New Pack

[Bullbuster]

I have the Kuiu Icon 6000 pack and have used it multiple times for long backcountry trips.  From what I have found, they have the best waist belt out of all the packs I have used.  The 2013 packs now also have a load shelf built into the back between the back and the frame.  This would be a big upgrade allowing for your boned meet to be placed outside of the pack.  If you are looking for a new pack, I would highly recommend the 2013 Kuiu packs.

[GHETTO GUIDE]

Bullbuster:   Where can you see the Kuiu?  Iam pack shopping and Iam having a hard time finding places to "fondel" them before I buy.     

sweet,   I just used "fondel" in a sentence. 

[fillthefreezer]

I have the Kuiu Icon 6000 pack and have used it multiple times for long backcountry trips.  From what I have found, they have the best waist belt out of all the packs I have used.  The 2013 packs now also have a load shelf built into the back between the back and the frame.  This would be a big upgrade allowing for your boned meet to be placed outside of the pack.  If you are looking for a new pack, I would highly recommend the 2013 Kuiu packs.

i dont understand this craze of trying to have meat outside the pack.... load shelf, meat shelf, expandable, mesh etc... i dont get it

[lostbackpacker]

I have the Kuiu Icon 6000 pack and have used it multiple times for long backcountry trips.  From what I have found, they have the best waist belt out of all the packs I have used.  The 2013 packs now also have a load shelf built into the back between the back and the frame.  This would be a big upgrade allowing for your boned meet to be placed outside of the pack.  If you are looking for a new pack, I would highly recommend the 2013 Kuiu packs.

i dont understand this craze of trying to have meat outside the pack.... load shelf, meat shelf, expandable, mesh etc... i dont get it

it's pretty simple... you dont have to get your gear all messed up or rearrange your pack.  works really slick.. meat goes in game bag, game bag goes on meat shelf in  between pack and frame. 

[JPhelps]

I have the Kuiu Icon 6000 pack and have used it multiple times for long backcountry trips.  From what I have found, they have the best waist belt out of all the packs I have used.  The 2013 packs now also have a load shelf built into the back between the back and the frame.  This would be a big upgrade allowing for your boned meet to be placed outside of the pack.  If you are looking for a new pack, I would highly recommend the 2013 Kuiu packs.

i dont understand this craze of trying to have meat outside the pack.... load shelf, meat shelf, expandable, mesh etc... i dont get it

it's pretty simple... you dont have to get your gear all messed up or rearrange your pack.  works really slick.. meat goes in game bag, game bag goes on meat shelf in  between pack and frame.

I like the idea in theory but what I dont like Is when carrying camp out you have just moved all that weight away from your back.  An overturning moment is created about your lower back (mass x distance).  Which is not desired when packing 30+ lbs of gear out.

By going with a large bag all of the weight is close to my back.  I throw the meat in a 65L sea to summit dry bag or black contractors bag so I dont worry about getting my gear or pack bloody (worst case scenario I really only need to protect my down sleeping bag).

[7mag.]

I have the Kuiu Icon 6000 pack and have used it multiple times for long backcountry trips.  From what I have found, they have the best waist belt out of all the packs I have used.  The 2013 packs now also have a load shelf built into the back between the back and the frame.  This would be a big upgrade allowing for your boned meet to be placed outside of the pack.  If you are looking for a new pack, I would highly recommend the 2013 Kuiu packs.

i dont understand this craze of trying to have meat outside the pack.... load shelf, meat shelf, expandable, mesh etc... i dont get it

it's pretty simple... you dont have to get your gear all messed up or rearrange your pack.  works really slick.. meat goes in game bag, game bag goes on meat shelf in  between pack and frame.

I like the idea in theory but what I dont like Is when carrying camp out you have just moved all that weight away from your back.  An overturning moment is created about your lower back (mass x distance).  Which is not desired when packing 30+ lbs of gear out.

By going with a large bag all of the weight is close to my back.  I throw the meat in a 65L sea to summit dry bag or black contractors bag so I dont worry about getting my gear or pack bloody (worst case scenario I really only need to protect my down sleeping bag).

I agree. It sounds really good until you think about the geometry. By moving the pack bag away from your body, you are moving the pack's center of gravity further away from your body's center of gravity, resulting in a cumbersome, unbalanced load.

[dreamingbig]

I had a blacks creek Canadian that had this feature.  I hauled exactly one boned out elk out of the mountains with it and then got rid of it.  Kifaru makes a really good pack and makes meat loads feel lighter than you ever imagined.

[Olympics777]

JLS, I am sorry if I was seeming a little rude in my last post. The original question I asked was simply about some pack advice, and I figured that everyone could better give that advice if they knew my pack weight, so I gave the weight of my pack only, because it seemed the only thing that mattered, but next time I will give all weight. My entire weight, between what goes in my pack and what I carry, is probably more like 35 pounds or so. What I was carrying outside of my pack did not seen relevant...

[SilkOnTheDrySide]

JLS, I am sorry if I was seeming a little rude in my last post. The original question I asked was simply about some pack advice, and I figured that everyone could better give that advice if they knew my pack weight, so I gave the weight of my pack only, because it seemed the only thing that mattered, but next time I will give all weight. My entire weight, between what goes in my pack and what I carry, is probably more like 35 pounds or so. What I was carrying outside of my pack did not seen relevant...

I think the confusion is around what you bring. You seem to be setting yourself up for a dangerous situation by not bringing critical gear for unpredictable weather. That is why most of us are/were skeptical on your weight. IMO it's dangerous to go in so minimal, but then by your description, you aren't that far away from a road.

[Olympics777]

Silkonthewetside, I actually moved to Idaho not to long ago,(it is not all its cracked up to be) and it almost never rains here, so last hunting season I cut out my rain jacket. When I lived in Port Angeles I always wore one, now I just pack one of those little disposible ones that weighs like an ounce. I guess I never thought of a sleeping pad as a matter of safety, but everybody is different, I guess... Other than that, I think I carry almost everything other people carry. Maybe I'm the crazy one. 

[Colville]

They're just trade offs.  With short ranges and just 3 day windows you can make some pretty serious compromises.  My Sept hunts are going to be 10+ miles one way in most cases, last 5+ days and all but assure me of filthy weather at some point.  If I brought no sleep pad and desired to just suffer for weight savings I'd pay ever more for that call the longer the trip. Lack of sleep is cumulative in addition to the increase in calories you'll need from fighting off cold. 

The reason to add the other stuff when you make comparisons is that the advice you get is based on some pretty simplistic but traditionally agreed upon givens in packing, your pack weight is;  the weight of everything you aren't wearing as clothing. That creates a standard from which we have a consistent conversation, hence the "how in hell do you get to 20 lbs", by excluding rifles and optics.

For a couple miles only, there's no way in hell I choose to suffer at sleep time.  I can make that trip back and forth to the car any number of times in a day. If I have a really big critter I'm probably going to make two trips anyway so a 10 OZ blue foam and 2+lb air mat become meaningless. To each is own but it seems to me that the suffering is purely voluntary rather than a well considered compromise that achieves something necessary or even useful.

[JustinC]

lostbackpacker,
I believe those meat shelves are a fad that will die fast. Like others have already said, the weight will too far from your back and cause you to lean forward to compensate. 

Get a pack that is big enough and use a garbage bag. Really simple and it works.

Throttlejocky,
That will be a great pack for you!

[SilkOnTheDrySide]

Check this out.  We got Scott's pack down to ZERO POUNDS.

It doesn't count because he's carrying it 

[Olympics777]

You guys are simply brutal, aren't I entitled to my own opinion? I guess not, and I must just take it.

Anyway, Colville, what you say makes sense, thanks. I guess, if I get a less than one pound pad, then the extra tiny bit of weight won't matter when I have 100 pounds of deer in my pack. And really, I guess it would help conserve calories if I slept warmer... it's something to think about. 

[lostbackpacker]

A lot of you guys must have tons of cash sitting around talking about kifarus. I roll with a Northface terra 4500 for a 1-6 day pack. My pack weighs in at 25# for the high hunt in September minus rifle. I ditch mostly everything I can. NO stove (I bring dried fruit and nuts, Top ramen cooked or not it does its job). No tent ( painters plastic goes a long way). No pad. (cut some ferns or pines boughs to sleep on or find a mossy patch).

Have a buddy with a horse on speed dial to pack that animal out.

How much does the horse cost. A kifaru is pretty cheap compared to normal people hiring a pack out??