- Apr 17, 2017
- 1
- 0
I'm sure all of you forum regulars have seen many threads like this before, so I apologize for the redundancy in advance.
I'm not new to hunting out west, but I am new to backpack hunting. The elk and muley hunting I have done so far has been out of a base camp. I've been building bonus/pref points in many states for deer and elk for quite a few years now while I hunt OTC units in Colorado, and I know most of these premiere units will require me to hunt out of a backpack. While I am a very serious whitetail bowhunter (I hunt probably 50-60 days per season in various states), I'm definitely not used to hunting out of a pack carrying everything on my back. Now, this year I plan to hunt my regular OTC units in Colorado, but I plan hunt from a pack instead of a base camp. I feel like it will be the perfect practice for me since the only backpacking knowledge I have has come from many, many books, Eastmans' articles, and podcasts, HOWEVER, I will be within a few hours from my regular base camp and the rest of my hunting buddies in case something goes wrong.
I have spent several years researching what gear I will need, so I won't ask that here. What I do want input on is what pack to choose. I am looking for a 4,000-5,000 cu inch pack that I can use on weekend-multiday hunts, but I'm not opposed to something a bit bigger that I can stretch into longer hunts. I have done alot of research on pack companies, and have narrowed my search down to the Mystery Ranch Metcalf, the Kifaru Reckoning or Fulcrum, and the new Stone Glacier EVO 40/56. I'm focused more on durability rather than ounce-shaving for this instance. Right now, I'm leaning toward the Mystery Ranch. I would appreciate any feedback or info.
I'm not new to hunting out west, but I am new to backpack hunting. The elk and muley hunting I have done so far has been out of a base camp. I've been building bonus/pref points in many states for deer and elk for quite a few years now while I hunt OTC units in Colorado, and I know most of these premiere units will require me to hunt out of a backpack. While I am a very serious whitetail bowhunter (I hunt probably 50-60 days per season in various states), I'm definitely not used to hunting out of a pack carrying everything on my back. Now, this year I plan to hunt my regular OTC units in Colorado, but I plan hunt from a pack instead of a base camp. I feel like it will be the perfect practice for me since the only backpacking knowledge I have has come from many, many books, Eastmans' articles, and podcasts, HOWEVER, I will be within a few hours from my regular base camp and the rest of my hunting buddies in case something goes wrong.
I have spent several years researching what gear I will need, so I won't ask that here. What I do want input on is what pack to choose. I am looking for a 4,000-5,000 cu inch pack that I can use on weekend-multiday hunts, but I'm not opposed to something a bit bigger that I can stretch into longer hunts. I have done alot of research on pack companies, and have narrowed my search down to the Mystery Ranch Metcalf, the Kifaru Reckoning or Fulcrum, and the new Stone Glacier EVO 40/56. I'm focused more on durability rather than ounce-shaving for this instance. Right now, I'm leaning toward the Mystery Ranch. I would appreciate any feedback or info.