Military ruck sack?

[robloft]

I'm curious if anyone on here has used a military style rucksack for hunting? If so did it work was it big enough? Was it too heavy? Did it hold up? If not why not?


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[Pm1176]

Ive used a marpat ILBE. Tons of room..built to carry loads. Tough as nails and a touch heavy but it will not fail you when its loaded with meat. Built by Arcteryx.


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[matthewmt]

I used a the usmc pack as well. I think they benefit from some mods as far as removing excess webbing lid etc a good bit of weight can be saved. If I can find the link to the pack I saw online of the mods done I'll share it. Actually a member here so maybe he'd chime in.

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[WV Mountaineer]

I've used both the ilbe and the army ruck. bomb proof. Plenty of pack too.

 

[Desk Jockey]

.mil rucks are great and cheap. They tend to be a bit over built and therefore heavy compared to hunting specific rigs. They are going to have a lot of molle webbing these days and not a lot of really lightweight fabrics. Compare some of the new mystery ranch designs like the pintler and the overload. .mil version on a heavier frame and with a heavier build adds 2-3 lbs to the same pack. Not a deal killer but it is 20-30% of an increase that probably doesn’t add function or even durability to a hunter that uses occasionally.

I think some of the best deals going on good solid hunting packs are the ilbes and filbes on eBay for under $100. You could upgrade suspension a bit and have a really good pack. For a few bucks more you can find a used mr SATL or something and have a pack that will probably last longer than you.

 

[Gunr2147]

They will get the job done. Built to carry (overly) heavy loads and withstand rugged abuse. Great option for those who can't/don't want to spend more money on a industry built option.

 

[adamm88]

Iv owned an ILBE and a Molle 2 ruck for hunting. As others said they are build like a tank, With a few mods they can be light enough to be comparable to hunting pack brands(i trimmed my Ilbe to around 6 lbs). My reason for selling both was fit, The ilbe i could never get the waist belt since tight enough and by the time a throw a $80 kifaru belt on i have almost $200 into it which is a good chuck of what im into on my current setup. The molle 2 was too short for me, and was a buy and sell and i was hoping to make something work with it. Overall military packs are a good value but you loose some adjustable as they are made for the masses. If you are on a true cheap budget though they are a good choice.

 

[justinspicher]

I carried an ALICE pack during my entire army career and most of my hunting career. It worked fine for me. Sometimes I wish I would have just kept it and kept things simple.

 

[lkwoolsey]

ALICE is decent. I personally am not a fan of the newer Molle version. The frames on both are pretty short. To me it's similar to the outdoorsman pack (at least just the way it carries the load.) I never used to use the hipbelt (I did once but it isn't super comfortable so I quit using it, plus it's hard to use with a vest on.) My buddy used his to help me pack out an elk. He put two hindquarters on it (kinda a mix between in it and strapped on the outside) and carried it about 6 mile-ish. It worked but, like I said, the hipbelt isn't great so didn't really distribute the way all that well. It's not shaped and tends to dig in.
But hey, I'm getting old and soft, probably works great!
Long story short, it'll get the job done, but I switched to a Kifaru and may back and shoulders thank me. I even used it on a number of missions. To me it worked way better. Just my .2

 

[Btaylor]

I got a Molle II because I needed a pack that would get the job done and not be a budget buster considering how much other gear I needed to be able to pack in on a hunt. Haven't hauled meat with it yet but have loaded it to 70# for training hikes and it worked fine for me. I am positive the hunting specific packs would carry better but for $60 bucks on eBay I freed up funds from a fair amount of other gear. Side benefit is after the elk hunt I throw the straps and waist belt on my deer stand for the hike in on he public ground I hunt here at home. Already planning to upgrade in a year or two but for the time being I can certainly make it work for a week.

 

[Bear_Bryan]

The molle II is the least favorite pack I have ever put on my back. The only time I used it was OSUT and whenever forced. We almost always jumped and took ALICE packs to the field in the 82nd. Most dudes couldn't use the yoke and load lifters in the configuration it comes in. We had to slide those loops at the end of the straps out and move them down the frame along with moving the yoke down the frame to get the frame higher on the back.

 

[SHTF]

I packed out an elk in 2015 with one. Worked ok but if your taller you won't get much lift out of it. I did alot of modding to the bag to reduce the weight on it also and added a HPG Belt to it that worked better. The factory belts are not that great. You can substitute the HPG or Kifaru Belt for a better fit and keep it on the hips better. I ended up passing mine down to a buddy that rifle hunts and he is still using it. Ive done a few posts on the mods but because of Photobucket dumping hosting the pictures are no longer current.

Moral to the story it will get the job done but if you have a long pack out Id buy once cry once and get a good used kifaru, Exo, Stone Glacier. They will serve you much better. If your under 6 foot it should work ok though.

Link to the Mod Pictures I did back then

ILBE Slideshow by sky3555 | Photobucket