Entire sleep system under pack?

[TaperPin]

Wow, that was a quick fix! No weeks or months of struggle before getting a new pack. . . that was a good call. There will be plenty of other things to sort out and you’ll really enjoy the larger pack.

 

[Gobbler36]

Best

Dude, I say this with love: Just don't.

TLDR: Take your meat frame instead.

Your setup might work for a day-hike on a decent tourist hiking trail. But to go in the elk woods with that, it's going to suck. How do I know this? Cause I've been there/done that etc. It sucks a lot, and it's going to make you quit early.

Solutions:

(1) You said you have a meat frame. Take that. Put your gear in a drybag. Strap the bag to your frame. It'll work about 18x better than what you've got rigged up. Only part that will suck is possibly hitting the top crossmember of the frame on brush, but that's an inconvenience, not a trip-killer. (Pro-tip: Do this option.)

(2) Take that bag, and ratchet strap the whole thing to your meat frame. Walk in with that rig, dump it in camp, day-hunt with your daybag. Not my personal choice, but some guys have an attachment to needing a daybag with them vs running a full frame on day hunts.

(3) Get the tent out of the stuff sack. Stuff it loosely into your pack. Put your pad in your bag too. Then put the mummy bag up on top of your pack, and strap it down up there. That'll improve your pack profile better, with no movement/swinging/bouncing/snagging.

Friday AM 2 cents.

advice yet

 

[OkiechasingElk]

Agreed tons of great advice from Yak's Friday AM 2 cents! lol
And all the other legit feedback from Rokslide.

Reason I'm not using the Meat Hauler as my primary pack setup. It was handed down to me 6-8 years ago, it's probably 20 years old itself. The suspension system is rough. Straps are old but ok, weight belt is nothing more than an old 1" web belt.


Again don't want to pack in my problems. As mentioned above, I went ahead and purchased a larger pack with built in frame. It's a Cabela's Multi-Day hunt pack. I'm a big dude so it being 2 lbs heavier than the $500 packs is okay at the $200 price tag.

I get to Elk hunt 1 week a year, so figure I put this pack to work for a few years, then I'll upgrade and hand it down to one of my sons who will be old enough to go up with me by then. I know it's not Luxury, but it will be for me! And it'll definitely allow me to get all my packed items inside the pack and it's on a much improved suspension system.

The ALPS pack is getting returned for a refund.