Hauling meat inside pack vs outside

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I see guys say they put their meat inside their packs, rather than between their pack and the frame...

Why? Whats the advantage of putting the meat inside your pack?
 

muddydogs

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I would say that there using packs that don't have the option to put meat between the bag and frame. Other then that there would be no difference in hauling the meat in the bag if there was nothing between the meat and frame besides the bag material.
 
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I see guys say they put their meat inside their packs, rather than between their pack and the frame...

Why? Whats the advantage of putting the meat inside your pack?
I don't think that there is an advantage. For years that was the only way I hauled meat because the packs I owned had no other option, but I bought a SG about 4 years ago and haven't hauled meat in the bag since.
 

Kevin_t

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I carry it more often in the pack . I find a pack like the brooks is just super simple to haul meat ...simpler than a shelf and it stays put a bit better as well. I often am trying to shave weight as well and our integrated packs are usually a few ounces lighter
 

BRWNBR

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Feb 11, 2015
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I have no meat shelf
I had a shelf years ago. Meat inside to me is much easier to contain and handle than a shelf. Clients that have used shelves seem to work ok, it does take more goofing around to get it loaded right than just dropping it inside the bag though.
 

boom

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i think the main advantage of inside the pack is: you dont have to dick with the pack to load meat besides opening the lid.

my meat shelf, i have to undo parts of my pack to access the space between the frame and bag.

having said that, i always seem to have stuff in my pack when the animal dies. like all my camping gear. the shelf allows me to keep it there and put the meat outside.
 
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I use the meat shelf. On the Kifaru bags I own that didn't have one, I had pods8 make me one that I can connect to them and the frame. I have plenty of room for gear in the bag, and can bring out all I can carry in the meat shelf.
 

Frank Grimes

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Always been in the bag. Usually keep my things or camp in a dry bag. Sometimes I will strap that to the outside, as it doesn’t weigh that much.

Once I can justify replacing my arxteryx bora, which shows hardly any wear, I will pick up a seek outside brooks pack. Internal meat shelf looks interesting.
 

grimace

FNG
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Dec 3, 2017
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I have a SG Sky 5100, to reduce my trips hauling a cow out this year I put a rear quarter in the load shelf and a front quarter in the bag. both were boned out in tags bags. The load shelf worked perfect, I had a bloody mess inside my bag with all my gear. I will avoid doing that again if possible. Granted it would have been better if I had a second trash compactor bag for the front quarter.

G
 

Jimss

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There are several advantages to hauling meat inside a pack. First and foremost is having the brunt of the weight cinched up close to your back. The further the distance from your back the more unstable the load...and the more torque placed on your back and body! As I grow older (and hopefully smarter) the more important it is to have a pack that I can safely and comfortably hauls hefty/bulky loads. The tighter and closer the load is to my back..the better!

Hauling meat inside the bag/pack will likely keep the meat protected from dirt, grime, rain, bugs, etc. Obviously game bags help and the quicker the meat gets on ice the better!

Another advantage of meat inside bag/pack is the ability to cinch down the load The load is less likely to shift on super steep, rough terrain. I used to tie meat on a meat shelf or frame and it was nearly impossible to tie the load tight to my back and I was constantly dealing with the load shifting.

I often carry camp, weapon, meat, antlers, cape in the same load. My over-sized Kifaru can handle it all! Having a super large pack/frame capable of 100+ lb loads saves me trips!

Lastly it is super quick and easy to place meat quarters into a pack, cinch it down, and be on my way!
 

MT_Wyatt

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The idea that the meat shelf doesn’t hold the meat close to your back is not what I’ve found using the Stone Glacier system - since you’ve got three hormonal compression straps per side, it’s very easy to keep a bag of meat flat against the back of the frame. The load shelf does not make it harder for me - I’ve actually found it helps keep the load posited because I can adjust how high on the frame the shelf is carrying the meat.

In the end the difference between in and out of the bag isn’t really a deal breaker - it’s just a preference thing so you’re going to see answers both ways, because both ways work.
 

sr80

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I’ve always hauled meat in the bag. Even with packs with a load shelf. Only reason was because like mentioned before, it’s easier to just open the bag and drop the meat in and cinch it all tight. I used to have a big bag that would allow camp and meat inside. But I’ve switched to a smaller sky 5900. And will try the load shelf system. I was surprised at how big their load cell dry bag was. I was sceptical that a whole mule deer or sheep would fit in that bag. But it definitely will by the looks of it. I’ve never had a problem with blood as I would always line the inside of my pack with a heavy duty garbage bag.
 
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I don't understand the idea that hauling meat on a load shelf and it not being close to your back. Using the SG load shelf there's no way that you could get the meat any closer to your back unless it was literally laying right up against your skin. It is definitely easier to just throw the meat inside your pack, cinch the straps down and go, but I found that when my pack is already full of camping/hunting gear, etc., like for the hike out, space in my bag tends to be at a premium. On a side note, I will say that I no longer try to haul my entire camp along with an entire animal out in one trip. The risk for injury is just too great and the older I get, the more I try to avoid beating myself up. Recovery time is just too damn long these days.
 

jmazz

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I don't understand the idea that hauling meat on a load shelf and it not being close to your back. Using the SG load shelf there's no way that you could get the meat any closer to your back unless it was literally laying right up against your skin. It is definitely easier to just throw the meat inside your pack, cinch the straps down and go, but I found that when my pack is already full of camping/hunting gear, etc., like for the hike out, space in my bag tends to be at a premium. On a side note, I will say that I no longer try to haul my entire camp along with an entire animal out in one trip. The risk for injury is just too great and the older I get, the more I try to avoid beating myself up. Recovery time is just too damn long these days.

The argument isn't that the meat is further from your back. I think the argument is that by having the meat against your back, you're pushing everything else in your pack further away from your body. With a heavy pack and a load of meat, you would rather the weight go up and not out.
 
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The argument isn't that the meat is further from your back. I think the argument is that by having the meat against your back, you're pushing everything else in your pack further away from your body. With a heavy pack and a load of meat, you would rather the weight go up and not out.
I totally agree but the meat bag/load cell is probably heavier than any other single thing on your back and you definitely want that bag as close to your back as possible, and higher up on your back as well, if that can be accomplished. I don't see how putting the meat in your bag gets it any closer to your back, or up higher on your back, unless you load it on top of items that are in your pack. My main issue with hauling meat in my pack is that it's messy/bloody (although that can be a nonissue with using contractor bags), and it takes up space that I may need for other items that I may be carrying in my pack. The way that the SG load cell is made, when packed, it keeps a fairly thin shape so as not to push your bag way out away from your center of gravity.
 
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If you camp weighs more then your meat, you got problems. People recite stupid things when they talk about meat in the bag being better. If it is truly better for some other reason, that is fine. But, it ain't better because the pack bag is farther from your back. It will be the lightest part of the load. It had better be farther from your back then the meat. You also can't talk about pack frames that don;t have adequate lashing systems like they are the norm for today's offerings. If putting meat in the shelf is that big of a deal to you, do what works. Just quit saying things that aren't so.





I've done it both ways. It's personal preference no doubt. And, I don't run 8000 CI bags to be able to haul camp and deboned meat. So, its going to be in the shelf every time. People talk like its a safety concern. Whats a safety concern is having a bag big enough to hold a 50 pound camp and 100 pounds of deboned meat.
 

Jimss

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The elk hind quarters I've boned and packed out are around 12 to 16" wide. I usually carry around 50 lbs of camp/gear on my back. If I place a hind quarter between the bag and frame it pushes the 50 lbs of gear at least 1' farther from my back. The load will be prone to be less stable on super steep, rough terrain if 50 lbs is pushed a foot+ further from your back. If I had the choice between the 2 methods for hauling loads I would choose inside the bag. It's obvious some of you disagree.
 

JoMa

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The elk hind quarters I've boned and packed out are around 12 to 16" wide. I usually carry around 50 lbs of camp/gear on my back. If I place a hind quarter between the bag and frame it pushes the 50 lbs of gear at least 1' farther from my back. The load will be prone to be less stable on super steep, rough terrain if 50 lbs is pushed a foot+ further from your back. If I had the choice between the 2 methods for hauling loads I would choose inside the bag. It's obvious some of you disagree.

If you put the meat in your bag, does your 50 lbs of gear go in the bag with it? Or is strapped in a dry bag to the outside of the pack (which presumably moves it a foot +/- off your back)?
 

Kevin_t

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We designed the Brooks with the internal shelf to keep meet from about mid back to just above the shoulders . The pack bag is tall so you can go much higher with camp and the side pockets give about 40 liters of space as well. With the Brooks we tried to get the best center of gravity carry possible .

Before the design we did a fair amount of test hikes with heavy weight in different places . In the end , our results were how we designed the internal shelf

That was just our thinking .


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