Need some pack help

[Dakota Drifter]

All I have ever used is the Eberlestock J 107. The things I like having on the Eberlestock is the large separate compartments (keep quarters away from gear). The quiet material that it is made from and the ability to go from day pack to hauler. What I hate about it is the empty weight.

The three packs I have been looking at and what I don't like about them.

Eberlestock Blue widow- Not much of a weight savings ( just a little over a pound ).

Kafiru - Hard to tell from website but looks like two smaller pockets with one large compartment ( have to haul meat in with gear). The ones with seperate bag from pack are up there in weight but not bad. I'm worried the material will be noisy going thru the woods.

Stone Glacier- Awesome looking pack but no camo WTF. Also worried about the material being noisy.

My thought was to go buy the Stone Glacier bigger pack system to use for the packing in/out and also buy a frameless camo pack and cut off all the harness's and mount to the Stone Glacier frame for day use.
Has anyone done this or any other thoughts?

I have searched back several pages but everybodys needs are a little different.

 

[Bitterroot Bulls]

Those are pretty good options.

The SG and Kifaru (You seem to be referring to the Timberline series) are going to have a superior suspension when really loaded down, with the effective load lifters.

The SG and K are both made from Cordura 500D, which isn't too noisy when broken in.

You can use the Gen 2 meat bag to separate the meat from your gear in the Kifaru, if you are really concerned about it.

The Kifaru has nice camo options, but personally I could care less, and run solid color packs most of the time.

 

[DryFlyGuy]

I run a solid color pack as well. I have handled the SG and own the DT1 Kifaru with the bikini frame. Other packs to check out would be Mystery Ranch and KUIU.

I think the Kifaru is going to be the most customizable of the group. I am very happy with mine so far.

If you are a freak ounce-counter, the SG is going to be tough to beat.

Bitterroot is very knowledgeable and won't lead you astray.

 

[Dakota Drifter]

Thanks for the info. With my method of hunting I feel a quiet, camo pack is important.

 

[Shaun]

BB nailed it I love my Kifaru and there service is second to none. Aron will take care of you

 

[Montana Chrome]

Pretty tough to beat the Mystery Ranch Crew Cab

 

[LintonOutdoors]

A couple other options to check out, Blacks Creek Alternative Pack (7lbs) or Tenzing CF13 (6.8lbs), both start at around 3000 cu in range, but feature a removable bag/frame system that you can lash in extra storage bags for extended trips.

 

[mnhunter]

I switched from the J107 to the MR Crew cab 2 years ago and was really happy with the choice. This year I picked up a barely used Longbow bag to put on the NICE frame (most of the MR bags are interchangeable on the NICE frame), and I have been really impressed. You can sandwich meat in between the bag and the frame for bringing out quarters with your gear. The longbow with the NICE Frame weighs 6lbs 8oz.

 

[Retterath]

I love my eberlestock j34 and if u need a ton of room add the spike duffel and it zips right onto the back and I think that will give u 7000 cubic in and pack alone will give u 4600 cu in.

 

[Graylight]

I have packed out several high country bucks with my Badlands 4500 and 2800 - I trust a piece of gear based on using it many times without failures, fit, durability and quietness of the fabric... light weight is great but often it is at the expense of durability, where load capacity and weight distribution is more important to me.

Many of the lightweight pack options are great when you go in because of weight but when you get an animal down, you suffer. I have seen this with my friends several times, with the BL Sacrifice, Sitka and smaller Kuiu packs... Don't be fooled by marketing propaganda, would suck to tear the fabric of your lightweight pack on brush while bushwhacking in or out or have it fail because of the weight you put in it.

These are things I have seen with friends first hand on back country hunts... Get something you like and dont compromise too much with the durability aspect... You should be fine.

 

[Bitterroot Bulls]

Graylight,

I wouldn't lump Stone Glacier and Kifaru's packs in with the likes of the BL Sacrifice.

In my experience, durability is top notch with Stone Glacier and Kifaru. You could literally throw them off a cliff and down a mountain.

As an update to the topic,

Kifaru, Stone Glacier, and Paradox packs all have some really interesting pack designs coming out for 2014. The serious ultralight hunting backpack market has really taken off and competition is fierce!

 

[Grantbvfd]

Graylight,

I wouldn't lump Stone Glacier and Kifaru's packs in with the likes of the BL Sacrifice.

In my experience, durability is top notch with Stone Glacier and Kifaru. You could literally throw them off a cliff and down a mountain.

As an update to the topic,

Kifaru, Stone Glacier, and Paradox packs all have some really interesting pack designs coming out for 2014. The serious ultralight hunting backpack market has really taken off and competition is fierce!

X2 there are a ton or great options out there. Kifaru is my choice but stone glacier and paradox are getting great reviews as well.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

 

[MTbowhunter36]

Graylight,

I wouldn't lump Stone Glacier and Kifaru's packs in with the likes of the BL Sacrifice.

In my experience, durability is top notch with Stone Glacier and Kifaru. You could literally throw them off a cliff and down a mountain.

As an update to the topic,

Kifaru, Stone Glacier, and Paradox packs all have some really interesting pack designs coming out for 2014. The serious ultralight hunting backpack market has really taken off and competition is fierce!

Agreed. Having used several different bags that were mentioned earlier, SG and Kifaru are in a league of their own. My Kifaru pack way outperformed the other "over the counter" bags I had used prior to purchasing the Kifaru T3.

Sent from my HTC6500LVW using Tapatalk

 

[Father&son_outdoorsman]

Outdoorsmans has some excellent options with a wide range! Quality products well worth the money

 

[tttoadman]

There is always going to be something better that comes out right after you part with a ton of money on a pack. My old frame pack lasted for over 20 years. I now have a SG Solo, and expect it to last just as long, and will likely outlast me. I would rather avoid the hype of having the latest and greatest, and put some gas in truck and go hunt. Just sayin.

 

[tttoadman]

There is always going to be something better that comes out right after you part with a ton of money on a pack. My old frame pack lasted for over 20 years. I now have a SG Solo, and expect it to last just as long, and will likely outlast me. I would rather avoid the hype of having the latest and greatest, and put some gas in truck and go hunt. Just sayin.

Now that Im done with my rant from yesterday:
Try to hold off as long as possible and wait for the reviews on the new packs coming out. Like BB said, you have a ton of new packs coming out this year from Kifaru, Stone Glacier, Kuiu(they say), S&S Archery in ID, and others I am sure. I researched for 6 months before I bought mine. I envisioned every scenario I could, and how to pack gear for different hunts.

The key is to get something that has a super lightweight frame and can be modular with many bags or attachments. This is where the guys like Kifaru and SG excel in my mind over the heavier sewn in packages like a Blue Widow.

I went with the SG because it seems simpler out of the box. A key for me was the long 2" wide belt. I load a ton of stuff on my belt, and this pack appeared to be easier to do that. I also had every intension of using dry bags mounted to the SG Solo on longer hunts. You can get the wider and tighter setup for weight control similar to what you get with the new Kifaru Nomad with batwings.

My primary goal was to get the "hunting" pack I wanted, and you can hillbilly the thing up a little to get packed in and out. All of these high dollar packs are narrow, super strong, and the bags compress to almost nothing for hunting. I had no complaints about noise with the SG.

I am now a fan of the buy once cry once concept when it comes to certain gear. Do the homework, and buy the best pc on the market for you at the time. You will have a quality pack that will last for years to come. Watch the hype from a distance for new features that you can implement to your pack to improve your setup.

 

[Dakota Drifter]

As tttoadman would say I decided to hillbilly it up and go with the Stone Glacier Minimalist with the Approach bag. I strap up to 4 Cabela's XPG bags (Blue). Strap one on each side (clothes), one on bottom (sleeping bag), one on top (pad) . My MRE's go in the load shelve bag and when I get to camp I put the MRE's in the XPG bag that was used to carry the sleeping bag, unstrap the other blue bags and I can be ready to hunt in minutes. Using the blue XPG bags may not be as light as using the SG Terminus bag but I would rather carry a little more weight in and out and have less weight and bulk while hunting. If all goes well I will have no need for the load shelve to haul out MRE's and can use it for an Elk quarter.