What size pack for day pack?

[roosiebull]

I am not worried about brand more interested in day pack size you guys prefer? Big enough to handle enough gear for a surprise possible night in the backcountry but not an extended stay.

any brands you are looking at? if so, i bet you will get some good suggestions on options from those companies. i personally like the stryker xl or EXO 3500 (or their newer 3200) most packs cinch down pretty well if you want to buy one bag and have multi purpose. i day hunted and am currently using my gnargali for calling lions which is all day hunting.

if you were looking at seek outside, you could get a big huge bag with no weight penalty, compresses down to nothing, and would work for most anything.

for a dedicated day pack, i think 2-3000CI is a fair ballpark, though i have done a lot of moderate weather day hunting with an 1800CI pack, but as it gets cold, or packing my foxpro, i'm strapping some clothes to the outside, which isn't a huge deal.

it depends on a lot of things... what you're doing, the temps you're hunting in, and what you want to have with you.

i'm a poor packer for day hunting, i carry way more than i need, and day hunts, minus weapons, my day pack weighs 24-37# depending on the day and what i'm doing. i have never felt short on room with the stryker xl, and when meat hits the ground, it's quick and intuitive to load meat

 

[PRC_GUY]

I bring Kuiu 2300 as day pack, I should get the 1800 instead.

 

[Lowg08]

I sadly have went a weird avenue. I just have the stone glacier sky 5900. For day use I remove the Lid and put it in bivy mode. Bivy mode allows for 4300 but can compress down much more. Has worked well for all
Of last season from early archery til Jan 1. Just works great. Never found it to be too much or too little

 

[Blasey]

If I know for sure I will be back at the truck same day I will use my Eberlestock X1 pack. That thing is super tough (but heavy) and will carry everything I need. For anything longer than a couple days I will will use my Kuiu Pro LT 5500 pack, which weighs almost the same but a lot bigger. I recently upgraded my big pack from from the Eberlestock skycrane model for sheep hunting. That thing alone weighs 10lb's with scabbard. Now I'm down to less than 5 lb's (empty) with Kuiu, it took me a few years and 100 miles before I figured it out that money is the way out of heavy-and well worth it for the amount of time/energy involved. The Skycrane still has a use though, that is my Bear baiting pack for packing in 50lb. bags of dogfood - the pack is so tough it will NEVER wear out!

 

[awbowhunter]

In most cases a slightly larger bag in a small weight penalty is better than ending up with not enough room on some trips...like last season cold weather I'd get something that 3000 plus.

 

[Brook.Trout]

I got the Stryker xl (1900ci) seems to work well for me, I could definitely overnight in it. Day hunts don’t need much room. Sounds like some people pack way too much crap haha I guess just look at how much stuff you’d like to bring on a day hunt on the coldest days you hunt and go from there. Never a bad idea to go slightly bigger though. Too many options and situations to choose from

 

[BugleMeTimber]

I've been using the Eberlestock Team Elk Pack for many years. It's capable of hauling out quarters and the hard frame bench on the bottom allows me to easily strap my treestand and climbing sticks to it for late whitetail. This saves the wear and tear on my Stone Glacier Sky Talus 6900 that I use on backcountry multi night trips.

 

[EastHumboldt]

I like the MR Metcalf. It carries fine with minimal stuff, Because you can Cinch all the straps up. But if you get an animal down, you can carry 80 pounds in That pack. Smaller day packs are pretty limited in that respect, and often don’t have a Good enough suspension to carry serious weight.

 

[eaglemountainman]

For a warm weather, strictly day pack, I'd say 1700ci, since that is the size of the Pop Up 28 that I've been using the last 5 years or so. It's slim and short which allows me to hunt the thick NE woods without getting hung up. I can fit all the essentials in there, including an extra layer when the mornings and afternoons get a bit on the colder side. It is also rated to haul meat loads to about 80lbs, though I find 40-60 a lot more comfortable. It's a little tank.

For cold weather, I absolutely need more room for the extra gear/layers I'll be carrying. Something in the 2700-3000ci range. You can also spend a night or two out in a pack this size. Mine is a Sawtooth 45. It's frame is a much more capable/comfortable meat hauler.

If I were to have just one pack as a day pack, I'd go for the larger size rather than the smaller.

I know you weren't asking about brands, but instead, a size recommendation. These two just happen to be what I use as daypacks for the two different temperature scenarios. There are plenty of brands with options in these same sizes. I would suggest trying as many frames as possible to see what is the best and most comfortable fit for your body. And $$$$$ does not always equal best.

 

[darpoh]

I've found that 3500 was the sweet spot for me. Enough space for cold weather gear and compresses down to nothing for spring/warm weather hunts.

 

[Huntingfarandwide]

I prefer my Kifaru Woodsman....I believe it is around 3,000....everything is inside of my pack. My previous pack was 2,000 and I was always strapping things to the outside of it.

 

[Dos Perros]

I agree with @eaglemountainman. Warm weather and the SG Approach 1800 is good. Cold and I want more room for my puffy.

 

[Crcusmonky]

Anyone use the kifaru door gunner? I have a woodsman but as a primarily Michigan whitetail hunter I think it’s a bit overkill. Most the public land is not huge tracks of land. I was thinking of trying a door gunner with a Sherman pocket just as quick hunt pack and a scouting/turkey pack, thoughts?

 

[RGARNER]

My exo 4800 packs down so small when its not full I don't see a reason to own a smaller day pack any more

 

[JM-Ascent]

3000 cui seems to work pretty good for me and most people I have hunted with. There is a lot of companies that either make bags that expand and collapse really easy or have a load shelf you could use with a dry bag to throw some extra gear in and actually reduce the size of the bag, but it’s always better to have more bag than you need instead of not enough.

 

[crossfox21]

Just get a Mtn Smith fanny pack with shoulder straps and call it a day. Light, holds lots of gear, and still lets your back breathe

 

[Dr. Manhattan]

1800

 

[Tmo2295]

I’ve been looking for a shape charge to do the job

 

[Sundy]

This has been a solid thread for me to get ideas on. For a long time I was using a 30L non frame pack which works pretty well, but now that I'm chasing elk and doing more backcountry/backpack hunts I wanted a frame pack.

I was very torn on size, ended up ordering a MR Beartooth 80 (85L/5185 cu-in w/lid, 73L without) + a MR Mule bag (23L/1404 cu-in).

That way I'll have the big bag for backpack trips and the mule for an overnight/hunting out of the truck as base camp, scouting etc. The mule bag itself weighed in a 1.1 lbs for me - I'm half debating throwing it in the Beartooth depending on the final weight (setting up base camp for days deep in the woods) and running around with this little thing - but that's extra weight to pack in.

 

[Mnash]

I’ve found 30L to be a good day pack size. Limits you to what you really need so you’re not weighed down. The 3 day assault pack from mystery ranch is a fav of mine.