backpack hunting: pack recommendations?

[actionshooter]

I see your location is Bozeman, your in the backpack capitol. In your town you have Stone Glacier and Mystery Ranch, check them out in person. Bet they might have some 2nds?

[blackveltbowhunter]

Upland.... If you havent seen it already, theres a post in the classifieds by Romaknows with IMO an excellent deal on some quality gear. If you havent already check it might be worth checking out or sending a pm. Dunno how much gear you have already, but its look like a great " starter kit" at a very fair price. The packframe is also worth a look

[colockumelk]

Silkonthewestside. You are wrong about the NICE frame.  Not sure where you got ten pounds from but your way off. The frame itself weighs 4lbs 4oz.  My Longbow bag weighs 2lbs 4oz (6lbs 8oz total) Also have you ever used a Mystery Ranch bag?  Because the load lifters work great   Now if your a taller guy then I could see where the lifters wouldn't work that great.  But the new Metcalf has functional load lifters for all sizes and heights of men.  As does the 6500 and the 7500.  Just like the Kifaru.  And yes the kifaru weighs less but it also costs alot more. 

Is the Mystery Ranch packs the greatest end all be all packs?  Absolutely not.  But for the price range he listed and what he wants out of it (3-4 day bivy pack able to carry a load of meat and all his gear) you wilm be hard pressed. 

[SilkOnTheDrySide]

Silkonthewestside. You are wrong about the NICE frame.  Not sure where you got ten pounds from but your way off. The frame itself weighs 4lbs 4oz.  My Longbow bag weighs 2lbs 4oz (6lbs 8oz total) Also have you ever used a Mystery Ranch bag?  Because the load lifters work great   Now if your a taller guy then I could see where the lifters wouldn't work that great.  But the new Metcalf has functional load lifters for all sizes and heights of men.  As does the 6500 and the 7500.  Just like the Kifaru.  And yes the kifaru weighs less but it also costs alot more. 

Is the Mystery Ranch packs the greatest end all be all packs?  Absolutely not.  But for the price range he listed and what he wants out of it (3-4 day bivy pack able to carry a load of meat and all his gear) you wilm be hard pressed.

I was looking at the total weight for the NICE 6500 which is comparable to the Duplex Frame or Bikini with a DT1.

The total weight is 9 Pounds, 8 Ounces.

The 7500 adds 3 ounces.

The 7500 with the frame is the exact same price +/- a few bucks of the Bikini with the DT1 which weighs in at 5 pounds 7 ounces.  Which is FOUR pounds less, for the same price.

NOW.  I will say, I have never had a MR on my back, and so I cannot speak to the load lifters, but during my research that has been a major complaint I've seen on multiple forums.

I do not know if it's been addressed.

But at the end of the day, I can't imagine spending the same amount on a pack that weighs nearly twice as much for the same functionality.

But to each there own!  I refuse to participate in brand bashing as MR, for all I've heard makes very high quality products!

[Worldhunter]

Anyone here ever used an army rucksack for back packing hunts?

[jbeaumont21]

This one looks pretty interesting.  I don't have any experience with it personally but it is what Steve Rinella (MeatEater) uses on all of his shows.

http://shop.outdoorsmans.com/category.sc?categoryId=58

[JM]

I bought a Deuter 75+10 last year and it is one of the lightest most comfortable packs I've owned. I think I got it for around $230 from backcountry.com. A friend of mine has a Gregory and he swears by it. One thing that I would do if I were you though is stick with something around 5000cc though.

[Bearhunter]

Pretty tough to beat a Kifaru Timberline for the sheer light weightness and load carrying capacity...  Did I mention they are very comfortable and backed by a 100% warranty...

[lghtnquik]

Don't, I repeat, don't buy new. There are absolutely tons of great used packs on forums like huntwa, 24hrcampfire and rokslide. You can get a $500-600 pack for half if you start looking now. I would suggest Kuiu (the 2012 frame or newer), Kifaru, Mystery Ranch and all have great warranties so go out and abuse them. Tons of MR around they are heavy but seem to be bombproof as long as you aren't too tall the frame is a bit short which won't be an issue at all for you at 5'9". Some people have been hit and miss with Kuiu but the new packs are a great improvement on the design. Kifaru is a more minimalistic style but well built so well that they are hard to come by in your price range. The only commercial pack I would consider for heavy use is the Tenzing line. The others Eberle, Badlands, etc have a lot of bells and whistles but also low comfortable hauling capacities and reliability issues.

[blackveltbowhunter]

My 

    It comes down to what your needs are now, and how likely they are to change in the future. That would be my first step in choosing a pack. Identify what you absolutley need.  IMO the perfect pack doesnt exist, all have weaknesses. Even the mighty Kifaru, whos biggest weakness is the fact that I can go on an out of state elk hunt for the price of the pack. So although I would love to have one, my personal budget constraints say buy tags for experiences, and make do with my "junker" pack. For many that is not an issue, and I understand why Kifaru is the "perfect" pack.

    If money were no object, purchasing the pack that most apropriatley fit your specifications from the "big 3" would make the most sense. Use and abuse them and choose the one that you like the best. Similar to optics reviews of Zeiss, Swaro, And Leica. At the top of the heap its all personal opinion, none are really "better" than others. Just better for you

   If thats out of the cards, I agree with lghtnquick shop for used, quality packs. Although personnally I wouldnt turn away from eberle or badlands.  I have used and own both and they functioned fine. Again they are not perfect, but purchased on ebay for a fraction of the cost of new, and even smaller fractions of the other pack companies, they have been well worth the money.

   One other thing look hard at the cabelas Alaskan 2. Its a tuff bombproof pack that will effectivley haul more than you want to carry. Being an external frame it is easy to expand as your tent, sleeping bag, pad etc... can be lashed to the frame. Giving you plenty of space in the bag for extended stays if needed. I know many hardcore guys swear by them. I have one myself purchased many years ago, and it still sees a TON of use after all these years. Although its not my main go to bag anymore, its still gets passed along to friends, and used all the time for meat hauling, etc...  for the money its a great addition to your pack arsenal.
   


   

[uplandhunter870]

from what ive read this is all great info, i have two huge projects due this week that if i dont get turned in i dont graduate so im working through all this slowly ie not going to be on a lot for the next couple of days haha

come the weekend ill be able to go through all this at greater depth.

thanks for all the pointers and leads on classified ads
uplander

[timberghost72]

I bought a Deuter 75+10 last year and it is one of the lightest most comfortable packs I've owned. I think I got it for around $230 from backcountry.com. A friend of mine has a Gregory and he swears by it. One thing that I would do if I were you though is stick with something around 5000cc though.

  I bought the Deuter ACT lite 65+10 last year and it is by far the most comfortable pack I have ever owned.

The best thing you could do is find a shop near you that has a ton of packs to try. REI is great for that. Put weight in them and walk around the store. Packs are personal so one pack might be great for one person but suck for another person. Don't get caught up on price and camo. Those features should come second. 

[colockumelk]

Silkonthewestside I see what you were comparing them to now and where you got 10lbs from.

 I guess like you said different strokes for different folks.  All my research and trying on different packs led me to the NICE frame.  The selling point was Tue ability to have one frame but be able to put different bags on for different hunts.  Also the ability to haul meat and all my gear in one trip. Only Mystery Ranch offered this.  It also didn't help I'm not a tall guy so the liftets on the NICE frame work. 

You made some good points which I agree with. 

[SilkOnTheDrySide]

Silkonthewestside I see what you were comparing them to now and where you got 10lbs from.

 I guess like you said different strokes for different folks.  All my research and trying on different packs led me to the NICE frame.  The selling point was Tue ability to have one frame but be able to put different bags on for different hunts.  Also the ability to haul meat and all my gear in one trip. Only Mystery Ranch offered this.  It also didn't help I'm not a tall guy so the liftets on the NICE frame work. 

You made some good points which I agree with. 

Not that I'm pimping any brand, but the Kifaru's and Stone Glaciers will also allow you the versatility to put any bag you want on the frame.  I know of some guys who have other bags on the duplex frames, and plan on transferring them to the bikini.  Also, both of those frames will handle more weight then you can put on them.  As will the KUIU from what I understand.  Again, not saying you made the wrong choice with your pack, I'm glad you found one you really like, and keep slaying them critters!

[couesbitten]

Also the ability to haul meat and all my gear in one trip. Only Mystery Ranch offered this. 

Bad news, MR isn't the only ones that offer this feature, see information below.

Here's a link to a picture of the Kifaru Highcamp bag and Bikini frame with a simulated load of meat (in the green bag) in between the bag and frame, with all that excess webbing, you could really bump that bag out if you needed to.
http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/u387/AronSnyder/DSC03889_zps067e847d.jpg

Stone Glacier also offer this feature, just go to their site, click on either the Terminus or Solo bags, and then click on the tab that says "load shelf".  http://stoneglacier.com/products.html

Probably still time to change your mind.