Meat Shelves..... like or dislike?

[Buckhorn 70]

Because the meat on the frame eats up a lot of volume, pushing the weight of the gear 8-10 inches back further than it would normally ride. Sure, compression straps are attached but the weight in the bag itself is so far back that it creates a noticeable inefficiency in terms of center of gravity.
Load a couple of sand bags on your meat shelf and then Attach your bag with camp for 3 days and see how it feels. Since you load the meat high to be efficient and since you load your heavy gear high in your bag, the volume of the meat is pushing your bag back far from your body right where the heaviest camp gear is loaded. While you do transfer load through compression straps, you are still at a mechanical disadvantage with regards to gravity.

I see what you are saying but for..... day hunts with day gear you shouldn’t have that much weight off the back after loading a meat shelf. I think meat shelves would be great in a day hunt scenario.

like you said with multiple days worth of gear
And meat on a shelf it could get heavy and out of balance?

 

[Poser]

I see what you are saying but for..... day hunts with day gear you shouldn’t have that much weight off the back after loading a meat shelf. I think meat shelves would be great in a day hunt scenario.

like you said with multiple days worth of gear
And meat on a shelf it could get heavy and out of balance?

For a day hunt, that’s not an issue. I’ve just found this to be a problem when moving that last load of meat + camp etc.

 

[ridgefire]

I have a meat shelf and I have never used it, I have always just put it in the bag. It is nice to have the option to use it if needed though.

 

[hikenhunt]

I've done it both ways and prefer the meat shelf. I was able to downsize my bag and know I have the extra capacity if I ever need it for meat, gear, or food.

It seems like once you fully load a pack with meat and camp whether using shelf or in the bag, you'll wind up with more weight further from your back.

I'm curious how Poser loads his meat inside his bag and still keeps camp the same distance from his back than a load without meat. Any tips?

 

[roosiebull]

I won't consider a pack without a shelf, there is more than one way to skin this cat, but a shelf makes a lot of sense for a lot of reasons, and putting meat in the bag doesn't for what I do.

the bag is for my gear, the shelf is for meat. i see no reason to carry a bag big enough for gear and meat. there are a lot of days i only end up packing gear, so i like having a bag that matches that.

when i'm packing meat, my gear all stays where it's at, and meat goes on the shelf.

even if you use a contractor bag, most times you'll still end up with bloody gear and a half inch of blood in the bottom of the pack. it just ain't for me. if it works for you, great.... keep doing it.


i'm actually surprised how many prefer loading meat in the bag, or are neutral. I figured it would be 80-85% who would only use a load shelf.

 

[mtwarden]

^ agreed; I use a ~ 80 liter bag and with gear for a week, not a ton of extra room for meat- with a shelf simply loosed the straps and drop the meat bag in- easy peasy

 

[Ryan Avery]

Not a shelf fan here. Rather have the meat in the bag with my camp stuff in a bag on the outside, usually in a grab-it. IME the load never rides as nice when I use a load shelve. But to each there own.

 

[prm]

Big fan here. I’ve tried large bag packs such as the Reckoning and a seek Outside. Also packed animals with meat shelf packs such as MR Mule and Kifaru Nomad II. I much prefer the latter. I have a 55l OR dry bag that I use to haul camp in. Then for hunting I compress the pack down nicely with the 55l bag staying in camp. I keep my food, any additional layers, kill kit, first aid and basic supplies in the the relatively small pack bag. Once the elk or deer are deboned they get placed on the shelf, secured and away I go. So simple. If I needed to haul some meat and camp I could place a partially filled 55l bag over the meat. Can’t say I’ve ever needed to do that. I can only carry so much weight. The Stryker is essentially the exact pack I drew up after many years of experimentation. I’ve done some training hikes, but really looking forward to the real test next fall.

 

[204guy]

I'm curious how Poser loads his meat inside his bag and still keeps camp the same distance from his back than a load without meat. Any tips?

Put camp under, beside and above the meat. If you can make your load wider and taller it doesnt have the leverage that moving weight straight back does.

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[AK Troutbum]

Put camp under, beside and above the meat. If you can make your load wider and taller it doesnt have the leverage that moving weight straight back does.

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The only problem with this is, you can't load anything inside the bag, wider than the bag itself is, and can't go any taller than the snow collar. I'm not big on deboning game, but I have done it before, and using the SG load/meat bag it's pretty easy to keep the overall thickness down to around 4", which really doesn't affect the center of gravity all that much. At least that's been my experience with it.

 

[EJFS]

I really like the load shelf on my Seek Outside pack. It's more versatile. You spend a lot more time without meat than with meat in your pack, so I optimize my set up for comfort while hiking/hunting. When I go to pack out, that load shelf plus all the cam straps on the pack gives me tons of options for securing the load.

 

[Sobrbiker]

I think the MR Oveload shelf is the best for me. I’m not a bivy/backcountry guy currently so I got an MR cabinet. I hated hauling meat in a daypack and lashed outside the back of my old assault style packs. The Cabinet gives me the wing pockets for optics/tripod/ outer layers, the small panel pack for everything else and the capability to haul a bunch in between them and the frame. If I do more of a backcountry pack in I plan on getting a 45L bag to carry camp in on the overload shelf.
Works for me without breaking the bank.

 

[Mule3006Elk]

With my Kifaru pack it doesn't matter. I have the Timberline series. I can't speak to their entire lineup. It has a few attachment points for the meat shelf which is permanently attached to the pack only on one side.

Want the meat shelf: velcro a few tabs.

Don't want the meat shelf: unvelcro the tabs.

 

[Mule3006Elk]

I prefer the shelf. When hunting, I keep my layers above the shelf. Any items that I want quick access to I keep below the shelf. My Kifaru bag has a zipper in the lower 1/3, just below the shelf, unzip and I'm right in the lower 1/3 of the pack. For me, keeps it simple, I don't need to dig around the pack looking for stuff.

 

[mfllood3800]

I didn't read all the replies so if this a repeat- sorry.
The meat shelf really isn't needed if there are 2 bottom straps. The meat will simply ride on those straps, same as the cordura shelf. I don't like meat in the bag, unless I am carrying 2 loads in one and have the space available, and not too difficult of a pack out.

 

[NJ_BHA]

This question ties into a predicament I'm having in choosing between a MR Beartooth and a Exo 4800. I'm planning a hunt where spike camps and overnights are likely. So that means if I'm lucky enough to get a deer, I'll be packing a significant amount of gear AND meat. I had my heart set on a mystery ranch Beartooth. I got hung up on one detail: There are no dedicated load straps on the frame. So that means my gear and load of meat are all cinched down by the same straps. The contents of the bag are under the same compression needed to hold the meat secure. Is that ideal? Packs like the Exo K3 4800 have straps ON frame. Meat is held in place independently from your gear.

 

[hikenhunt]

This question ties into a predicament I'm having in choosing between a MR Beartooth and a Exo 4800. I'm planning a hunt where spike camps and overnights are likely. So that means if I'm lucky enough to get a deer, I'll be packing a significant amount of gear AND meat. I had my heart set on a mystery ranch Beartooth. I got hung up on one detail: There are no dedicated load straps on the frame. So that means my gear and load of meat are all cinched down by the same straps. The contents of the bag are under the same compression needed to hold the meat secure. Is that ideal? Packs like the Exo K3 4800 have straps ON frame. Meat is held in place independently from your gear.

I've carried meat both ways and prefer to be able to secure meat directly to the frame, especially if you want to get into your pack at some point. I was able to add a set of straps to my frame to make that happen. I'd suggest checking if anyone has successfully added straps to the beartooth frame so you can get everything you want!

 

[Sccritterkiller]

I like a meat shelf for hauling meat but I also put all my food in dry bag on the meat shelf on the way in to...that way I dont have to fumble in my pack when I am hungry...I hate digging thru my pack looking for stuff..waste of time....use of meat shelf is only limited by your imagination.

 

[WyoWrangler]

^^^^ I also plan on doing this for my beartooth. The bag holds the meat pretty well I just wanted the extra hold for the next time I have to pack out.

 

[Oregon_Ryan]

This question ties into a predicament I'm having in choosing between a MR Beartooth and a Exo 4800. I'm planning a hunt where spike camps and overnights are likely. So that means if I'm lucky enough to get a deer, I'll be packing a significant amount of gear AND meat. I had my heart set on a mystery ranch Beartooth. I got hung up on one detail: There are no dedicated load straps on the frame. So that means my gear and load of meat are all cinched down by the same straps. The contents of the bag are under the same compression needed to hold the meat secure. Is that ideal? Packs like the Exo K3 4800 have straps ON frame. Meat is held in place independently from your gear.

I've read through the thread, and I don't think I saw using a cache suggested as a solution to the "how to balance and carry full pack load plus meat on the shelf". If I was in the situation where it isn't feasible to pack both out, I'd pull all the bulky / heavy items out of my pack, while keeping the minimum gear for the pack out, and cache the bulky / heavy stuff. I'd retrieve the cache with either the lightest load of meat, or just on its own trip.