Hunting Packs

[bugle22]

I am looking to get a new hunting pack. I have looked at the Sitka flash 20 or the 32. I cant decide on what size. I have also looked at the new badlands 2200 one that comes out in july. I can't decide what are your guys suggestions about these backs or other one you like?

 

[hhunter23]

im a big fan of badlands. i have the older style 2200 and ive packed out whole deer with it, without any problems. plus thier warranty is awesome. watch camofire.com they have the 2200 on sale quite a bit and they ship fast. i personally think sitka gear is WAY over priced so i dont look into them very much.





"Shoot Straight"

 

[HorseCreek]

What are your primary uses for the pack? Load hauling? Day pack? 3-5 day pack? That's a pretty broad question.


Traditional >>>------->

 

[grizzly]

I'm assuming you are looking for a daypack with the options posted. The older Badlands has had some issues, I bet the new one is awesome.

I never could justify the Sitka packs, and bought the Eberlestock X2 which I really like. Remedy 7 (Blacks Creek) has some new packs that are really nice, too.

At the Expo, I had a chance to play with the new KUIU 1850 which absolutely wowed me. If I can afford it, my next pack will be the KUIU; then I can easily add the larger pack bag to it with the modular frame system for longer hunts.

PS. The meat carrying system on the 1850 works way better than I ever thought it could. You could easily haul an elk quarter in between the 1850 and the frame.

Grizzly

PS. Tristate, please be an adult and respect my wishes that you do not respond to any of my posts. I, in turn, will do you the courtesy of not responding to any of yours. I simply do not wish to converse with you.

 

[downsouth]

I'll second the KUIU packs. I bought one for last hunting season and it was awesome. The load sling that Grizzly talked about above works great.

 

[sagebrush]

www.kifaru.net

A quality product and somewhere in their product line is exactly the right pack for your intended use. The gunbearer system is the best made if you are a rifle hunter.

 

[DryFlyGuy]

I have used the flash 32 for the last two years and it is a good pack. It is light, quiet and is well ventilated. Having said that, I am totally in the market for a Kifaru system. That is a whole nother tax bracket, but it is worth to me.

 

[wymoose]

What's your price range? Here's my choices as far as a day pack that can carry loads: Eberlestock X2, Badlands 2200, HornHunter mainbeam. These all fall under $250 - and are all great packs. There are others out there that will do great for you as well. If you're willing so spend more you can look at the Kuiu, Mystery Ranch, and Kifaru.


WYmoose

 

[goinhuntn]

LAST EDITED ON Mar-06-13 AT 10:37PM (MST)[p]I would check out hornhunter packs the mainbeam for a daypack or fullcurl can also be a daypack as well as packing out meat.

 

[sagebrush]

Spend $400-600 once or spend $250 every year. My Kifaru is heading into its thirteenth season.

 

[Z]

I would look at the Horn Hunter Full Curl system. I currently use it and it has the ability to go from a pack frame type pack with 600 ci of space and a meat shelf to a 5000 ci pack and anywhere in between.

Great pack, awesome construction, and very comfortable.

 

[highcountryhays]

Sounds like there are some pretty knowledgeable people out there regarding back packs. I bought a Eberlestock J34 but haven't used it yet. I was wondering what the consensus was on it?

 

[Pills]

Has anyone used the MR crew cab? I am thinking about pulling the trigger on this as a day pack that can double as a meat hauler. I will also use if for back pack hunts.

 

[brdhuntr]

My son in law and i bought the Eberlestock Blue Widow last year,and it is a great meat hauler and rides well. The pack is very well made,and the buckles and straps are BEEFY. I also like the add on scabbard,which has plenty of room for a scoped gun. I would stay away from Sitka packs, as ive owned the 2200 and the 4500. The buckles broke,and are real flimsy,and i could barely fit a deer hind quarter in the 2200. I packed two Elk last year,and there is tons of room in the Eberlstock. Ive heard the Mystery is a well made pack as well. Good luck..

 

[falloutwest]

I have one of the origional "Just One" packs from Eberlestock that has to be close to ten years old now. It has served me well. After that many years and hundreds of miles and thousands of feet, I will never own a pack without a build in scabbard. Some of the zippers and buckles finally started to break down, but I just sent if back and they replaced the zippers and buckles....good as new. However, being that the pack is such and early model, it works great as a day pack but really is not very comfortable when it is unzipped and loaded down. You can see how it sags in this photo packing out this year's buck.

I was in Sportsman's Warehouse a few days ago and saw the new Eberlestock M5 Team Elk pack. Seems like a great new pack with all the great features Eberlestock has on many of it's packs rolled into one, with a lightmweight external aluminum frame and freighter shelf. I think I will get one of these before next hunting season.

 

[nfh]

Look into mystery ranch. Nice custom fit. Also made in america. With lifetime warranty

 

[NMPaul]

>I have one of the origional
>"Just One" packs from Eberlestock
>that has to be close
>to ten years old now.
>It has served me well.
>After that many years and
>hundreds of miles and thousands
>of feet, I will never
>own a pack without a
>build in scabbard. Some
>of the zippers and buckles
>finally started to break down,
>but I just sent if
>back and they replaced the
>zippers and buckles....good as new.
> However, being that the
>pack is such and early
>model, it works great as
>a day pack but really
>is not very comfortable when
>it is unzipped and loaded
>down. You can see how
>it sags in this photo
>packing out this year's buck.
>
>
>

>
>
>I was in Sportsman's Warehouse a
>few days ago and saw
>the new Eberlestock M5 Team
>Elk pack. Seems like
>a great new pack with
>all the great features Eberlestock
>has on many of it's
>packs rolled into one, with
>a lightmweight external aluminum frame
>and freighter shelf. I
>think I will get one
>of these before next hunting
>season.

I am with falloutwest.

I have been through lots of packs including Mystery Ranch (way over rated) and I think the J34 is one of the best for my hunting style. I will look into the M5.
I also agree that having a built in scabbard is a must for a pack.

That strap stuff is a joke.

 

[UT1031]

There are some great packs out there. I currently have a Badlands 2200 and it has been used to pack out a dozen elk in the past three years and this year put 1/2 of a big cow in it. Naother pack that has not been brought up is the Blacks Creek Remedy 7. They are US made in Caldwell, Idaho and are made very well with many options!

 

[Deerlove]

Gotta love opinions but that J series eberlestock was the worst pack for weight that Ive ever used. A pack should not droop like that.

 

[falloutwest]

I agree that it is not great with a bunch of weight (especially a ten year old one), but you also have to consider what the pack was designed for. It is a day pack 95% of the time that, for it's time, was outstanding for its built-in scabbard, hydration, and camo patterns. When you killed something, it served great to unzip it and take the first load out, grab the Alaskan Guide frame and take the rest. However, the new version seem much more suited for the weight.

I think if you truely are only going to use one pack for everything, going with Mystery Ranch or Kifaru is the way to do it. However, I prefer a day pack with build in scabbard, not too much bulk, smart compartments, and some versatility to pack a decent first load out. After that, its external fram time to get serious with tripple didget weight. I realize in some cases, one trip is it.......

Like you said, everyone's opinion differs.......

 

[swbuckmaster]

I had the badlands 2200 pack. I liked it at first but the more I used it I found things I just didn't like. First the belt wouldn't cinch up tight enough around my waist to take the load off my shoulders. I don't have a skinny waist! The second thing I hated was how every time I ducked scrub oak the pack stuck up so high above my head it would break the scrub oak, leaves, dirt and dump them down the back of my neck. I would have to take the pack off and take my shirt off to get the crud before it made it to my shorts. The pack would not carry my bow by resting it on my shoulders like other packs ive tried so I was left with holding my bow all day or strapping it to the pack. I think it might be ok for the taller guys because my taller friends seem to like it but it wasn't for me and I sold mine.

I switched to the eberlestock x2 pack. It fits my frame well. Its the size of a day pack but has a aluminum external frame so you can load it up. Ive packed elk quarters and Ive even packed enough gear to stay over nighters. My bow rides on top of my shoulders and on top of the pack without anything tieing it down. Its always ready when I need it. The x2 will carry my spotting scope, tripod, camera, extra clothes, food, ect. Its a very versatile pack for guys my height.

who farted?

 

[Outdoors]

I have and use 3 packs.

Belly pack that belts around waist. No shoulder straps. I always wear this. I place items here that need quick access such as wet wipes, chap stick, topo, ballistics sheet, gun ammo, calls, knife, tape measure, head lamp, gloves, etc. A large bottle of water snugs into a pouch. My gps fits in the pouch. My rangefinder cord loops on a belt loop and it goes into a pocket in pants or shirt...too dang easy to drop the rangefinder it seems).

Binos are on a 4-strap system that holds them tight to my chest.

If need more room then I add one of my other 2 packs.

Eberstock (X1, I think) that is many years old. Use this for day hikes. My rifle or muzzie will fit in the scabboard and centers the weight on my back. Does stick up a bit if I am busting through low branches. I can reach over my shoulder and gram my rifle in a second. Inside the pack is room for water bladder, spotter scope (tripod can go in scabboard if scouting otherwise have to lash to the pack), jacket, small saw, rope, first aid kit, game bags, lunch and snacks, stocking cap, more water bottles if not using a bladder system, camera.

Mystery Ranch 6500. I put all the items that would be in the Eberstock plus my tent, sleeping pad and bag, extra food, jetboil, water filter, etc. No scabboard for rifle or muzzie so strap the weapon on outside of the pack if am hiking. If spot and stalking then I shoulder the rifle but hate the off-balance tugging this creates.

I use one walking stick if either the pack is over 30 pounds or the terrain is steeper than 20 degrees.

 

[torowy]

LAST EDITED ON Mar-22-13 AT 01:19PM (MST)[p]Here are some reviews from the guys at hunt addicts.com

http://www.#####.com/best-backpack-for-hunting-under-250/

Edit: well apparently founder doesn't want anyone going over there because he blocks the site.

 

[Bigtines2]

Anybody have any experience with the new badlands 2200? I am looking at using this pack as a 3 day pack as well as a day pack

 

[DryFlyGuy]

I'll sell you my 2200 with bladder. I like the pack alright, I just have too many and one has got to go.

PM me if you are interested.

 

[NMPaul]

>Anybody have any experience with the
>new badlands 2200? I am
>looking at using this pack
>as a 3 day pack
>as well as a day
>pack


My son uses one. I cant imagine it being used for a 3 day back pack trip. Cant imagine any 2200" pack being used for that.

It makes a good day pack that will haul a little meat out also.

I do not like the way it carries a rifle though. Like the J34 much better.

It compacts down to even smaller than the badlands 2200, will open up to over 4000, and carries a rifle better than any pack I have owned.

I own 2 of them. I bought both used for $200. They are out there.