Packs

[bezzola]

Im looking at a pack that i can use for hiking and hunting would have to be big enough for at least 2 day.
I am currently looking at kuiu and mystery ranch any have these brands. Any suggestions or what to look for would be awesome.

[Mountainaccent]

I have a Kuiu 3200 now and absolutely love it best pack I’ve ever had. Had a mystery ranch pop up last year wasnt bad either but nothing like the kuiu.

[Akoch]

I have a Kifaru timberline and like it, handles weight really well. Friends have Kuiu icons and they like them. Lots of guys like their stone glacier and exo packs. You’ll occasionally find a good deal on a high end pack on here.

There are some serious backpack keeners in here that will dissect pros and cons of all of them but what I’ve found is that unless you are using your gear to it’s maximum extent on a regular basis the subtleties won’t matter much. I shot a moose this year 10 kms from the lake we flew into, 4 of us had 4 different packs and equal amounts of weight, and we were all equally miserable but the packs all survived.

[MooseRiverTrapper]

The mystery ranch is over built and too heavy. Look at the kuiu or stone glacier.

[bezzola]

Is there a place in Alberta that sells kiui i would like to look at them so hard to tell online.

[MooseRiverTrapper]

Might be able to meet of with Dallas Cota somewhere and check one out. Other then that wait for the sportsman shows in spring.

[bezzola]

Who's Dallas cota

[NinjaHunter]

buy a military surplus Mollee backpack. Or an alice pack.

It's cheaper, and will do the same job. If the american army uses it, it should be good enough for your purpose.

https://www.fcsurplus.ca/shopping/pr...my-style-bags/

[Esox]

Hands down two best pack brands ive used are Kifaru and Stone Glacier. Lots of guys also like Mystery ranch and kuiu but kifaru and stone glacier have been my favorite. If you have time head down to Bozeman as there are lots of stores that have the different packs compared to up here. Stone glacier headquarters is also there and worth the stop. We went down when I was looking for new boots as there are a few shops down there for boots to compared to up here.

[wmd]

Precision Optics sells stone glacier and Omar is great to deal with.

[Pathfinder76]

I prefer the Stone Glacier. By far the most comfortable pack I’ve used. And it’s design is tough to beat. Here are some comments from another hunting forum posted a couple of days ago.

“We did a very in-depth user evaluation of available packs a couple years ago, everyone that had a viable offering was represented (something like 36-38 packs), and by far the highest rated pack was a Stone Glacier. Over a year long, 44 guys with each one being educated on pack wear and setup, then using each pack during work, mountain training etc.”

[Dubious]

The unfortunate thing about high end hunting backpacks is you can’t rent them and test them before you commit to buy one so you have to rely on what other people have said. Sometimes guys get emotionally attached to brands and like to pick there fav horse to win over function. I had to go through a few seasons on trying and buying different packs out before I got to the mystery ranch Marshall. I started with military surplus packs these where some of the worst and comparable to in house brands they where uncomfortable and heavy. Next I switched to eberlestock m2 transformer and pack board. The pack fit well but it had poor volume was bulky loud. Now I’m onto the mystery ranch Marshall it fits well isn’t bulky and hauls as much as I can lift. I’ve been running it for 3 seasons and right now don’t see a reason to switch to another brand unless I want a smaller day pack.

Heres an interesting video on a stress test the go hunt guys did on some of the more popular brands. There was a few surprising results for sure.

https://www.gohunt.com/video/backpac...test#gs.4yg2qr

[Prairiewolf]

If you don't need a meat shelf in your pack, buy an Osprey.

If you want a meat shelf, get a Mystery Ranch. Guys say they're heavy but thats not telling the whole story. Packs that fit you make alot of sense, and Mystery Ranch often fit great. A poorly fitted pack will get noticed far earlier than a pack that's a bit heavier. Also, the heaviness means the pack won't distort on your hike or after you've hauled big loads, which I've heard Kuiu can do (no personal experience with Kuiu packs mind you).

[Prdtrgttr]

I have the Kuiu Ultra 3000 bag, I've upgraded the suspension and the bag. It's a very user friendly pack. I don't like the old school attachments that have the push buckles and wire hook ups. When moving to a meat pack from regular carry, the bag removal and re-attachment takes longer than I would like, and the fabric can be noisy. However, overall, it's a very well designed pack.
The one that has really caught my eye lately, is the MR-Metcalf.
Curious what you decide. Good luck 2 u.

[Pathfinder76]

Originally Posted by Prairiewolf

If you don't need a meat shelf in your pack, buy an Osprey.

If you want a meat shelf, get a Mystery Ranch. Guys say they're heavy but thats not telling the whole story. Packs that fit you make alot of sense, and Mystery Ranch often fit great. A poorly fitted pack will get noticed far earlier than a pack that's a bit heavier. Also, the heaviness means the pack won't distort on your hike or after you've hauled big loads, which I've heard Kuiu can experience with Kuiu packs mind you).

I have packed a lot of miles with osprey, Mystery Ranch, Stone Glacier and others. IMO Osprey cannot compare to the others and the meat shelf on the Mystery Ranch cannot compare to the Stone Glacier.

I love Mystery Ranch packs, I’ve had three of them, and would recommend them in a heartbeat, but I prefer the Stone Glacier for comfort and multi use design.

[nimrod]

No talk about Exo packs, I sold my stone glacier pack as it did not fit me very well, bought the exo pack 5500, and now this is my go to pack, also has a meat shelf, now looking at the 7000 or close to it pack from exo all packs fit the shoulder harness I believe.