Carry the sticks and saddle in the load shelf on the way in, and only strap outside if you are carrying meat. Much more snag-free that way.
Also, I personally find sticks or anything that protrudes above my shoulders or wider than shoulders catches on brush and makes carrying a royal pain. Maybe if you are in mostly open hardwoods its not a big deal, but having to duck and weave under tangled brush and low branches for miles its a no-go. For this reason I like a pack that sits very low, and I like to carry shorty sticks horizontally across the small of my back. I find this is both lowest center of gravity so it carries better, as well as being the most snag-free way to carry.
I absolutely never carry more than I have to. Even in extremely cold wx (0f or lower) my full kit including 4 sticks, saddle, platform, kill kit, food, water, heavy insulated clothing, etc is less than 25lb. I use a mystery ranch popup 18l pack, which is admittedly small if carrying the super-bulky whitetail clothes, but see no reason for a 40-ish liter pack, to me thats a multi-day overnight size unless you just like having tons of extra room to cram everything inside in the dark. Picture below is full kit, soup to nuts, including all saddle equipment, a very warm insulated jacket and pants. Ive carried a whole antelope in that pack (ie all one piece, not quartered…long story)—its not going to carry as well as a bigger load-carrying pack, but it’ll carry a quartered deer plus your sticks and platform just fine.
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