Elk hauler for my body type.

[Dmac678]

I'm wanting to try to go on my first elk hunt next year. I have been looking at a lot of packs for camping out of and hauling meat. Most of my hunting thus far has been hunting whitetails out of climbers and now a saddle. With this in mind I have been looking for something that could use for that and elk hunting. So far I have been drawn to the EXO K3 4800. It compresses down enough that I believe I could use it as a bigger day pack for whitetails, but it also expands so I can use it for a multi day elk hunt. It also comes in a camo pattern so I would feel comfortable pulling it into a tree for saddle hunting.
However, I have read enough at this point to know that a pack is a very personal choice based on fit. With that in mind, I thought I would ask to see if anyone here comes close to my body type and if so what pack they prefer and why. Sorry if this is already on the forum some place, searched a few times but everyone else talking about this seems to have a very different body type than me. Either a much bigger waist or a lot taller. Here are my dimensions.
Height: 5' 10"
Shoulder to Hip: 25"
Shoulder circumference: 50"
Gut circumference: 40"
Waist circumference: 34"
Thanks in advance to anyone willing to respond.

 

[Bubblehide]

Kids, of either type . Okay, all kidding aside, there is a pack shootout post here where most of the major players are compaired and analyzed , it provides some great information. But if you are looking at a minimalist type pack that compresses to almost nothing you might look at Stone Glacier.

 

[Dmac678]

Thanks for the info. I have watched/read a lot of the comparisons between the big players at this point. I am really interested in if someone that matches my build seems to fit one frame better than others.

 

[colby12]

Trying to see how close I am to you with those measurements, think I am close with a slightly shorter torso. I’m 5’10” about 205. My torso is slightly longer than it should be, or I’ve got short legs whichever one you wanna roll with. I bought a SG 5900 last year and used for 2 bear hunts, an elk hunt, and a deer hunt. No complaints. Compresses nice and fits well. I have the tall frame, pretty adjustable. Honest opinion is your best bet would be to call SG, Exo, Kifaru,and SO. I’ve dealt with 2 of the 4 and they have amazing customer service. The other 2 by all accounts on this forum also have great customer service and they get you set up with the best thing for you.

 

[Sherman]

I have very similar measurements but a little bit larger waist. Went through the daunting task of choosing a pack system recently. After all my research and trying out all kinds of packs I went with Kifaru. I love my pack. I love Kifaru. I will never buy anything else. Kifaru, Kuiu, SO, and Exo are all super solid choices and you can’t go wrong with any of these 4.

 

[Sherman]

Look at the straight jacket with a camp bag from Kifaru. Seems like it would fit the bill for what you do perfectly.

 

[Dmac678]

Colby, that is good to know. I will definitely look into contacting them directly. Have you had better luck over the phone or by email.

Thanks for the suggestion Sherman, I will take a look at that setup and see what I think.

I wish I lived closer to somewhere I could try some of these on. SE OK is a long way from any mountaineering stores.

 

[colby12]

I’ve had luck with both. Email if I’m busy and they usually respond within a day or two. I’ve also never had to wait long or try to hard to get a hold of them on the phone.

 

[WI in the west]

Im 5’10 with a 32” waste 32 inseem. I have the exo k2 and a kifaru hoodlum. Cant go wrong with eaither. I like kifaru more because its way more customizable with pockets, buckles and bag options but that can get confusing or to much for some people. The exo was more plain and simple. Both haul weight great both are awesome pcks and i still have both because of it.

 

[Dmac678]

Thanks for the input Jalenweyker.

Have either you or Sherman had issues with your Kifaru bags allowing blood to leak in? Was watching a comparison between some bags last night and it was mentioned that they do not have a waterproof layer on the back of the bag where the meat would be touching it.

 

[peterk123]

I can only speak to Stone Glacier 5800, since that is what I own. I'm 6 feet tall, 175 pounds. 32 inch waist, no butt. I love the thing. I helped haul out my first elk with it. I had 75 pounds on my back, which probably was too much for my old body, but the pack handled it like a champ. Since moving to Montana this year, this pack gets used a lot, like twice a week. Short hikes in the afternoon to all day affairs fishing mountain creeks. Had I known, I would have purchased one years ago and even used it in the northeast to hunt out of a treestand. It is that comfortable. It packs down as small as my day pack. Certainly heavier, but way more comfortable. Can't say enough about the thing. I'm sure all the other high end haul carrying packs are just as good.

 

[TheGDog]

Mostly you just need enough cargo volume to handle your intended scenario. And then follow the maufacturers suggestions for determining which sized height of pack frame would fit for your back length. And then follow directions and/or contact their support to get help with making sure you've adjusted the fitment of the pack properly for your body. The adjusting/fitment part is crucial. You'll want to go on at least a few outings with whatever new pack you get. It's new to you, so you'll need to determine where you want to store X and Y within the packs offered compartments. Which layout works best for what you're doing.

I will say having a guide lid that's also like a separate lil mini back pack is something I've grown very fond of.

I also like when the main compartment is zippered, and that zipper can also be opened from the bottom going back upward as well. I'm less of a fan of packs where the main compartment is just a big opening at the top.

Side wing pockets are a necessity to me. Kwik Stix, Tripod and Trekking Pole(s) all go in those. And can be retrieved from them usually without having to undo compression straps.

I have the Kifaru EMR II. It's nice and big inside!

I just recently got Outdoorsman's Atlas Trainer and Palisades pack. Interesting thing with their concept is the pack part can be pulled away from the frame for stuffing the meat bags between pack and your back. Unfortunately the Palisades guide lid isn't quite as big and their zippered compartment access is on the underside of it. I'll just have to deal with that aspect of it. And that Palisades doesn't have a zipper down the main compartment, but oh well. It's not as expensive, either.

I only bothered to get another pack because I'm thinking this other one not descending down as low for its lumbar pad might help my area of injury not have as much pad pushing against it.

For sure I'd say get the biggest honkin' one you can afford. It's sucks majorly to not be able to fit everything you wanna bring inside it. I mean... predator seat cushion and things like that, sure, attach to outside. Helinox chair, it has a nice couple straps at the bottom for that. But like... your tent... camp stove, etc. It's dang nice to have all that stuff fit inside the pack somewhere, rather than have to deal with clunky stuff held onto it with the various compression straps.

 

[WI in the west]

Thanks for the input Jalenweyker.

Have either you or Sherman had issues with your Kifaru bags allowing blood to leak in? Was watching a comparison between some bags last night and it was mentioned that they do not have a waterproof layer on the back of the bag where the meat would be touching it.

Ive always been outting meat in a garbage bag and throwing in the actual bag, i never figured out how to use the meat shelves properly. And its easier to get the weight in the middle that way for me. That keeps them pretty clean, but ive just hosed the pack off after it gets bloody then maybe gove it an ice bath. Ot osnt perfect but cleans it pretty good. Id bet you could put a bag or piece of a tarp or something in between the meat and the bag to keep ot pretty clean to

 

[TheGDog]

Specifically for that reason you mentioned, keeping the inside of the bag clean, AND.. for help covering the ground where the animal went down so while deboning not as much isht keeps trying to get itself in there upon the meat... Klymit had a sale leading into big game season on their ultralight tarp. So added that to pack.

The dimensions would be good for deboning OR just hunkering down-in with your pack, to wait-out a monsoonal down pour that sometimes can catch ya by surprise in Early Season in SoCal's Desert/Chapparal Coastal hills like in D15.

On the other hand, I dig on the concept the Outdoorsman's packs do of the bag being able to separate away from the frame via straps... then you load the meat bags in between, then the whole bag cinches down onto the meatbags compressed them into the frame. So no dripping within the bag.

I'm kinda figuring for now, I'll try the Palisades pack just for predators/doves/small-game. To see how I like it longer term. Cause I can fit a whole coyote in the Kifaru MeatBags. And those MeatBags are pretty darn good at holding in the blood. Some does seep thru over time (I'd presume at the seems possibly) but it's really not much. Good hose-down of inside of pack and let it dry. Maybe throw in a sprig of fresh Rosemary from my frontyard down in there until next time I need to get it out.

 

[LongWayAround]

Get the exo with the medium belt.

 

[tcpip95]

I called and spoke with the owner of Horn Hunter Packs. I gave him some of my details, and in particular the waist belt. We ended up adding 3" to each side of the belt, and he moved the pockets forward for me. It ended up being a semi-custom pack. It fits me perfectly.

We also talked about a bino harness that will allow me to carry a handgun in a chest rig. I got the Horn Hunter bino case and it fits very will with my GunfightersINC Kenai chest rig.

 

[Cconrad94]

I'm wanting to try to go on my first elk hunt next year. I have been looking at a lot of packs for camping out of and hauling meat. Most of my hunting thus far has been hunting whitetails out of climbers and now a saddle. With this in mind I have been looking for something that could use for that and elk hunting. So far I have been drawn to the EXO K3 4800. It compresses down enough that I believe I could use it as a bigger day pack for whitetails, but it also expands so I can use it for a multi day elk hunt. It also comes in a camo pattern so I would feel comfortable pulling it into a tree for saddle hunting.
However, I have read enough at this point to know that a pack is a very personal choice based on fit. With that in mind, I thought I would ask to see if anyone here comes close to my body type and if so what pack they prefer and why. Sorry if this is already on the forum some place, searched a few times but everyone else talking about this seems to have a very different body type than me. Either a much bigger waist or a lot taller. Here are my dimensions.
Height: 5' 10"
Shoulder to Hip: 25"
Shoulder circumference: 50"
Gut circumference: 40"
Waist circumference: 34"
Thanks in advance to anyone willing to respond.

I’m really close to your body type and after tons of research I’m leaning towards Kifaru. Pricey but it’s a reoccurring name!

 

[roosiebull]

I'm wanting to try to go on my first elk hunt next year. I have been looking at a lot of packs for camping out of and hauling meat. Most of my hunting thus far has been hunting whitetails out of climbers and now a saddle. With this in mind I have been looking for something that could use for that and elk hunting. So far I have been drawn to the EXO K3 4800. It compresses down enough that I believe I could use it as a bigger day pack for whitetails, but it also expands so I can use it for a multi day elk hunt. It also comes in a camo pattern so I would feel comfortable pulling it into a tree for saddle hunting.
However, I have read enough at this point to know that a pack is a very personal choice based on fit. With that in mind, I thought I would ask to see if anyone here comes close to my body type and if so what pack they prefer and why. Sorry if this is already on the forum some place, searched a few times but everyone else talking about this seems to have a very different body type than me. Either a much bigger waist or a lot taller. Here are my dimensions.
Height: 5' 10"
Shoulder to Hip: 25"
Shoulder circumference: 50"
Gut circumference: 40"
Waist circumference: 34"
Thanks in advance to anyone willing to respond.

Pack fit is not just about body shape, there are probably a lot of people very close to your body dimensions and if you polled just them, it would probably just make it more confusing. If you can’t try them on, it’s a guess regardless…

That being said, the EXO 4800 would be a pretty safe bet, EXO packs fit most people well, and EXO does a great job of riding that line of lightweight and durable, they make great packs.

I currently use an EXO and a Kifaru… I think I slightly favor my kifaru if I had to pick one, but it’s really close, I would be content and happy if I chose the EXO for everything

Seek outside and stone glacier also seem to be widely liked, I had a seek outside, and it was a great pack, just didn’t fit me as well, but that’s a me thing, they are very widely liked

 

[philson208]

I just pulled the trigger on a k3 4800 from exo and I love it so far. it can be a gamble buying site unseen with the prices being asked, but I did it based on peoples reviews of the company itself and pack reviews. I am 5' 8" 34" inseam 200 lbs. I have zero experience with other packs, but I was looking @ SG, Kifaru, Seek, exo & ultimately went with the 4800 because of the adjustability of the pack and fit. It would be interesting to hear back from op if a pack choice was ever made & hear some opinions.

 

[jnawalaniec]

I’ve gone through backpack roulette the last couple years, had a horn hunter and badlands pack that tore up my hips and would hurt my shoulders. Got a Seekoutside pack that was significantly better, but through the season I couldn’t get it right where it was super comfortable for me. Got a Kifaru and a hill people gear pack to compare last month and ended up sticking with the HPG and selling the kifaru, I thought people were crazy saying order multiple and send the ones you don’t like back until I actually did it