WHICH PACK FOR HUNTING AND HAULING OUT GAME

[Timberstalker]

This will be my 3rd year with my Mystery Ranch Marshall.

The good:

It rides like a dream. I’m 6’-1” and 220 and it fits great.

It’s indestructible. I’ve taken two mature mule deer out in it, one load trips and it’s never budged. I wash it out each time and it literally looks brand new. No tearing or stretching.

It has large enough outside pouches to hold a large spotting scope. I don’t have to dig for it.

The load lifters have plenty of slack. They really work well.

The bad.
It’s a heavy pack. 7# empty.

Good luck finding your pack.

[elksnout]

Bought an EXO 3500 four years ago and couldn't be happier with it. Rides well, light weight and bomb proof. Hauled several deer and an elk out with it with no problems. Breaks down easy for end of season cleaning. "Nuff said.

Elksnout

[Karl Blanchard]

I always love these threads   
You get a ton of "this is the best pack hands down" even though most haven't ever used more than one or even any top tier packs.  Then usually some pics of packs loaded heavy but not fitted to the person even close to properly but will tell you it carries like a dream.

Here's my personal opinion on packs.  You can buy the best of the best but if you don't take the time to fit it properly then it's just another pack.  Kifaru is the best out there, but if you don't adjust it right it's not gonna carry any better than anything else. 

FUNCTIONAL load lifters- this separates the men from the boys when it comes to hauling.  This eliminates kuiu in my experience because every one I've been around the load lifters constantly slip under weight. 

Pockets-  to me pockets are a selling gimmick.  A few pullout bags will organize everything you could possibly need in a pack and do it better than any amount of pockets.  Then if you need to empty your pack for this reason or that you just dump it out.   

Weight-  I'd rather have a 7lb pack that can haul an elephant than a 3lb pack that can't. 

Size-  always buy more bag than you think you'll need.  You can always compress a big bag but you can't make a small bag bigger.  A well designed pack will compress to nothing. 

To me there is only one and that's kifaru.   I'm going into season 5 with my DT1.  I've never stuck with a pack that long ever.  It's a testament to it's function and durability.  I've hauled somewhere in the ball park of 60 animals in those 4 seasons and it seems like it's got another 3 or 4 seasons left in it at that rate. 

I cannot speak to the new mystery ranch but the old made in America NICE frame packs were right on par durability wise as the kifaru' s but I liked the suspension system better on the kifaru. 

Exo...not for me. 

I will admit I have little experience with stone glacier.  I got to mess with a new one last year a bit in Idaho and almost immediately we busted a buckle compressing a load.  Luckily I always carry a spare in my pack and we were able to fix it.  Everything else seemed solid.

Good luck in your search.  Ask questions.  Get hands on some packs before you buy.  Decide on what you want regardless of price and then go find the best price.  If you can buy new that's great but remember there is a whole generation of gear junkies out there that HAVE to have the latest and greatest and they offload their "old" stuff for cheap.

[blackveltbowhunter]

 

   Pretty much sums up my thoughts as well.

   There is no such thing as the perfect pack. Its the one you have loaded that counts. Although i currently use a kifaru duplex with an AMR bag. I managed to make some great memories with eberlestock, badlands, and old frame styles. Don't overthink it to much, find a pack that Is well made and fit it as well as possible and go hunt.   

   If your like me over time you will find you change things up and some things you thought were important pass by. I used to use a bladder on all my hunts. So that seemed like an important feature.  I rarely do anymore. Camo packs used to be cool, now its not really a consixeration for me. Wanting a reputable warranty was a big deal, until i found i was using it annually. ( Although even my kifaru, needs some love, so we will get to experience their CS soon) Get a solid foundation of fit, comfort, and durability. The rest will sort itself out.

   

 

[Antlershed]

  x’s 2.

I went from a Badlands 2200 (after destroying a Sitka Bivy 45), to my Kifaru Hunting Frame. Started with a DT2, then a DT1, and now I’m using an AMR. I can’t say much on the other bigger names (Exo, SG, MR, Kuiu), but I can say that my Kifaru has never given me a reason to think about trying something else. I know there are lots of guys that get it done with Exo, but almost every picture I see of one being used, the load lifters are flat.

[Pathfinder101]

I always love these threads   
You get a ton of "this is the best pack hands down" even though most haven't ever used more than one or even any top tier packs.  Then usually some pics of packs loaded heavy but not fitted to the person even close to properly but will tell you it carries like a dream.

Here's my personal opinion on packs.  You can buy the best of the best but if you don't take the time to fit it properly then it's just another pack.  Kifaru is the best out there, but if you don't adjust it right it's not gonna carry any better than anything else. 

FUNCTIONAL load lifters- this separates the men from the boys when it comes to hauling.  This eliminates kuiu in my experience because every one I've been around the load lifters constantly slip under weight. 

Pockets-  to me pockets are a selling gimmick.  A few pullout bags will organize everything you could possibly need in a pack and do it better than any amount of pockets.  Then if you need to empty your pack for this reason or that you just dump it out.   

Weight-  I'd rather have a 7lb pack that can haul an elephant than a 3lb pack that can't. 

Size-  always buy more bag than you think you'll need.  You can always compress a big bag but you can't make a small bag bigger.  A well designed pack will compress to nothing. 

To me there is only one and that's kifaru.   I'm going into season 5 with my DT1.  I've never stuck with a pack that long ever.  It's a testament to it's function and durability.  I've hauled somewhere in the ball park of 60 animals in those 4 seasons and it seems like it's got another 3 or 4 seasons left in it at that rate. 

I cannot speak to the new mystery ranch but the old made in America NICE frame packs were right on par durability wise as the kifaru' s but I liked the suspension system better on the kifaru. 

Exo...not for me. 

I will admit I have little experience with stone glacier.  I got to mess with a new one last year a bit in Idaho and almost immediately we busted a buckle compressing a load.  Luckily I always carry a spare in my pack and we were able to fix it.  Everything else seemed solid.

Good luck in your search.  Ask questions.  Get hands on some packs before you buy.  Decide on what you want regardless of price and then go find the best price.  If you can buy new that's great but remember there is a whole generation of gear junkies out there that HAVE to have the latest and greatest and they offload their "old" stuff for cheap.

Agree with Karl regarding fit.  I bought a Tenzing 5000 before going to Alaska a couple of years ago.  Took it on a weekend trip into the Wenaha that summer.  Didn't know it (I had never really had a "good" pack before) but I covered about 9 miles of hiking before I realized that my pack was set on X-small.  The whole time I felt like my pack was trying to pry itself away from my back.  3 miles from the truck we stopped to pick huckleberries and I figured out what was wrong. 
I have now used it to pack out 2 caribou and an elk and I love the pack.  For the price (a lot less than most packs this size), I think it was a great buy.  My only complaint is that it is too heavy to use as a day pack, and it's got too many buckles and straps (I am sure they all have a function (?), but it would take a 3 week course with a written test to learn them all.

[Stickerbush]

This will be my 3rd year with my Mystery Ranch Marshall.

The good:

It rides like a dream. I’m 6’-1” and 220 and it fits great.

It’s indestructible. I’ve taken two mature mule deer out in it, one load trips and it’s never budged. I wash it out each time and it literally looks brand new. No tearing or stretching.

It has large enough outside pouches to hold a large spotting scope. I don’t have to dig for it.

The load lifters have plenty of slack. They really work well.

The bad.
It’s a heavy pack. 7# empty.

Good luck finding your pack.

Have you had problems with this pack squeaking ?

[Timberstalker]

I have had no squeaking issues whatsoever.

[Skyvalhunter]

EXO

[syoungs]

Ive ran the horn hunter full curl combo the past few years, bought it used from here. I am either going to purchase a new full curl frame this season, or possibly the new mystery ranch pop up 28l. gotta get my hands on one of the MR packs to check it over.

[Wetwoodshunter]

I currently have a Kifaru Hunter Duplex frame with the AMR bag on the pack. I have also owned a Mystery Ranch NICE frame as well as have a Mystery Ranch daypack (no frame).

Personally, I traded from the Mystery Ranch frame pack for the Kifaru and I think it was the right decision. The stays I have in the Kifaru are curved and fit my back better than the MR ever did. However I love my MR daypack, but this is used for day hiking, even on day hunts I take the Kifaru.

The Kifaru setup I have is heavier than some other packs out there but it has never failed me in any way. I have seen a couple of Kuiu packs go tits up when they were filled in the field. I've looked at other bags than the AMR but its a really bomb proof bag with a good layout for me, although probably overkill. I'm contemplating selling the AMR bag and going with one of the waterproof bags.

My $.02 a Kifaru is a good choice. Seems Exo and Stone Glacier get great reviews.

@clarkstar has used about everything in existence.

[The scout]

For a day pack that you can pack out a load of meat with and camp over night I would say eberlestock. To me the kifaru, M.R., S.G. Are to bulky and rigid for hunting with them on your back. And I disagree with some about pockets. The pockets on the eberlestock are great and handy for spotter and tripod and other stuff. And it has a built in scabbard that securely carries your rifle. Not some phony little butt cradle that holds your gun all goofy, that’s an expensive extra.

[Karl Blanchard]

For a day pack that you can pack out a load of meat with and camp over night I would say eberlestock. To me the kifaru, M.R., S.G. Are to bulky and rigid for hunting with them on your back. And I disagree with some about pockets. The pockets on the eberlestock are great and handy for spotter and tripod and other stuff. And it has a built in scabbard that securely carries your rifle. Not some phony little butt cradle that holds your gun all goofy, that’s an expensive extra.

spotter and tripod pockets are not gimmicky pointless pockets.  They have an intended, real world application.  Completely different than the 47 organizer pockets some packs have. 

I also disagree with you 200% on scabbard vs gun bearer.  Gun bearer is an incredibly functional way to carry a firearm.  You can be hands free but faster than you could unsling a shouldered rifle you can deploy your rifle into action.  When I dabbled into eberlestock and a scabbard I could not remove my rifle without taking off my pack.  You literally couldn't give me a pack with a scabbard.  Different strokes for different folks I guess.

[The scout]

For a day pack that you can pack out a load of meat with and camp over night I would say eberlestock. To me the kifaru, M.R., S.G. Are to bulky and rigid for hunting with them on your back. And I disagree with some about pockets. The pockets on the eberlestock are great and handy for spotter and tripod and other stuff. And it has a built in scabbard that securely carries your rifle. Not some phony little butt cradle that holds your gun all goofy, that’s an expensive extra.

spotter and tripod pockets are not gimmicky pointless pockets.  They have an intended, real world application.  Completely different than the 47 organizer pockets some packs have. 

I also disagree with you 200% on scabbard vs gun bearer.  Gun bearer is an incredibly functional way to carry a firearm.  You can be hands free but faster than you could unsling a shouldered rifle you can deploy your rifle into action.  When I dabbled into eberlestock and a scabbard I could not remove my rifle without taking off my pack.  You literally couldn't give me a pack with a scabbard.  Different strokes for different folks I guess.

As for the scabbard I only use it when I’m packing meat I use a safari sling while I’m hunting. And in that case it is a very good option I think. I have a kifaru for my week long backcountry hunts but to me it doesn’t double as a day pack at all and I can’t stand the gun bearer I would rather use a safari sling. But for heavy hauling there is nothing better that I have tried than the kifaru

[ffbowhunter]

Another vote for exo. I had the kuiu ultra and recently got the exo 5500. Unbelievably comfortable event with the 40lbs of gear I have in it. I’ve turned into a buy once kind of guy and this is the last pack I’ll need for a long time!