is a good size for 5 days assuming you have reasonably light/compact gear.
I do think kifaru is probably "the best", and what I use. However, you seem to be just starting out, and maybe only using it for 5 days from my interpretation on the original post. I would have a hard time swallowing the bill for a kifaru if that was all I'm using it for (even a used one). I think would be well served with a pack from another company like kuiu, exo, stone glacier, or even an osprey, or rei brand pack will work well. All very good packs in my opinion, and at a lower price point than kifaru and MR. If you got the coin to drop go for it, I really like kifaru. If you won't be using it a whole bunch, don't kid yourself, cause you can get some very good packs for 1/2 of what you would spend on a kifaru.
--Jim
Anyone ever try a Kuiu ultra 6000? That is a little more in my price range. But if a used kifaru came along, I would jump on it.
Kuiu icon pro.
nuff said!!
Once you pack out an entire bull elk solo with a piece of crap pack, money will be no object.
I have the 6000 and 1850. Worked out great for me last season and I'll use it again this season. No elk quarters but I've hiked with 80# of sand in the load sling and it got the job done.
Time to do it with elk quarters this year!!
I tried the Kuiu Ultra and Icon Pro packs. The difference that I found was that the Icon Pro has a much heavier duty belt. There are other differences as well but the belt was the most important difference for load hauling.
You didn't say how much you plan to use it or how often you hunt out of a pack. If money is a concern you could buy an Icon Pro, use it for a season, and probably sell it and only lose $50 or so.
I have the Icon Pro 1850 and use an XL Kuiu dry bag to haul camp. I keep all of my food and sleep stuff in the dry bag. Keep all of my day hunting gear (layers, food for the day, meat bags, etc) in the main bag bag. Compress and slip the dry bag between the main bag and frame. This allows great flexibility to carry camp or hunt from spike camp with one pack. The pack will carry meat very well too.
I easily fit a boned out mature bull hind quarter inside of a Sitka Bivy 45. In fact I got almost half of the boned out bull inside the pack but I wasn't able to carry it very far and had to stop and unload some of it.
No disagreement on the Kifaru recommendations, but if you're just starting out and you want a very functional and capable pack for a fraction of the price check out a USMC surpluss ILBE pack (at my attached link). You can buy them new or used. I bought a slightly used one for $40 and although it's heavier than a Kifaru it is a very good and very capable pack and I couldn't be happier for the money.
I'll second Cheesehead Mike. The ILBE is a great pack for the money. I cut all kinds of "extras" off of mine and got it stripped down to 6lb - 5oz.
But I still prefer the Kuiu Icon Pro (two posts above) for most hunting. I had no problem putting a bull buffalo hindquarter (deboned) between the 1850 and the pack frame.
Given the choice, I'd prefer to haul meat with the ILBE because it has an even better belt. But the ILBE seems like overkill for hunting to me.
I used an ILBE to pack out my bull last year. Trim the extra straps off, and adjust it to fit yourself. I don't like the lid, make yourself one out of a sheet of cordura. or silnylon. For the money you can't beat it, and I'd bet it's way more durable than any of the high dollar hunting packs like exo, kuiu, Sitka, etc. If I had the money I'd go Kifaru though. It swallowed a bone in rear quarter and the head/antlers strapped to the outside.
Kota!
You out there?!
Mark
Will Kota-Man hear our call for help?!
Quick...Light the 'Backpack Beacon'
Kifaru has been great for my needs. Great american made product, made in elk country, by a company that supports our military.
I also do use a Kelty Cache hauler for dedicated meat hauling, that is very comfortable.
Kota man- "He's the hero Bowsite deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we'll hunt him. Because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector. A dark knight...of packs"
My first year of elk hunting I used an ilbe. It got the job done but after buying my Kifaru I wish I would have sucked up and bought it sooner. The ilbe can be had cheap though. I think I paid $75 for mine.
Love my Kifaru T2! A buddy and myself packed camp and a bone in mule deer out of the Wyoming high county last year. Figured around 120-130lbs in each pack! It about killed us both but the packs did great.
Keep an eye on rokslide classifieds. Lots of Kifaru and other good packs show up for sale.
Ow. My ribs hurt...I've just re-read my post...
Apologies fellow Bowsiters for any coffee splurted over keyboards...
Lower cost options, Dwight Schuh flex frame/pack or a Horn hunter full curl. A second hand MR, Badlands, or other decent brand might be acceptable depending on the fit of the individual choosing the pack.
I wish I packed meat more often. Then I could tell you how the HH Full curl works with heavy loads. I hope to get it done this September and get some blood on this pack. The dam thing still smells new!
LaGriz
My hunting partner packed out a cow elk with a Schuh pack. His hips hurt for a month. That's when I bought him a Kifaru for his 40th birthday.
bad karma, my birthdays Friday. :)
Now that's funny.....
If you help me pack out a half dozen elk or so, I'll gladly buy you one.
I packed out most of my girlfriend's bull w/ the horn hunter. Estimated 70lb in one load. For the price its hard to beat, it will be better after I swap out the cheap belt with a kifaru belt. It was better than my eberlestock by far.
HH design is great. With the help of some small improvements they would have a knockout product in their price range.
You could have went with "Pack signal" but you chose "Sack Signal"..Hmmm.....
Are there no Tenzing TZ5000 fans out there? I just bought one off eBay and hope to put it to use this fall. I pray it can take the load.
I was going for alliteration Truckie...which is why I changed to 'Backpack Beacon'...
I think the Kuiu Ultra 6000 is the best in the industry for cost versus weight ratio: 3.8 pounds, and around $350 bucks complete. Also they are ridiculously comfortable and functional. Great company with real hunters at the top. My 2cents.
Oh my, a return. I just bought a Kelty Cache Hauler as a "heavy hauler" for myself or any of my hunting partners that need to use it. They are discontinued and a bit hard to find. There are some good reviews on it and the look and feel is good, but I haven't had the opportunity to put it to good use yet.
I have an Eberlestock as my main pack. I think it is a good but not great pack and capable of hauling 60-70 lbs. If you load it up much more than that I think it would get pretty uncomfortable, but most quarters are at least close to that range.
You are right that for the price the Kuiu mentioned above is a great deal. I really liked the look of the design and considered it until I read quite a few reviews complaining that it wasn't really designed for hefty loads.....just a word of warning! Take a look at some of the reviews on Rokslide and other websites. If you aren't going to be using a pack very often it may not be worth the investment and a pack similar to Kuiu and others may work ok.
There aren't many packs available that stand up to hefty loads like Stone Glacier, Kifaru, and MR. MR has a lot of followers but unfortunately it weighs several pounds heavier that the other 2. You usually get what you pay for! If $ is a problem find an almost new one on Craigslist, Ebay, or classified section of Rokslide or Kifaru website.
Ty:
Everyone loves Kifaru for a reason.
I have used the Kuiu Icon frame with a 3,000 bag since 2011. I have done 9 days from this set up, but the 5,200 is more traditional.
I broke their first generation frame last year with a bull hind quarter and the skull tethered to the outside of the bag. The rest of the pack out was brutal.
I finished the job with a Kifaru T1 and the difference was substantial.
Aaron Snyder then lent me his Highcamp and I packed out a mule deer in one trip and again, the pack was incredible.
Kuiu, to their credit, replaced the frame with the new Icon frame and a new suspension kit.
If you want ONE bag that you will NEVER have to worry about, spend the money and buy a Kifaru. The new Mountain Warrior looks perfect.
I know nothing about the Stone Glacier packs.
another vote for kuiu icon pro, Ty. also, look at the new pack design from EXO.
i went with the outdoorsman and absolutely love it. fits me like a glove.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: YOU CANNOT BEAT THE KUIU ICON PRO FOR THE MONEY. Is it a Kifaru? No way. But, it is a pretty darn good pack at half the money. Plus, you can always sell the KUIU for even money at the end of the season. And there you have it. Thank God Barty sent out the "sack signal"...
My advice: If you want to go big and have a pack you will own and use for a lifetime: Kifaru, Stone Glacier or Mystery Ranch.
You want a pack to use once a year for a couple years, go KUIU ICON PRO. (And NOT the regular ICON. There is a WORLD of difference) And with the ICON Pro, you might as well get the 7200 as it only weighs a few ounces more than the 5200 and cinches down to nothing in day pack mode.
I'm glad you saw barty's sack........................... signal.
kota-man -- sounds like you've done a review of the Pro or something. Can you provide the link?
I'd like to hear about the exo pack. One of these days I'll probably pick up a better pack and this one is on the radar.
KotaMan, did you ever get the exo out to the field? You've always commented positively about this pack but I haven't come across any details... from anyone for that matter. No doubt you are a great asset to the forums and its members! Thank you.
If you think he's into packs you should check out his shoe fetish.... =D
Yes, he is a valuable and much appreciated resource on this forum for sure.
I used the Exo 3500 this year and got to haul a hind quarter and front quarter in one load and it worked fine. The pack feels super lite and carries like a dream. I agree Kifaru is probably a better pack but for half the price I decided to go with Exo. I wasn't real happy with the lid but they changed it on the 2015 models so it unlatches from the rear and back instead of just the back. I got the 3500 but for a week or better of gear I should have gotten the 5500. I am sure alot of the mentioned packs are fine whichever you choose.
Chase wild...I've reviewed about EVERY pack made at one time or another. Thinking of changing my handle from "kotaman" to "Pacman"!
Kota-man - What do you think of Arcterx Bora 95 for a meat/camp hauling pack?
Kota what do you think of the Jansport 150 in black? Hunt
LOL! You'll have to ask some lil kids how it feels full of books on the way to school, Hunt
Hunt, I don't have the black model, but I packed out four bone in squirrel quarters, no problem.
kota- Can you review this one? I hear they are coming out with a "Hello Elk" model in 2016. I will be even cuter!
Hunt..my daughter used the Jansport for school in second grade. Great load hauler, but heavy for what it is. You'd get more mileage from a "blue" one.
Z- that is the pack she used for kindergarten, though it looks "fancy", the load lifters are crap. I'd look at the Dora Explorer '16 version.
On a more serious note, Jims, The Bora is a decent pack. Not as durable as some of the hunting packs out there, it is a decent "granola muncher" pack. REI has a similar pack.
You guys crack me up!! It would be a riot to see a Hello Kitty pack hauling a front quarter!!
I may just keep my daughters back at the truck this year.
Kota, I've heard this is worth a serious look! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAtzN_ScKXY
Kifaru, Pick the bag u like, Pricey but worth it. Or Outdoorsmans either will not fail. If you can buy a kuiu or a light mountaineering pack every couple years thats one thing. but if you want carry 100 lbs and have the pack last. it has to have some weight for the construction to hold up.IMO
