Non hunting brand backpacks

[WyoBowhunter21]

It is a little slow at work today and it got me thinking about backpacking. I was looking over the prices of hunting brand gear and comparing it to some reputable backpacking companies. I found that a comparable product is usually considerably less money or it is a little less money than its hunting brand counterpart. I got to thinking, do we need hunting brand products? When we backpack we still see game and what not so it is not like they care what the brand is. I have now started to look away from our expensive hunting gear and move to backpackers sites to pick up gear. I would like to know if anyone else has come to this conclusion or if it is just me? What are your thoughts?

 

[Justin Crossley]

I used an arc'teryx bora for seven years before switching to a hunting pack to shave some weight.

 

[ScottR_EHJ]

Some pieces, absolutely.

The suspensions on backpacking packs are not designed for heavy loads. Failure is more likely.

 

[Beastmode]

The biggest thing you will find with non hunting packs is the ability to carry extremely heavy loads. With the exception of a few packs most of them are not designed to carry a 100lb load. A lot of other gear I use comes from non hunting companies. Clothing, sleep system...

 

[7mag.]

The biggest thing you will find with non hunting packs is the ability to carry extremely heavy loads. With the exception of a few packs most of them are not designed to carry a 100lb load. A lot of other gear I use comes from non hunting companies. Clothing, sleep system...

I agree. I did a lot of research a couple of years ago, when I was looking for a new pack. I did it again last year, helping a friend find a new pack. I concluded that the only non hunting pack I would use for hunting is Arc'teryx. The rest of my gear is mostly from non hunting companies. I have a lot of Kuiu and Sitka clothing, but most of my backpacking gear is from backpacking companies.

 

[JWP58]

Ive considered trying a Kelty Red Cloud 90L. I really want a SG Solo, but 550 is a lot of dough for a pack....

 

[ScottR_EHJ]

Save up for the solo, its worth it.

 

[kaboku68]

You could do worse than a Mountainsmith Apex 110. Its black so you would have to spray paint the hell out of it will grey and green krylon. However, it would work. I would take that before a Tenzing6000 or Eberlestock Dragonfly. Pricewise they are about 200 bones. The Kelty Redcloud 110 would be ok but its not as well designed to carry weight as the Mountainsmith. That being said, either the Mountainsmith or the Kelty do not compare to the Dana Design K2 Longbed unit that you can still find on ebay.

Gregory packs have great suspensions and quality of materials but barrel and pinch terribly if you take them over 70lbs.

Some people like the Osprey packs but they don't build their big pack anymore. I think it was an Aether 110.

The other thing to think about is that there are a lot of people out there who just take a Kelty Cache Hauler packframe and load it up with mondo drybag and then strap it in.

Mountain Hardware BMG 110 liter pack is decent. It can even carry a decent load. However, at retail they are close enough to the top shelf Stone Glacier, Kuiu, Kifaru packs that you might as well go and get the best.

 

[7mag.]

The question I asked my buddy was, do you want to spend the money once, and not have to worry about your pack, or, save money and take the risk of a pack failure while hauling out 100 lbs of meat and gear?

 

[Backpack Hunter]

....probably the only non hunting backpack I would fully trust would be a McHales pack, but its not like your saving any money going that route.

 

[boom]

i went years with a Gregory. i luckily got the most deer eye friendly color ever..BLUE! (sarcasm here)

it was awful. the load was okay..never put an elk it in. but a much lighter deer was doable. what sucked was tying on my bow. what a nightmare! there is no good way. not on my pack. and tying a meat bag to the outside was goofy. bow and meat..made for an awful mis-balanced load. i just straped stuff on best i could. never again. where i hunt, it is mandatory to have the bow tied to the pack. no hand carry. not until i cross a border line.

 

[MattB]

I have a friend who is a mountain goat outfitter/guide, and he uses the largest Osprey pack (not sure of the name, starts with an "A" I believe). That is another non-hunting brand you can safely add to the list.

 

[Ridge Ghost]

I used an Osprey Crescent 90 for a few years. They have since phased out the Crescent line and replaced it with the Argon. It was a good, tough pack. The suspension would start to get uncomfortable with loads above 60-70 lbs, but it worked and was half the price of the Kifaru I have now. I would take it over the cheaper hunting packs on the market like Badlands in a heartbeat.

 

[boom]

my brother uses his old Dana Design pack. that thing is BURLY. it even has a pouch-like thing in the back that can easily be decribed as "looks like a kifaru grab-it" that would do nicely to hold a meat bag and bow.

i would toss that into the list of possible non -hunting packs for hunting.

 

[Aron Snyder]

I have a friend who is a mountain goat outfitter/guide, and he uses the largest Osprey pack (not sure of the name, styarts with an "A" I believe). That is another non-hunting brand you can safely add to the list.

Argon

 

[JWP58]

Anyone ever use an old school Dana Design Longbed external frame?

 

[kaboku68]

I have three of them. They still get action.

 

[Yellowknife]

Anyone ever use an old school Dana Design Longbed external frame?

Plenty.

It's retired now, because I basically wore it out. Not bad packs at all.



Yk

 

[Cabman]

I used an Osprey Crescent 90 for a few years. They have since phased out the Crescent line and replaced it with the Argon. It was a good, tough pack. The suspension would start to get uncomfortable with loads above 60-70 lbs, but it worked and was half the price of the Kifaru I have now. I would take it over the cheaper hunting packs on the market like Badlands in a heartbeat.

I also used a Crescent for a season. Great pack that held up very well, but it got replaced with a less durable, but more comfortable (for me) REI XT 85 which got replaced by a Kifaru Longhunter. Sure wish I had all the money back I spent on lesser packs before finding Kifaru, come to think about it, I would like to have all the money back SINCE finding Kifaru!

 

[O'Really]

I used to sport an REI pack in my younger years.
It has since been retired as I upgraded to a pack system that is a bit more "comfortable".