Daypack - Woodsman or Nomad 2?

FlyGuy

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Aug 13, 2016
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I've got a Reckoning bag for elk that I love. It collapses well, but I'm thinking of getting a smaller bag as a dedicated day pack for local hunts. Most of these are deep into public land, so ability to pack meat is a requirement.

Been eyeing the nomad 2. The Woodsman is essentially a mini reckoning. It seems larger than what I need, but is surprisingly a little lighter (and cheaper) than the nomad.

Looking for feedback from anyone that may have used one or both of these.

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ethan

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Dec 7, 2013
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I don’t have any experience with the woodsman, but I am thinking pretty hard about getting one. I did run the original nomad for a while though. I think the idea of the pack is great, but it wasn’t for me. I’d look really hard at the woodsman, then post a good review of it!! Haha
 

thinhorn_AK

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If I was putting together a set up for day hunting and needed it to haul meat, I'd look at the 22mag on a 22" frame.
 
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I have a woodsman on a 22 inch tactical frame that I have used this year. Have not hauled meat but hauled a 40 LB bag of corn on the meat shelf.

It is a large size for a day Pack. Probably a little bit of overkill. Easy to fold away the excess and I was happy to have the room when I packed in some blind construction materials and with warm clothes for a day.

Mine replaced a mystery ranch crew cab, which is a similar concept tot he nomad. I really like the idea of a convertible pack but after using the crewcab a few times, I missed having a main bag I could just stuff everything into without all the strapping etc. I did have loads shift around on me that required repacking at least twice.

I think the pack plus load shelf design is pretty versatile and gives you best of both worlds for a compact design plus big hauler when needed. The convertible packs like the nomad and crewcab are a cool design but you have to manage your loads a bit more than I liked to make it work.

One thing to keep in mind is weight. I can’t recall what it weighs but your going to talking over 6-7 pounds of bare Pack. I don’t know if that can be avoided and still have a functional meat hauler. However, if I were buying again I would buy the lightest frame. My woodsman spends 95% of its time as a day Pack. The added benefit and weight of a heavier frame is not worth it.
 
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FlyGuy

FlyGuy

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Thanks for the feedback so far. I probably should have mentioned this in my original post, but my frame is the 24" Hunting frame.

The 22 wasn't on my radar at all, but I've heard good things about it. I think Ryan Avery has talked about it on his podcast some.





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oldgoat

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Either will work, the Nomad will cost you even more than the difference in the initial pack cost. You will likely need a Grab It at a minimum and probably a Durable Dry Bag. 22" frame wouldn't give you much load lifter angle for hauling a load of meat. I have the original Nomad, wife has the Woodsman and ran an Apollo last year. I'd lean towards the Woodsman since you already have the other big pack. Woodsman with the snow collar down is a good sized bag, with a guide lid it's quite capable and gives a lot more organisational capability to the setup. Otherwise you just have one big chamber stuff is jammed in with no compartmentalization. If you can stand using a meat shelf, the Apollo is a great daypack, especially with a lid, I hate the whole meat shelf thing personally though!
 
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FlyGuy

FlyGuy

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Thanks, I'll look st that one too.

Btw, I have a grab it and guide lid already.

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Gumbo

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I ran a Nomad 1 last season and I wasn't very happy with how it carried gear and bone-in elk quarters. The batwings didn't wrap around quarters well, particularly when filled with gear, maybe because they are fixed to the frame-sleeve portion of the bag. The pockets were also too small for coats and running a big spotter/tripod in them was a pain because they were tough to get in and out and required unbuckling all the connections. Basically the pack was a major PIA to use because it had to be packed and unpacked every time I wanted something out of it. I recently bought a Reckoning for my daypack which will hopefully work better.
 
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I have concluded there's no perfect solution. I find that even with only a minimally-loaded (2 L water, kill kit, food for a day, survival kit) guide lid on top of an empty woodsman on a 26 inch frame is too bulky and heavy for still hunting effectively. I lose agility and stealth. It's amazing what another 10 lbs will do to your ability to sneak around on what is so often dry crunchy ground around here. I don't know how much lighter a 22 inch frame would be, but the stiffness of that freighter frame would still cause the loss of agility. I've been using just my guide lid as a day pack and like that pretty well. It rides low enough that it doesn't hang up when I'm ducking under limbs etc., but it's a bit small. When I killed a buck I ended up having to throw a shoulder over my shoulder, bow in my other hand, and walk back to camp to pick up my pack. Not ideal.
Maybe a native for me when I get the cash (but still no room for a substantial amount of meat in there I suppose).
 

wesfromky

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Nov 23, 2016
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I have had the woodsman for a bit, and really like it for day hunting, esp later in the season when I am packing heavy insulation layers in. That said, I think I am going to get an Apollo for a day hiking /3D pack and maybe early season hunting. The Apollo also has a meat shelf, so you can still carry loads with it, but it looks much more streamlined and smaller vs woodsman.
 
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