lets talk framed hunting packs..

[Magnum_Willys]

Kuiu Ultra is a great minimalist light daypack that can haul as much meat as you want to carry between pack and frame.  The 3000 weighs under 4# total.  The waistbelt is light enough you don't mind wearing it as a daypack on a constant basis.  For multi-night backpacking with big loads I would look at Kifaru for a beefier padded waist belt.  What Kuiu should offer is an "underbelt pad" to beef up their waistbelt when you need it. 

[RailRob]

All really nice packs..but I don't think I need something that kick ass. I wish I had the time to hunt that much to justify spending all that money

to give a good recommendation, youve gotta tell us what type of hunting you do. what sort of gear do you need to carry. do you need to one trip animals or are you close to the rig? do you plan to do multiple nights out of it? will this be your only pack or will you walk back and switch once something hits the ground?

Well based on my price range I'd say I would like to be able to pack out 50-100lb at a time. I'd think we would all like to be able  to get our harvest to our rig whole.  I would looking example to say I hi t enough to justify a high end pack but not yet. Honestly this year I'm thinking deer and bear. Maybe elk depending on other *censored*

[Dhoey07]

I bout a eberlestock x2 a couple weeks ago. I'd love to give ya a review but I haven't had any weight in it. It sure looks nice though  maybe this weekend I'll get it out and I'll let ha know

[whacker1]

All really nice packs..but I don't think I need something that kick ass. I wish I had the time to hunt that much to justify spending all that money

to give a good recommendation, youve gotta tell us what type of hunting you do. what sort of gear do you need to carry. do you need to one trip animals or are you close to the rig? do you plan to do multiple nights out of it? will this be your only pack or will you walk back and switch once something hits the ground?

Well based on my price range I'd say I would like to be able to pack out 50-100lb at a time. I'd think we would all like to be able  to get our harvest to our rig whole.  I would looking example to say I hi t enough to justify a high end pack but not yet. Honestly this year I'm thinking deer and bear. Maybe elk depending on other *censored*

RailRob, If you would like to load up my Eberlestock and try it on, I would be happy to show it to you.  The packs are built solid.  I just don't like how heavy they are and where they carry the load.  Especially when you get over 50 lbs.  some of the new models might be better, but the J104 dragonfly is what i have.  get a hold of me if you want to check it out

[BeWitty]

I bout a eberlestock x2 a couple weeks ago. I'd love to give ya a review but I haven't had any weight in it. It sure looks nice though  maybe this weekend I'll get it out and I'll let ha know

I have had an Eber X2 for 3 years now. I've had 80-100 lbs of meat and gear in (and hanging off of) a couple times. It gets a bit uncomfortable at that weight and the shoulder straps begin to dig. I do love the X2's layout and pocket configuration, Its perfect for a long day pack or even an overnighter. I picked up the EXO 3500 this year and have yet to put actual meat in it but it feels great with sand bags.

[adamR]

I went through this two seasons ago, tried a couple bad lands packs on and for the comfort I couldn't justify spending that amount of money...
I ended up buying a hiking pack cabelas brand for like $180 and I love it! About two weeks after I bought it I threw a whole deer in it and hiked out two miles very comfortably!

I'm 6'3" 240 lbs and nothing felt comfortable to me in the typical hunting packs

[splitshot]

  I have the old kelty pack where the frame could be separated from the bag.  it has packed at least 20 elk and 50 plus deer. of course we halved or quartered them.    about 30 years ago I put new suspension on the frame and it was great.  have no idea what the price tag is on it but it is still in great shape and good for many more years.     mike w

[RailRob]

anybody have any expierence with a eberlestock gunslinger 2??

[mp.hunter]

I just did the whole pack search thing and ended up with a stone glacier sky archer. Just got it in the mail today and man is it awesome can't wait to use it. It is pricey though but figure it will last a long time with much more comfortable packing trips. The next step down would be the kuiu, which I almost went with and heard the current frames are much better than their last frames. Very light weight as well.


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[blackveltbowhunter]

Railrob you asked about the eberlestocks. I have ran the blue widow for the past 5 years. And put a lot of miles and animals on it. It served its purpose and did not fail me in the field, and is still in good shape. I would have no hesitation to use it again if needed.

Here's some pros,
Solid construction: zippers, buckles and stitching all seem well made. The carry handle broke on my first outing with it, but it did not affect the function and I just wrote it off as unnecessary weight.

Breaks down nicely: If your carrying a drop camp, switching to daypack mode is nice. And the pack compresses well.

Quiet: The make up of the material combined with the compressed size in daypack mode, make it  a very quiet framed pack. Possibly the quietest i have used.

Warranty: Although I haven't used it, Most reports are positive.

Price: Overall not terrible as far as "hunting" backpacks go, if you go used they can be found downright cheap.

Simple: Its really ez to adjust. And the pockets are minimal, zip up the middle to daypack, and unzip when you kill. Strap it up and go. Pretty straightforward.

Now for the Cons,

Heavy: No explanation needed

Carryability: Ya I made that word up. Unless you have a very short torso the pack has no load lifters to speak of. The straps and waistbelt are not padded, and although they are nice with light loads, Once your north of 60 pounds it becomes apparent that your going to need both a dose of Tryactin and Ibuprofen.

The way the pack loads: This is possibly the single biggest "con" that I had with the pack.  The pack does not expand well either up or side ways, so the only way to get more gear on it is to load out and away from your center of gravity. And this greatly exacerbates the "carryability". I think the pack handles meat ok, because it is typically loaded in the main compartment and has the best chance of being centered. I don't have the best or lightest in camp gear, ( which would be a big factor ) but when loaded for a week long hunt in Archery Elk season some people might think I was towing it the way the pack is dragging the ground. Obviously this has a ton of variables, like bivy vs tent, one or 2 nights vs a week, and the quality of backpacking gear used to name a few.







 
 

[splitshot]

  I put an extender at the top of my kelty which helped when packing quarters and halves.  mike w

[RailRob]

Thanks again everyone. I wish I could afford a kifaru, but damn thats a lot of money. So I am thinking outdoorsmsns optics hunter pack system. Though I still want a eberlestock gunslinger 2. I'm going to sell some extra gun stuff I have to help fund whatever I decide.

[autodink13]

I had eberlestock for a couple years. Great for a day pack with no weight, horrible for carrying 50 lbs or more. I had poor customer service with eberlestock as well. I bought stone glacier last year and LOVE it! Does cost a bunch but you get a light sturdy pack that carries weight great and good customer service!
This was my experience.

Exo mountain costs a little bit less weighs a little bit more than SG

Lots of people rave about their kifarus.

I guess my point to all this, I wouldn't recommend eberlestock if you want to carry any weight.

[pianoman9701]

Here's a new pack that's perfect for you back country hunters.

[couesbitten]

RailBob, here's my . You say that because of the price of the Kifaru and Stone Glacier you're going to settle for the Outdoorsmans pack.  Well what if, when you get that pack you find out that you don't like it because the pack doesn't carry weight well and you want to sell it to some poor, unsuspecting schmuck so that you can recoup some of your cash and then cough up the balance to purchase the pack that you now realize you should have purchased in the first place (Kifaru, Stone Glacier). So now your pack is for sale, but nobody wants to buy it at the price your asking, so in the end, you sell it for $200 and have to add $450 out of pocket to purchase your high end pack.  So now you've spent $850 to purchase a $650 pack because you thought it was to expensive back in May, 2015. 

I'm sure you've heard it before, "buy once, cry once", and there's a reason people say it, it's true. If you still don't want to spend the money for the Kifaru, Stone Glacier, I'd recommend you look at the Horn Hunter Full Curl pack, you should be able to get into one for about $350, it's made in the USA and has load lifters on it that actually work.