What packs are you using??

[Bitterroot Bulls]

Nice bull crumy!

 

[crumy]

That is my wife's. She shot it and I hauled it. (doesn't seem fair) Check out page 96 in the recent Elk Hunter Magazine.. Upper Left hand corner. Karen Crum. I submitted it and didn't tell her... It made her day when I opened up the mag and she saw it.

 

[Timberstalker]

Using that pack will help keep you in better shape. I would sell that light pack you just got, and keep using the old stuff.

If we go on a hunt together, I will also help with your conditioning by loading some of my stuff in your pack.

BTW..............That ribbon still scares me. The trigger happies will see those antlers long before they ever see that ribbon or your head.

Hey thenks ttt, load me up! As far as the ribbon, the pack out was in the neigboring unit, no season at the time there. High Cascde buck, I came in from the east.

 

[Timberstalker]

That is my wife's. She shot it and I hauled it. (doesn't seem fair) Check out page 96 in the recent Elk Hunter Magazine.. Upper Left hand corner. Karen Crum. I submitted it and didn't tell her... It made her day when I opened up the mag and she saw it.

That's cool crumy, nice bull!

 

[Bitterroot Bulls]

That is my wife's. She shot it and I hauled it. (doesn't seem fair) Check out page 96 in the recent Elk Hunter Magazine.. Upper Left hand corner. Karen Crum. I submitted it and didn't tell her... It made her day when I opened up the mag and she saw it.

I just received that mag a couple days ago. I will check it out when I get home!

 

[wolftalonID]

I use this for packing out.
And I use this for not needing to carry camp!!

 

[Never in Doubt]

I looked around for packs last year and was scared away from some nice ones based on the fact that I'm so tall(6'5"+) The Cabelas Outfitter pack that I got fit well, but under an extreme load the strap going across the chest came off. I like the looks and everything I've heard from Eberlestock X2 though. If any other tall guys have some input on packs that have worked for them I'm all ears!

 

[WapitiBob]

I'm 6'4 and use a Kifaru. Tallest packs out there are Kifaru at 26" and maybe Stone Glacier at about the same height. I've never seen a working Eberlestock but lots of people don't worry about lifters. Depends whether you want lifters or not.
KUIU is 25" and they have a new one for 2014. No surprise there but it's priced at $350 supposedly and weighs about 3 1/2#. Might be worth a look see.

 

[Bitterroot Bulls]

I have spent a lot of time with Eberlestock packs too. This was a miserable SOB of a packout:



I love eberlestock's features and build quality. I also think they offer a lot of value. However, comfort for a long, heavy packout is lacking compared to the premium packs we talked about in the thread earlier.

 

[Fat Daddy]

Recently purchased a Tenzing TZ6000. Got a good price and snapped it up. Doing a pack in hunt for archery blacktail here in Ca. in August, so that will be my 1st experience with it. I really liked the zip away meat compartment, so that had a big influence on my purchase.

 

[grenhdkilr]

Tenzing 6000. Very comfortable.

x2 Tenzing is a great pack

 

[woodtick]

I love eberlestock's features and build quality. I also think they offer a lot of value. However, comfort for a long, heavy packout is lacking compared to the premium packs we talked about in the thread earlier.

I can concur the same Bitterroot, I think Eberlestock makes some great stuff, but when it comes to extreme loads, I'll be using my MR Metcalf. My Blue Widow was a great pack but about killed me when I got anything over 80lbs in it. I hope to try a Stone Glacier soon, but I love my Metcalf so much it's hard for me to justify the SC.

 

[RUTTIN]

I just got my MR Metcalf a few weeks ago, and loaded it up today. Wow, I could not believe how comfortable it was compared to my Eberle Blue Widow. I liked the Blue Widow for day hunts but loaded up a little it was not very comfortable.

 

[D.Turvey Jr]

Eberlestock Blue Widow. I carried out 105 pounds of cow elk meat (my buddies) and my gear the first week of January this year and the Blue Widow performed like a champ! I was very impressed.

 

[RockChucker30]

I'm 6'4 and use a Kifaru. Tallest packs out there are Kifaru at 26" and maybe Stone Glacier at about the same height. I've never seen a working Eberlestock but lots of people don't worry about lifters. Depends whether you want lifters or not.
KUIU is 25" and they have a new one for 2014. No surprise there but it's priced at $350 supposedly and weighs about 3 1/2#. Might be worth a look see.

Paradox had a 28" frame. Most external frames will be 28-36" depending on whether the top bar is removed or not.

 

[RockChucker30]

I see the analogy, but disagree.

A premium hunting pack is objectively better for hunting uses. It has a real advantage in capabilities; specifically load rating, and durability. The premium hunting pack has these advantages regardless of the user.

The personal preference comes in on whether or not the user wants to, or will, make use of these advantages.

However, the user still needs to fit the pack. Luckily, most premium hunting packs are much more versatile in fit, including a lot of custom options.

I somewhat disagree with your findings BB. I've had most of the top end hunting packs, and found several of them didn't work well for me. I've had some other non-hunting packs that worked very well.

The Kelty Cache Hauler is still the second most comfortable pack I've tested with 100 + lbs. A $900 custom McHale is probably third, and a 1996 era Bozeman made Arcflex framed Dana Stillwater is fourth, but close enough to the McHale for me that there is no way I'd pay $700 extra for one. You can pick up a good used Alpine, Terraplane, or Stillwater on craigslist or Ebay for $150-250. I had a Canadian made Bora 70 that I did not like at all, and the Badlands and Eberlestock packs I had I thought had good features but were not built to haul heavy loads. I had a LOT of packs from top end hunting makers and none of them hauled heavy weight like I wanted. They are built durable enough to last through many packouts, but I found the comfort lacking.

 

[Bitterroot Bulls]

Nathan,

First, I don't consider Eberlestock or Badlands in the Premium Hunting Pack category, both in price and performance. At least not the models I have used so far, as I have referred to earlier in the thread. I am hopeful new models address the load-bearing comfort.

I guess I should have qualified my statement with the disclaimer that there are exceptions, and some specific models of backpacking packs do haul heavy loads, but they are the exception, and most mainstream backpacking packs are not designed to haul hunting pack-out loads, which makes sense, because there is no need for a backpacker to carry that kind of weight.

So I guess we pretty much agree. I have also had good luck with the Kelty Cache Hauler, and I am excited to see it offered with hunting features in the Slumberjack Tactical/Hunting line for 2014.

 

[woodtick]

Even the premium pack companies have packs that don't do well with heavy loads, my MR with the longbow bag on it doesn't have any load lifting capabilities, thats the main reason they started making the lift kit for it. Now the Metcalf, 6500 and 7500 are another story, they are some great packs and can handle a ton of weight, my favorite picture is with Bryan Martin and the moose horns on a 6500 and it looks like there is 150+ lbs in it. I'd never consider a Bandland's a premium pack after there reputation of blowing the seams, horrible zippers and shoddy CS. Eberelstock on the other hand does make great packs, they just don't handle heavy loads as well.

 

[Eric Hunter]

Your small light day pack is all you need. Use your game cart to pack in your camp and all your gear.... Use it again to pack out your meat and camp...
Eric.

 

[Bitterroot Bulls]

Your small light day pack is all you need. Use your game cart to pack in your camp and all your gear.... Use it again to pack out your meat and camp...
Eric.

works like a champ when you can get a game cart to where you hunt and camp!