Help emr2 or nomad, camp bag, cargo panel,guide lid for my next pack

[Mad Mountain Mike]

Luke I have carried a rifle a few different ways with a few different Kifaru packs and so far I like the silly scabbard on the Nomad the best. Without the scabbard, once the load is sucked in tight the rifle becomes hard to retrieve and impossible to replace without removing the pack. I got the scabbard from a butchered X-1 pack and all trimmed up weighs 7 ounces, a weight penalty I'm more than willing to pay. As far as the camp bag goes I agree with you that dropping it seems unneccassary. It compresses in nicely and is convenient to have if needed through the day. I hated the roll top though and sewed it shut.

 

[castandblast]

For me, the point of the camp bag isn't about losing 12 ounces off my day pack while I'm out hunting. It's about gaining great functionality out of those ounces around camp. While I'm out it stores all my gear and food up off the ground and protected from weather and critters. I like storing my sleeping bag there uncompressed during the day. While I'm in camp it zips wide open and flat so I can lay things out on it, sit or kneel on it, lay it over my rifle or bow, or whatever. I like it a ton.

 

[kodiakfly]

I'm an EMRII guy as well. I've day hunted and hunted more extensive trips from it, as well as hauling dead stuff. It does it all. And like others have said, I do like to just cram everything into a bag. That said, I did try a cargo panel this year and had it on my goat hunt last week. It works awesome for a day pack and I did up to 90 lbs in game bags on a Duplex UL with it and it worked awesome. But I had to choose one, it'd be my EMRII.

 

[Ironman8]

Is the Camp Bag 12oz or 16oz like the website states? Could have swore it was 12oz.

 

[castandblast]

Is the Camp Bag 12oz or 16oz like the website states? Could have swore it was 12oz.

It seems to me like they listed it as 12 oz. when they first introduced it but now it is listed as 16 oz. Mine weighs 15 oz.

I sure would love to have one made of the KU material!

 

[colonel00]

I did the Nomad thing even with a "camp bag" of silnylon. Just finished my first trip with the EMR II and I won't go back. Even though I didn't have to pack anything out, the EMR II was fantastic as a day pack, better than when I used the Nomad without a center bag. Those little pockets on the front of the EMRII are quite handy. Granted, I carry more crap (camera gear) than most folks might but it was nice to have both those pockets and even the main bag for smaller stuff. I should have taken photos of my typical daily loadout but I will try to do that some other day. Overall, I was very impressed at how small it could compress down for hunts out of a base camp yet I was confident that I could carry a whole load at any moment if needed.

To me, the thing with the Nomad is the fact that you can drop you camp bag and have a nice day pack. However, if you need to be prepared to pack an animal at a moment's notice, you would still have to carry some sort of camp bag or meat bag or whatever with the Nomad so weight savings are negligible. Still, the Nomad is a great option if it works for you. For me, I plan to use the EMR II primarily and I have a Highcamp 7000 that I plan to modify for a lightweight option should that ever really be needed.

 

[rbljack]

I did the Nomad thing even with a "camp bag" of silnylon. Just finished my first trip with the EMR II and I won't go back. Even though I didn't have to pack anything out, the EMR II was fantastic as a day pack, better than when I used the Nomad without a center bag. Those little pockets on the front of the EMRII are quite handy. Granted, I carry more crap (camera gear) than most folks might but it was nice to have both those pockets and even the main bag for smaller stuff. I should have taken photos of my typical daily loadout but I will try to do that some other day. Overall, I was very impressed at how small it could compress down for hunts out of a base camp yet I was confident that I could carry a whole load at any moment if needed.

To me, the thing with the Nomad is the fact that you can drop you camp bag and have a nice day pack. However, if you need to be prepared to pack an animal at a moment's notice, you would still have to carry some sort of camp bag or meat bag or whatever with the Nomad so weight savings are negligible. Still, the Nomad is a great option if it works for you. For me, I plan to use the EMR II primarily and I have a Highcamp 7000 that I plan to modify for a lightweight option should that ever really be needed.

Please do add some pics and info about your EMR2. Been on the fence for a while now about that pack. Seems that the EMR2 combined with the gun bearer to hold the rifle would be a great option for hunting. when needing to, the rifle can be strapped to the pack too.

 

[colonel00]

Please do add some pics and info about your EMR2. Been on the fence for a while now about that pack. Seems that the EMR2 combined with the gun bearer to hold the rifle would be a great option for hunting. when needing to, the rifle can be strapped to the pack too.

Here are some photos as I unpack some stuff. This is pretty much how I ran it.

All closed up with a Guide lid as well.

With the Guide lid off you can see the EMRII loaded up. Basically, it's the same thing as the Nomad with the little bag portion at the bottom.

Here it is opened up. You can see I have a Nalgene in one of those little pockets and my 300mm camera lens in the other.

This basically shows what I carried on a daily basis. In the lid I had a rain jacket, shemagh and snacks and stuff. On the right wing, I had my puffy jacket and pants in the zippered pocket and my tripod in the sleeve. On the left wing, I had gloves, vest, hats, etc in the zippered pocket and a cut down pad to sit on in the sleeve. On the front, I had the Nalgene in one pocket and camera lens in the other. Inside the bag I have my possibles pouch and camera along with water bladder. At the bottom of the bag I had my kill kit.

 

[castandblast]

To me, the thing with the Nomad is the fact that you can drop you camp bag and have a nice day pack. However, if you need to be prepared to pack an animal at a moment's notice, you would still have to carry some sort of camp bag or meat bag or whatever with the Nomad so weight savings are negligible. Still, the Nomad is a great option if it works for you.

I'm carrying meat bags whether I'm using the Nomad or another pack so I'm not following. I want to control it and keep blood off my gear. Don't you carry them when using your EMR2?

 

[colonel00]

Yeah, I carry meat bags. I guess I'm just saying that the weight of the "bag" portion of the EMR II isn't that great where it feels excessive carrying it around. I just like having that bag there to carry other stuff when necessary. In the above photos, all that stuff in the middle would have to go in additional pockets or other pouches mounted in the middle of the Nomad. When I had my Nomad, I tried to keep it minimal so I didn't have a bunch of additional pockets in the middle. I just found that the wings filled up quickly and I needed space for other stuff. The wings are nice for clothing and stuff like I have above but can be a pain for smaller stuff that always falls to the bottom.

 

[mistertrustee]

Here's how I ran my nomad for my recent elk hunt. I have a LH lid, two medium belt pouches and one large belt pouch. Only thing not shown is the grab it, which I only used when carrying my bow.

When packing meat I just use a dry bag and the grab it and move my pouches wherever there is room for them.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[bsnbsn9]

Thank you friends
I get a lot of information in this group
keep good posting & excellent pict

 

[castandblast]

Yeah, I carry meat bags. I guess I'm just saying that the weight of the "bag" portion of the EMR II isn't that great where it feels excessive carrying it around. I just like having that bag there to carry other stuff when necessary. In the above photos, all that stuff in the middle would have to go in additional pockets or other pouches mounted in the middle of the Nomad. When I had my Nomad, I tried to keep it minimal so I didn't have a bunch of additional pockets in the middle. I just found that the wings filled up quickly and I needed space for other stuff. The wings are nice for clothing and stuff like I have above but can be a pain for smaller stuff that always falls to the bottom.

We are packing almost exactly the same stuff in almost the same pack! (Except I don't take a DSLR and lenses).

 

[rbljack]

Great pics guys....does anyone worry or have concerns of damanging their spotter when carrying a heavy load in the EMR with the straps sucked in real tight when they are storing those items (spotter and tripod) in those tube pockets?

With those pics of the nomad, I can now see why some say its a great dayhunting set up. I really like the pouches mounted like that along with the bladder for day trips. Nice!

But I still am leaning towards the emr2 as the do all pack. Of course the reckoning pack mentioned in the gritty bowman podcasts has me thinking hmmmm too.

 

[c5mrr270]

I have a nomad and like it. I have a silnylon bag made by HPG that I use as my "camp bag". After I hike in I drop that and use my Nomad, LH lid (I'd buy a Guide Lid now), and grab it for day hunting. It works pretty well, but you do have to think a little bit about how you're going to pack stuff.

I will say the nomad gets a little small feeling during late season especially without a lid. The only other draw back is that you have to undo a lot of straps to get to your gear at times but the pack can haul anything. If it can't haul it nothing can.

 

[wasatchcomm]

that EMR is a do it all bag
the nomad is the lightweight version
id like to get a EMR some day soon
maybe the new reckoning is a smaller version of the EMR/dt1