Badlands Packs, how do you rate them?

[Mfowl]

I have a 2200 as well. I bought it used of this site for a great price. Its been a great pack for me. I use it as a day pack and its held its own on a few packouts. My brother has an X2 and it seems like a good pack as well, never used it myself though.

[bowguy]

I bought a badlands monster fanny pack last year. I love it I can put everything I need inside the lack and still be able to throw some extra stuff in. Has a ton of individual pockets all over the pack. Like the hidden camel back pocket. I bow hunt for deer and elk so I have usually extra layers strapped to the pack. Just remember the bigger the pack means more items you'll put in making it heavier and overall making you tired faster.

[danderson]

I love my 2200, its the best pack on the market for 200.00 bucks, I have put mine through the ringer in the last 10 years for deer its just the right size, its done a great job, had to wash all the blood out of it when it back to the factory for new zipper pulls and waste strap, I use it along with 2 expedition pack frames when packing out elk.

[CementFinisher]

Ive broke a friends eberlesstock packing a elk out. He still runs them and loves them. My first big more spendy pack was a badlands 4500 I bought off of here. its and earlier model so he probably got some use out of it. for me its packed game out, packed feed for cameras in, taken on 5 high buck hunts backed packed into the Pasayten wilderness, and 5 backpacking trips. ive put 125 pounds in the pack and it carried well, trek was about 3 miles. the packs are kind of heavy them selves. the foam makes my back sweat pretty heavy. The load lifters do a great job of getting weight on to my hips and front and back of shoulders instead of the top of shoulders. the zippers I think are great. Theres always internet popular heresay out there but for me the pack has been awesome. I don't know anything about their new packs, but the older ones are of good quality build. how large of a pack are you looking for?

[ridgefire]

I have a superday that i will use for turkey hunting and that's about it. The zipper failed on one of the hip pockets on my first trip with it. I personally would not spend the money on one again. I now have kifaru siwash and bt2, much better packs and will last a lifetime. If you want to buy used i would suggest checking out Rokslides classifieds, some good deals come up on that site.

[luvmystang67]

I'm pretty cheap too, so always looking for the best bang for my buck.  I've had a badlands superday and was frustrated that the waist belt didn't fit and the torso size didn't fit me. 

Enter the adjustable eberlestock packs for torso length.

I use an eberle x1 for daypack uses and it has been great.  They're not the lightest packs, but they're tough as nails.  Last year I packed enough stuff to hunt all day, and then helped a buddy clean an elk and packed a hind quarter out on my daypack with all of my gear.  It was way undersized for all of that, but had no problems and hauled it all out without damage and moderate comfort.  I picked this up for just over $100

For longer trips and heavier packs, I picked up an eberle blue widow for <$200 on sale somewhere.  I really like the design.  It is super easy to load with meat (you just put it in the mesh meat bucket area.  With the spike duffel you can bring clothing in and then hang the duffel on the outside when you get an animal and pack the meat closer to your back.  It has adjustable aluminum stays that you can rearrange to fit your back and adjustable yoke as well to fit torso length.

All in all, I'm a fan of eberle packs for the price.  They are tough as nails and very adjustable.  There are probably more comfortable and lighter packs on the market, but they're likely quite a bit more expensive.

[grundy53]

I have a couple Badlands packs. I really like them. I use a 2200 for my day pack and am happy with it's performance. But I'm sure the high end packs are much better.

[Odell]

I have a 4500 and I would call it a very good middle of the road pack. Downside is the heaviness and the zipper failure. The external side pockets are poorly designed, when the main bag is full you can't put much in them and the zippers fail.

But it performed well with a heavy load. I have had it completely full of an elk and some gear at over 100 lbs and it felt great and held up great. Customer service generally has a great reputation. I must have caught one of their reps on a grumpy day, I had a very annoying experience and still haven't sent mine in to get the pocket fixed.

I like the looks of the monster fanny but haven't used it myself. I am tempted to get one.

[notellumcreek]

I have had a 2200 for over 3 years and never had any problems. Distributes weight well I haven't used it to pack an animal out yet but have put about 45 pounds in it and it holds well with no problems other than me not being in good enough shape 

 I would recommend them if you get a good price. Can't beat the lifetime warranty guarantee either 

[trophyhunt]

This my badlands 4500 loaded with my spring bear, it took the weight very well. For the money they are good packs but if I was rich, I'd buy the 600 dollar packs that fit to your specific body.  Can't remember the name right now.

[cbond3318]

I think mine is the 2200? Would have to dig it out but I have had it for five seasons and it has been a great pack. I think I paid around 160.00? I have stuffed a 4 day camp in it including 3 gallons of water. Pulled out a full deer with it. Pretty much have strapped just about as much as you can carry on it and beat it up. Everything is still functional and I love it. I have never tried on a custom fitted pack so to me it is very comfortable! They have my recommendation !

[BULLBLASTER]

Having owned both eberlestock and badlands I would say eberle stock hands down. My badlands broke something or tore almost every time I used it. Never had any trouble with my Eberle used it packing bait and salt in as well as animals out. Also trained with it all summer with 70 lb. much more durable 
I wouldn't own another badlands

[bearpaw]

Awesome comments everyone, I'm learning from all your experiences.

Are any of these packs waterproof? Do they keep your stuff dry?

[luvmystang67]

Eberlestock has waterproof packs, but not waterproof zippers.  I have found that barring a downpour, they do a great job at keeping my stuff 95% dry.  They have covers if that isn't good enough for you... 

from their website:

About our pack construction:  Our hunting packs are all made of special soft-finished fabrics.  They are chosen for their ruggedness and quiet qualities.  There are very few pack manufacturers that go to the extra expense of building their products out of premium fabrics such as ours (in fact, we don't know of any others).  You'll notice some of the difference in the feel of the pack; you can sense that there is a better quality about ours.  But the real difference is unseen:  Our fabric is lined with a special grade of polyurethane that makes it waterproof.  This membrane is important not just for waterproofing, but also because it remains supple even in very cold temperatures (as opposed to standard PVC-lined fabrics, which get stiff, and can even crack and break).  Our pack fabric by itself is quite rugged.  But because we don't ever want your pack to fail you, we go the extra mile and line the whole thing with nylon, sewn into the seams.  We add generous bar tacking throughout the pack, and make sure that all stress points are amply reinforced.  We do this, above all, so that you can go out on the hunt of a lifetime and know that your pack will be there for you.

[jackelope]

 If you really need to rely on waterproof, get a dry bag to keep your stuff in inside your pack.