First timer....

[Nathan Brooks]

Good Lord willing I will be out west this year for my 1st archery elk hunt. I have hunted whitetail all over the midwest and love it but I got to get to the mountains before my body says it's too late! I know there are endless amounts of opinions on back pack gear but I'm thinking I want a day/overnight pack as well as a heavy hauler. Suggestions that won't break the bank?

 

[zallen1]

Hey Nathan - welcome! While I'm not an expert I have been backcountry hunting for about 7 years and have focused primarily on backpack style hunting. I would recommend 1 pack over 2. So many of the good packs have the ability to compress down to a relatively small package size and weight and are very comfortable. I personally have run the EXO 3500 and 5500. Last year I ran the 5500 for everything and while it was overkill for what I needed during the day I didn't notice the extra weight due to how the pack distributes weight and compresses down. I was also positioned to haul a large, heavy load should the opportunity materialized. I've hauled loads in excess of 90 lbs with my EXO and it is miles ahead of the Osprey pack I originally used. I 'suffered' through several 70-80 lbs loads with my osprey and wish I had started with the EXO. I purchased my first pack from a member on Rokslide and was able to get into a high quality pack at about 60% the cost of a new one. I've made many purchases over the years for gear that I was willing to make work only to find myself 'upgrading' later. After calculating the costs of the original purchase and upgrade I would have been better off buying the better product as the first purchase. Packs and boots are gear pieces that I would recommend you bite the bullet for the best possible and then compromise on the other gear pieces if you are forced to choose.

 

[mwebs]

zallen1 has great advice on the upgrading conundrum we find ourselves in when you buy subpar gear. When I first started elk/ backpack hunting I ran two packs. One was my backpacking pack and another for my day pack. This was to save money as I already had a backpacking pack and day hunting pack. If you start out skimping on a few key items, you will end up replacing them in a few years when you realize their importance. I believe a pack is one of those items. Everyone has their opinions and I tried multiple brands that friends had, I went with an exo 3500. That said I hunted for years with the two pack system and with day packs/ frame packs back at camp for hauling meat, if you don't have $600 to drop on a pack there are plenty of options out there to get you in the woods.

 

[HondoArcher]

You should watch this video. It doesn't cover all of the backpacks out there but you can get some good insights from it.

 

[87TT]

Get a paper route if you have to but get a good pack. I love my EXO 3500.

 

[ericF]

What is your budget to start with. If you are looking at $200 or $400, that is a pretty big step up as to what you can get. Right now for the weekend, Kuiu has their packs on sale for a pretty good amount. Alot of people will say they aren't as good for weight once you get above 80#'s, but they are lighter to begin with. If you want something bombproof but weighs more to start and will cost more then look at Kifaru. Everybody else has their favorite such as Mystery Ranch, Exo, Seek Outside, Kuiu, etc.

 

[Northernpiker]

If you're planning on packing in for 4-8 days you'll also want quality and lightweight sleeping bag and shelter.

 

[Johnson27]

Buy a larger bag than what you think you will need. Most bags compress down for day hunting. Get boots that fit your feet and support your ankles!!!! Try different brands as they all fit differently.
Lastly. HAVE FUN. Western hunting is addicting.

 

[nursul]

What is your budget to start with. If you are looking at $200 or $400, that is a pretty big step up as to what you can get. Right now for the weekend, Kuiu has their packs on sale for a pretty good amount. Alot of people will say they aren't as good for weight once you get above 80#'s, but they are lighter to begin with. If you want something bombproof but weighs more to start and will cost more then look at Kifaru. Everybody else has their favorite such as Mystery Ranch, Exo, Seek Outside, Kuiu, etc.

Spot on with summary here. I have a few of these brands and it’s not really worth telling which you should get, and I’ll explain why. The brands he mentioned...They all work very well, what’s right for you (fit, use, $$) is what must drive your decision. What sucks is you can’t go down to your REI type store and try these brands out...more and more are going towards direct to consumer model. The good news is most these companies have a great staff of folks that will help guide you into the right system.

 

[RosinBag]

That video is one of the most worthless things ever out out on the internet. Gohunt looks ridiculous tearing up their non sponsor gear really hard and handling the others with kid gloves.

 

[87TT]

Thought the same thing about that video. Did anything they did even remotely look like something you might do while using those packs? Lame!

 

[Bdubwright23]

I got the slumberjack 65 liter pack it was like 229 on there site I'm in the same boat headed west for the first time

 

[Bdubwright23]

 

[Roadking92]

Some good advice in here. I am a flatland hunter most of my life, but was lucky enough to spend a few years in NM and hunt the Gila mountains for elk. I bought a Kuiu pack and was very happy with it. The only don side was that loaded with meat, it worked my pretty hard. I do agree with some of the reviews that loaded to 80ish pounds is about the limit where it was somewhat comfortable for me. That being said we are built differently, so it might work for you. I am now using an Exo K2 frame 3500 as well. Very happy so far, but have not gotten to use it during the season yet. Hopefully I can fill a tag and test it out this year!
All that said, if you think you know what you want, the classifieds are the p,ace to start. Don’t buy new if you can find a used model you are interested in. This way if you don’t like it you can resell with less loss.

 

[bmf0713]

I have an Eberlestock dragonfly and Eberlestock X2. I wanted the Eberlestock just one but I found the drangonfly on sale for like $220. I like being able to zip in the spike camp duffel to add a ton of room and it actually compresses down fairly small for a daypack meat hauler. It originally caught my eye because of the built in gun scabbard. This pack is crazy heavy though. The x2 is smaller and works good for a daypack and I’ve had over 50lbs in it and I think it’s still comfortable. Think I found the x2 on optics planet for like $150 on sale.

 

[Jpugs]

my advice....buy once, cry once. Spend the money on a quality pack, you will find yourself using it more than you think and most quality packs can haul more than you physically can and compress down to virtually nothing. why buy a day pack and a load hauler when you can have it all in one? exo, kifaru, stone glacier, seek outside...etc everyone has there own opinions and fit issues. I don't recommend skimping on the pack, buy used here and sell it after your hunt if need be....

 

[Jqualls]

Most any of the packs mentioned above will work fine and most will probably last several years. Obviously some are going to last longer and some will be more comfortable then others for each individual. All these packs will probably be fine up to the 80lb range which in reality will be the physical limit to haul more then a mile or so for most people in the mountains. Especially someone coming from out of state.

I have an EXO K2 pack and love it but I have never used any of the other packs mentioned to compare. Last year carried about 100lbs of meat (front and rear quarter) plus my day hunting gear about 4 miles out and I would say it was as comfortable as can be expected with 120+ pounds on your back. Prior to the Exo pack I would have carried a small load out to get an old cheap backpacking pack and carry a similar load which has worked fine in the past although not as comfortable as the EXO.

What I really like about the EXO is how great of a day pack it is. 90% of my hunting is with a day pack and even with the size and strength I don't notice the pack being any more cumbersome then a true day pack and it is way more comfortable to carry 20lbs for an entire day.