- Banned
- #1
Newtosavage
WKR
4th elk season coming up and I think I've finally figured out the backcountry pack solution I have been looking for.
I am not one to spend a whole lot of money on hunting, although I do love to hunt. With kids going through college, it's just very tough to justify. Someday I'll probably have premium gear, but for now I've been cobbling together equipment on a pretty tight budget.
Here's what I have come up with:
My buddy bought one of the Alps Commander pack/meat hauler combos a couple years ago when they were on sale for $125, and he never actually used it. Then he moved to Florida, so I offered him $75 for the set, and he took it. I really like the bag for a backpacking bag, but the idea of hunting with it or taking it off the frame to put on the meat hauling harness never appealed to me.
I also have really grown to like my 2nd hand RedHead "Head Hunter" internal frame pack. It's about the size of a Badlands 2200, and it's laid out really well for a long day of hunting. However it's too small to try and fit in camping gear too. So what to do...?
I put the meat hauling harness on my Alps frame, and put my tent and sleep system in dry bags, then strapped them on the frame along with the day pack. This will allow me to drop the frame and quickly unhook 3 buckles, and then have my day pack free and ready to go. I figure if I put a critter down, I can quarter and hang it, haul a small load of meat back to the spike camp in my day pack, and then pick up the meat hauler and go back for more.
All in all, I have $150 in this pack system and like I said, I have 3 seasons on the day pack and it works great for me. The whole setup as shown weighs 27 lbs. I still need to add a few clothes, food and a couple liters of water, so I am expecting a trail weight of about 35-37# going in. The day pack will be about 22# after I drop camp and frame.
Just thought I'd offer it up as an option for someone who is trying to figure out a dual-duty pack system on a budget.
Anyone who has suggestions to improve it are sure welcome to comment. Thanks!
I am not one to spend a whole lot of money on hunting, although I do love to hunt. With kids going through college, it's just very tough to justify. Someday I'll probably have premium gear, but for now I've been cobbling together equipment on a pretty tight budget.
Here's what I have come up with:
My buddy bought one of the Alps Commander pack/meat hauler combos a couple years ago when they were on sale for $125, and he never actually used it. Then he moved to Florida, so I offered him $75 for the set, and he took it. I really like the bag for a backpacking bag, but the idea of hunting with it or taking it off the frame to put on the meat hauling harness never appealed to me.
I also have really grown to like my 2nd hand RedHead "Head Hunter" internal frame pack. It's about the size of a Badlands 2200, and it's laid out really well for a long day of hunting. However it's too small to try and fit in camping gear too. So what to do...?
I put the meat hauling harness on my Alps frame, and put my tent and sleep system in dry bags, then strapped them on the frame along with the day pack. This will allow me to drop the frame and quickly unhook 3 buckles, and then have my day pack free and ready to go. I figure if I put a critter down, I can quarter and hang it, haul a small load of meat back to the spike camp in my day pack, and then pick up the meat hauler and go back for more.
All in all, I have $150 in this pack system and like I said, I have 3 seasons on the day pack and it works great for me. The whole setup as shown weighs 27 lbs. I still need to add a few clothes, food and a couple liters of water, so I am expecting a trail weight of about 35-37# going in. The day pack will be about 22# after I drop camp and frame.
Just thought I'd offer it up as an option for someone who is trying to figure out a dual-duty pack system on a budget.
Anyone who has suggestions to improve it are sure welcome to comment. Thanks!
