Expectations vs reality

[Jonn44]

Planning on heading to Colorado this fall for an otc elk hunt. Victory loves preparation; with that mindset I put together a sandbag/contractor bag/duct tape bag to test/train in light of what may come. I’ve done a 7 day backpack trip in CO recently and do several 3 day outings here in the Appalachians. So today expected my Osprey pack to handle the “load” and was quickly hit with reality. This bag may be good for hiking/camping but it’s not going to help when it comes time to hauling meat. The dude I’m going to CO with keeps asking “how did the old timers do it” our answer is inevitably the hard way! I guess those old salts just shouldered the load and took it one step at a time.

Just tonight it hit me. They did it that way because shy of using a pack animal that was the only way to do it. With this short narrative now complete does anyone have any thoughts on too much pack vs too little?

To sum it up I have several packs already actually too many. Osprey, TNF, Camelback, Outdoor Products, Rudis. Sizes range from day packs, assault style, 3/4 day, to 6+ day. However none are rated for weight that seems to be appropriate for packing big game.

So the question is do I add another pack to the fleet or do I resolve to pain and suffering with what I have? Can I make what I have work? Maybe. Will it be easy? H to the no!

 

[isocyanate]

What was the exact problem with your osprey?

 

[*zap*]

A top end pack and good bag is never a bad investment if you are going to use it. A large bag that compacts down for small loads and some type of load shelf may be a good idea.

Good luck.

 

[mtwarden]

I own (and have owned) several really nice internal frame packs, they simply aren't meant to haul 75-100 lb loads- not even close.

If you're serious about backcountry big game hunting, you're going to need to add a hauler to your quiver. Fortunately with a little patience, you can probably pick one up here on the classifieds used for significantly less the full retail.

It make take a bit to find "the one", unless you have a retailer that carries some haulers.

 

[Mighty Mouse]

I've packed elk quarters on three occasions in an Osprey Argon 110. It wasn't ideal, but I managed. I'm now using a Kifaru for hunting and it does handle heavy loads better due to its stiffer frame, better load lifter angle, and more/better attachment and compression points. A heavy load is still a heavy load though; it's going to be a workout even with a top end pack designed for hauling meat.

 

[GunsAreFun]

If this is a once in a lifetime trip, just use what you have because the odds of getting an elk and needing to haul meat on your first trip in OTC units is very low.

If you’re not sure if you’ll do this a lot, get something middle of the road like KUIU or Mystery Ranch packs on sale.

If you’re going to do this a lot, bite the bullet and get a SG, Exo, or Kifaru. I use my Exo K2 3500 for backpacking trips too. My friends all have fairly high end backpacking packs, and I’m the only one that never complains about pack comfort.

 

[BRTreedogs]

You can rent an exo from rent guns and gear.
Or if you buy a kifaru, exo, stone glacier you can resell it on here for $100 loss tops

 

[Jonn44]

What was the exact problem with your osprey?

At first I tried using it with the bottom compartment closed off. I was trying to simulate having that portion of the pack available for gear of some sort. Once I repositioned the load it was manageable. The original trial it was instant mild numbing in arms. After reconfiguring that issue was all but gone.

 

[Gapmaster]

Buy a good pack system for your hunt that can double as your summer hiking/camping pack. Then sell all your other packs you won’t use/need anymore. Just my $.02

 

[Jonn44]

I own (and have owned) several really nice internal frame packs, they simply aren't meant to haul 75-100 lb loads- not even close.

If you're serious about backcountry big game hunting, you're going to need to add a hauler to your quiver. Fortunately with a little patience, you can probably pick one up here on the classifieds used for significantly less the full retail.

It make take a bit to find "the one", unless you have a retailer that carries some haulers.

That’s where my one mile trek through the concrete jungle has lead me to looking at other options.

 

[Jonn44]

If this is a once in a lifetime trip, just use what you have because the odds of getting an elk and needing to haul meat on your first trip in OTC units is very low.

If you’re not sure if you’ll do this a lot, get something middle of the road like KUIU or Mystery Ranch packs on sale.

If you’re going to do this a lot, bite the bullet and get a SG, Exo, or Kifaru. I use my Exo K2 3500 for backpacking trips too. My friends all have fairly high end backpacking packs, and I’m the only one that never complains about pack comfort.

My hopes are I fall down a rabbit hole out there. I like the feedback of going for the middle of the road to start. Thanks for the input!

 

[Jonn44]

Buy a good pack system for your hunt that can double as your summer hiking/camping pack. Then sell all your other packs you won’t use/need anymore. Just my $.02

I’ve actually already started to figure out the prices on the stuff I can part with to provide someone else a good deal on something I’m not using.

 

[orionsbrother]

You don’t NEED a better pack to elk hunt.

But there is a difference.

You can pay with some more money ahead of time or you can pay with some more effort and discomfort during a pack out.

Figure which you can best afford.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Agree with the advice above. when I first started backpacking in the 1990s th Dana designs terraplane was one of the top packs. Backpackers hauled 30-40# loads on the regular and 60# wasn’t crazy for a long trip. Flash forward 25 years and the ultralight crowd has infused the regular backpacking world with techniques and materials and I would say most flagship packs are lighter, less stiff and less capable of handling a really heavy load than they were a decade or two ago. My primary hiking pack is a Gossimar gear Marrisposa. It weighs 2# and will carry 35# in relative comfort. It gets less comfortable at #40 or above and a load of meat would shred it.

hunting specific packs on the other hand have evolved, inspired in some cases by military packs (mystery ranch, kifaru) to be very capable of hauling +100# when needed. You can make it work, but if you are going to make a habit of hauling big loads, a specific hunting pack is worth the investment. As some have said above, a few brands are very capable packs for both hunting and hiking.

if you want to save a few bucks, look for an older closet queen Dana designs terraplane on eBay for under $200. A USMC filbe on a mystery ranch nice frame is a hell of a hauler for $200 As well. Next level up in my experience is the mystery ranch packs. You can find them on sale for under $400. Kifaru is US made and bomproof but you will be $700-800 in with a pack and a frame, however, you will have a pack that can likely carry more and will last longer than your back and knees.

 

[j33]

Buy a used mystery ranch (or big discounted on Camofire) or a 2019+ Kuiu... That way if you wanna upgrade in a couple years you’ll hardly have lost any money. Despite what other say these packs are close and sometimes comparable to the “top end” packs

 

[Scoot]

I did my first backpack hunt in the early 2000's. Two of us had a decent pack and our buddy had a high end pack that he dropped the better part of $1k on. We teased him a ton and thought we were pretty smart. Then we ended up going a long ways further from the truck to find elk. We shot one about 7 miles from the truck. After getting the final trip to the truck, I would have paid every penny I had in my savings account for a good, high end pack that didn't kill me to haul 80 lbs per trip. My pack managed it, but it damn near killed me!

Yes, those old buggers were way tougher than I am. You can be tough too, or you can be smart. I strongly encourage a good pack, if you can afford one. If you can't, your pack will work, but you will have to deal with some suffering as a result.

Buy used in the classifieds here- some great deals on packs there. If I were in your shoes, I'd be looking at Kifaru, Mystery Ranch, Stone Glacier, or Exo. There are other good options too, but most are a slight step down from those options IMO.
Good luck!
Scott

 

[Mighty Mouse]

Most of the the high end heavy haulers are modular, so if you want to ease your way in, you could buy a frame only, test it out with a sandbag strapped directly to the frame, and complete the pack later by adding a bag if you like the frame. If your purpose is strictly meat-hauling, you could get by with no bag at all and just strap meat bags directly to the frame. The bag component of the pack is much less important than finding a frame that fits you well. Fit is very subjective but very important, and some makes will likely work better for you than others. I tried a Mystery Ranch Marshall on the Guide Light frame (the older non-MT version) for a year but was never fully satisfied with the fit. I then picked up a used Kifaru Duplex Hunter frame for $250, tested it out for a few weeks, and added a used DT2 bag for $185 once I decided the Kifaru frame fit me better than the MR.

 

[fatlander]

80 pounds is 80 pounds, no getting around that. The difference I’ve found is that the high end hunting specific packs don’t make your body hurt. The UL backpacking packs and cheap hunting packs leave you feeling like you got the s*** kicked out of you.


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[bridgermgmt]

My .2 cents.

Evaluate what you can actually carry efficiently, and then work on improving that. Then when you are at what you feel is your best, see if your gear can perform at your level. People who buy gear as an incentive of rising to the level of their product almost always fail, just a matter of time and circumstance.

ON a side note, I had this conversation with a friend of mine. He always likes to point out that "old timers" did bla bla bla. The idea that you could compare ALL the variables at the time of what these old timers did is absolutely insane. This is a sure way to achieve failure. Compare yourself to a mountain man while you spend 40+ hours a week in a climate controlled facility with food almost already prepared for yourself, living in a climate controlled home, full of all the creature comforts you could ever want, but then convince yourself that if you just buy a stronger pack, your going to be capable of carrying out a moose in 1 load...... LMFAO

Now back to your original question. If you can only carry 20% of your body weight comfortably and efficiently, stick with that. Raise it slowly over time. But you will be more efficient, safe, and enjoy yourself if you hunt within your abilities. Destroying your body for a 1x hunt doesnt make any sense. If you weight 200lbs, and you can carry 40lbs efficiently and comfortably, why not just carry 40? Most packs can handle up to 50lbs with comfort. In time, if you get yourself up to 25-30% of your body weight, your still looking at 60lbs max. Just because a wight lifting meat head who hunts 200 days a year and routinlely carrys out 100 lbs safely does it, does not mean you should. The number of systems in your body that would have to be trained to accomplish this with out serioulsy deleterious effects is just unreal. If you got 10 years to get ready, then do it by all means. Or if you don't mind knee or low back replacements, again, do it by all means. If you want to hunt often, safely, and enjoy yourself, do it, by all means.

 

[lyle_destroys]

I packed my first bull out with a field and stream pack. It hurt, and the stitches started to pull, but I got it done.
That being said, I wish suggest getting a high end hunting pack. My kifaru makes carrying an animal much more pleasant but heavy is still heavy.
I also would rather carry day hunting supplies in a large pack like my kifaru instead of a day pack. It seems silly to always carry around a nearly empty backpack but with small loads I don't even feel it. Any day pack I've ever carried always gets annoying when full.