First Pack Recommendations Please

[Mduray24]

I am new to hunting and have been learning a lot on this forum, I am looking for an ultra light day pack that also has a frame to haul out a light load. I found a MR Pintler and a Kuiu Icon pro in the classifieds. Which would you go for?

The kuiu is the lightest but everyone seems to like the MR.

Thank you! I appreciate your input.

(I can't comment in the classifieds for a week yet so they might not even be available but am trying to learn which I should be going for)

 

[raysting06]

Exo mountain has a nice day pack with a meat pack between frame and pack


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[Mduray24]

Great, thank you! Is it critical to have the meat load between the frame and pack vs. just on the outside?

 

[Jebuwh]

Great, thank you! Is it critical to have the meat load between the frame and pack vs. just on the outside?

You will definitely want to carry the meat closest to your body, as it will likely be the heaviest part of your load.

Either of those packs would be fine starting out. The main ones everyone will recommend are going to be Mystery Ranch, Stone Glacier, Kifaru, and Exo. Kuiu to a lesser extent, but lots of guys have great experiences with those too.

If possible i would highly recommend seeing if there are people in your area that own some of the packs so you can try them on and see what fits you best.

 

[Mduray24]

You will definitely want to carry the meat closest to your body, as it will likely be the heaviest part of your load.

Either of those packs would be fine starting out. The main ones everyone will recommend are going to be Mystery Ranch, Stone Glacier, Kifaru, and Exo. Kuiu to a lesser extent, but lots of guys have great experiences with those too.

If possible i would highly recommend seeing if there are people in your area that own some of the packs so you can try them on and see what fits you best.

Thank you!

 

[Freestone]

Great, thank you! Is it critical to have the meat load between the frame and pack vs. just on the outside?

I’d say the meat shelf would be critical if you are going to have a smaller bag in whichever pack you decide to go with. If you go with a larger bag and plan on compressing it down for use as a day pack it might not be necessary. I’ve personally used the MR, SG, and Kifaru. You really can’t go wrong with any of those in my opinion as long as they fit you. Good luck in your search!


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[Mduray24]

I’d say the meat shelf would be critical if you are going to have a smaller bag in whichever pack you decide to go with. If you go with a larger bag and plan on compressing it down for use as a day pack it might not be necessary. I’ve personally used the MR, SG, and Kifaru. You really can’t go wrong with any of those in my opinion as long as they fit you. Good luck in your search!


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That makes sense. Thanks!

 

[wyelkhunter]

what are you hunting and where

 

[Mduray24]

what are you hunting and where

Elk- In Montana.

Hunting out of a base camp, not bivy hunting at all

 

[Wassid82]

Great, thank you! Is it critical to have the meat load between the frame and pack vs. just on the outside?

I’ve had several pack and have moved towards gettin the load of meat closest to your back. You’ll find that with elk you’ll want that towards the end of a long hike or in steep country. Lots of good options out there just depends on $$$

 

[Rob5589]

I dig my EXO. Great fit, carries well, nice layout. For a true day pack, the 2000 is great. You could over night with it as well. I just sold the 2000 and moved up to the 3500 for more versatility. If you have any plans to go more than a night or two, get the 3500. Size of course depends on your planned use.

 

[mike stoick]

What is your budget?

 

[Desk Jockey]

Welcome. I don’t own a kuiu pack but have become a bit of an MR fanboy lately.

Pintler is a heck of a pack. I love mine. It isn’t very light but you won’t find anything that can haul meat (frame, shelf. Etc.) that really is. MR has a line called pop ups that are great and a little cheaper than a pintler but the biggest bag is 28 litters so it really is only a day pack.

I think the pintler is a better first pack option. It is a little heavier but you could use it for a longer hike if you wanted. You also get the full size guide lite frame and could add bags to that for more capacity and versatility down the road. There are some good deals on the pintler now and plenty in the classifieds. mR just released a new pack and updated frame with a similar size called the sawtooth that might be worth a look if you want the latest and greatest.

 

[Agross]

For my first good pack I went with the Pintler And I wasn't disappointed. I didn't get a chance to haul meat in it , but I really liked everything about the pack for my needs. Not to big, not to small. Some organization pockets but not a ton. I wanted a pack I could use on western hunts as well as back here at home. I waited to pick mine up until it went on sale and ended up saving a lot of money.

 

[Elkhntr08]

When I moved from Eberlestock to something a little better, I looked at EXO and MR. Ended up with a EXO K3500 over the Metcalf. Main reason was a better pocket layout and the EXO is lighter than MR.
They are are good packs and you can’t go wrong. One thing you’ll hear a lot is Buy once, cry once. It is sound advice.

 

[kmbrewcrew]

Mystery Ranch makes great packs...I can't speak to the Kuiu as I've never had one. I have a MR Pop-Up 28 that works great for the application you describe.

Based on my personal experience, I'd say buy what you want now. Any of these packs should last for years. I have progressed from Walmart Special, to Alps, to Kelty, to Eberlestock, to MR, and just recently bought a Stone Glacier. I would have saved a lot of money over the last 5 or 6 years if I had just started with one of the higher end packs to start with. So, as Elkhntr8 said...buy once, cry once!

 

[aion2come]

I have one of those Pintlers for sale over on the classifieds. It is the one new with tags. Feel free to contact me directly if you are interested. nine two zero, seven nine one, one four six nine. Crazy nice pack. If I didn't already have two high end packs, I'd be keeping it.

 

[WoolyBugger]

I bought an exo for my first hunt, I though it was good not great. I never felt like it was adjusted right even after talking with Steve at exo (great guy btw). Borrowed my buddies kifaru frame that he adjusted to me and that seemed to be the ticket. Bought one and haven't looked back. Buy once cry once as long as you don't like to try out new stuff.

Another thing is modularity. You can throw Kifaru pockets on just about any pack and really make it your own.

 

[Tradchef]

All good stuff thats been suggested. If you just want a daypack hauler the exo 2000 is sweet, the mystery ranch cabinet is a great pack, the kifaru 22 mag or woodsman on the lite frame would be a solid choice and the Stone Glacier solo or R3 3300 on any of their frames would be a great choice. Never used a Kuiu but I’ve heard mixed reviews. Some love em some hate em. Price point on those are pretty good but if price was an issue the classifieds on a used one of brands mentioned from everyone above are tough to beat.

 

[BluMtn]

I Have had several packs in the past years. I have been using a KUIU ICON-PRO with a 3200 bag and last year I wanted to try the MR Pop-up 28. Its a great day pack with load handling , but I found for extended wear my shoulders started hurting. Even stopped by Bozeman MR and had them fit it for me, did not help. So I decided to upgrade my KUIU with a 2200 bag and the new belt pockets. While upgrading everything found an issue with the belt and contacted KUIU and they said no problem we will warranty the belt. Long story short because I can not prove I bought the pack from them (Christmas gift and Like who else sells their product) they want to sell me a new belt. KUIU is a good product but I am unsure if I would recommend buying their product.