I am in search for a versatile pack would handle a 3-4 day backpack trip as well as a day pack but that could handle a meat haul when it all comes together.
Any suggestions??
Not sure what you want to spend but a Kifaru Spike camp would fit the bill real well. They are pricy but extremely well made and in the USA.
Steve
Best I've used is my KUIU. YMMV
I think you need to consider Oregon Packworks in your decision making. Great pack! Add or subtract as your needs change.
Made here in Bend, OR
Bob
Eberlestock Blue Widow
I bought a used badlands pack off of a fellow tradganger. Don't know the model (4500?) but it is the biggest one they have. It it tough and puts the weight on my hips instead of my shoulders. With my back injuries that design element is esential. I do wish the pack weighed a little less.
The new version is called the summit. It is two-thirds the weight and has a 4700 ci capacity.
I have a Tenzing 5000 that I really like.
Best? Kifaru or Mystery Ranch, in that order.
My favorite for a variety of reasons, namely versatility and comfort, is my Eberlestock J34 "Just One" pack. It can do it all.
Kifaru longhunter G2 with composite stays
Badlands Superday
Best is my McHale custom...because it fits my rather lg frame.
Go for something that weighs at 5# or a bit less, those 9# packs get old. Make sure its a good fit and doesn't sag like crazy [many do!] with heavy weight in them. My buddy has one of the packs above that sags like a sack of potatoes with 1/3 of a boned out elk in it. Kifaru is good as are a few of the mountaineering packs if budget is a factor.
The most important thing is that what ever pack you choose, it fits. Packs are a lot like boots in that regard.
Size depends a lot on what and how much you take with you. For a four day tip I would prefer something in the 4000 to 3200 ci range.
Many of the larger capacity packs compress down real well and are overall more versatile.
I have Kifaru and have been quite satisfied but they are expensive.
Puddle Jumper is spot-on! :thumbsup:
There are many great quality packs. Whichever you choose, make sure it fits your body and your style of travel and your adventure. lots of the above comments have recommended great packs.
Eberlestock Just One
I really enjoy both my kuiu's. Very well made.
Eberlestock Blue widow, best pack I have found yet. You can make it as large or small as you like. Most comfortable pack I have used.
Frontier Gear of Alaska is the gold standard up here. Really not any more exspensive than some of the bigger names in packs and made right here in Alaska. We also have a local sleepiong bag maker that is the gold standard.
(http://barneyssports.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/b/a/backpacks_barney_s_frontier_gear_of_alaska_frieghter_frame_hunter_pack_rear_view_1.jpg)
Link:
http://barneyssports.com/frontier-gear-of-alaska-hunter-bag-kevlar.html
~CB
Badlands 2200, and badlands superday.
Not trying to hijack, but does anyone have experience with the tenzing packs? I see they now have a 4000.
Eberlestock J 34.
QuoteOriginally posted by Dmaxshawn:
Eberlestock J 34.
(http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn61/Dmaxshawn/7288BC71-9A91-490D-8542-BF6CD75DD72F_zpsruzpfuqj.jpg) (http://s301.photobucket.com/user/Dmaxshawn/media/7288BC71-9A91-490D-8542-BF6CD75DD72F_zpsruzpfuqj.jpg.html)
I have a Kifaru UL 3700, it weighs in at 2.8lbs., this pack with all the add on pockets and such is aobut 5-5500 cu. inches and still weighs less than 4lbs. it's a pleasure to carry loaded all day, and you can hunt and shoot with it on if need be, unfortunately, lt's not made anymore, but if you find a used one, grab it.
Many packs mentioned above are very good, try your best to try them out and see which one's fit your needs.
mystery ranch packs are the best i have ever seen. awesome company to work with as well!!
Are not as technicals as the modern ultralight brands but check the packs from Bisongear. My lumbar pack is the best that i have never seen, better than the typicals from Cabelas, Basspro or Eberlestock. I can imagine that the bigger models are excellent products. Kuiu makes another excellent pack as Stone Glacier, and both have their packs in non camo.
Mystery Ranch :thumbsup:
Daypack/up-to-3day/meathauler = Bighorn (what I use)
More than 3days+daypack+meathauler = Metcalf w/NiceFrame
100% Made in USA
http://www.mysteryranch.com/hunting
Dana Designs Terraplane.....the company is now Mystery Ranch!! Great packs
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v235/VIArcher/DSCN1786_zps3799cdda.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/VIArcher/media/DSCN1786_zps3799cdda.jpg.html)
Very, very happy with my mystery ranch. I went with the NICE frame and 7500 bag. I got the load sling and that is one great piece of kit! I'd like to pick up a crew cab bag for it for shorter trips afield. the 7500 compresses well, but I think I will like the versatility of the crew cab bag.
QuoteOriginally posted by njloco:
Kifaru UL 3700, unfortunately, lt's not made anymore,
I tested that pack early on....barrels real bad with meat or a heavy load. It doesn't surprise me they don't make it anymore....
Lots of 8-9lb packs listed....when a guy finds the right 5# pack...a light goes off.
probably not the highest quality pack on the planet, but the badlands 2200 just always fit me like a glove. even under heavy load. but, when I lost weight I got to where the belt wouldn't tighten, so, its no more...
My Badlands Sacrifice is my favorite all around pack now due to lightness and versatility for 2-4 days and still being able to carry some meat out.
The Aether 85 from Osprey is the most comfortable pack I have ever worn especially the the custom fitted waist belt option they have. not in camo but it is light, strong and very very comfortable.
beendare,
I guess you didn't use the tie offs inside the ul 3700 to keep it from barreling. They stopped making it, because people didn't pay attention to the repair instructions if they needed it, but would just send it in for repair, its still a great pack, especially for these old bones.
QuoteOriginally posted by bob@helleknife.com:
I think you need to consider Oregon Packworks in your decision making. Great pack! Add or subtract as your needs change.
Made here in Bend, OR
Bob
X2.
I've had both nimrod and badlands. The versatility of the OPW system is awesome! From multiple over night stays to day hunts, it's all I use.
Plus Karl is a Traditional Bowhunter and does a lot to support our sport.
Give them a look. http://www.oregonpackworks.com
I have not seen one that does everything. I have some favorites, but none that are perfect.
ChuckC
nj,
I tested the original prototype- no internal straps in that. Those straps came much later but by then too late. Not trying to blast your pack- glad you like it. I get to play with many of these- just relaying info is all.Put 80# of boned out elk meat and pack it 3 miles in yours and then do the same with something like their bikini frame and tell me what you think....I already know the answer....grin
If you notice, much of Kifaru stuff is gravitating to the Bikini frame. Kifaru has built a name on packing heavy loads and those frames just plain do a real good job of that....
Although it is probably available now, I would like something like that Bikini frame with a smaller (read.. light weight) pack at the small of my back for carrying hunting stuff, with a stowable fold out bag with lashing points etc to carry meat, if that happens. I don't need the bag open all the time, just to walk home some meat.
I have used a smaller Cabelas pack with a heavier game bag stuffed inside and out the top to hold meat for the carry out before. The pack was not designed for it and hurt, but it carried the meat.
Oh, and for less than $500 ( or $400, or $300)
ChuckC
beendare,
Oddly enough, my UL is one of the earlier models also and possibly one of the prototypes, but it does have the straps, mine fits my purposes perfectly as I couldn't carry 80lbs. anymore on my back, but if I could I would have a Bikini frame, it looks like the cats meow. I think if one is going to try and do any light weight or ultra light weight back packing, the UL's were a real good start.
I've gone thru a LOT of packs. The next one will be the new Kifaru Nomad on a Bikini frame. They just introduced it yesterday; kind of a Mystery Ranch Crew Cab on steroids and at half the weight. My last Kifaru was a KU5200. I could not get used to the flimsy material when it was not loaded up full. It hauled a heavy load great but was not the "one".
Anyway, you really need to try the different packs. I look at many of the pics here and remember my experiences with the same packs and how quickly they went down the road.
I have one of the original US made Badlands 2200s and the newer models do not compare. I'd not ever have another. Ebelestocks have some great "features" but once you get a heavy load do not carry it well. I have tried THREE different models and they were great until you had to haul meat.
I've had a few Sitka packs and still have a Bivy 45. Another that is fantastic until it really gets loaded down. It is SO good though for hunts like my recent mountain lion hunt, I keep it around for a heavy duty daypack.
One pack that has really, really impressed me is the KUIU Icon. I have somehow assembled two frames, two 1850 bags, a 3000, a 6000, and a 7200 bag for them. They are just about perfect for organization and do carry a heavy load well. I just do not have enough confidence in the fancy carbon fiber frame to trust it 100% yet. Having a failure in the middle of nowhere is just not an option. I'd like that feeling to go away but only time will tell.
For ME , the undisputed champ, even though they are heavy as heck are my Mystery Ranch packs. I DO have 100% confidence in them and they can haul ANY load. I have a Crew Cab, Metcalf, and 6500. Stone Glacier looks like it has a lot of the MR features with much less weight and is on my list to try.
Most guys try to go cheap and suffer. I will never forget the first training load I put in my Mystery Ranch. I suffered many, many years needlessly!
I bought a new $75-$100 pack every year trying to find the right "cheap" one. I wish I had done my research and bought a Kifaru right from the get go. Probably would have saved me many hundreds of dollars in the long run.
My first Kifaru was a used Spike Camp that I was able to sell for the same price I paid (1/2 of retail), then after liking that one so much, I was talked into buying...didn't take much convincing... a New Kifaru Late Season Legacy pack, and have no reason to purchase another for as long as I will ever be able to backpack. Comfort is superb, fit is fantastic, lightweight compared to many others, solid construction, awesome waist belt and able to carry a fair amount of weight comfortably. Carbon fiber stays fit my long torso, so the pack actually fits me, and does NOT cause any discomfort like I have experienced with all the other cheaper ones I had bought.
From reading all the responses, one thing is clear...There is no 1 perfect pack, only the pack that you prefer.
My Blue Widow works for me. With the super spike duffle, I have plenty of capacity. Used as a day pack, I can carry all I need to break down a moose and pack it out.
I didn't particularly care for the waist belt buckle, so I swapped it out with a spare Kelty Cam-Lock buckle I had. Made a great pack even better.
Eberlestock just one, it works for me.
After lots of research last summer for an AK trip and economic limits were important, I came to a Horn Hunter Full Curl. I have been very impressed. Surprised you do not hear more about them. Marketing I guess.
Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi3fLvAUkd4
Mystery ranch crew cab is sort of the gold standard in the circles I run in. Might not hurt that they are a local company. :)
So I just watched the videos on the Kifaru Nomad. Looks a lot like they copied the OPW system. I'm surprised they call it "revolutionary". I've had my pack for 3 years now and they are really similar.
I really like my Bison Gear "Lehmi". Seldom see them up for resale. That says a lot in this day and time.Good luck and good hunting. :thumbsup:
Thanks for all the feedback. Has anyone tried the Outdoorsman Optic's Hunter pack?
QuoteOriginally posted by Bill Turner:
I really like my Bison Gear "Lehmi". Seldom see them up for resale. That says a lot in this day and time.Good luck and good hunting. :thumbsup:
Man I love the looks of these. I can't afford a new one, and like you said they hardly ever come up for sale used. I just missed one a couple weeks ago. Which material is yers ?
I love my bison gear, top notch !