Wilderlife
WKR
Hi all,
Before I know it, summer will be upon me down here in Australia. I'm working big time on my archery hunting (both recurve and compound) and I intend on doing a lot of culling of goats and pigs in the warmer months. I'll also do a bit of rifle hunting as well.
My current go-to pack is my Exo 5500. It packs down pretty small which is great but I love being able to carry an entire fallow deer out with it if I need to. I'm super keen on the new Exo 1800 but have been told they won't be released for a little while yet. The idea of having a daypack that I can haul a deer out with is pretty awesome, but for my needs with a new pack, it isn't essential, as I use my Exo 5500 for that anyway. Also, when culling pest animals, I don't take much meat off them, so it's not something I really need to consider with this new pack.
What I am searching for is a pack that is so small, it doesn't allow me to bring a bunch of other crap with me. I typically load my 5500 up a lot when day hunting as I want to toughen myself up with mountain fitness, but my fitness in the mountains is pretty good and here in Australia I literally hunt the mountains year round, so now I'm at the point where I'm thinking something small and easy might be nice.
I say specifically bowhunting because I crawl through a lot of thick/steep stuff and sometimes the top of my 5500 gets caught on overhanging shrubs and something that has a smaller profile than my body when loaded up would be perfect. I also wear an AGC bino harness and accessory pouch so I always have somewhere on my chest for binos, phone, and small items.
Currently thinking about the Kifaru Door Gunner, and maybe at a pinch for the extra money, the 14'R, but I reckon it might have too much capacity for what I'm after. I essentially want to be able to carry a 3L water bladder, tripod and camera, and then maybe a couple of snacks and a small first aid kit. Without a hip belt like on my 5500 I'll need another option to carry my rangefinder but I can figure that out later.
What else should I be looking at?
Cheers.
Before I know it, summer will be upon me down here in Australia. I'm working big time on my archery hunting (both recurve and compound) and I intend on doing a lot of culling of goats and pigs in the warmer months. I'll also do a bit of rifle hunting as well.
My current go-to pack is my Exo 5500. It packs down pretty small which is great but I love being able to carry an entire fallow deer out with it if I need to. I'm super keen on the new Exo 1800 but have been told they won't be released for a little while yet. The idea of having a daypack that I can haul a deer out with is pretty awesome, but for my needs with a new pack, it isn't essential, as I use my Exo 5500 for that anyway. Also, when culling pest animals, I don't take much meat off them, so it's not something I really need to consider with this new pack.
What I am searching for is a pack that is so small, it doesn't allow me to bring a bunch of other crap with me. I typically load my 5500 up a lot when day hunting as I want to toughen myself up with mountain fitness, but my fitness in the mountains is pretty good and here in Australia I literally hunt the mountains year round, so now I'm at the point where I'm thinking something small and easy might be nice.
I say specifically bowhunting because I crawl through a lot of thick/steep stuff and sometimes the top of my 5500 gets caught on overhanging shrubs and something that has a smaller profile than my body when loaded up would be perfect. I also wear an AGC bino harness and accessory pouch so I always have somewhere on my chest for binos, phone, and small items.
Currently thinking about the Kifaru Door Gunner, and maybe at a pinch for the extra money, the 14'R, but I reckon it might have too much capacity for what I'm after. I essentially want to be able to carry a 3L water bladder, tripod and camera, and then maybe a couple of snacks and a small first aid kit. Without a hip belt like on my 5500 I'll need another option to carry my rangefinder but I can figure that out later.
What else should I be looking at?
Cheers.