Pack ideas for very light and fast bowhunting

[Wilderlife]

Hi all,

Before I know it, summer will be upon me down here in Australia. I'm working big time on my archery hunting (both recurve and compound) and I intend on doing a lot of culling of goats and pigs in the warmer months. I'll also do a bit of rifle hunting as well.

My current go-to pack is my Exo 5500. It packs down pretty small which is great but I love being able to carry an entire fallow deer out with it if I need to. I'm super keen on the new Exo 1800 but have been told they won't be released for a little while yet. The idea of having a daypack that I can haul a deer out with is pretty awesome, but for my needs with a new pack, it isn't essential, as I use my Exo 5500 for that anyway. Also, when culling pest animals, I don't take much meat off them, so it's not something I really need to consider with this new pack.

What I am searching for is a pack that is so small, it doesn't allow me to bring a bunch of other crap with me. I typically load my 5500 up a lot when day hunting as I want to toughen myself up with mountain fitness, but my fitness in the mountains is pretty good and here in Australia I literally hunt the mountains year round, so now I'm at the point where I'm thinking something small and easy might be nice.

I say specifically bowhunting because I crawl through a lot of thick/steep stuff and sometimes the top of my 5500 gets caught on overhanging shrubs and something that has a smaller profile than my body when loaded up would be perfect. I also wear an AGC bino harness and accessory pouch so I always have somewhere on my chest for binos, phone, and small items.

Currently thinking about the Kifaru Door Gunner, and maybe at a pinch for the extra money, the 14'R, but I reckon it might have too much capacity for what I'm after. I essentially want to be able to carry a 3L water bladder, tripod and camera, and then maybe a couple of snacks and a small first aid kit. Without a hip belt like on my 5500 I'll need another option to carry my rangefinder but I can figure that out later.

What else should I be looking at?

Cheers.

 

[*zap*]

MR mule.

 

[willfrye027]

Kuiu ultra 1800 or 3000

 

[Muleyslayer14]

I like the idea of the kifaru 14’r myself. Another option might be the Native, with pouches if you want. Very cheap and ultra compact and light. I intend on using that as a final approach pack this year during archery. Good luck!

 

[sneaky]

Stone Glacier Approach

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[Wilderlife]

Cheers so far, fellas.

I reckon the MR Mule and SG Approach look pretty good but if I was going to go with a smaller pack and a solid frame, I'd just go with the Exo 1800, which I may still do when they come out anyway. My frame is a K2 but the new bags will fit on that frame so an 1800 will be a fairly cheap option with the bag only.

This thread is mainly about other ideas that are comparable to the Kifaru Door Gunner, like the Native and 14'R that have been mentioned. I reckon the 14'R would get full of other crap so the smaller the better at the moment - water, camera, tripod, and that probably pulls it up.

 

[Trial153]

I have the the 14r, I think it's a bit bigger then youd want..
I would go with the MR pop up 18 ....it low profile and small bag. It was a killer day Pack for me last elk season. Handles a load decent as well for what it is.

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[ozyclint]

The first time you go out with a little pack will be the time you want to pack out that whole fallow.
A frame with a small pocket would be more versatile

 

[Desk Jockey]

MR pop up 28. Will haul some meat when needed.

 

[Wilderlife]

Perhaps I wasn't clear, fellas. I don't need load carrying capability. Anytime I'm expecting to shoot deer I will carry a different bag. Over here in Australia in the height of summer I spend more time culling pigs and goats and don't carry any of those out unless I'm super selective and shoot some younger ones. I let the bucks grow out over summer so I can shoot them in hard antler come March or so, and save my 'meat hunting' for just spotlighting from the ute for the most part, as whenever I'm climbing the hills I'm scouting and checking trail cameras.

Those MR pop ups do look like great packs, mind you. I just think how short they are might be an issue with a tripod.

 

[renagde]

How about the new Stone Glacier Avail 2200? Lightweight, small, internal frame utility pack.

 

[5MilesBack]

My Daypack is an old Cabela's Elite Scout Pack. There is no frame or nothing high to catch on stuff, no load lifters, etc........it has a 1800ci capacity, I keep my 3L Camelbak in the back vertical pocket, and I hardly even know the pack is there. It has a waist belt, but it's ultra thin. They've redesigned it a couple times since, but I still love my old one. I use it on elk hunts every year when I'm not packing camp on my back with my Stone Glacier. And the best part is......it's cheap.

 

[Tradchef]

The shapecharge would be a nice pack for this. Big enough to put some meat and gear in. As said above the SG avail is a sweet pack. The DoorGunner and quandary are also sweet little packs

 

[ScottP]

If you want really light, like ~1lb, look at the more mountaineering focused companies. I have a black diamond bag that's 22L volume, is comfortable, has some useful pockets, and weighs in around 1LB. Enough room for a bit of gear and a 3L water bladder. You could throw a bag of feral goat backstraps in no problem.

 

[xcutter]

Kuiu 1850 with internal frame.

 

[Corey Paulsen (teamkabob)]

Sounds funny but don’t overlook a Kifaru E&E with the upgraded straps. You can’t over fill it. Tripod will secure great to the side, bladder-camera-food-and few extras inside. That’s what I use hunting hear in Kansas and Missouri ducks, Turkey, and deer. Also for flights it fits great under the seat next to your feet! Wish you were closer you could try it! Haha


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[Holocene]

I run a Stone Glacier Approach 1800 for day elk/deer/bear hunts and even on upland bird trips.

Strongly agree with everyone here who has suggested a frame pack with a small bag attached.

The obvious is reason is that it will help you get that first load out efficiently and easily. But the OP says he's not concerned about meat hauling characteristics necessarily.

So, I will add another HUGE reason to favor a frame pack for a day hunting rig. Load lifters! Frame packs keep your shoulders fresh for good bow shooting . Carrying 15-30 pounds on your shoulder all day, every day for a season will wear on your shoulders and can negatively impact shooting form. This sounds prissy, but I'm serious.

Keeping your shoulders fresh throughout the season is a good idea, and a lightweight frame pack can help.

I'll carry a normal backpack to check cams, scout, dork around in the woods. But if I'm hunting or shooting these days, frame pack all day. For day trips, the 1800. For longer, a 3300+ cu inch bag works.

 

[Jason_307]

The Seek Outside Merlin might be something that fits what you looking for.

 

[ozyclint]

good point holocene. with my kifaru spikecamp or timberline II i can unclip the sternum strap and loosen the shoulder straps (and even take my shoulders out of the straps if i want) and shoot my bow unhindered while wearing the pack because all the weight is on the waist belt. great for when you bump into an animal in bow range with no time or you can't afford the movement to drop the pack. this also avoids the situation where you have dropped pack and stalked in a little way, shot the animal and had to follow it and not having your gear with you or losing your pack.

even with the timberline II compressed in light/fast day mode it feels like nothing, yet i can carry out 50kg of meat if that situation arises. it's no fault of the larger pack if it's full of unnecessary items.

 

[Wilderlife]

Great discussion!

I own a Mont Java 22 which is a small hiking pack. I think Mont is an Australian brand. It's made from pretty heavy duty canvas and carries stuff OK but I feel it rides a little high and restricts my head movement a tad if I'm wearing a wide brim hat like an Akubra (the people not from Australia probably think this is dumb). Not a bad little pack, though, and some of these posts have prompted me to look at other hiking brands that aren't hunting specific.

I actually have a Badlands Monster which works well and I can take the shoulder straps off completely if I want to, but the front zipper has busted and I need to send it back to the USA to make a warranty claim. I also feel that while it's convenient to have everything on the hips and free up my entire upper body, sometimes the width of it is a pain. Having said that, the side pockets are really big and can fit a rangefinder in them no worries.

I'll check out some of the other suggestions from you all.