Help me select a hunting backpack!

[NVCHUKAR]

I haven't looked that much into Eberlestock because someone said they are pretty heavy packs...not sure how true that is.

The Exo is leaps and bounds better than eberlestock which I own an x2.

 

[Muledeernv]

Have you looked into stone glacier packs. I don't have any experience with them other than checking them out at the shows. But if you search it here I think there was a review done on them.

 

[CC268]

I have looked at Stone Glacier and Mystery Ranch, but they weren't as appealing to me as some of the others.

The Horn Hunter Full Curl System seems like a really good setup for the price. The Kifaru is probably one of the best options, but like many have pointed out it gets ridiculously pricey. For someone that is relatively new to hunting I am not sure I want to dive head first into the price of a Kifaru.

 

[jlsteel]

If you like the Kuiu packs the Icon 5200 is only $60 more than the Ultra on their site. Frame and bag included

 

[CC268]

The Exo Mountain pack looks appealing as well, although would be bit big for coyote hunting. Of course, I can use any backpack for coyote hunting. The Exo Mountain pack looks really good to me as well.

 

[CC268]

Something that is VERY important to me is having a pack that can hold my rifle, can that be done with the Exo Mountain or Horn Hunter pack?

 

[NVCHUKAR]

Exo compresses really small, smaller than a dt3 bikini and weight is nothing. Plus you can take the bag off and just use just the frame. You can put a rifle in the slot pocket and pull it out in five seconds. Don't get me wrong I love my kifaru packs too, but for your price range you can get close to a kifaru equivalent with the exo at $450. I have heard great things about SG also.

 

[CC268]

Yea that EXO is looking better and better the more I look into it...Horn Hunter as well...hmm...

 

[Rizzy]

I would go ahead and invest in a pack rather than buy 2 or 3. By the time you finish college you will probably be more interested in the challenge of big game hunting. Also you may draw an Elk tag in the meantime and you will need to carry the meat out. If you do that with a low end day pack, you will probably be in the market for a better pack as soon as you get back from the hunt
Kifaru makes a "gun bearer" system that you can pretty much jump shoot with.

 

[SHTF]

I held off on commenting on this thread cause I just knew you where going to get every opinion out there from the fine Rokslide community. These threads really never help in determining what is going to work best for you. They will however plant a bug of a pack or manufacturer you didnt previously have on your list. As Ive learned in my limited experience of the different packs out there, buying a pack is a very personal choice and one that shouldnt be taken lightly when your life in the back country counts on it.

Id say get with anyone in your area that has a pack that you think would fit the bill and see if you can meet up with them. What you are going to take in the field for your comfort and survival is going to be very personal to you. So until you look feel try on and load your gear into a pack you think may work for you, is going to be the determining factor for your buying decision. If you dont have the convenience of having folks close to you then Id say stick with a Pack that you know is going to have next to retail resale value. That way if you find it doesnt work for you then you can resell the pack and move on to the next in your list. Many great pack companies out there that put out excellent products

in no particular order

Kifaru
Mystery Ranch
Stone Glacier
Kuiu
Horn Hunter
Exo
Paradox

Are all going to have decent resale value so Id set aside your $ amount youd want to spend and start with the pack you think is going to best fit the bill. Try it out see if it works. if not then resell it and move on to the next.

This has been my strategy and its worked pretty well. Ive been able to have in possession many packs and have finally figured out what works best for me. get to know the pack players out there and the prices of them. So you can not only educate yourself on what pack you want but whats going to resale good incase it doesnt work.

Im by no means an expert and by no means spend nearly the amount of time some of the other folks spend out there. But a lot of this is common sense and very much just like trying on boots your going to rely on out in the field.

My 2 Cents for what its worth.

 

[CC268]

I held off on commenting on this thread cause I just knew you where going to get every opinion out there from the fine Rokslide community. These threads really never help in determining what is going to work best for you. They will however plant a bug of a pack or manufacturer you didnt previously have on your list. As Ive learned in my limited experience of the different packs out there, buying a pack is a very personal choice and one that shouldnt be taken lightly when your life in the back country counts on it.

Id say get with anyone in your area that has a pack that you think would fit the bill and see if you can meet up with them. What you are going to take in the field for your comfort and survival is going to be very personal to you. So until you look feel try on and load your gear into a pack you think may work for you, is going to be the determining factor for your buying decision. If you dont have the convenience of having folks close to you then Id say stick with a Pack that you know is going to have next to retail resale value. That way if you find it doesnt work for you then you can resell the pack and move on to the next in your list. Many great pack companies out there that put out excellent products

in no particular order

Kifaru
Mystery Ranch
Stone Glacier
Kuiu
Horn Hunter
Exo
Paradox

Are all going to have decent resale value so Id set aside your $ amount youd want to spend and start with the pack you think is going to best fit the bill. Try it out see if it works. if not then resell it and move on to the next.

This has been my strategy and its worked pretty well. Ive been able to have in possession many packs and have finally figured out what works best for me. get to know the pack players out there and the prices of them. So you can not only educate yourself on what pack you want but whats going to resale good incase it doesnt work.

Im by no means an expert and by no means spend nearly the amount of time some of the other folks spend out there. But a lot of this is common sense and very much just like trying on boots your going to rely on out in the field.

My 2 Cents for what its worth.

Yes I definitely understand what your getting into when you post on a forum. I have seen this with many other forums that I post on as well haha. Unfortunately none of the above packs are available for me to try on, besides maybe the Horn Hunter. The EXO is very appealing to me though and may fit the bill quite well. In the past I hunted with a crappy old backpacking pack with a big, bulky metal frame (talk about awkward and uncomfortable). Anything I get is going to be night and day difference from that pack.

Even the EXO is a little pricey for me, but it is doable. I am starting to think at this stage the Kifaru packs that would work for me are just too much at this point (although I haven't ruled it out completely). No reason I couldn't end up with one down the road.

 

[CC268]

Stupid question...but if I got a pack like the EXO what would be the best color? I am thinking the coyote brown would probably be the best. I mostly wear brown pants and APG or Mossy Oak Infinity Camo. The ASAT camo is awesome, but I don't have any of it so I figured it would be pointless to get that. The Coyote Brown color would probably be the most "universal" color...if it even matters.

 

[eltaco]

I have an ASAT Exo on order and should have it in hand next week. From my limited experience with the prototype, I believe it will fit the bill nicely. The suspension is very similar to the kifaru, but the frame is not as torsionally rigid. The pack design is phenomenal, IMO, with pockets configured exactly how I want them, top and side access to the main bag, load shelf, reverse lid, and waterproof material... a ton of feature for the price. 3500 main bag compresses super small, but expands with the stretchy pockets and load shelf to meet the needs of longer trips. Seems capable of conforming to all of my needs. I still need to load test it and get some time in the field... but the price point and design features are not matched by any other product in the category that I'm familiar with.

As for color options... you're not going to find MO tree stand in any of them. Seems every manufacturer has their own Camo pattern, and packs and clothing rarely go together. Thankfully, there aren't fashion police in the woods so you can wear whatever suits your needs. I have nothing ASAT except the Exo, but will prefer some outline breakup of Camo over solids. JMO !

 

[hunter4life]

Who cares what camo pattern it is. I mismatch all the time and it seems to work no better or worse than matching camo. For your purposes you can find a used pack and keep it under $200.00. Use that extra cash for gas money to get out and go hunting. Once you are done with college and making real money then you can upgrade. If you aren't really backpack hunting then you will never need one of these ultra expensive packs and there are plenty of less expensive packs that work just as well for a daypack.
The eberlestocks are a little heavy, but work well as a daypack and as stated earlier are fine with weights up to about 45 pounds. I would not get one if you plan to use it for backpacking way in, but it doesn't sound like that is what you want it for. If you are interested I have a used Eberlestock J34 that I would sell for $180. I do a lot of backpack hunting and it is inadequate for that.

 

[NEhunter]

I would go Kifaru, but, if not Kifaru, for your use, i'd look into the Mystery Ranch crew cab.

 

[Craig Van Arsdale]

What about when your a few miles from the truck and you knock down a buck or a bull in a nasty canyon?

I am a believer in a larger pack as you can always compress them down to almost nothing when not needed and drop a whole quarter in it when you do.

I would say whatever pack you decide get one that's larger than shat you think you will need and that compresses down well.

Personally I think if you want to do this once go with a Kifaru Duplex frame and your bag of choice. It's seriously an investment.

 

[CC268]

I have decided that Kifaru is out of the picture for me...I can't spend that kind of money. Period. I know some guys will scold me up and down for saying that, but oh well. I am really liking the EXO Mountain pack. Seems like a really good choice for what I want.

Do you guys think the Coyote Brown color would be a good choice?

 

[dangerousD]

Having just bought my first Kifaru and loving it, I'm going to say what you are already thinking and to go with a pack in your price range and then you can always move up after college. There will always be something bigger and badder that you want and after college is when you can indulge a bit more. Heck, when I was in college it would of been hard for me to afford even a decent pack, much less go on a big hunt.

On the flip side when I want something and try to justify it I catch myself repeating the "buy once, cry once" mantra also, but there are plenty of quality packs that can get the job done that won't break the bank. I just don't have any recommendations since I've only used a Badlands and now Kifaru pack. Good luck with your final decision.

 

[coastalyeti]

I'm gonna probably get crucified for speaking out against the herd, but The "pack in for a week and tote out an elk" type hunt requires the Kifaru quality, not the hunting you mentioned. Get one later.
Getting your interests satisfied is what I'm thinking here; get that gentleman's J34 for $180, it's camo, and the gunsling is real quick.
Or, the Exo, or the Badlands. Another oddball option is OPW, (Oregon Pack Works) which is, like Eberlestock heavy, -But! It has so many configurations that you can pack in and strip it down to something pretty small. Or just do that at the truck. It has no scabbard, but it will carry a rifle fine. The resale on these last two will make buying a used one less grievous, and you'll sell it for what you bought it for when it's time to upgrade. As many have noted, the Kifaru and MR's etc., are the best, but your not going to put your pack to its limits anyways, and you'll enjoy the hell out of it for roughly 2 bills.
Next thing you know, you'll be extending those trips, and getting a tarp, a tipi, and a woodstove, and all that because you didn't go broke just getting your feet wet.
I'm bringing up Chevy's around a Lamborghini crowd, but hey; you'll have fun anyway you go, just get out there!

 

[LaHunter]

CC268,

Based on your criteria, Tenzing and Badlands may be worth looking into as well. These aren't really comparable to the top tier packs mentioned above, but they may be a good fit for your type of hunting. Eberlestock packs are very tough, but they are on the heavy side. I had a J34 and sold it after 1 year.

Good Luck