Testing the Stone Glacier Sky Archer 6200

[Josh Boyd]

I'm still using the pack and frame as a spring bear pack but don't expect a full report until I put it through the full season that Montana has to offer. But I will be adding updates as the summer rolls along.

Hopefully I can stuff another one of these guys in a SG along with a few elk.......
This was from a 2013 sheep hunt where I used the first iteration of the frame with a Solo.

 

[Josh Boyd]

One more.

 

[Josh Boyd]

Update:
I've been putting some bulky and awkward loads into the Sky Archer 6200 this summer in preparation for a large stream restoration job. Most of the equipment I've been packing are not really note worthy in the weight department but are more of a challenge due to their bulk. The extra volume of the 6200 has really been nice to have. Another feature I really like over the 5100 is the side zip. It seems allow for better access to the contents of the bag. So far all the features have been appreciated.

 

[Josh Boyd]

I've been getting a few pm's from guys who are having a tough time deciding between the 5100 and the 6200. Here are my thoughts and advice I've been sharing:

I love the sky 5100 as it was the next step up from the Solo for me. When I first switched over to it I found it had more volume for my style of use and a vertical zipper for access to the main bag. Both of which I really wanted after using the Solo for a season. It compresses really nicely for short trips and day use but has enough capacity to do longer trips. The bivy mode is 3500 cubic inches which is plenty for most of my 4-5 day September elk hunts.

The sky archer 6200 is everything the 5100 is but slightly more refined. For me the side zip is a little more convenient for access when items are strapped to the outside of the pack. I also really like the side pockets. I will be stashing trekking poles, tent poles, a tripod or a wet tent in them. The 6200 is 4000 cubic inches in bivy mode gives a guy more options for colder weather hunts when more gear is needed. And at 6200 fully stuffed a 10 -12 day mountain hunt wouldn't be much of a problem. The extra volume compresses the same and is only 2 oz more over the 5100. As of right now, I'd run the sky archer over the 5100 almost every time.

 

[Josh Boyd]

Yesterday was my last planned preseason hike. I climbed about 4000 feet from the trail head up to three alpine lakes to grab some water samples for work. It was an incredibly pleasant day for hiking and even more so to have an ultra light pack on my back. The load was light and the pack was barely noticeable. At the end of the long day, my legs were tired but I feel ready for the upcoming months of elk hunting.

-Josh

 

[robby denning]

Love that post. Can't wait to see this bad boy weighed down with (______________) quarters. Keep us posted Josh

 

[Justin Crossley]

Good stuff Josh. When's your first hunting trip?

 

[Josh Boyd]

I just spent the last four days putting some miles on under the pack. Last Friday under a dripping sky and saturated brush, Jared Lampton and I packed into a familiar basin for the Montana elk opener. With a wet cold weather system in play I opted for a few extra pieces of clothing normally left behind this time of year. The extra room in the 6200 was welcomed.


The wet hike in


One evening we managed to draw a little blood and do some real world load testing.



We ended up packing 2 boned out quarters into a creek bottom 1100 vertical feet below the kill site in order get the meat closer to our camp and readied for the next leg of the pack out......



.....Which was to pack up camp and carry one quarter down and out about 2700 vertical feet to truck.


The next day was a return for the lightest load of just a single quarter.

Over the weekend we covered a ton of ground with a broad range of pack weights and set-ups that really showed the versatility of the Sky Archer 6200. With a couple more months of hunting I'm sure the pack will see more use and will certainly have a clear picture of its strengths and weaknesses.

I really have to thank Jared for shooting a ton of great photos while packing some heavy loads in some of the toughest elk country around. He is as tough as they come.

 

[AK Troutbum]

Can't view the pics.


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[tipsntails7]

I just spent the last four days putting some miles on under the pack. Last Friday under a dripping sky and saturated brush, Jared Lampton and I packed into a familiar basin for the Montana elk opener. With a wet cold weather system in play I opted for a few extra pieces of clothing normally left behind this time of year. The extra room in the 6200 was welcomed.


The packing process.


The wet hike in

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One evening we managed to draw a little blood and do some real world load testing.



We ended up packing 2 boned out quarters into a creek bottom 1100 vertical feet below the kill site in order get the meat closer to our camp and readied for the next leg of the pack out......



.....Which was to pack up camp and carry one quarter down and out about 2700 vertical feet to truck.


The next day was a return for the lightest load of just a single quarter.

Over the weekend we covered a ton of ground with a broad range of pack weights and set-ups that really showed the versatility of the Sky Archer 6200. With a couple more months of hunting I'm sure the pack will see more use and will certainly have a clear picture of its strengths and weaknesses.

I really have to thank Jared for shooting a ton of great photos while packing some heavy loads in some of the toughest elk country around. He is as tough as they come.

Awesome stuff. I've always liked SG but have worried about having the camp that far away from your back when packing meat, like in your last photo. Does it feel off balanced at all?

 

[tipsntails7]

Can't view the pics.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Its tapatalk, desktop they are good to go.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Josh Boyd]

Awesome stuff. I've always liked SG but have worried about having the camp that far away from your back when packing meat, like in your last photo. Does it feel off balanced at all?

After seeing that photo I was surprised it didn't feel more off balance as the camp load is out there a bit. I packed the heavier items of my camp as close to the meat load as possible which definitely helped out. Overall it didn't feel too bad. We had to descend a really steep headwall with some mandatory blowdown clambering and not once did it feel like my load wanted to tip me down hill. I could have carried half of my camp and a quarter in the bag and done the same on the 2nd day of packing meat but I really wanted to try all of the configurations I could on this trip. At the end of the long weekend I had carried
- a medium weight camp into the mountains.
- 2 boned quarters in the load shelf with a few day items in the bag.
- 1 quarter in the load shelf and a full camp in the bag.
- 1 quarter in the bag with day items in the bag.

 

[Matt W.]

Looks like a fun season Jumar! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and insight on the pack.

 

[Jared Lampton]

Good stuff Josh! I had a blast on our trip last weekend and was glad to help out.

 

[MT_Wyatt]

Awesome stuff. I've always liked SG but have worried about having the camp that far away from your back when packing meat, like in your last photo. Does it feel off balanced at all?

I'll chime in, running this same bag right now, previously a Solo.

I've read this concern quite a bit, but in practice I've never had a problem with the load shelf pushing things too far away from my back, at least on the Krux. The reason why is I find I can pack boned meat "flatter" in a dry bag directly against the frame, and spread whatever is in my backpack out through out the full pack bag volume, which keeps the overall profile from stacking up way away from my spine. For what it's worth, to prevent rounding that frame a bit, you need meat to be in a flatter shape on the load shelf, otherwise it can wrap around a round dry bag a bit.

Having done it the other way (meat in bag, on top of and around contents), I don't think one is really "better" than the other for weight distribution, assuming the load shelf is adjustable in height and can elevate the meat above your waist a bit. I think it's a matter of how much care you take in setting up/strapping the load shelf and bag contents to avoid the hunchback routine. The load shelf takes more time than just throwing it in the bag, but the gain is having it outside the bag during the pack out to drain, etc, and you're keeping blood away from gear. If course that can be negated by a dry bag inside the backpack, but the meat can't drain that way. To me, for the SG pack frame, the meat shelf is the way to go.

 

[tipsntails7]

I'll chime in, running this same bag right now, previously a Solo.

I've read this concern quite a bit, but in practice I've never had a problem with the load shelf pushing things too far away from my back, at least on the Krux. The reason why is I find I can pack boned meat "flatter" in a dry bag directly against the frame, and spread whatever is in my backpack out through out the full pack bag volume, which keeps the overall profile from stacking up way away from my spine. For what it's worth, to prevent rounding that frame a bit, you need meat to be in a flatter shape on the load shelf, otherwise it can wrap around a round dry bag a bit.

Having done it the other way (meat in bag, on top of and around contents), I don't think one is really "better" than the other for weight distribution, assuming the load shelf is adjustable in height and can elevate the meat above your waist a bit. I think it's a matter of how much care you take in setting up/strapping the load shelf and bag contents to avoid the hunchback routine. The load shelf takes more time than just throwing it in the bag, but the gain is having it outside the bag during the pack out to drain, etc, and you're keeping blood away from gear. If course that can be negated by a dry bag inside the backpack, but the meat can't drain that way. To me, for the SG pack frame, the meat shelf is the way to go.

Makes sense. I actually purchased a Krux and solo this year, unfortunately I was unsuccessful on my elk tag in Oregon, but I've got a blaicktail and bear tag still left in California. One of the main reasons I wanted to try it was for bear capes, they are a pain in the ass to get in packs at times, rolling it up and putting it between frame and bag seemed like a nice solution, hopefully time will tell.


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[the big Mao]

those little "bikini" side pockets we used to call "wand pockets" on our mountaineering packs-for securing thin bamboo wands with bright tape tied to them, so we could find our way down the mountain in bad lighting conditions. this was before GPS was available, and all they needed to do was prevent the wands from slipping out of the bottom of the bundle on your pack.

 

[slick]

Have had no problems with heavy awkward loads

 

[Josh Boyd]

Holy hell man! I hope that load didn't have to travel too far...

 

[slick]

Holy hell man! I hope that load didn't have to travel too far...

Haha no, not terribly far. Little over a mile. I have horses I am able to use, so any further than that and I would have gone and grabbed them, but that would have been more work than it was worth.