Anything compare to a Barney’s

[thinhorn_AK]

Bull pac is good but not as good as a Barney’s frame. I’ve hauled moose and bears with my Barney’s.

 

[zrodwyo]

Anyone know how much they charge to ship a Barney’s pack to the lower 48?

 

[Scotty82b]

Anyone know how much they charge to ship a Barney’s pack to the lower 48?

i believe it was only 35 dollars it was a lot cheaper than i thought. i’m tempted to pull the trigger on one.


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[thinhorn_AK]

Anyone know how much they charge to ship a Barney’s pack to the lower 48?

What would you even need it for in the lower 48? I’d never pull mine out unless I was hauling out moose and big bears.

 

[zrodwyo]

What would you even need it for in the lower 48? I’d never pull mine out unless I was hauling out moose and big bears.

I want a dedicated meat hauler. By the end of season I have usually packed out 5-6 elk and mule deer between what I get and what I help family pack out. It feels like I’m constantly washing my backpack October-November. I want something I can leave in the garage and wash once a year.

 

[Wrench]

I have an Alaska Range frame that is everything you could hope for. Very similar to the barney's in the straps/belt but has the built in shelf. Here's some pics with a bucket for comparison. I don't have the frame extension on in this setup.

 

[5MilesBack]

Bull pac is good but not as good as a Barney’s frame. I’ve hauled moose and bears with my Barney’s.

I've never tried a Barney's, what makes it better?

I've tested my Bull Pac with 160lbs of weight plates strapped to the shelf and it had no problem at all with the weight. I have no idea what it weighed (a lot), but I packed out my CO moose head, rack, and cape all together with it. The weight wasn't fun, but the Bull Pac was solid.

 

[Steve O]

Appreciate all the info gents.

 

[cnelk]

What would you even need it for in the lower 48? I’d never pull mine out unless I was hauling out moose and big bears.

I use my meat hauler to pack out my WT in one trip.

I quit dragging years ago

 

[5MilesBack]

I'd pack out my elk in one trip if I could handle it. I already try to minimize the number of trips.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I've never tried a Barney's, what makes it better?

I've tested my Bull Pac with 160lbs of weight plates strapped to the shelf and it had no problem at all with the weight. I have no idea what it weighed (a lot), but I packed out my CO moose head, rack, and cape all together with it. The weight wasn't fun, but the Bull Pac was solid.

I think the suspension system of the Barney’s is superior to the bull pack. The bull pack I tried had a very very simple suspension. Other than that, the Barney’s are just tough and easy to lash stuff too.

 

[Lucas B]

I have been running a Barneys pack and frame for years. It's not perfect for every situation but it really doesnt ever lack at being a backpack. I have the smaller Hunter bag and run it with the meat shelf. It really just works out very well when you are hauling an animal, all that you have to do to use the meat shelf is to compress the main bag. You never have to monkey around with pulling the bag off of the frame.

The pack is also notably higher quality than either my mystery ranch pack or the kifaru's that I have seen. I realize that might stir up some dissention but I can point to some very simple details to justify this stance. The layout of the pack is also very utilitarian and I have never found a better solution to carrying a water bladder than to just throw it in the lid pocket of this pack.

The frame also just fits me very well. If you want to know the down sides I can list those off as well.

 

[Voyageur]

I have been running a Barneys pack and frame for years. It's not perfect for every situation but it really doesnt ever lack at being a backpack. I have the smaller Hunter bag and run it with the meat shelf. It really just works out very well when you are hauling an animal, all that you have to do to use the meat shelf is to compress the main bag. You never have to monkey around with pulling the bag off of the frame.

The pack is also notably higher quality than either my mystery ranch pack or the kifaru's that I have seen. I realize that might stir up some dissention but I can point to some very simple details to justify this stance. The layout of the pack is also very utilitarian and I have never found a better solution to carrying a water bladder than to just throw it in the lid pocket of this pack.

The frame also just fits me very well. If you want to know the down sides I can list those off as we

Appreciate your detailed response, Lucas. I would be interested in hearing what you consider to be the downsides of a Barney’s as well as what you think makes the pack bag higher quality than some of the big-name packs.
Again, thanks.

 

[Lucas B]

The detractors to this pack can be found as little tid bits on various forums but these are my observations.

1) Height of frame. It can be cumbersome to try and navigate dense wooded areas with this frame. The height is a huge advantage when hauling, but for day to day walk abouts it will hang up on things. Removing the top bar solves a lot of those problems but doesnt fix the issue entirely. The height is also lends itself very well to being a rifle rest when shooting from a sitting position.

2) The pins squeak. You can minimize this by wrapping the pins in teflon tape but that will eventually wear off and have to be re-applied. I had a guide tell me that after some time the pins will sort of wear a groove into the frame and the squeaking will stop, but I have had this pack since 2015 and that hasn't happened for me yet.

I think that these first two issues are really only problematic if you are stalking or in tight cover. If you are out in more open spaces they are both inconsequential.

3) The belt tightens in the older fashion (pull apart). Its still totally functional and the newest iteration of these frames has gone to the more standard pull forward design. I have personally never had a problem getting this belt tight enough.

4) It will not compress totally flat and tight when empty. This is another one that may or may not be an issue for you. If you walk around with a puffy jacket and rain gear then its totally fine.

5) if you want to run your bow up the back face of the pack, you lose access to the back face pocket.

6) No belt pouch attachment points. This isn't something that I thought that I needed until I decided that I wanted to carry a pistol when bow hunting.

7) Weight. It's hard for me to call this a detractor because when you play with this thing its immediately obvious that the weight stems from all components being larger capacity than the main stream packs. It had heavier gauge zippers, larger buckles and long straps. That extra weight does give you some substantial increase in durability and usability. Never the less, I have this pack listed as 8 lbs 8 oz. in my gear sheets.

8) Belt sizing. It only comes in one belt size. I am a 34" waste before the hunt and down to about 31" by the end of it; the belt ends are getting close. I can see that skinnier guys might have a problem, but they really just need to go find a Whataburger.

Comments on "quality" coming soon.

 

[Lucas B]

In considering my comment on quality of the Barney's pack in comparison to others I'm not quite sure that "quality" is the right word. Many of the details on the pack that I find to be above the benchmark of standard high end packs aren't really matters of quality but rather thoughtful design and execution. Case in point, all of the high end packs use Cordura and YKK zippers. Those two companies are responsible for their own quality but pack manufacturers do make a selection in the elemental products that they select in the construction of their packs.

I can say that the raw edges of material on the Barney's pack were cut and burned more evenly than my own mystery ranch packs. On the MR packs I started dealing with frayed material after a relatively short amount of time and had to re-burn those rough edges myself before they frayed into the stitch line. I have had no such experience with the Frontier Gear of Alaska bag. All rough edges are still neatly burned in and I am seeing no frays after ~7 years of ownership and use. The same comment goes for the burned edges on all of the webbing around the pack.

The choice of buckles and straps also seem to be more effective on the Barney's pack. The belt buckle is larger in size than the MR and far more robust. The compression straps and buckles are the same size but they don't have the added cam lock feature that MR uses on their packs. The straps on the Barneys use a material that is courser and provides better grip in the auto-lock buckles. To date I have never had one slip on me despite not having the added security of the MR cam lock buckles. That gives me just one less thing to monkey with.

Zippers on the Barney's pack are all heavier gauge than I have seen used on Kifaru or MR. All of the compression straps are and high stress point corners are sewn with a Kevlar thread (I think that it might actually be a UHMWPE thread though). I have seen these stitch points start to part after a few years on a Kifaru bag but mine is still holding strong.

The following are my own personal notes on positive attributes of this pack and are subject to an individuals preference.

The pack panels on the frame are a mesh material and there is an air gap between those panels and the actual pack. This thing will breath better than any other pack that I have seen. You don't get near the sweaty back when comparing it to other frames. The overall pocket layout and number of pockets are very much to my liking. It strikes a very good balance of count, size and location. The lid of the bag serves as the best method that I have yet seen to carry a water bladder. You will never have to empty the bag to get the bladder out of a sleeve and then re-pack everything. The lid also serves a a very effective means of stabilizing any overloads, a sort of Kifaru Straight Jacket working from the top down instead of the bottom up. Finally, the rifle carrying system on this pack is by far my favorite. If I am going on long hikes the rifle goes into the side sleeve and is very secure, the scope is fully covered and protected. If I am hunting I just sling the rifle over the top post of the frame. I have watched a few friends fumble with gun bearer systems and they don't appear to be any more effective than how I carry my rifle.

So having said all of that, I still own a Mystery Ranch Scapegoat that I love very much. A Metcalf that is now designated for general travel and scouting trips, and I have a new Kifaru frame with a Reckoning bag on order that will be my new archery season pack.

 

[Lucas B]

This thread is definitely cold now but I wanted to update my comments on Kifaru vs. Barney's.

I got a 26" Kifaru Duplex tactical and an Reckoning bag several weeks ago and have started my spring/summer training regiment switching back and forth between my Barney's and the Kifaru.

The kifaru bag that I got is a marked increase in production quality and execution compared to what I have seen in the past. I no longer see any substantial quality difference between the Kifaru and the Barney's. There are differences in the zippers and buckles used but at this point the only significant differences that I see in durability is the kevlar thread that the Batney's pack uses at the high stress compression strap anchor points. As far as comfort goes, it's a wash. I find both packs equally comfortable. They are different in their design and that is going to give you some difference in weight distribution between hips and shoulders. However with 80 lbs in the bag I dont they both carry just fine. The Kifaru frame does allow for more side to side swing of your load but in exchange for that you get a sleeker and more compressible pack.

 

[TheWhitetailNut]

Ideally, I’d like to carry a brown bear hide and skull with it…

I will have to take a look at that Fortress. Way back when they started SO had a very irritating salesman jumping in all over the place and it really turned me off to the whole company.

I enjoy my Stone Glaciers quite a bit; figured an external frame might be better for the biggest of loads.

OK.....Barneys maxxed.

 

[sneaky]

What would you even need it for in the lower 48? I’d never pull mine out unless I was hauling out moose and big bears.

Hauling bear bait barrels and bait would be a couple of things that pop into mind. Treestands would be more comfortable to haul on one. Packs are like guns, one is never enough.

 

[Lucas B]

My wife never seems to have any issue with me buying more guns but for some reason she gets agitated when more backpacks show up.

 

[deadi]

I had a Barney's pack for several years and it is one tough pack. The waist belt never was quite right on my scrawny frame though. I then moved to a Camptrails external which for some unknown reason fits me better.