Thoughts on best pack for a 4-5 day hunt.

[Desk Jockey]

Welcome. I will toss in a bid for a Mystery Ranch Metcalf or a Beartooth for a trip that duration. They are both great packs but I might have a slight bias for the Metcalf for overall versatility.

 

[couesbitten]

I have a Kifaru, Exo and Stone Glacier, the smallest of which is technically the Exo at 5500 cubic inches. All are great packs and can be compressed down if the space isn't being used. Remember that once your pack is full, there's no way to make it bigger, so I always encourage people to pick the size that sounds right and then probably going to the next biggest bag. For most people, picking a comfortable pack is literally as individually specific as picking comfortable boots. Try as many on as you can and find the one that is right for you.

 

[*zap*]

get a frame that fits your body and a bag of 6500ci or larger. My AMR is awesome, holds mucho gear and packs down to nada...

 

[Outdoors80]

I love my EXO 4800 pack! Their customer service is hard to beat and the pack is awesome

 

[trophyhill]

Kifaru Hoodlum or Reckoning and don't look back. From dayhunts to 10 day hunts. You won't be disappointed. Personally i run the Hoodlum. My hunting buddy runs the Reckoning. If i wasn't using the Hoodlum. It would be the Reckoning.

 

[Twerre87]

Thanks again for all the input! I'll do some more research on some of the brands mentioned. For some reason, I'm leaning towards the stone glacier. Lol. Maybe I'll have to keep my eye on the classifieds too. Thanks again guys!!

 

[couesbitten]

I just purchased my Stone Glacier in August from the classifieds, used it on my deer hunt this year and was very pleased with the way it carried my gear. You really can't go wrong with Stone Glacier, Kifaru, Exo or Seek Outside, it really comes down to the one that fits you most comfortably when carrying weight.

 

[freebird134]

This is exactly what I used my Stone Glacier evo 40/56 for. I’m selling it if you are interested…


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[Twerre87]

This is exactly what I used my Stone Glacier evo 40/56 for. I’m selling it if you are interested…


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I might hang tight for now. My wife isn't to impressed with the spending spree I already went on this fall. Thank you for the offer though.

 

[Sherman]

I was in the same boat as you last season. I tried many packs and figured out that the Kifaru fit the best for bigger guys. I bought the frame from Kifaru on clearance, and smaller pack off the classifieds for $100, a camp bag from Kifaru for $80 to couple with the used bag, and got the MaDeuce on sale from Kifaru along with a few pouches & a Nalgene bottle. Ordered the 3L hydration pack from Kuiu that attaches nicely to all of my configurations. All in all, I spent about $700 for everything I will ever need because I was patient and waited for deals. Everyone told me “buy once, cry once” and I’m glad I didn’t go the cheaper route. If I wasn’t patient and looking for deals, this system would have cost way more that $1000. This forum was a huge help. Do your research and don’t compromise on quality.

 

[jnawalaniec]

I have a Seek Outside Fortress 6300 for sale, it would be perfect for what you need!

But in all seriousness, I 100% think investing in one of the higher end packs is worth it. I had a Horn Hunter full curl that tore my hips and shoulders up and a badlands that did the same. Both those packs work great for some people, but didn’t work for me. If I were you, i’d buy used, try it out, if you love it awesome, if not the packs hold their value and you can sell it for close to what you paid for it.

 

[PorterNY]

I really like my kuiu 6000

 

[gajda888]

Just did a 4 day hunt with a metcalf. No complaints.

 

[JMOFKNL]

I use the eberlestock J34 and never had a problem, I don’t know if it’s big enough for you though

 

[PNW bow hunter]

The kifaru mountain warrior works great for multi day hunts, and compresses down nice for day hunts after you get out to where your going. I also like the pockets this bag has. For me it has just enuff pockets to keep stuff organized, and they are easily accessible when the bag is compressed for day hunts.

I also use this bag on 7-10 day hunts. This bag and the Kifaru frame have been the best back pack I have had

 

[MTPipeliner]

Check out seek outsides lineup. I don’t back country hunt, but I regularly hunt with my two small sons so I’m the pack mule for all their gear which often seems like enough for a trip to Everest and the Lanner does a great job carrying it all.

 

[trchandl2]

I'm in the market for a pack also. Good info

 

[Twerre87]

I ended up finding a SG sky archer 6400 that I picked up. I couldn't pass it up. Brand new for $500. Seems like a very solid pack. I haven't gotten a chance to try it out yet, but it looks like it should work for me.

 

[S.Clancy]

I'm the opposite of most on here. I have an EXO 5500 and 2000, I use the 2000 for basically everything 5 days and under, even into November. I just dont carry that much stuff I guess. I also really like the 2000 configuration during actual hunting. Just my preference.

 

[NABG Hunter]

Schnee's is/was having a good sale on Mystery Ranch packs. I ordered the Marshall and the Metcalf. The Marshall is a great pack, but too much pack for my needs (4-5 day hunting max). Plus it was 1-1/2 pounds heavier than the Metcalf. The Metcalf seems like an awesome pack also. Really well designed and crazy high quality. You get what you pay for. Both packs have the overload shelf, so if the Metcalf is too small to fit everything inside I can just add those extra items to the outside or utilize the overload shelf....AND it's 1-1/2 pounds lighter.

I just shipped my Marshall pack back today.

We'll see how the Metcalf performs this fall.