Hunting backpacks

there is one bag made by Millet then Deuter caled Isard, so it is well used for hunting chamois or sheep in Europe.
still have it.

while guiding in Northern Quebec i used a Kelty Cache Hauler and never had an issue with it. still have it.

we have too a LLbean Hauler and really not that bad.

there is a very high hype with MR but i dont think the price asked is really good but that s just me and i had one for evaluation for a while and it was good but not that much on my opinion.
 
Ok, I have 2 thoughts on this. First I'm amazed no one has the Wilderness wanderer. After seeing them advertised in the BC hunting regs for years and with a major endorsement(10+ years ago) and testimonial from Jim Shockey I'd have thought they'd be more popular. I have a buddy who bought one a couple years ago and he loves it. He's packed out a lot of elk.

Second, the same buddy and I packed out 2 blacktail each in one go. It was almost 5 hours from packs loaded to packs in the truck. Talk about shaky legs. We're pretty sure my pack was over 100lbs with the quarters from 2 blacktail. I did later pack out my cow elk in the Kootenays and it was nothing compared to that 4blacktail day. I bought a scale just so I could weigh my elk.quarters. The hinds were a repectable 65lbs. His pack at the time was an external frame with a big bag, chest and waist belts, no tag or anything. I just had a frame with the bag off a trapper nelson and shoulder straps only (shoulders ached a week, had red marks that took a couple.days to fade). So he bought the Wilderness wanderer after that trip.

I upgraded my pack by getting a Kuny's padded belt and shoulder rig from Rona. It really worked wonders for $50. I had planned to rivet the attachments or stitch them, but I'm a procrastinator so for my cow elk draw I ended up relying on the velcro system (which is 2"x3” of quality contact area). It held up great for the four loads it took to get my elk out.

As it is I'm always looking at packs, the WW is $400ish which is a bit steep to me. I've been on up to 5day trips with internal frame packs(Wenzel 80l boght at Costco 15years ago) and I know it can be comfy but they're not super strong. I've got cheapies I know but my 65l of the same brand had the shoulder harness come completely off(luckily with only 1km to go). Even my Rocky day pack has some stitches coming out on the outer pocket.

Best of luck to everyone, I'm enjoying this thread and watching it carefully.

Willy
 
The mystery ranch metcalf is what I use it's a bit pricey and a little heavy but for hauling meat it is great, I packed out about 150lbs of caribou meat and antlers for 7 km with it this year. my back was fine the load was very well distributed but my legs were shot by the end of it haha. It compresses really well for use as a day pack and also has a top lid that converts to a small daypack. I use it to pack all my kit in then when camp is set up I compress it and take what I need for the day, if I shoot something there's no need to go back to camp to get anything I just debone the animal and either pack it out to the truck or back to camp, if need be I will leave the camp and go back for it a day or 2 later. Anyway for my needs mystery ranch works well but if you are not hauling meat or really heavy loads there is probably lighter options. Btw the pack rides so well that as a daypack I really don't even notice it there.
 
wilbar said:
Ok, I have 2 thoughts on this. First I'm amazed no one has the Wilderness wanderer. After seeing them advertised in the BC hunting regs for years
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I noticed another external frame pack advertised in the BC hunting regs this year. Available at Skyview outdoors in Surrey. Made by Eureka. 2 models. One called Elk and the other called Moose. My brother picked one up (Elk model) and we used it on our Chilcotin deer hunt this fall. I was very impressed. Pack was big and roomy, 73 litre capacity. Lots of room for all the gear for a 4 day back pack hunt. Frame was very sturdy and had the fold down shelf for load support. Harness was very comfortable and was great with a load on (front half of a big mule deer). The harness is fully adjustable. Price is pretty good too. Under $200 for pack and frame.
There is one other external frame pack that I have been considering. Brand name is Tatonka . A friend has one and it is a very solid set up. I haven't had the opportunity to load it up and go for a hike with it yet but I plan to do so before I shell out for a new pack.
 
Brno,

I love the Chilcotin. I lived, hiked, hunted, and worked there. I go back as often as I can. Including a fishing trip to Bella Coola I'm making my 4th trip there this fall ( I'm heading up Thursday morning).

Great idea to try before you buy as well.

Willy
 
wilbar said:
Ok, I have 2 thoughts on this. First I'm amazed no one has the Wilderness wanderer. After seeing them advertised in the BC hunting regs for years and with a major endorsement(10+ years ago) and testimonial from Jim Shockey I'd have thought they'd be more popular. I have a buddy who bought one a couple years ago and he loves it. He's packed out a lot of elk.
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For their time they were a good pack but technology has left them pretty far behind in my opinion. That plus holy crap are they heavy.
 
I have this one on order, can't wait to try it out this winter.

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I can't believe no one has mention the 5.11 Rush series??? I have 5 of them,..Packed and ready to go for various deployments and outdoor activities.

For deer/elk hunting, I LOVE the Rush 24 which is offered in multi cam. I have used and purchased many many different makes (Estock,..etc..) and in my humble opinion,..none compare to the Rush series.

Even my BOB is a Rush 72. Holds piles of gear for all sorts of situations.

Cheers!! Hairy Krisna
 
Silverado said:
Are any of the lower-cost external frame packs even worth considering, for casual (couple animals a year) use?

I see some house brand packs at Cabelas and Bass Pro and a couple at Sportsman's Guide in the $150-250 range...
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You might try a Camp Trails, either a moose bag or elk bag. I've used one quite a lot and still have it although I've moved on to a Mystery Ranch NICE 6500 now. My partner still uses a Camp Trails every trip and it never lets him down.
I really like my Mystery Ranch. Yes they are heavy but they do make hauling a lot of weight fairly comfortable, as in no sore or raw spots at the end of the day. I wouldn't mind trying a Barneys some time though. The perfect pack hasn't been built yet.
 
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Hairy Krisna said:
I can't believe no one has mention the 5.11 Rush series??? I have 5 of them,..Packed and ready to go for various deployments and outdoor activities.

For deer/elk hunting, I LOVE the Rush 24 which is offered in multi cam. I have used and purchased many many different makes (Estock,..etc..) and in my humble opinion,..none compare to the Rush series.

Even my BOB is a Rush 72. Holds piles of gear for all sorts of situations.

Cheers!! Hairy Krisna
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I have a Rush 72 and it's a great pack...for carrying stuff to and from the truck or carrying on the 'plane. But as a serious pack it falls short. Too short in the back and not built tough enough to take the abuse that a hunting pack should take. As an example I have an Arc'teryx Bora 30 that I've had for 20 years and it's still as good and dependable a pack as it ever was. I've carried it hundreds of miles while riding snowmobiles or packing it on my hind legs all over Europe and Canada. My Rush 72 has been around for about 5 years and is showing signs of wear and age.
 
Silverado said:
Are any of the lower-cost external frame packs even worth considering, for casual (couple animals a year) use?

I see some house brand packs at Cabelas and Bass Pro and a couple at Sportsman's Guide in the $150-250 range...
Click to expand...

I had my own question answered for me today. My girlfriend noted that I checked out a couple of house brand frame packs at BPS the last time we were in Calgary, and noted that I passed on said packs.

Today for Christmas she gave me a Badlands OX frame pack... far from "lower-cost". She did her own research online, and came up with the OX. Coincidentally (and not something we have ever discussed, ever...) I've coveted this exact pack since I worked in a shop that carried Badlands quite a few years ago. She was nervous that I wouldn't like it, as she's figured out just how particular I am about certain things. When I told her the story, she was just about happier with her choice than I was.

The pack is awesome. In case it doesn't go without saying, the girl is awesome too!
 
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I've been using a camp trails elk pack for several years of mountain hunting and back packing. It has worked awesome. The only words of caution I can give is that my father in law had another camp trails pack bought a bit more recently and the thing was a POS. The eyelets and webbing lasted maybe the first hour of a goat hunt. Just about ruined the weekend. You could tell that the design had changed and wasn't quite as heavy. I don't know how often the stuff changes but the bag and frame were the same but the straps were garbage on the pack the father in law had. I've beat the hell out of mine though and it has a few more hard seasons left in it so can't say they're all bad FWIW. This is mine:




For day trips I use an Under Armour Reaper backpack. It's hardly roomy.....more like mens lululemon hunting #### but functional and plenty to go knock something down and come up with a retrieval plan after.

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For day trips I routinely use a eureka eyenstein backpack
Back in school I got tired of breaking cheap backpacks and went to he local outdoors store and got that instead
It's lasted 16 yearsand looks brand new.
Not sure what the larger eureka brand packs are like
 
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