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I never was satisfied with any of the systems I used for getting about the elk woods. My pack was heavy and bulky, plus it didn't have buckles to strap my bow on to. The Magnus rack and pack did, but that was a heavy way to go carrying my big pack along with pack frame. The most comfortable I felt was when I only took my bow, bugle, and release....but then I only had one hand free for trecking pole, plus one water bottle stuck in my pocket didn't go very far towards staying hydrated.
Here is what I think would have worked the best... a smaller size pack with hydration bag, plus straps for attaching the bow where my hands would be free for trecking poles. I can also make a bow strap for shorter scouting trips and leave the day pack behind. For deep trips or overnight stays, the pack frame with day pack attached and sleeping bag and tent.
Does any if this sound ok. I'm sure this is fresh on most elk hunters minds abd wonder what some of you are satisfied with. I just hate burning energy carrying the kitchen sink when I can get by without it.
13# total with everything I need including food, 1 1/2L bladder, puffy jacket, gps, calls, safety, extras, food, and kill kit. Worked up my bull, bagged it, stuck the hind qtr in the genII meat bag, lashed the head to that and hiked out. I used 2 lash straps to lash the bow to the pack when I was riding the bike in, it never twitched. When we did an over niter the long pocket straps are long enough to hold my sleeping bag and my pad went in the genII.
Sleeping bag and pad. A little bulkier but they got dropped once we got in there. Adding much more like a tent, stove and water pump, spotter, tripod, etc is more than this setup is designed for.
Badlands 2200. Does everything you want. New model is 1 lb lighter. Will pack out that first quarter no problem. Always satisfied!
Stone Glacier Krux Frame and Hill People Gear Highlander... Great setup for up to 3-day bivy hunts... Functional for longer. But it's the perfect daypack set up for packing out meat...
That's the problem with back packs...they never feel as good as it does when you are not carrying one. Another option would be to check out the Kifaru website, Duplex frame will carry about anything you want to carry and you can customize it almost any way you want with any number of different size bags, straps etc.
+1 for Badlands 2200. Probably the best, most functional pack in it's price range. There's obviously better choices but they will cost significantly more. My 2200 has packed out more deer than I care to count. I would have no issue loading the first load of an elk in it either and then bringing in the heavy pack frame on the second trip for the rest.
The problem with the 2200 is how heavy it is empty. For such a small pack, it's heavy. I have one and use it for week long pack in trips, and every year I swear I'm dumping it due to it's weight.
Game bags, water, rain gear and a few extras and it feels like 30 pounds. I'd advise against that pack.
Steve, if you think your going to do mountain hunts for the next few years then get a top end bag,(Kifaru, Kuiu, etc.) . What to look for is this; less than 6 lbs empty, 6000 sq,in volume. Those parameters separate most choices. If you get a cheaper bag it will be heavier or it won't pack heavy loads comfortably. I have tried a few and I hated spending that much($500.) on something I'll only use a few days a year but believe me its money well spent when your on the mountain. Mike
Buy a top end bag, and buy one that you can use for whitetail and turkey too.
The guys that like them really like them, and the guys that don't really hate them. . .
But look at Mystery Ranch Crew Cabs. Expensive. Heavy empty. But will do everything. Haul spike camp, meat, turkey decoys, blinds, climbing stands, and work as a compact (but heavy) daypack
I use mine a lot even at home for turkeys and deer. I've hauled decoys, my Lone Wolf climber, clothes on cold mornings, etc.
Bake
Call me crazy but I'm several backpack "bivy" hunts in with my Badlands 2800 and I'm a huge fan. Pack weights up to 110 and no signs of deterioration. 3rd week of September, we were out 6 consecutive days and it was more than ample to carry all gear, food, and pack out 2 bulls.
While I'm posting, anyone have a lightly used 2800 they are interested in offloading. Badlands discontinued their production and I'm looking at getting a backup for when my current pack does wear out.
"Trekking Poles"?
Just one for me...SLIP System. Doubles as an elk decoy and a rain/snow/wind shelter if needed.
PM me for Bowsite Discounts
Best of Luck, Jeff (Bowsite Sponsor)
Yep. Invaluable for packing meat through boulder fields and navigating deadfall. They also double as the tent stakes for my GoLite Shangri-La 2. Oh, and as you can see in the pic, they'll hold your loaded pack in a position where you can slip your arms in the strap without the help of a partner. I wouldn't think of elk hunting without them.
Pair weighs 13 ounces. A modified setup where you strip the factory handles in exchange for some EVA foam grips and lighter-weight straps that are riveted on. Changed out a couple other hardware components and they are as tough as any on the market, way cheaper ($25 bucks total), and infinitely lighter than any other I've seen available.
TBM...Remember this thread? :)
I balked at trekking poles till I moved to Alaska and started doing sheep and goat hunts. For packing heavy loads out of extremely rough terrain, or even just packing in, trekking poles are a necessity for me now.
I like Kuiu clothing, but their bags are crap. I used the Icon last year for a sheep hunt and was thoroughly disappointed. My brother used the Ultra this year and we were even more disappointed.
Something o could stuff my Dakota decoy in would be nice during turkey season...not sure I would need it that big for a an elk day pack.
mossy...In KUIU's defense, they got the bag right this year with the ICON Pro. Very nice pack for the money. Though it's no Stone Glacier or Kifaru, it is a great pack for half the money. The Icon Pro addressed several issues of previous version packs including the Ultra.
First establish what are you trying to accomplish.
If it is a day pack with the option of overnighting it, packs around 2200 CC will work. You want the pack to carry your first load of meat out also.(Search topic for pack recommendations or look above)This will work for truck camping like you did also.
If you want a pack to work for 7 days out on your back, you need something bigger and better. The bulkier your gear, the more cc's. Food choice's (and associated bulk make a big difference is size requirements) This pack should compress down for day use also. You want multipurpose equipment. This type of pack, a good one, will cost significant dough. But search for used ones of last years models. Pack geeks like the latest greatest and are willing to sell last years models which they only used for a season.
DO NOT BUY CHEAP CRAP! Buy once, cry once.
Cabela's Alaskan pack frame/pack for heavy hauling,badlands super day for day hunts,works great.
I should clear up the confusion above. My Badlands 2800 is my 7-day backcountry go-to. This is a soapbox I've frequently climbed up on here and elsewhere, but hunting gear as manufactured by hunting companies for the ultra-lighter...generally sucks. Why? Because their version of "ultralight" is "kind of" light. It's not their fault though. Backpacking companies (or whatever you want to call them) have been shaving weight for 30 or 40 years on some of these products, while hunting companies are still new to the market. They'll catch up to the learning curve eventually, but until they do (and until they stop making you pay 2 to 4 times cost for wearing their logo over top of camo), I'll put my money where there's quality.
Almost (don't want to hang myself) unequivocally and almost (don't want to hang myself) without exception.
Show me a garment, or sleeping bag, or tent, or boot, or stove, or accessory, or nearly (don't want to hang myself) anything else manufactured by a hunting company, and I can find the same product in a different color that is more durable, higher quality, cheaper, and lighter weight.
2800 CC has room to spare with 7 days of food, necessities, sleep system, and other gear to hunt in a mobile bivy-style. Perhaps sacrificing comfort occasionally, but the tradeoff in favor of efficiency is a landslide.
'Z Barebow' makes an excellent point for incorporating multipurpose equipment. This is space/weight saving tip #1.
Sorry if I got a little soap-boxy, but it drives me nuts walking through the parking lot of any Western state's trailhead during September.
Sitka Flash 20...Yes, Trekking poles for sure, don't know where I've been on that one, but never again without them...
What's the functional difference in a hunting pack and a backpacking pack? Are kelty packs worth a try?
Cazador: I'm guessing you have the old Badlands 2200. They have it down to just over 5 pounds now. 5 lbs 4 oz to be exact.
Like Brotsky said... for the price you cannot beat it. All those other fancy schmancy packs cost 3 times as much.
I've packed a herd of elk on the old and new models with bone in and hide on. VERY functional for a day pack and for that first trip out with meat. Then show up with the freighter which for me is the Barney's... or my horse.
I know a lot of the Kelty's don't have the internal structure to keep a load of meat stable. Those compartments being cavernous allow the meat to settle and wobble and throw the load off balance rather easily. That being said, a non-elastic meat bag like the TAG bags might eliminate most of that problem.
I know my 2800 weighs 4 pounds 11 ounces after cutting away excess strapping, etc.
What I want to stay lite as possible, hydration blatter, bow straps ed on so I will stay hands free. That is day to day hunting. I don't want a heavy pack to tear me down and limit mobility. I will figure out how to get that first load of meat out and after that a pack frpme will be used. If I go in deep the pack frame will go and sleeping bag and tarp will go in on the frame. Just a day to day lite pack is what I want...water, granola bars...fire starter..gps. flash lite. Poncho. Not much more. Like I said the best i felt was the days when I didn't have a pack at all but my bow had to be carried in hand and I didn't have much water so a small pack is what I think I need and the pack frame will be used for longer trips.
Get a bow sling and one of those tiny backpacks that basically just holds a hydration bladder.
you guys must carry a lot more gear. i use my 2200 for several day hunts. it is a heavy pack empty and i have told myself to get a different one. but it is about the ideal size i think for a backpack hunt. but then i go pretty light, no trekking poles for me.
i have been using only internal frame packs for over 20 years, i never understood the external frame pack for hauling meat. any decent internal can strap the meat tight and is a whole lot more comfortable!
my first pack, bought 27 years ago is a lowe contour IV a large pack 6400 or so cubic inches. i determined long ago that it was far bigger than necessary for a backpack hunt, and was way to big for packing meat. it is huge so the amount of meat in it can get out of hand fast. i prefer to keep the meat load under 80 pounds but have done over 100 with it.
i have a cabelas internal frame large pack that is camo that i bought but hardly ever used, maybe once. it and the lowe contour IV are for sale. no more BIG packs for me!
"I used the Icon last year for a sheep hunt and was thoroughly disappointed. My brother used the Ultra this year and we were even more disappointed."
I absolutely loved my new Ultra this year, waaaay better than the Gregory mountaineering pack I'd been using...
Try a Kifaru! I promise you will not be disappointed. Sounds like a Bikini or Duplex Frame and Cargo Panel using stuff sacks would suit you well. Lots of used stuff on their forums page under Trading Post for cheaper option. Like these other guys say, if you are going to do this on a regular basis, do it right. Buy once, cry once!
Check out the Ebetlestock x2, it might fit what you are looking for.
