Why Load Shelf?

[chindits]

Yea I don’t get the load shelf or putting the meat between the pack and frame.

When I’m hunting I have some items in the bottom of my pack bag. This is usually rain gear and puffy jacket and pants, and food for the day. If I put the meat bag between the main pack and removable talon pack it rests above all the stuff in the main bag around my center of gravity. The main pack bag is another barrier against blood dripping down my back. The meat is still close to the frame as it just has two layers of pack fabric between it. Why would I bother disassembling my pack just to pack meat in the same position and orientation that I already do.

 

[rclouse79]

Because they are awesome (Exo at least)

 

[Jethro]

You meat in the bag guys, are you all deboning?

I'd never consider a frame with no shelf. This season I did a cow front and hind bone in. Laid the hind meat down knee bone sticking up. Loaded the front with meat/scapula up and elbow facing down. Nested together nicely and didn't have all the weight low on the shelf. Wasn't pleasant, but I think that configuration helped.

 

[Geewhiz]

Yea I don’t get the load shelf or putting the meat between the pack and frame.

When I’m hunting I have some items in the bottom of my pack bag. This is usually rain gear and puffy jacket and pants, and food for the day. If I put the meat bag between the main pack and removable talon pack it rests above all the stuff in the main bag around my center of gravity. The main pack bag is another barrier against blood dripping down my back. The meat is still close to the frame as it just has two layers of pack fabric between it. Why would I bother disassembling my pack just to pack meat in the same position and orientation that I already do.

View attachment 794593View attachment 794593

Moving the weight of that meat 6-10” closer to your back is going to make that load much more comfortable. Displacing the weight of a few lbs of clothing is a non issue.

 

[chindits]

What 6-10 inches? Two layers of pack cloth isn’t even 6mm. That’s all the distance is from my meat bags to my frame. Now if you mean 6-10 inches from the bottom pack, I prefer having the weight higher towards my center of gravity.

 

[chindits]

Both. Boneless this year’s rifle and last year’s moose, Bone in archery bull. All depends on how much time I have on the kill site with the day’s temperatures.

 

[Geewhiz]

What 6-10 inches? Two layers of pack cloth isn’t even 6mm. That’s all the distance is from my meat bags to my frame. Now if you mean 6-10 inches from the bottom pack, I prefer having the weight higher towards my center of gravity.

This is only 6 millimeters?

 

[chindits]

Yes. That is the side of the pack enveloping around the meat bag.

 

[Jake Larsen]

I've tried the meat shelf and personally hate it. Most allow the meat to sag too much in my opinion and blood still gets on the pack if you don't bag it, though it is all on the outside this way. I prefer to keep the meat a little higher and for me its easier to secure it inside the bag with all of my day gear or camp gear in the bottom to elevate the meat. I always line my pack with a contractor trash bag and have never had an issue with leakage. I always carry a largish pack bag even on day hunts. The extra 1/2 pound of material is negligible for me as it allows me one do all bag. That is just my experience, though obviously some people love them because they are pretty popular.

2nd this. But the meat shelf is nice to have as an option, just in case I need crazy volume on a backpack style hunt.


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[wind gypsy]

The meat is the same volume in the bag or outside it so does it really push the bag out further if it's all pulled against the frame with the same compression straps either way?

Keeping all my shit from getting soaked in blood is desirable. Having the weight close to your back is nice.

 

[bmart2622]

Yes. That is the side of the pack enveloping around the meat bag.

Whaaaaat!?!?!

 

[Geewhiz]

Whaaaaat!?!?!

Yeah, I can't believe you didn't know it was the side of the pack enveloping around the meat bag.

Looks to me like the pack is full of junk and he just strapped a few lbs of meat in a bag onto the back of his pack. But if it doesn't bother him then it doesn't bother me.

 

[LongWayAround]

I prefer meat on the shelf. Your pack stays cleaner and the meat load is more secure. I would rather have my extra clothes and such pushed out a little if it means I can keep the heavy stuff closest to my body.

 

[SuperDUECE22]

I prefer meat on the shelf. Your pack stays cleaner and the meat load is more secure. I would rather have my extra clothes and such pushed out a little if it means I can keep the heavy stuff closest to my body.

agreed

an exo with the crib panel simply can not be beat in my opinion

 

[hikenhunt]

The load shelf provides versatility for me. I don't need 3 different pack sizes for different lengths of hunts. I got the medium pack and can use the load shelf for more capacity on longer treks if needed. If used for meat, meat weighs a lot more than my camp, so keeping that on the frame is ideal. Keeping the inside of the bag clean is a bonus but not a main reason for me.

 

[100%DIYazCOUES]

100% prefer a meat shelf, my pack is full of camp and hunting gear

 

[100%DIYazCOUES]

I don’t get this “ only difference is the thickness of the pack” argument either. You just simply get the meat higher and tighter to the frame with a good load shelf. you don’t goo everything up, and you retain your full pack capacity with a load of meat( or anything else….i had 3 gallons of water on the shelf heading into my hunt a couple weeks ago).I hunted a long time putting meat in the bag, it works, but I haven’t heard or come up with a single argument why it’s not the better way to pack meat…. It just is.

 

[prm]

Meat shelf for me. My day hunt gear stays in the bag and meat is easily loaded and placed close to my back.

 

[mtnbound]

The other things I like about a load shelf are that I can compress the meat against the frame by itself instead of compressing all of my gear against the meat and then against the frame, and I can quickly get into my pack if needed, and the meat does not shift around because it's secure in the load sling. I have used a contractor bag to put the meat in, but especially for the first load out, which is still warm, I don't feel the meat cools off as fast and retains a lot of moisture in the contractor bag. While some of the meat is covered in the load sling, there is still a good amount of area for the heat to escape.

 

[roosiebull]

I have packed enough meat in the bag to know I don’t like it, it’s a messy pain in the ass. I want a quick, easy to access and secure load shelf.

I still put a contractor bag over the game bag for the trip to my pickup, but it almost always springs a leak somewhere, so I assume blood will cover everything it can reach, and it can’t reach as much in a shelf. I like locking in the load too, where it can’t sag down as it compresses your gear you put below the meat to balance the load, but the mixture of pressure and blood, the gear below the meat gets squished, and now your load of meat is 4” lower.

I much prefer a shelf, and I don’t want a day pack big enough to even fit a bone in elk hind, it takes a huge bag to fit one, I don’t think you could do it with any exo bag, but I also don’t know why someone would try