backcountry pack size?

[WapitiFreak]

i want to get in the back country this year and i was wondering how big of pack to get. i will be going minamalist, no frills whatsoever. i want to be gone for 5 days/4 nights eating dehydrated food. i have a kelty grand mesa 2 that is by far the bigest piece of gear i want to bring. is 2300 way to small for that long of a trip? i was looking at the eberlstock warhammer but im afraid its going to be too small.
 

[washelkhunter]

Go talk to an old hand at REI, they've got all the answers to your questions, and the gear.

[RadSav]

Depends on how you are going to strap items to it.  If you want everything inside you will need much larger than the Warhammer.  It also depends on what time of year as cold weather means bulkier clothing and heavier bags.  I can get everything I want for about three days in a 3500 pack.  Five days in cold weather I'd probably want more.

If elk hunting the back country you will be taking multiple trips out or leap frogging meat and horns out so your probably still good at 3500 with a fair amount of straps.  If deer, goat or sheep hunting you might want to take everything out in one single trip.  That's when a big pack really comes in handy.  If you like the Eberlestock you might want to look at the Blue Widow, Just One or the J107 Dragon Fly.  Though there are a lot of other good packs out there that will fit the bill.  And some are lighter in weight.

I now use the J107 for all my multi-day back country trips.  I would like to find one of equal quality that is lighter with a better waist belt solution.  But so far I haven't found one.  Five days of gear and 3 liters of water in the Dragonfly usually puts me just north of 50# assuming I'm headed somewhere with a good water source.  Add another 5 to 10# to that if night time temps are expected to dip well below freezing.  Remember, light and compact usually means money, money, money.

Two guys going into the back country together could make five days with two 3500 packs easy.  As long as you plan ahead, make a list, stick to a daily menu and don't get carried way.  Share tent, saw, first aid, rope, stove and cookware, etc.

[Tim in Wa.]

I would go with something bigger maybe about 5000 cubic inches that will compress down real well
Tim

[JPhelps]

I hunt with a 6500 C.I. pack.  Not once have I wished I had a smaller pack.  Once in "day pack mode" the pack compresses down small enough that its size isn't noticeable.

The main reason to hunt with a big volume pack is when you have to pack out your animal + camp.

[shanevg]

I hunt with a 6500 C.I. pack.  Not once have I wished I had a smaller pack.  Once in "day pack mode" the pack compresses down small enough that its size isn't noticeable.

The main reason to hunt with a big volume pack is when you have to pack out your animal + camp.

 

[logan]

If your not sure on the c.i. try a external frame. if you go with that system you buy some water proof compression sacks, an external frame and strap them down. My buddy hunts this way and he loves it. i believe he as about $200 into it.

[7mag.]

I would rather have too big than too small. I have a 7400 ci. Mystery Ranch BDSB. I put my tent, sleeping bag, cook system, 80mm spotter, tripod, water filter, first aid kit, etc. in it, and still had more than enough room for 2 queen size comforters (just to see how much the pack would hold). I want to make sure I have enough room for all my gear for 5 days, and a boned out deer. When doing research on packs, I determined 5500 ci. was minimum for my needs.

[JLS]

Time of year and what you have for gear is everything here.  I have a MR Longbow (2400 CI) that I can get all of my archery season gear into, and pack my food in a stuff sack on the sides.  On the way out, meat goes in between the bag and frame and the gear goes in the bag.

If I strictly backpack hunted, I would have gone with the MR 6500.  I chose the Longbow for it's versatility as a treestand/day pack as well as 2-5 day trips.

Good luck.

[JackOfAllTrades]

Gather all your gear for that 5 day stint.. Pack as much of it as you can into that 2300ci pack you have now. Messure and use tape to mark your 2300 in quarters. Estimate the increase in size you need to pack the rest of the gear.  Look for a pack that is 10% larger than your estimate.

-Steve

[kentrek]

If your not sure on the c.i. try a external frame. if you go with that system you buy some water proof compression sacks, an external frame and strap them down. My buddy hunts this way and he loves it. i believe he as about $200 into it.

 

also there lots of ways to save space in your pack,all clothing compressed in water proof sack,all food vacum seeld flat(including your mt house),pack any open space with candy bars instead of haveing a clump of em in a bag. it just takes alil bit of playing with to get things real tight.

like stated above if your planing on packing meat inside the bigger the better,but idk how you like to pack meat.also if your in open country size isnt to big of an issue,its nice to be able to throw everything in with out useing stuff sacks and taking the time to make things fit.

personly 2300 would be about perfect for 3-5 nights

[MichaelJ]

5000ci is about the smallest I would go if you plan on taking meat out.  If a pack has external compression straps then I could probably swing a 3-5 day deer camp in september with a 3000ci pack.

My personal pack right now is right at 6000ci and it does what it needs to do.  Saving up for a T1 though...

Mike

[Branden]

5000ci is a good starting point. You can do it with less/more, but its hard to say how big you need without knowing what you take on a backpack hunt

[WapitiFreak]

Thanks guys i think im gonna step it up to 3500 (badlands sacrifice)
Unless there are any other sugestions under $200

[RadSav]

Thanks guys i think im gonna step it up to 3500 (badlands sacrifice)
Unless there are any other sugestions under $200

If you are going Badlands and intend to head into the back country I suggest buying extra clips or replacing them with ones from REI.  Nice pack, but the clips are known to fail regularly.  They are a cheap item to upgrade.  Badlands is good about replacing or fixing anything that goes wrong, but you don't have that luxury in the back country.