I'm.thinking about buying a quality pack

[RedZippa]

I purchased a Stone Glacier Solo 3300 and used it throughout this past hunting season for overnight and day scouting/hunting (about 20-25 days total). I also purchased the Stone Glacier rifle carrier system that bolts on to any of their (or other?) packs. I really like the pack, but it is a very basic setup and has one main large pocket with one smaller pocket at the top for smaller gear. You essentially store everything in the main pocket, which works pretty well (it's quite minimalist and only weighs ~5 lbs I think). I was torn between this SG and the Exo3500. I like that the Exo3500 (or other size) has outside stash pockets as these come in handy.

It's a hard decision to make, and either way, you'll likely be happy as the hunting specific packs available today are kick ass. If you are around Calgary and would like to see or try on the SG Solo 3300 I have, please send me a message and we'll see if we can arrange our schedules accordingly.

Best of luck to you!

[Stinky Coyote]

Originally Posted by chuck

What “hunting specific ripoffs” have you tried?

Eberlestock and kifaru. The kifaru was absurd money at the time and the most painful pack unloaded and loaded.

And no need to try em all, not enough money lol. Glad peeps are happy with the high dollar hunt stuff but you can get kick arse mountain gear too...often much less money and it hangs just fine if not better than.

[WhiteTailAB]

Originally Posted by Stinky Coyote

Eberlestock and kifaru. The kifaru was absurd money at the time and the most painful pack unloaded and loaded.

And no need to try em all, not enough money lol. Glad peeps are happy with the high dollar hunt stuff but you can get kick arse mountain gear too...often much less money and it hangs just fine if not better than.

Which non hunting brand packs have you used? I don't have an unlimited budget like some so I'm all about saving costs.

[mattthegorby]

Originally Posted by Stinky Coyote

Eberlestock and kifaru. The kifaru was absurd money at the time and the most painful pack unloaded and loaded.

And no need to try em all, not enough money lol. Glad peeps are happy with the high dollar hunt stuff but you can get kick arse mountain gear too...often much less money and it hangs just fine if not better than.

The thing with the mountain gear stuff if you are a cheapo is that Kijiji is full of it, so you can choose from pages and pages of stuff way under retail, lots to choose from and wheel and deal. When Mystery Ranch and similar brands come up for sale they are usually priced high enough you may as well go new.

(edit: though admittedly I see a stone glacier in my future a couple years from now)

[abbgdr]

There are several Dana Designs packs for sale on the MEC gear exchange right now(the same Danaa Gleason who builds Mystery Ranch)

https://www.mec.ca/en/gearswap/category/used-packs-4

[abbgdr]

Originally Posted by chuck

They aren’t all born in hunting.

https://youtu.be/vV2BeEctqck

You couldn't ask for a better example of why these high end internal frame hunting packs will never compete with a good external frame.
At about second 32 of the video a guy is stepping over a log with a heavy pack loaded with meat. The frame has completely failed, the top of the load lifters are below the top of his shoulders and he is carrying the bulk of the load on his shoulders, It's actually hard to watch knowing how brutal that haul out had to be. You'd be about as well off with a duffle bag with shoulder straps.
Below is a picture of a Seek Outside pack (from their site) loaded with about 120lbs. The load lifters height is about the middle of the ear where it should be and are able to take the load off the shoulder straps and transfer it onto the hips where it should be. It could just as well have been a Frontier Gear or any other properly sized freighter pack
I notice some hunting pack companies are offering "light weight" frames and suspensions. It's really hard to believe two 1/16 inch or 1/8 inch carbon fibre stays are going to hold up under a massive load,, highly unlikely. And what you'll get is what the guy in the video displayed, a frame system that collapses under heavy load leaving you to carry the bulk of the load on your shoulders. Especially brutal if you have a long hike out.
The downside to some freighter frame/pack systems like Barneys, is they can be in the 8-9 lb range. But then so are some of the high end packs like Kifaru and Mystery Ranch once they are fully outfitted. If I know I'm likely to be packing out a heavy load over any distance it's a no brainer, I'm taking the pack with the best load hauling capability. A little extra pack weight going in is a minor consideration so long as it's capable of handling the load going out.
Of course it doesn't hurt if your pack/frame system is about 1/2 the weight and almost 1/2 the price of some of these high dollar hunting packs.
The longer you do this, the further and higher up your packing, the more important "base" weight becomes. If you can cut by 1/2 the weight of your pack, sleeping bag, shelter, cook system, clothing, etc, the more enjoyable the whole experience is going to be. Especially on the hike out! If your not packing that far and will never be far from horse, quads or truck then base weight really doesn't matter and a guy is far more likely to sacrifice a little comfort for convenience.
Coming from a climbing, backpacking, background, I prefer simplicity and minimalism. Thats why I like the Seek Outside gear. They get the minimalist mentality and still deliver on load carrying capability. Plus the X-Pack material they use is incredibly tough, washes up really well and is waterproof. They don't sacrifice durability for weight savings like some pack companies who use lighter less durable fabrics in their "lightweight systems.
To each their own, everyones requirements are different. When I bought my SO pack I was looking for a higher capacity pack for packrafting, the fact that I can use it for hunting is a bonus. The beauty of good outdoor gear is that it can be multi purposed. I get such a kick out of Kuiu, they have fantastic equipment, but 99% of it I already have from other pursuits, it's just not camo and it cost way, way, less. It boggles my mind how good marketing can talk usually sensible people into paying double,, more power to them,, someone has to pay for their sheep hunts.

[Pathfinder76]

Second 32 is a first generation NICE frame. They had no load lifters.

https://youtu.be/NAubroFwyTs

[Stinky Coyote]

Originally Posted by WhiteTailAB

Which non hunting brand packs have you used? I don't have an unlimited budget like some so I'm all about saving costs.

Gregory and osprey...osprey is much better imo, you’ll likely find reviews to corroborate this also.

Arcteryx bora line would be the Cadillac, a family member who is a full time mountain guy, trains mountain guide to be mountain guide, summer guides Dahl’s sheep and caribou for over 20 yrs mostly likes bora’s. The loads he puts in them. I believe mine is an osprey xenith 88. Quite happy with it, can find new under 300 bucks pretty easy from recollection.

[TAK Precision]

What about badlands?

I picked up a new badlands ox on a closing sale for $285. Haven’t had a chance to test it out but I’ve packed it and it holds enough for a multi day trip + whatever meat you need to haul.

[abbgdr]

Originally Posted by chuck

Second 32 is a first generation NICE frame. They had no load lifters.

https://youtu.be/NAubroFwyTs

No load lifters??? Dana Design packs have been using load lifters for decades and he built a hunting specific pack without them? That really is unfathomable, or that people actually bought them.
That has to be the best example of an uninformed demographic falling for slick marketing that I've ever heard of.

[Pathfinder76]

Originally Posted by abbgdr

No load lifters??? Dana Design packs have been using load lifters for decades and he built a hunting specific pack without them? That really is unfathomable, or that people actually bought them.
That has to be the best example of an uninformed demographic falling for slick marketing that I've ever heard of.

They do now and have for several years. I’m not sure how you can be sharing the comments you are with obviously zero experience with the packs you are discussing.

[lastlatvian]

Anyone ever us a 2nd gen ILBE Backpack from USMC, they're like 150 bucks on ebay and designed by Arc'teryx

[abbgdr]

Originally Posted by chuck

They do now and have for several years. I’m not sure how you can be sharing the comments you are with obviously zero experience with the packs you are discussing.

I don't have to be one of the poor suckers who actually bought that particular poorly designed pack to be able to make an assessment on how poorly it was carrying the load in that video. I'm actually in disbelief that Mystery Ranch would have included that footage as it's a classic example of how not to design a pack for carrying heavy loads. I find it a little disturbing that a pack designer with such a stellar reputation would bring to market a hunting pack that was missing such a critical component. No wonder he incorporated load lifters in later designs,, he had to,, what he had wasn't working! I'll admit I have issues with MR packs. I sold a Terraplane several years ago as the suspension system was sloppy and the bloody thing was ridiculously heavy for it's capacity. I still own an MR day pack that also never gets used for the same reason. I'm just not a fan. There are far too many better options available that weigh half the weight. I get it, most hunters aren't backpackers or climbers and really just don't have the experience to know what to look for. Unfortunately this leaves them to the mercy of whatever the hunting pack makers bring to market,, good and bad. I went on my first multi day backpacking trip 52 years ago with my father and brother on a section of the PCT. I have spent my entire life backpacking and climbing and have developed very strong ideas of what a pack should and shouldn't do. I can't count the number of packs of varying designs I've used or tried from partners over the years. It's one thing to do internet research, it's a whole other world to actually strap the bloody thing to your back and hump it up into the alpine for days or weeks at a time. The first conclusion you'll come to is, the less weight your packing the better! Followed closely by the more weight I can take off my shoulders and put on my hips the better. Guys will spend thousands of dollars to shed 3 lbs from their rifle but will then strap on whatever monstrosity of a pack is being marketed to them. It really doesn't make any sense, why not save weight everywhere? The first hunting pack designer that gets with the current backpacking/climbing trend of going ultralight will change the game. I hate to think what they'll charge considering the cost of some of the new high tech fabrics. Everyone needs to do their own due diligence to find out whats available and make a determination of what their needs are and what will actually work for them. Just don't get tunnel vision. There have been many excellent designs over the years that will work very well for hunting, and can be had for a fraction of the cost.

[Pathfinder76]

And still you have zero experience with Stone Glacier and Mystery Ranch packs built in the last decade. Like you said, nothing beats strapping a pack to your back and actually using it.

You are also talking complete circles regarding pack weight.

[Neut]

Kuiu makes a nice pack, they are very light. I run a Kifaru and am more than happy with it. It was expensive, but built like a tank and very comfortable. For a day pack I've got a mystery ranch popup 28 and it is a great little pack. Not built for much weight but has the capability of putting a quarter between the pack and the frame which could be useful. I've heard great reviews of other MR packs like the Pintler. Also heard great reviews of the Stone glacier packs as well. Good luck! If you're like me you'll get lucky and get one you love right off the hop. I would always go a little bigger than you think you need. Easy to compress most of these packs down a bit when not needed. Tough to add more space to them after the fact.

[Tony the fish]

There is a lot of good info out there on packs now , destruction tests,reviews, opinions etc. I just went through all this and decided on an exo 3500. I am extremely happy with it, I have yet to hunt with it , but I have been climbing flights of stairs and shooting my bow with 50 lbs in it, it moves well , very comfortable. Probably enough capacity for 4 days. There are a lot of testimonies of it carrying upwards of 250 lbs. the titanium frame makes it very light. Super Happy with it , can’t wait to get it bloody


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[Karna]

FWI Jimbows has the Mystery Ranch Selway currently on sale 20% off

Very nice pack and pretty light for MR

[mk63]

I upgraded to the stone glacier from Eberlstock, my elk hunting partner uses the EXO and there are some features on his pack that make me pretty Jealous. The built in dry bag feature on the EXO pack is pretty slick.

[mk63]

Originally Posted by chuck

And still you have zero experience with Stone Glacier and Mystery Ranch packs built in the last decade. Like you said, nothing beats strapping a pack to your back and actually using it.

You are also talking complete circles regarding pack weight.

It must be exhausting to argue with people about absolutely everything.....unbelievable.

[Pathfinder76]

Originally Posted by mk63

It must be exhausting to argue with people about absolutely everything.....unbelievable.

This response is an absolute lie. This is the garbage I disagree with.

[ChrisF]

I can't say enough good things about the Seek Outside frames and packs. I've got their Peregrine bag which detaches from the Revolution frame. The whole thing is quite light but carries 80-100 lb loads effectively. The hip belt also fits super comfortably whether I'm in a t-shirt or bulked right up for a November hunt. After some discussion with the owner I went with the 4" frame extensions and it works well with my abnormally long torso.

[rem338win]

Originally Posted by abbgdr

I don't have to be one of the poor suckers who actually bought that particular poorly designed pack to be able to make an assessment on how poorly it was carrying the load in that video. I'm actually in disbelief that Mystery Ranch would have included that footage as it's a classic example of how not to design a pack for carrying heavy loads. I find it a little disturbing that a pack designer with such a stellar reputation would bring to market a hunting pack that was missing such a critical component. No wonder he incorporated load lifters in later designs,, he had to,, what he had wasn't working! I'll admit I have issues with MR packs. I sold a Terraplane several years ago as the suspension system was sloppy and the bloody thing was ridiculously heavy for it's capacity. I still own an MR day pack that also never gets used for the same reason. I'm just not a fan. There are far too many better options available that weigh half the weight. I get it, most hunters aren't backpackers or climbers and really just don't have the experience to know what to look for. Unfortunately this leaves them to the mercy of whatever the hunting pack makers bring to market,, good and bad. I went on my first multi day backpacking trip 52 years ago with my father and brother on a section of the PCT. I have spent my entire life backpacking and climbing and have developed very strong ideas of what a pack should and shouldn't do. I can't count the number of packs of varying designs I've used or tried from partners over the years. It's one thing to do internet research, it's a whole other world to actually strap the bloody thing to your back and hump it up into the alpine for days or weeks at a time. The first conclusion you'll come to is, the less weight your packing the better! Followed closely by the more weight I can take off my shoulders and put on my hips the better. Guys will spend thousands of dollars to shed 3 lbs from their rifle but will then strap on whatever monstrosity of a pack is being marketed to them. It really doesn't make any sense, why not save weight everywhere? The first hunting pack designer that gets with the current backpacking/climbing trend of going ultralight will change the game. I hate to think what they'll charge considering the cost of some of the new high tech fabrics. Everyone needs to do their own due diligence to find out whats available and make a determination of what their needs are and what will actually work for them. Just don't get tunnel vision. There have been many excellent designs over the years that will work very well for hunting, and can be had for a fraction of the cost.

There was a loy of derp, derp, derp in this. SG does have ultralight packs that are carrying very heavy loads. My frame and all additions ready to go on my Sky Archer is 5lbs. What else do you need? They arent the only proactive ones either.

Ive used Cabelas, Osprey, Eberlestock and now SG. Not one of the previous come close in comfort, usability and weihht combined.

[Pathfinder76]

Originally Posted by rem338win

There was a loy of derp, derp, derp in this. SG does have ultralight packs that are carrying very heavy loads. My frame and all additions ready to go on my Sky Archer is 5lbs. What else do you need? They arent the only proactive ones either.

Ive used Cabelas, Osprey, Eberlestock and now SG. Not one of the previous come close in comfort, usability and weihht combined.

As a general rule, I agree that many “hunting” packs are garbage. But hunters are unique in that their packs can get much heavier real quick. And room can be needed all of a sudden.

I’ve used Eberlestock, North Face, Arcteryx, Osprey, Mystery Ranch, and now Stone Glacier and I will say the last two are no gimmick. And I’d not want to pack some of the loads I’ve carried in my MR packs in some of the others and my Stone Glacier pack looks to be the best of the bunch.

I can start the day with a full 40L pack and finish by adding 65lbs of Mule Deer roasts to it before heading to the truck.

[finner-duramax]

I bought the Exo 5500 last year, it’s super lite weight and sinches down to nothing for day pack uses. Very comfortable and usable for all uses.
I didn’t a 6 day sheep hunt last year, held 40lbs very comfortably going in. Compacted very small and tight during day hikes.

[Xbolt7mm]

Once you read chuck and the others squacking and arguing about what pack works for you did you make a decision, interested to know what you may get or already did get.

[Pathfinder76]

Originally Posted by Xbolt7mm

Once you read chuck and the others squacking and arguing about what pack works for you did you make a decision, interested to know what you may get or already did get.

What pack do you use?

[Deer Hunter]

Originally Posted by finner-duramax

I bought the Exo 5500 last year, it’s super lite weight and sinches down to nothing for day pack uses. Very comfortable and usable for all uses.
I didn’t a 6 day sheep hunt last year, held 40lbs very comfortably going in. Compacted very small and tight during day hikes.

This is a very comfortable pack for me. As you mentioned, lightweight and compact yet you can put more in it than you can possibly carry. The waist belt and lumbar pad work well together

[Prairiewolf]

Originally Posted by Stinky Coyote

Osprey packs, forget the hunting specific rip offs, go with mountain gear already made for it for 1/3rd the price maybe less. I’ve tried it all, the money i wasted...ugh

Good advice here, I've used an Osprey Aether 70 for a few years now. I thought about a Mystery Ranch Marshall for awhile but really no reason to buy something else. The fit is good, its green, it works. Feels a bit looser now that its packed an elk out but still good for upcoming season.

[Tony the fish]

Love my exo


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[Stinky Coyote]

My osprey xenith 88 had a sleeping bag shelf and some hipsack belts for the top pocket that I of course trimmed the heck out as any gear junky would. Might have replaced the zipper pull loops with some reflective 4mm paracord pulls. All up it’s around 5 1/4 lbs maybe 5 1/2? Memory faded but no more than that. When you get on sale for I think I got mine for 280? A lot of pack for the money, it’ll do. If I hauled for industry I’d look at boras and those Barney externals. Recreational hunting...ospreys have a pretty good rep with hunters.