Backpacking vs backpack hunting

[sparelink]

Those of you who hunt as well as backpack in the off season. Do you think there is a benefit to having a dedicated pack for each?

I have been a avid back packer since college. I have all gear dedicated towards backpacking. I use a lot of this gear for hunting as well, but have never packed In to hunt.

I am going to plan a pack in hunt for next year and want to get an appropriate pack for it.

Should I sell me backpacking packs and just use my hunting pack for these trips as well or is there a benefit to having a dedicated pack for backpacking and a dedicated pack for hunting?

Looking at either a mystery ranch or Exo pack.

 

[Mike7]

You might want to check out stone glacier and kifaru also...get hands on the different options if you can.

These expensive hunting packs are as comfortable or more comfortable with 40 plus pounds than any backpacking pack that I have ever used, and so are a good fit for longer/heavier backpacking trips.

For short ultralight summer backpacking trips though, in which I have a sub 30-35 lb pack, including binoculars and a tripod, it is pretty nice using my sub 3 lb Granite Gear pack with airpad frame. Why not, I know that I will not be carrying any more weight than that.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

I use my DT2 that I use for both but have a UL Hunter frame w/ CP that is strictly for hunting. You could easily get by with one pack.

 

[Grady.J]

I've got an Osprey Aether 70 that I now leave at home and just use my Exo 5500 for backpacking. Seeing as I suck at hunting and haven't gotten it bloody yet I've gotta get it dirty somehow.

 

[colonel00]

I can't say that I "backpack" that often but I can offer a slightly different point of view. I like to do a lot of photography which means carrying a bit of gear. I have a "photography" backpack that I carry often along with a Pelican 1510 case full of stuff. When I go out to do some shooting, the pack will serve me fine as I'm usually in close proximity to the rest of my gear. However, if I'm needing to carry a heavier load for a distance, I'd much rather use my Kifaru pack to bear the load as the "regular" backpacks I use don't really distribute the weight as they should, even though they are lighter.

If you have a good, lightweight pack that you can carry 20-30lbs with for your backpacking adventures then I honestly don't see a reason why you'd need to use a "heavy" pack to get you there. The beauty of a Kifaru or Exo or KUIU pack is they are built for the work that comes with the endgame. I don't use my Kifaru pack as a daypack while hunting for it's comfort and lightweight. I use it because if I get an animal down, I have the ability to have everything I need to clean the animal and haul a first load out without having to make a trip "to the truck" to get a pack.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

I'm sure I could get by with one pack, but I see no reason to. Why use a 6lb (or more) pack to carry 25lbs when a 3lb pack carries it well?
My hunting pack carries my gear well, but it really shines when carrying meat. No chance of that happening when I am just backpacking.

Esse quam videri

 

[RoJo]

I think my Kifaru AMR will be used for both now, and the Gregory Baltoro 75 (which I thought was the cat's meow when I bought it a few years ago) will probably collect dust.

 

[fngTony]

I haven't had my SG for long but I'll use it for everything except a day hike. I'll probably take it when climbing a 14'r since that can be strenuous creating sweat and it has excellent airflow across my back. I plan on getting a smaller bag made from pods8 that should get me to about 4.5-5 pounds empty pack weight.

 

[durangobrad]

I do a lot of backpacking in the summer months and I sold my backpacking pack once I got an EXO 3500. Id also look into seek outside packs if I was in the market.

 

[jtw]

I use my hunting pack for long trips and winter overnight mountaineering. Otherwise I have a deuter 40 liter bag I use for short backpacking trips and an even smaller light bag for day hikes and climbing.

I'm currently using an exo to hunt and while it is fairly light, it's nice to go with a much smaller lighter bag when the time comes.

 

[ljalberta]

My wife and I love backpacking. If you can afford it, I'd always recommend having a pack for each as my backpacking pack is over 5lbs lighter than my Kifaru.

 

[AXEL]

I have kept my backpacking and hunting packs separate since circa 1968 and found this works best for me. I currently run a Bozeman-built Dana Design Shortbed frame, slightly modded, for any meat packing, a SO MC Divide for most hunting and a SO new Exposure for backpacking.

I have a Badlands Monster for a few trips where I need very little gear and a Cabela's one or two strapped cammo pack for shotgunning, which I never seem to use. It can, tho', be carried for gear on the DD frame, should I choose to O-night it with a framepack.

Don't need more at 71, but, love the SO Brooks and Broadwings, especially if they bring back the Multilid and would also love a Brooks in bright orange for the sort of multi-day snowshoe treks in interior BC which I used to do for decades.

Then, if I get to whacking Wolves and Coyotes in winter, maybe a white cammo pack of some sort?????

 

[Doghed]

I can't say that I "backpack" that often but I can offer a slightly different point of view. I like to do a lot of photography which means carrying a bit of gear. I have a "photography" backpack that I carry often along with a Pelican 1510 case full of stuff. When I go out to do some shooting, the pack will serve me fine as I'm usually in close proximity to the rest of my gear. However, if I'm needing to carry a heavier load for a distance, I'd much rather use my Kifaru pack to bear the load as the "regular" backpacks I use don't really distribute the weight as they should, even though they are lighter.

If you have a good, lightweight pack that you can carry 20-30lbs with for your backpacking adventures then I honestly don't see a reason why you'd need to use a "heavy" pack to get you there. The beauty of a Kifaru or Exo or KUIU pack is they are built for the work that comes with the endgame. I don't use my Kifaru pack as a daypack while hunting for it's comfort and lightweight. I use it because if I get an animal down, I have the ability to have everything I need to clean the animal and haul a first load out without having to make a trip "to the truck" to get a pack.

Almost exactly the same for me. I use a DT2 for pretty much everything. I don't want to walk all the way back to base camp/truck just to get the load hauler. Also I'm always carrying a lot of water since it isn't available most of the places I visit.

I no longer use a camera specific pack. I use a Kinesis Gear bag that allows me to make any pack into a camera pack. If I'm carrying the drone I remove the DT2 and use the frame and cargo panel and the Mollex is thrown on top with the camping gear (for shooting locations that may require an overnight).

 

[twall13]

I look at it this way, while I do enjoy backpacking trips for what they are, in the back of my mind they are preparation for hunting season. With that in mind I don't worry about the extra weight of a heavier pack as it's "training". I typically haul some camera gear, tripod, binos, spotter, etc. and end up with a 60 lb. pack for general backpacking with that mentality. I did go through an ultralight phase at one point but I've settled on a comfortable setup, for me, that is more middle ground in general. I also like to become familiar with a pack layout and where I pack things with that specific pack. That's more difficult to do if you are using multiple bags. The Exo packs make great all around packs and haul weight well when you need them to. My Kifaru frame is a little on the stiff side for most general backpacking loads under 50 lbs. but it's not bad. As others have said, when you need to pack the extra weight is when they shine. I don't have experience with Stone Glacier or Seek Outside but I'd look at those options as well. They are on the lightweight side for hunting specific packs.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

I have kept my backpacking and hunting packs separate since circa 1968 and found this works best for me. I currently run a Bozeman-built Dana Design Shortbed frame, slightly modded, for any meat packing, a SO MC Divide for most hunting and a SO new Exposure for backpacking.

I have a Badlands Monster for a few trips where I need very little gear and a Cabela's one or two strapped cammo pack for shotgunning, which I never seem to use. It can, tho', be carried for gear on the DD frame, should I choose to O-night it with a framepack.

Don't need more at 71, but, love the SO Brooks and Broadwings, especially if they bring back the Multilid and would also love a Brooks in bright orange for the sort of multi-day snowshoe treks in interior BC which I used to do for decades.

Then, if I get to whacking Wolves and Coyotes in winter, maybe a white cammo pack of some sort?????

$10. US Military Arctic White Field Pack Cover | Hilltop Survival Equipment

 

[SHTF]

Using my stone glacier sky talus for hunting and my seek outside unaweep for backpacking and scouting I swap them out through the year depending on my load. Both are very comfortable the stone glacier wins for 60lbs + loads though

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[1signguy]

The Kifaru frame goes no matter what- the bag on the frame may change as the load or trip dictates...
A major component of why I buy Kifaru...

 

[boom]

i backpack with my DT2..it is my wilderness trout fishing pack.

i hunt with another pack.

 

[tlowell02]

I do a lot of backpacking in the summer months and I sold my backpacking pack once I got an EXO 3500. Id also look into seek outside packs if I was in the market.

This is exactly my opinion as well. I do a 6-9 day backpacking trip every year and after purchasing my EXO 5500 a couple years ago I no longer had any use for my Arc'Teryx pack. If I ever had the desire to go with a smaller pack I would simply purchase the 2000 or 3500. The EXO is far more comfortable under any load than the Arc'Teryx.

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[Desk Jockey]

If you want different rigs, go for it.

I picked up th backpacking habit 20 years ago coming out of the army. Over 5 years and about a 100 visits to rei I phased nearly all my .mil gear out of my backpacking kit.

Now that I am getting into hunting, I find I carry things to hunt that I wouldn't need or use in backpacking. Sure, you could use the same gear but I am a tinkerer and would want to rearrange pouches and such for each use. I now have a Kifaru reckoning set up as a big hauler for hunting. I used it on a trip or two for backpacking but as soon as I get it bloody and a bit more worn in, I probably would stop using it as a crossover and go back to my old terra plane. Besides just general preference, hunting packs have features like load shelves and such that I would not likely use on a backpacking trip. Frankly, they are also overbuilt for my tastes. I can't imagine needing my backpacking rig to haul as much as I have required of a hunting rig - tree stands, bags of corn, a quartered out whitetail.