Badlands Vario Pack

[slick trick]

Next week Ill be putting one of these packs through the ringer on a mule deer , black bear, turkey hunt. I will let yall know how she does, hopefully I can put more then 50lbs in it and give it a good blood test. Ill be back first weekend of Sept. so those that are wondering about it maybe I can shed some light.

 

[deerhunter628]

I look forward to hearing about your experience. I just put in my order for the 33 kit and meat shelf.

 

[deerhunter628]

I just got my Vario 33. Seems like a nice pack. I have not put anything in it yet. Anybody put any miles on one yet?

 

[slick trick]

well i ran mine for 9 days in Arizona this past week. It felt really good- I really like the waist belt. The shoulder straps are a little slick with the new sweat tech poly shirts. I like the fact they made the gun/bow holder movable over to the bat wing pocket. Most of the time i had 40-45lbs in mine with all day gear. Putting a spotter mounted on tripod in the side holder and mounting a bow was a simple 3 buckles and done. The frame seams really rigid but has some flex when working through the dead falls and rocks . Took about 3 minutes to mount the game/ hauler bag between frame and bag, love that feature.. The way the bag comes off the frame and preps for hauling is so simple. All the stitching seemed up to snuff, the pulls are a little large. There are some things that could have been done to count ounces ,but i think all in all this is a very tough bag and frame with so many options. I was wanting us to kill so i could run this in full hauler mode but all we got was a turkey- not for lack of trying. I think this bag/ frame is going to run 60- 80lbs pretty good, I just wish the shoulder straps were not so slick and with use they might not be or you can run your chest strap tighter but my chest is broad. I will take it with me for my Audad hunt in Palo Duro Canyon and see how it does it the cold weather with winter clothes on.

 

[Codyrayh]

anyone else put these to the test this year? how were they?

 

[Clanderson]

Am interested as well.

 

[hansonc87]

Interested

 

[MMOATSY]

Just picked one up, I really like it, but it does seem difficult to fit me.

Given me fits with the lower back when I load it up. Obviously I haven’t figured the correct fit out.


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[Tnguy22]

i've been lookin at the Vario system for a while now and can't decide if i want to pull the trigger on it or not. Might wait for another one of their 50% off sales and at least try it out and see the fit. Any suggestions on a system in this price range from other pack brands for better quality and fit adjustments?

 

[trophyhill]

well i ran mine for 9 days in Arizona this past week. It felt really good- I really like the waist belt. The shoulder straps are a little slick with the new sweat tech poly shirts. I like the fact they made the gun/bow holder movable over to the bat wing pocket. Most of the time i had 40-45lbs in mine with all day gear. Putting a spotter mounted on tripod in the side holder and mounting a bow was a simple 3 buckles and done. The frame seams really rigid but has some flex when working through the dead falls and rocks . Took about 3 minutes to mount the game/ hauler bag between frame and bag, love that feature.. The way the bag comes off the frame and preps for hauling is so simple. All the stitching seemed up to snuff, the pulls are a little large. There are some things that could have been done to count ounces ,but i think all in all this is a very tough bag and frame with so many options. I was wanting us to kill so i could run this in full hauler mode but all we got was a turkey- not for lack of trying. I think this bag/ frame is going to run 60- 80lbs pretty good, I just wish the shoulder straps were not so slick and with use they might not be or you can run your chest strap tighter but my chest is broad. I will take it with me for my Audad hunt in Palo Duro Canyon and see how it does it the cold weather with winter clothes on.

45-50 lbs for a daypack? i think i can help you with that. feel free to ask me whats in my pack and you will go in much lighter, and maybe come out much heavier im going in for 7-10 days just a little heavier than you are for a daypack......

 

[slick trick]

yea iam running heavy cause i chose to. i run 60-65 for 9 days elk hunting at 11,000ft. When truck is only 2 or 3 miles ill run heavy cause i know iam going back, no since skimping when Iam that close. Besides you cant test or tell how a pack will do with 20lbs in it...you dont want to find out that your pack feels like total shit when you get a 80lb load in it.

 

[nobody]

I stumbled across this thread while doing a little bit of googling. I don’t own one of these, but my good friend and hunting partner has had one for a little bit over a year. I’ve watched him mess around with it and try to make it work the entire time. Here are the things that I have noticed him that he has said to me. Any comparisons made below will be against my stone glacier X curve with an avail 2200 bag.

overall, his badlands seems to be made extremely well as far as durability and longevity is concerned. It weighs probably 30% more than my stone glacier, but it carries the extra weight well. He is about 6 foot one, 165 pounds, and has very narrow shoulders and is extremely lean. He has an issue often times with packs fitting with the shoulder straps too far out on his shoulders, but he was able to get the Vario adjusted to sit right. But one of the first things we did notice once he got it adjusted in sitting just right on his back was how giant the bag was overall. Even fully compressed to run in day pack mode, it was just obscenely huge we felt. But, he got it for 50% off, so he was willing to live with some of those relatively minor annoyances as long as it functioned well.

however, there are two giant seems that run through the lumbar pad on either side of his spine. These are behind the actual padding, but are large and bulky enough that they actually push through the padding and rub his hip bones raw and create pressure points. When he asked Badlands about it, they simply said nobody had ever complained about it and that all of the packs had that same stitching. So, he spent an additional 80 bucks on some high density foam padding and beefed up and modified the lumbar pad so that he could actually wear the pack without hurting his back. Then, on his first trip out in Colorado mule deer hunting last year with it, the handle strap on top of the bag broke. He had probably 35 pounds of gear in it and picked it up to put it in his truck and The handle just came off. So, back to Badlands it went after his hunt. So, before he had ever really used it, he had already had two headaches with it.

after everything was modified and fixed, he actually got to where he really likes the bag. Even with a broken handle, he still used it on his Colorado mule deer hunt and packed out an entire quartered out mule deer plus head and cape in the bag and he said it handled the load extremely well. He was actually pretty mind blown with how comfortable the bag was and how easy it made carrying that much weight. Granted, mule deer aren’t that big, but he was carrying for fall bone in quarters plus neck meat, backstrap‘s, tenderloins, plus the head and cape. So, it’s not like there wasn’t any weight in it.

he used it on a couple of backpacking/camping trips with his family in the high uintahs this year and during those trips, he had between 60 and 80 pounds of his gear plus his kids gear in it. Again, he said it carried the weight very well and he was very comfortable. However, after a couple of these trips, it started to develop a pretty significant squeak/creak every time the weight shifted or he took a step. He was constantly messing with the straps trying to get it to go away, but it just got worse with time. It eventually hit the point where during archery season this year, he went back to using his old 2200 badlands pack because his Vario was basically useless as a hunting pack. It legitimately squeaked so loud that I could hear him walking from about 80 yards away. So, it eventually went back to Badlands, and they just sent him a new frame. His new one is a little bit better, but it still has the really pronounced seems that press into his lower back, and it still has a minor squeak. He says it still carries weight very well, but if he hadn’t bought it on the 50% off sale last year, he would be very very livid with the amount of noise it makes. Every pack I have ever owned or had experience with has made some amount of noise, but this one was excessive to say the least. Hopefully this helps some of you watching this thread!

 

[trophyhill]

Before a guy commits to any BL’s pack, you have to ask yourself “what could possibly go wrong?” Then ask yourself “do I feel lucky?” Then do a search on the great BL’s craftsmanship......

 

[TooLucky406]

Have had mine for two seasons now(33 kit with meat shelf). Pack one elk and deer with it. As mentioned above, the pack carry the weight well. No issue with day pack use or overnights(except for more room if over 3days). Lumbar could be issue for some, since it not adjustable, but can tucked additional padding if needed. My biggest issue with it was initially the waist pockets not being able to zip back up as the zipper should be place the opposite direction. Then came the squeaking as mentioned above. Took some bow wax and greased the heck out of the stays and shoulders adjustment strap area. The squeaking is from the thin plastic frame sheet rubber on the stays. Has gone away the last three outings. With some bias, as I been a long time Badlands user, I would say if you're paying full retail for the pack, I would spend the extra $150-$200 for one of the upper tier packs, but at 50% off, I am fine with the pack and it has served me well. But I'm that guy that likes to try new things so a different brand and bigger pack is next.

 

[pyle762]

I also picked up the Vario system for this season. I got the frame, the day pack and the large bag (100 liter bag). I have not yet put the big bag to the test and won't be able to until a backpack trip for Coues and javelina in January. I have use the day pack quite a bit on the frame and hauled out a cow elk on it. It was comfortable and fit me well. Prior to that I used a Badlands Sacrifice and I like this pack much better. It does squeak a little but it is not unbearable for me. The day pack is easy to fill up and might not be big enough for a day trip with a lot of gear or warm clothing. I might pick up a 33 for a little bit more room. No quality issues so far but I have just used it this season.