RepeatPete
FNG
- Joined
- Aug 13, 2023
- Messages
- 66
Looking for a new small backpack/daypack, as the Cabela’s one I have didn’t work well last year.
I’m an eastern whitetail hunter. I don’t pack out meat, and don’t carry heavy loads. I usually have a coffee thermos, snacks, large Nalgene for water, small kill kit, small survival kit, spare ammo, hat+gloves, and that’s about it. As such, the pack bag can be pretty small. I want to walk around more vs. sitting in stands, so the pack needs to be comfortable and reasonably lightweight. I need a good way to pack outer layers in/on the pack.
Features I think I want:
- external frame. I know they don’t make many of these anymore, especially for small daypacks. I want the external frame to use as a solid rest to shoot off of. I like to walk slow through areas, and often sit on hillsides for <30 minutes to watch through more open sections of woods. In my head, I would sit down, set the pack upright, downhill between my legs and have a very solid rest. Also walking out into fields from the woods, it could be super helpful to sit/kneel down at the hedgerow and shoot solidly across the field.
- load shelf: seems like the best/easiest way to carry my heavier insulated jacket while I walk in/out, and more snag-free than strapped in the outside of the pack.
- no (or removable) waist belt. I don’t carry heavy loads, and take the pack off pretty often, so the waist belt is just more straps to snag and buckles to click loudly.
Any options that fit these wants? The Eberlestock Mainframe F1 seems to fit decently: external frame, load shelf, configurable pack bags (I.e. could get something small) and the frame is more narrow than a lot of frames. Also, the frames can be purchased separately if I wanted to do a DIY option.
I’m an eastern whitetail hunter. I don’t pack out meat, and don’t carry heavy loads. I usually have a coffee thermos, snacks, large Nalgene for water, small kill kit, small survival kit, spare ammo, hat+gloves, and that’s about it. As such, the pack bag can be pretty small. I want to walk around more vs. sitting in stands, so the pack needs to be comfortable and reasonably lightweight. I need a good way to pack outer layers in/on the pack.
Features I think I want:
- external frame. I know they don’t make many of these anymore, especially for small daypacks. I want the external frame to use as a solid rest to shoot off of. I like to walk slow through areas, and often sit on hillsides for <30 minutes to watch through more open sections of woods. In my head, I would sit down, set the pack upright, downhill between my legs and have a very solid rest. Also walking out into fields from the woods, it could be super helpful to sit/kneel down at the hedgerow and shoot solidly across the field.
- load shelf: seems like the best/easiest way to carry my heavier insulated jacket while I walk in/out, and more snag-free than strapped in the outside of the pack.
- no (or removable) waist belt. I don’t carry heavy loads, and take the pack off pretty often, so the waist belt is just more straps to snag and buckles to click loudly.
Any options that fit these wants? The Eberlestock Mainframe F1 seems to fit decently: external frame, load shelf, configurable pack bags (I.e. could get something small) and the frame is more narrow than a lot of frames. Also, the frames can be purchased separately if I wanted to do a DIY option.
