what backpacks should i use?

[kentuckyshiner85]

i have a couple different packs but ... I need to pick one for a three to four day hunt. i have a one external , one internal and one no-frame . i will be carrying camera gear plus all the essentials for the trip. i will only hike about two miles to base camp then hike out each day for several hours to hunt . i have the molle II pack and im thinking of carrying the non-framed pack in then using it for the day hikes. what are your thoughts on this? any suggestions would be helpful . thanks in advance.

[myakka]

You have hit on a very tried and true system that the Forest Service has used to years. The handcrews that go off into the woods carry 1 large bag that had EVERYTHING to make camp. This has their tents, sleeping bags, clothing, etc. Attached to this "redbag" is a lighter pack called a "line pack" or yellow bag. (The color thing is because the ones they issued were these colors. Not anymore, but hey, I'm old.)

They would hike in to the main camping area, set up their tents, and store their gear inside. Then they would gear up with the line pack and go to work.

It is a decent system. I would suggest that you go ahead and pack everything you want to take hiking into the smaller bag, and put it on. See if it is up to the job. The biggest decision as I see it is whether you want the internal frame pack for your daily outings or the unsupported one. Depends on how much gear you carry and how long you will be out each day.

If your little pack is as light as my small unsupported one, you could just stash it and take all 3. Then use the external frame to carry your main gear. Strap the internal frame to it, and expect to use it for a line pack. But if you make a quick "before lunch" run, then pull out the little one.

That's just my take on it, with some experience doing exactly that.

[kentuckyshiner85]

that is exactly what I was thinking. the unsupported is just a ncstar small pack with molle webbing on it to add crap. im of the mind set if it dont fit, it dont ship so no addons for the smaller pack , now the larger one i have addons to it . bad or good idea ? my fear is loosing gear. your thoughts...

[myakka]

I have some things strapped onto my bags, but I try to make sure that they contour so there is nothing sticking up to snag branches etc. Hope that covers your question.

[kentuckyshiner85]

it does thanks for the help.

[dalewick]

Just wondering, do you have one of the Eberlestock gunslinger packs?

Pic won't load today. Sorry!

Dale

[kentuckyshiner85]

Sorry to drag up an old thread but I ended up upgrading to an eberlestock M5 elk pack. it is a lil small for an extended pack but does great for a 3 to 4 day hunt.

[Morgan101]

The Eberlestock is a great choice. They are a little out of my price range. Hope it worked out well for you.

[RICHFL]

You need a pack with an external frame to carry the meat back from the hunt. Make sure you can carry that 60+ pounds every trip to and from the base camp

[robertjonathan]

Eberlestock is the best choice only if you have not heard of Military Stripes. Solid built material. You can check them out for hunting and carry heavy meat on your back.

[registror]

anything can break or tear. Be sure to take some spare buckles/snaps, gorilla tape, a cargo needle and dental floss for sewing. If it's gonna rain/, spray/waterproof your pack and either cover it with your poncho or have its own pack cover. If you;re gonna MOLLE stuff onto it, then also tie and tape them. Put the sleeping gear, spare clothing, soft, big stuff on the outside, so you'll notice if it falls off. Reserve the space inside of the pack for high-dollar, compact, easily lost things and stuff you want to keep concealed, like night vision, chargers, taken down rifle, etc.

[Dorobuta]

You need a pack with an external frame to carry the meat back from the hunt. Make sure you can carry that 60+ pounds every trip to and from the base camp

I like the Mystery Ranch packs for the meat shelf system they have. Other packs have similar features. basically, you unhook the pack bag from the frame revealing a shelf. You place the game bags full of meat on the shelf and reattach the pack bag. this keeps the weight closer to your center of gravity and that helps with carrying the load out.

I also chose the MR pack after seeing a video of a bunch of guys with packs from several different manufactures. They deliberately tried to destroy the packs. The MR pack performed the best. I believe in buy once, cry once when it comes to gear.

[Dorobuta]

Also, get a set of trekking poles. they can be collapsed and lashed to your pack. when carrying out a heavy load, like a back full of elk backstraps, they are a godsend.

[Dorobuta]

anything can break or tear. Be sure to take some spare buckles/snaps, gorilla tape, a cargo needle and dental floss for sewing. If it's gonna rain/, spray/waterproof your pack and either cover it with your poncho or have its own pack cover. If you;re gonna MOLLE stuff onto it, then also tie and tape them. Put the sleeping gear, spare clothing, soft, big stuff on the outside, so you'll notice if it falls off. Reserve the space inside of the pack for high-dollar, compact, easily lost things and stuff you want to keep concealed, like night vision, chargers, taken down rifle, etc.

That's one approach.

The other is to pack and arrange your bag with the load in mind. You want the heavier items towards the middle of the pack, lightest items towards the top, and the medium weight items to the bottom. Gear should also be arranged by order of access as much as possible. Things you need often should be most accessible. Things that could be critical, like a trauma kit should be someplace handy. I have a set of first aid gear, head lamps, and a few small tools in a detachable bag that attaches to the top of my pack. easy to get to, everything is either in a container or a gallon ziplock bag (these are one of the handiest low weight items to have a bunch of) in that bag

properly attached gear isn't falling off. This is where good gear is essential. I try to keep as little as possible on the outside of my pack. This is my preference and it works with my set up. You need to experiment to find out what works for you.

How your pack is ultimately filled out will be up to you. But you want a good pack with a good frame. The pack should have load lifters at the top so you can adjust the load properly to be carried on your hips. You also want to make sure the pack is properly fitted to your torso. Most good packs these days have a mechanism to do this. on mine there's a stiff panel and a velcro panel that adjust the length of the pack frame for a proper fit. it's pretty ingenious - go to the Mystery ranch website, there is a video showing how it works, if you are interested. I'm not affiliated with them in any way, just really like my pack.

if you're not sure how to properly fit your pack, find an outdoors store, like an REI and get one of the resident granola crunchers to assist you. They tend to be pretty good about that stuff.

I agree on keeping your pack dry - it should have a rain fly, if it doesn't, buy one. I also put things in a waterproof compression bag. this goes in the pack. spare socks and underwear, along with other items are kept in it. If you've ever taken a spill crossing a stream, you know why I have these items.

I like packs with roomy main compartments, some people like packs with lots of compartments. I use compression sacks for gear organization and easy identification of gear. for hunting, my kill kit is in a red compression sack. my rain gear is in a green one. water purification and spare collapsable bottles (platypus) are in a blue one. etc, etc. This is my system, and it works. Your mileage may (and will) vary.

for repairs, I have a selection of Fastek buckles I bought online years ago and I carry a bunch of paracord. the other stuff you want is called "Tenacious Tape" it is made specifically for gear repair and it works great.

I can attach a rifle to either side of my pack or to the back. I usually keep my trekking poles on one side if I'm not using them. My setup allows me to carry a rifle, and have another one on my pack, if I wanted to. I can also attach my bow to the back of the pack. I have done trips where I was hunting with my bow, had a rifle attached to the side of the pack, then switched to hunting a different species and the bow went on the back of the pack and I was carrying the rifle. (was perfectly legal for the season, animals, and location)

If you've never had a properly fitted pack, you have no idea what you are missing. You probably double your effective carrying capacity having the right equipment.

my two cents, for what they're worth.

[Dorobuta]

my pack continued:

I take all my food items and stuff them in the voids between the compression sacks. I find this method of squirreling food items away, let's me pack an amazing amount of food items (mostly mountain house type stuff, or broken down MRE kits)

again, the main thing is don't skimp on a pack. Get out and use it for real. Live out of it for a while. you'll quickly figure out what works for you and what doesn't.

if you live near a trailhead that goes into any rugged terrain, you can pick up some really good equipment for free. Hike into about the 3 mile of rugged terrain and you'll start seeing all the gear that people have started shedding because they packed poorly.

don't start out trying to tackle a big trail head - start by doing some simple camping using only the gear in your pack. then move up to hiking a few miles into your camp spot. Then work on doing a serious multiple day hike living out of your gear along the way.