Best rear bag for backpack hunts

[seand]

I’ve been packing a str8laced bag for years but it’s a little spongy/soft. I’ll be packing a pint size git lite gamechanger this year, which will double as a pillow. it’s pretty good as a rear rear and real handy for shooting stumps, rocks etc.

 

[Carl Ross]

I think my left hand has been my rear bag in the field more often than not. I'm not opposed to carrying something extra I think will increase my effectiveness, but it just isn't hard to shoot decent without a rear bag in my experience. And I've got like 8 bags I've purchased and a couple I've made, some are 2-3 oz.

 

[hereinaz]

At least on the pack in, weight is at a premium - still I can imagine a rear bag could be useful for long range. Has anyone had good results filling a bag with pine needles? I’d be more agreeable to carrying a rear bag if the weight could be ditched at the end of the hunt.

I have tried that, but it’s not worth it to save a couple ounces. Our LS Wild 2-5 bag weighs 2.5 ounces…

If ounces are too much, pack some clothes or something into a little gear bag. They work better than pine needles ever will.

 

[rbutcher1234]

I have tried that, but it’s not worth it to save a couple ounces. Our LS Wild 2-5 bag weighs 2.5 ounces…

If ounces are too much, pack some clothes or something into a little gear bag. They work better than pine needles ever will.

What about a spare set of socks in a small bag?

 

[atmat]

The SSS bag is 7 ounces and works as a seat, sleeping pillow, and rear bag.

I have the SSS bag and it’s great for a host of things. I’ve used at as both a front and a rear rear. Plus it’s comfy to sit on. For 7 oz it’s tough to beat!

 

[WKR]

I picked up the SSS bag recently and first impressions are good. Looking forward to using is on an upcoming backpack hunt.
Gunna leave my butt pad behind and use the bag for multi purpose so the extra weight is negligible

 

[hereinaz]

What about a spare set of socks in a small bag?

That’s going to work, but it has its limitations. It’s better than floating in the air but can’t give you the level of support of most rear bags.

The question is whether it will give you the level of stability you need. For many purposes it’s enough, but typically the further you shoot the need for a stable rear increases.

 

[Brownrice]

I’ve been running a Crown Royal bag for years. When I get to where I’m going I’ll fill it with sand/dirt and tie it tight. It works great.

 

[bojangles808]

I've been using my rainjacket packed into it's pocket. Maybe not the best (think something firmer might be a better idea) but it's cheap and it's already in my pack

 

[BradArnett]

Spent this weekend shooting in various positions using trekking poles, my pack and a pint size gamechanger w/gitlite fill. I was impressed with it for how little it weighs. It's definitely going on my pack for this falls hunts.

 

[cbailey1187]

A rear bag is a crucial piece of equipment. I've been playing around with several different styles. The only not home made one I've used is a Red Tac Rear bag. It's pretty firm and is filled with the hard plastic beads and weighs 1lb 7oz. Now When I'm backpack hunting, I keep the mantra of "ounces make pounds and pounds make pain". So, I've tried some alternatives to a true designated rear bag. The one I like the most is taking a small or medium Kifaru pull out and filling it with rice or sand (put them in a plastic bag then the pull out, making it easier to clean). I like this option because one you can custom fill it to what you like, either firm or soft, and two, once you're done using it you can dump the contents out and don't have to pack that weight out.
I don't like using puffy jackets, they are hard to manage and seem to constantly collapse. One Trick I learned was taking your rain gear or puffy jacket and putting them in a dry bag or stuff sack. You can manage the fill by feeding out parts of the jacket out of the sack or stuff more in depending on your needs. The issue with using a dry sack/stuff sack is the material is often pretty slick and can be hard to get exactly where you want it quickly. I'm playing around with adding patches of cordura on the stuff sack I use for my rain gear to see if that helps at all.

 

[West2East]

I didn't want to buy another piece of gear to carry extra weight on my hunts so I started using my game bags (caribou gear) that come in the bag that they are packed in and it works for most situations as a rear bag. It works pretty well and i can get pretty steady with it.

 

[willfrye027]

For you guys using fairly squishy material for a rear bag, highly recommend doing a lot of practice off of them. For me, I will OFTEN send the first shot high with a squishy rear rest. Might be my shooting technique but it is repeatable enough to be concerning. I’m talking 500 yards plus, dedicated long range stuff. Definitely used game bags, puffys, and bino harness for shorter ranges and been fine.

Git lite is what I would use for fill, regardless of the actual bag.

Personally have been loving my LRO mini wedge.

 

[hereinaz]

For you guys using fairly squishy material for a rear bag, highly recommend doing a lot of practice off of them. For me, I will OFTEN send the first shot high with a squishy rear rest. Might be my shooting technique but it is repeatable enough to be concerning. I’m talking 500 yards plus, dedicated long range stuff. Definitely used game bags, puffys, and bino harness for shorter ranges and been fine.

Git lite is what I would use for fill, regardless of the actual bag.

Personally have been loving my LRO mini wedge.

You are right. Recoil often sends shots high and a squirmy bag does not help as much as a solid bag.

Git-lite is the best fill for solid rest and lightest weight. I like the LRO mini wedge and the LS Wild waxed mini bag, both of which we make.

 

[willfrye027]

You are right. Recoil often sends shots high and a squirmy bag does not help as much as a solid bag.

Git-lite is the best fill for solid rest and lightest weight. I like the LRO mini wedge and the LS Wild waxed mini bag, both of which we make.

I haven’t found a bag I liked more than the LRO mini wedge, I’ll have to look at the LS wild mini waxed. For me the extra ounces are worth it but I do practice and hunt a lot in that 500-700 yard range where little things start to matter more.

 

[hereinaz]

I haven’t found a bag I liked more than the LRO mini wedge, I’ll have to look at the LS wild mini waxed. For me the extra ounces are worth it but I do practice and hunt a lot in that 500-700 yard range where little things start to matter more.

The solidity of a rear bag past 500 yards starts to make a difference. Depending on how far I am walking and how long I will be out determines what I will carry. I start with the wedge as default, especially on day trips.

 

[spartanhunter]

I like the rugged ridge rear support but it was my first and only buy so far just because it takes up less space. I have not used a rear bag in the field.

Is the general consensus here that a rear bag is better out hunting? Or have most people here just always used bags and not tried the rugged ridge?

 

[sodaksooner]

I think my left hand has been my rear bag in the field more often than not. I'm not opposed to carrying something extra I think will increase my effectiveness, but it just isn't hard to shoot decent without a rear bag in my experience. And I've got like 8 bags I've purchased and a couple I've made, some are 2-3 oz.

I came here to say this. I've never needed it in the field, but works well at the range. It's cheap and you (should) always have it.

 

[hereinaz]

I like the rugged ridge rear support but it was my first and only buy so far just because it takes up less space. I have not used a rear bag in the field.

Is the general consensus here that a rear bag is better out hunting? Or have most people here just always used bags and not tried the rugged ridge?

Bags provide more precision and versatility. For most hunters and most shots who are OK with getting by, a bag vs. some other object for isn’t really necessary.

Once shooters use a bag and get some instruction, they usually don’t go back to other objects. Or, if they do it’s a choice for a particular hunt to leave it and compensate with something else like a bino harness or game bags in a stuff sack.

Our lightest bag right now weighs 2.5 ounces, so even sheep hunters can find a space for it. We are making an even smaller bag that is half that weight and smaller if 2.5 ounces is too much.

 

[BBob]

Once shooters use a bag and get some instruction, they usually don’t go back to other objects.

For sure. I always have my bags available these days especially if it’s helping newbies and kids. So much easier getting the rifle setup and success rates have gone way up with far fewer missed shots. A little pre season instruction and bags in the field have almost eliminated those missed shots.

Our lightest bag right now weighs 2.5 ounces, so even sheep hunters can find a space for it. We are making an even smaller bag that is half that weight and smaller if 2.5 ounces is too much.

I haven’t looked at your site for awhile so things might have changed. What would be nice is if you came up with some sort of list/matrix to look at your different offerings with what size, what fill and what the weights are for each bag. Bouncing between tabs with not fully fleshed out descriptions on each was kind of a little road block for me.