Stone Glacier Terminus Review

[Lawnboi]

I’m just a little guy. I’m not stuffing more than 80-90lbs in it for any distance.

 

[Zach Herold]

What’s the census on this being a replacement for a do all pack? Iv been using a fulcrum for years, from day hunts to multi day. I am not a load shelf guy at all. The stuff I have been trying from stone glacier has me considering a switch to cut a lot of weight. That and the more I use a frame, the more I appreciate an internal frame pack.

I wouldn't have any problem doing that. Just know that it doesn't have many pockets and to be honest I have never been a fan of the SG lids. Other than those two things I have used this pack on many day trips!

 

[Zach Herold]

Well, I don't have good pack-out photos, mostly because I was solo for both, but I have packed an entire bone in mule deer and a bull out in the Terminus. Max loads were ~130 lbs with the mule deer (105 lbs of deer, bow, 85 mm spotter, tripod, day gear and water) and ~100-105 lbs (2 front shoulders, bow and day gear) on the bull. Impressions:

1. Capacity - The bone in mule deer was definitely a strange fit in the pack. I think if I had taken the time to bone-it out I could have fit a small camps worth of gear inside. Granted, this was a large bodied deer, in the upper 200's to maybe 300 lbs. The 2 bull shoulders fit just fine in the pack, but the bone is so large in those front shoulders it would have been tough to fit a bunch of other stuff around them.
2. Carrying - The pack, for me, just straight carries weight awesome. Much better than the Gen 1 Exo Frame and better that the Duplex lite frame I sold. The biggest difference for me is the shoulder straps just really fit me better. I'm a smaller framed guy, so my shoulders are not that wide, bone wise. The SG straps seems closer together than both Kifaru and the Gen 1 Exo. Waist belt never slipped with any load. Load lifting was still great for me, 6'1", 34" inseam, so admittedly I have a slightly shorter torso than some. I did put the meat in a game bag, then the game bags into a contractor bag. No blood escaped that. I did use the interior "meat pouch" for my other items and clothes, and the meat in the large part of the pack. Since I didn't bone the meat, I really have no idea how much boned meat that pouch would hold.
3. Day Mode - I thought that this would be the downfall of the pack, but it packs down incredibly well. The fabric is slightly noisy, but that doesn't matter to me as I drop the pack for the final approach. Not to mention it is under 4lbs
4. Fabric - This is the reason I wanted this pack. IMO, I don't understand why more packs are not made with this material. It is easier to clean, incredibly light and pretty waterproof. I did not seam seal my pack, as others have done. I had rain, from just sprinkles to torrential downpour. In the case of torrential downpour, it rained between 1-2" in about 45 minutes. When I got back to the truck, myself completely soaked, I emptied the pack to check my other layers and optics. Everything was dry, but I did notice that the seams had wetness around them, as would be expected. I could definitely see prolonged rain causing leaking through the seams, but, I would just put essentials in a dry bag instead of seam sealing.

All in all, I am happy with the pack. I still have backpack mulie hunts in AZ and MT in November, so we will see what happens then. Obligatory animal pics....

Thanks for the in depth post and congrats on all the success, thats awesome!

 

[Zach Herold]

Great do it all with the one caveat, you aren’t packing a lot of meat and full camp at once. If those would be separate trips anyway, no issue.

I’m loving mine, only hunt it didn’t go on was one I expected to be gear heavy, so took the sky 7900 with frame. Otherwise packed out a bull elk and mule deer this season, carried weight well.
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Awesome! Congrats on the success too!

 

[Zach Herold]

I tend to agree with the above comments. I haven't tried to pack a ton of meat and camp in the same trip. If I get the chance to do that I will update with my findings.

One of the pack outs I boned out two hind quarters of an elk, back straps tenderloins etc and put one meat sack in the load cell then strapped the other to the outside of the bag.

 

[S.Clancy]

One of the pack outs I boned out two hind quarters of an elk, back straps tenderloins etc and put one meat sack in the load cell then strapped the other to the outside of the bag.

That is quite the gypsy pack.

 

[S.Clancy]

Got a new data point opener of MT rifle season. We packed in to a spot we haven't hunted in 5 years. Just after daylight, heard hooves on the scree field. Brother drilled a 5x5 bull.

Just based on where he was, I didn't want to come back, so we 1 tripped the bull between the 2 of us with camp. It was pretty heavy, but the Terminus performed great. Fit a little more than half the elk + camp inside. Gives me confidence for a whole deer + camp in AZ in a couple weeks.
I did forget a contractor bag (dumb) so the pack needs a thorough cleaning. I did notice some blood leaked out through the seams onto my butt. No fault of the pack, only my fault.

Obligatory pics and an actual action pic!

 

[Zach Herold]

Got a new data point opener of MT rifle season. We packed in to a spot we haven't hunted in 5 years. Just after daylight, heard hooves on the scree field. Brother drilled a 5x5 bull.

Just based on where he was, I didn't want to come back, so we 1 tripped the bull between the 2 of us with camp. It was pretty heavy, but the Terminus performed great. Fit a little more than half the elk + camp inside. Gives me confidence for a whole deer + camp in AZ in a couple weeks.
I did forget a contractor bag (dumb) so the pack needs a thorough cleaning. I did notice some blood leaked out through the seams onto my butt. No fault of the pack, only my fault.

Obligatory pics and an actual action pic!

Congrats! Yeah I agree the pack can handle some abuse and big loads.

 

[Adammn]

For the guys who have the terminus 7000, anyone feel that the 8700 would be a better size or are you happy with the capacity of the 7000?

 

[ljalberta]

For the guys who have the terminus 7000, anyone feel that the 8700 would be a better size or are you happy with the capacity of the 7000?

Depends on how much gear you have. I like the 7k, but if I was running late season, I’d want the bigger back for the larger gear.

 

[Adammn]

Depends on how much gear you have. I like the 7k, but if I was running late season, I’d want the bigger back for the larger gear.

I don't hunt a lot in the late season. Mostly 7-10 backpack archery deer and elk hunts. The extra external pocket on the 8700 seems like a nice addition but not sure that I need the space.

 

[ljalberta]

I don't hunt a lot in the late season. Mostly 7-10 backpack archery deer and elk hunts. The extra external pocket on the 8700 seems like a nice addition but not sure that I need the space.

It gets tight when the inner sleeve is full of meat, but I can get a deboned sheep or deer in there with all my gear and a few days food. I love the simplicity of the 7k bag and the weight savings.

If you have a pretty streamlined gear setup, go for the 7k. If you got some bulkier items, pop up a size is what I would say.

 

[Zach Herold]

For the guys who have the terminus 7000, anyone feel that the 8700 would be a better size or are you happy with the capacity of the 7000?

I enjoy the size of my 7000.

 

[Zach Herold]

It gets tight when the inner sleeve is full of meat, but I can get a deboned sheep or deer in there with all my gear and a few days food. I love the simplicity of the 7k bag and the weight savings.

If you have a pretty streamlined gear setup, go for the 7k. If you got some bulkier items, pop up a size is what I would say.

Me too!

 

[Lawnboi]

More pics/info on how the pack works in day mode?

I think I’m going to replace my fulcrum with this. My frame is about worn out.

 

[Zach Herold]

More pics/info on how the pack works in day mode?

I think I’m going to replace my fulcrum with this. My frame is about worn out.

I used it in day mode/day hunts more often than extended hunts. I love how it compresses down.

 

[sr80]

I used it in day mode/day hunts more often than extended hunts. I love how it compresses down.

I agree, it makes a great lightweight daypack that can blow up when needed to haul meat out. One thing i didnt like was how the lid attachment straps were directly below the load lifters, so you had to either go inside the load lifters or on the outside, which would allow you lid to fall off the top of the frame if not really really tight. Or if going inside the lid got all mis shaped. I feel like SG is about due for a new frame, or upgrades to currents...

 

[MT_Wyatt]

I agree, it makes a great lightweight daypack that can blow up when needed to haul meat out. One thing i didnt like was how the lid attachment straps were directly below the load lifters, so you had to either go inside the load lifters or on the outside, which would allow you lid to fall off the top of the frame if not really really tight. Or if going inside the lid got all mis shaped. I feel like SG is about due for a new frame, or upgrades to currents...

If they did, a little more frame stability to prevent the minor barreling when loaded heavy with meat would be good. It’s fairly resistant but even with a load cell, bone in quarters can cause a bit of warping. But one of the things I also appreciate about them is minor refinement without having to redo the whole thing each iteration. System has been generally the same since I started using it in 2014.

 

[mrbillbrown]

I’m still torn between the 7000 and 8700. Really like the addition of the back pocket on the 8700 but not sure I need all that space.


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[sr80]

If they did, a little more frame stability to prevent the minor barreling when loaded heavy with meat would be good. It’s fairly resistant but even with a load cell, bone in quarters can cause a bit of warping. But one of the things I also appreciate about them is minor refinement without having to redo the whole thing each iteration. System has been generally the same since I started using it in 2014.

I 100% agree, the frame barreling, and wished they did some changed to their belt. I know some people don't have an issue with it, but i find the foam they use to be too firm, and can give a lot of hip pain.