Pack Sizes for elk hunt

[tedsaunders]

I'm sure this has been brought up before but I'm hoping to narrow it down a bit more for me. My brother and I are new to to Backcountry hunting. We are going on a 7 day elk hunt in Idaho next fall...it'll be rifle season in Oct. We are planning on purchasing things that are light and compact but do have a budget so some may not be as light or compact i.e like mil surplus stuff, Stanley products, etc...we are trying to decide what size of pack to get for this 7 day trip. We have it narrowed down to MR Marshall or Metcalf. Thanks guys

 

[BAKPAKR]

How far are you planning on packing in? Also, if you are planning on hunting in northern Idaho, it is thick and I would suggest that you either have a pack that compresses small and sits low to use for day hunts (so as to minimize brush noise) or have a separate day pack.

I recently used a Kifaru Woodsman in Wyoming. It worked great as a day pack and it would have worked for a 1 or 2 nighter. It also worked fine for meat. My brother has the MR Metcalf and it worked great, too. In my opinion, it is configured better than the Kifaru for day hunts. If I were planning on packing in for more than 2 nights, I would probably look at a pack that was bigger than the Metcalf or the Woodsman.

 

[mrbillbrown]

I use a Kifaru AMR for everything from a short day trip to as long as I wanna stay out. Opened up it holds more than you want to carry. Cinched down it leaves 2 nice sized back pockets for minimalist day gear. I added some tabs and a pals matrix up top to use without a lid and it's been the all around perfect bag for me. They're on a crazy sale right now on the Kifaru website.

 

[GregB]

What billbrown said. I added a spotting scope pocket on the side and 2 k clip compression straps across the back.

I use a Kifaru AMR for everything from a short day trip to as long as I wanna stay out. Opened up it holds more than you want to carry. Cinched down it leaves 2 nice sized back pockets for minimalist day gear. I added some tabs and a pals matrix up top to use without a lid and it's been the all around perfect bag for me. They're on a crazy sale right now on the Kifaru website.

 

[homebru.trout]

Ultimately pack size and configuration will be influenced by the style of hunting you'll be doing and how you choose the carry food, water, etc. As you get up past 5 days, there are certain fixed costs in terms of space that you simply can't get around. Most notably, how are you carrying food and water.

For the type of hunting I do and the way I configure my pack, the Marshall would be my choice for 7 days of the two you've listed. While I can be pretty efficient with packing my calories and seldom carry extra water in favor of finding it in the field, I do carry some comforts and frequently an extra "this or that". I also usually pack my sleep chamber outside my pack.

If you're doing base camp style hunting where you're going to hike in and dump a fair amount of volume and weight, you can sometimes get away with a smaller volume pack with the kitchen sink hanging off it for the hike in/out. If you're on the move, you'll want a pretty buttoned up and contained system. There are a ton of options for 7 day backpack trips from the MR Marshall to Kifaru (Reckoning, EMR, AMR, Nomad, Crater, Cavern, MW), Kuiu (Pro 5200 and 7200, Ultra 6), Stone Glacier (40/56, 5900, 6200, 6900, etc.), Exo (5500), etc. I avoid the really huge haulers (7-8K ci) just as a personal thing but for a 7 day trip I'd want minimum of 5K CI or thereabouts with the ability to expand/compress.

Good luck in your search and on your hunt.

 

[1shotgear]

I'm sure this has been brought up before but I'm hoping to narrow it down a bit more for me. My brother and I are new to to Backcountry hunting. We are going on a 7 day elk hunt in Idaho next fall...it'll be rifle season in Oct. We are planning on purchasing things that are light and compact but do have a budget so some may not be as light or compact i.e like mil surplus stuff, Stanley products, etc...we are trying to decide what size of pack to get for this 7 day trip. We have it narrowed down to MR Marshall or Metcalf. Thanks guys

How far are you planning on going in to set up a base camp? I personally run the Stone glacier 6900 and the 6200. The 6900 I use for rifle season as I can get more gear and equipment in the pack for cold weather. The 6200 is a great pack, but is meant more for archery season. We normally go in anywhere from 6-10 days depending on how the hunt goes. In my opinion, it is better to have a little more room than not enough for a pack. That way you can get extra food, clothing, gear ext.

 

[Jimss]

I would agree with Scott's post above. It's often nice having a large volume pack that you have plenty of room and can cinch down rather than not enough room. You will likely find that a large volume pack with a frame capable of 100+ lb loads will save you a trip or 2! Depending upon the model, some medium model frames aren't really designed for hauling over 50 lbs and are made of relatively heavy materials. You may want to compare overall weight of different packs?

When I was searching for a new camp/meat hauling pack I had it narrowed down to Kifaru or Stone Glacier. I ended up with Kifaru because it offered so many different options of bags. Kifaru also offered several camo patterns and a large selection of lids, pouches, and accessory pockets.

Other considerations are what bag offers the desired pockets and access to gear you use while hunting. To me it was important having outside pouches with quick, quiet, and easy access to my spotting scope and tripod. I also wanted a large pouch or lid where I could access raingear and other small items (knife, headlamp, etc) that I use on a regular basis while hunting. I also liked bags that offered complete access to the entire bag (waterproof zipper down the front). I really didn't like the idea of digging down to the bottom of my pack if I needed something! I often pack out large volumes of meat, camp, plus sometimes life-sized capes for 1 to 2 week trips.....so a large bag that cinched down tight was important. I ended up getting a Kifaru EMR2....which has performed fantastic! I also have a Kifaru Timberline bag. It's a well designed bag with lots of outside pockets but it's often too small for most of my trips..,the reason I suggest getting a large volume pack!