Kifaru hellbender with camp bag

[willywonka]

Anyone use the hellbender with the camp bag? Mostly need a daypack for training and hiking, but will need more room for hiking and hunting, trips wondering how well that setup works?

 

[Brightwhite]

Will work fine for day trips and scouting trips, but if you’re doing anything overnight and expecting to pack out meat you’ll want a bigger bag.

 

[prm]

I use a Stryker for 5 day hunts. Hellbender will be fine.

Edit: I use a 51 Liter (~3100ci) OR dry bag for camp gear. The additional bag is 3.6oz. Makes for a very versatile system that is both compact for day hunting, easily transitions to haul meat, and can accommodate gear for 5 days in cool to cold temps (Mid-Oct., CO, 12k feet).

 

[colobow]

I use a mystery ranch mule with a dry bag like @prm and it works great. The mule is a little less cubic inches than the Kifaru Hellbender.

I strap my bow on the side instead of back when I’m hiking in initially for better weight balance

 

[Marble]

Anyone use the hellbender with the camp bag? Mostly need a daypack for training and hiking, but will need more room for hiking and hunting, trips wondering how well that setup works?

I hunt primarily with the Hellbender. I really like the pack. Getting and using the meat shelf is easy and works rather well. I have it on a 26" frame.

I have not used a camp bag, but I have put all sorts of other stuff on there, including lots of quarters.

My only complaint is it's strappy. Which is typical of kifaru.

Sent from my SM-S918U using Tapatalk

 

[magicishmike]

I use a Stryker for 5 day hunts. Hellbender will be fine.

Edit: I use a 51 Liter (~3100ci) OR dry bag for camp gear. The additional bag is 3.6oz. Makes for a very versatile system that is both compact for day hunting, easily transitions to haul meat, and can accommodate gear for 5 days in cool to cold temps (Mid-Oct., CO, 12k feet).

Do you have a picture all loaded up? I have the hellbender and am considering using the load shelf for the camp bag instead of buying another bag entirely. At the same point, I’ll probably end up buying another bag entirely, but I’m still curious for curiosity sake

 

[isleofGough]

From kifaru's site:

 

[Old3Toe]

Having used this exact setup for a couple years and having packed out elk quarters too, the Hellbender a versatile all-around choice. Strappy-ness can be greatly reduced with k-clips and some ingenuity. But...Sometimes big bags just work better and are more appropriate on certain hunts-- mostly because of weather/days/gear/clothing combinations. You can make a big bag small, but you can't make a small bag big as it goes. Except Kifaru kinda did by adding the bane pocket and meat/load shelf plus ample compression straps... it seems to make for all sorts of external options since large, internal storage isn't an option... unless you figure in a camp bag. And then you're really back full circle to replicating the simplicity and capability of one big bag.

 

[prm]

I couldn’t find a loaded pic. I do not pack it as deep (away from body) as that Kifaru pic. Camp gear in the camp bag and all day hunt gear in the pack.

 

[isleofGough]

I don't think anyone packs it as far away from the body as the photo shows. It just shows clip setup. For balance, as you know, you pack mostly upwards, not backwards.

 

[Old3Toe]

I don't think anyone packs it as far away from the body as the photo shows. It just shows clip setup. For balance, as you know, you pack mostly upwards, not backwards.

True, but that kinda doesn't always happen like it should given the layout of the hellbender. Yes, you'll make the effort, but that's partly why I said sometimes a bigger (taller) bag works better. Not faulting my hellbender just sayin' .

 

[magicishmike]

Having used this exact setup for a couple years and having packed out elk quarters too, the Hellbender a versatile all-around choice. Strappy-ness can be greatly reduced with k-clips and some ingenuity. But...Sometimes big bags just work better and are more appropriate on certain hunts-- mostly because of weather/days/gear/clothing combinations. You can make a big bag small, but you can't make a small bag big as it goes. Except Kifaru kinda did by adding the bane pocket and meat/load shelf plus ample compression straps... it seems to make for all sorts of external options since large, internal storage isn't an option... unless you figure in a camp bag. And then you're really back full circle to replicating the simplicity and capability of one big bag.

But would you do it again? I have the hellbender. Trying to decide if I can get a dry bag or something of the sort and just use it as is for a 5 day hunt. Normally a 5 day trip I can get away with a 70L bag comfortably, but also find guys selling other (bigger) bags than hellbender frequently enough, and trying to decide if it makes sense to just buy bigger or use what I have? This will be my first extended hunt trip, but a ton of experience general backpacking, so only difference is spotting scope, rifle, binos

 

[Old3Toe]

Only 5 days? Hellbender no question about it-- I've done that and I'll do it again, and again. Drop camp/dry bag, go hunt, pack meat. No reloading or re configuring. I got bigger bags (and though am selling off a couple I'm also keeping one in reserve). Hellbender covers 90% of what I need so long as I'm willing to think outside the box (bag) a bit. It mostly just depends on how you like to hunt.

 

[magicishmike]

Only 5 days? Hellbender no question about it-- I've done that and I'll do it again, and again. Drop camp/dry bag, go hunt, pack meat. No reloading or re configuring. I got bigger bags (and am selling off a couple now) Hellbender covers 90% of what I need so long as I'm willing to think outside the box (bag) a bit.

Awesome news. That was honestly my hope and thought. Throw camp and food in dry bag. Clothes and necessities in hellbender. Drop camp, run bag. Any bag recommendations or any bag work well enough?

 

[Old3Toe]

I just use some off brand dry bag.