Part 2
Field Performance
When you need or want to secure your weapon system to your pack, it must do so securely. While there are multiple add-on carrying systems one could use, I chose to use the pack as it comes, and I used the following weapons.
A Mathews bow
A folding-stock chassis rifle
A rifle with a Rokstock
Backpack Hunting Mode
At first I loaded it for 3 nights plus an extra day of food, then realized how big this ****** is, so I started filling it up with extra clothes, poncho liner, k4/5000 bag, helmet, tech rescue gear, Avy shovel, Axe, Dead cats and at one point I thought I was going to have to go to town and buy more gear to put into it but I stopped myself. The Teratorn is significantly better than my K4/5000 at hauling a large amount of gear (it's 1700ci’s bigger, after all), while still providing quick access to the Wings and Lower Main Bag compartment, in addition to the Lid and Hydration pocket. Loading gear into the pack is effortless and lends itself to "stuff the ****** full and go."
Securing either rifle platform is relatively easy using one of the oversized Side Stretchy Pockets and connecting the Wing bags; however, the dedicated K4/5000 horizontal straps provide a more secure system, especially for the folding stock chassis. The compression capabilities of the Wing bags depend on the volume you fill in the Main bag. You can make the pack-to-frame straps wrap around the bag to offer a more secure system. I suggest adding locking buckles to the Wing bags and pack-to-frame straps.
Securing my bow to the pack was more difficult, as I did not like how the Wing bags worked for securing it. Additionally, using the designed trekking pole holders, the metal tips, and my lever-locks would contact my cam and other bow components, so I had to adjust the bow several times to find the right spot, and it was in the back of my mind that something was getting damaged. If my poles were in my hand, then that concern would go away. Again, you can make the pack-to-frame straps wrap around the bag to offer a more secure system, but I feel that the dedicated K4/5000 horizontal straps are much better suited for this purpose.
Fully loaded foot travel, I got hung the **** up several times, busting through the brush. I would want to pick a line as free of brush as possible. When I loaded the exact same gear in each pack, I felt my K4/5000 did better at avoiding hang-ups from busting through the brush.
While I don't get many opportunities to shoot prone, I like the Shock cord on the Main Bag's Upper section, as I could easily stuff a shooting bag in there for prone shooting.
Spike Camp and Day Hunt Mode
Whether this was truly a hunt from the truck or a hunt from a spike camp, where most of my gear is dropped, this is where, for me, the Teratorn fails compared to my K4/5000. My day loadout is more extensive than most, as it is the same one I use for SAR operations; the only difference is the absence of a kill kit and a weapon. However, that load is insufficient to fill the Teratorn's volume and utilize its quick access features.
The Wing bags can't be pulled tight enough and flop around. If you do put quick-access gear in them, they are still loose and flop around even more. The Lid also becomes loose and floppy. While you can re-route the pack-to-frame straps and wrap them around the pack and Wings to compress it, you lose some of the easy access part of this pack. This is also necessary to secure a weapon system to the pack in this mode.
If you stuff the Wings into the load self-area, you are again defeating one of the significant selling features of easy access for this pack, and the large Stretchy Side pockets will get filled with whatever falls out of the sky because the Wings are not covering them.
I think the usability of the Main Bag Shock cord for holding a shooting bag depends on the amount of gear in the Main bag and whether the collar is extended. In this mode, the Lid can cover most of the Shock Cord, so I found it less effective in this mode. I did find that I could move more gear into the Main Bag Upper section to provide a better base, but this part of the pack does not have as good access as the Main Bag Lower section.
Using the designed trekking pole holding system helps maintain some structure in this mode, which helps.
The Main Bag's Lower section still has good access in this mode, and you can easily adjust this area with the bottom pack compression straps. For me, the K4/5000 has less fiddle factor to get into day-hunt mode, is more compact, and provides enough easy-access pockets.
Conclusion
It is stated that this pack is designed for late-season hunting in cold weather, and I can see that. However, for me, hunting in these conditions typically involves setting up a spike camp and hunting from there. While I will have extra layers with me, it's not enough volume to make a significant difference in the Teratorn's performance. The Teratorn has some great features, but my initial impression after using it in the field is that you need to keep the loaded volume high (which does not mean heavy) to utilize the quick-access features and have the pack perform at its best. If backpack hunting in the late season is your thing, or you're a 10-day backpack hunter in regular seasons and need a pack with more easy-access pockets, then this pack might be for you. If you’re a 5-day backpack hunter who packs your fears, then this pack is for you. If you prefer a more streamlined pack, this may not be the right choice for you. If you are a spike camp/day hunter, this is not the pack for you IMO. I will continue to evaluate the Teratorn for my needs, but it's currently behind in points compared to my K4/5000; however, testing is not over. A K4/3600 pack with Wing bags would be very interesting to me.
