Pack Suggestions

[Lowndes]

I am going on a wilderness elk hunt in Idaho with an outfitter this year. This will be my first hunt out west and I am starting to purchase gear for the trip. We will be hunting from a base camp in the wilderness so am looking for a great day pack option to carry my daily gear with me. I like the SG Avail but am not 100% sure if that is a big enough pack for a big game hunt in Idaho in November. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[*zap*]

SG makes a good frame as far as pack body the thing is that you cannot make one bigger but you can compress them down.....with SG you have the built in load shelf thou...a load cell bag in that can carry some extra layers/rain gear.

 

[kata2012]

Have you looked at mystery ranch at all? They have the pop up witch might be what you are looking for, it's a day pack with a load shelf. They seem to have great reviews.

I use a eberlestock mainframe paired with a little big top. It has more than enough room for a days hunt, but it can pack down when empty and can carry more weight than I can handle.

Sent from my SM-G970U1 using Tapatalk

 

[Lowndes]

Thanks - the Mystery Ranch POP Up 38 looks like it could be what I’m after. I hadn’t looked there yet. The Kifaru Stryker and a frame look pretty good as well.

 

[Crowmangler]

I went through the same exercise.... I chose the MR Sawtooth...(45 L). I think it hits the sweet spot for size for that application & has better organization features than some.
I chose by figuring the volume I'd need for worst case all gear for a late season day hunt & added a little buffer.
My brother has the Avail & it's a sweet pack but it was just too small for my needs.
For me, the meat shelf was a must have to be able to haul out some on the first trip....so that eliminated a lot of the smaller day packs.
Like Zap said, a great feature of the shelf is that it allows you to carry a dry bag full of stuff & add another 40L or more of volume.

 

[menhaden_man]

Exo 4800 is a great pack - light durable and flexible for tall guys.

 

[Elkslayer67]

I have stone glacier’s Avail, Sky 5900 and Solo 3300. I like the Avail but I don’t think you would be happy with it for your intended purpose. It doesn’t have a separate frame sheet so you would be packing out your game in the bag. I’ll like the Avail for scouting any general day hikes. For what you are doing I would check out the Solo or the EVO 3300. It compress down to almost nothing and has the load shelf and suspension for packing out game. Also works for 1 to 3 night trips or longer if you pack light. For extended trips I use the Sky 5900. Hope this helps.

 

[Lowndes]

Thanks guys all very helpful. I’m really leaning towards the MR Pop Up. Sounds like people would recommend the 38 over 28 for this time of year? We will have horses to assist with the packout of meat so that will only consist of getting the meat from the kill to a spot the horses can get to (for this hunt at least).

I also hunt in the southeast and feel that I could use this pack to haul a climber, etc. in to a pretty remote section of property I hunt and get a whitetail out using it.

Can’t decide on 28 or 38 though.

 

[Diamond K]

I have the Slumberjack Bounty which has a detachable day pack. I like the concept but have never used the day pack as such. I usually just put things in it that I may want to get to quickly. With that being said the main pack it one of the most comfortable packs I have used. The bag comes off for packing out meat. It has a meat shelf/sling and enough straps to lash down your load. I have back pack hunted elk in the Frank Church and it was been a blast. It would have been better with a horse especially when packing elk out to the air strip. Enjoy you hunt!

 

[Jahvette20]

I only have experience with mystery ranch and exo and the exo is way more comfortable for me. A 3200 would be a good day pack with room to do an overnight or 3

 

[LJ Buck]

Will you be on horse back?

 

[Lowndes]

Yes - we will use horses every day.

Will you be on horse back?

 

[LJ Buck]

Then go with Kifaru hooligan or SG Kiowa. Both internal frame that handle your optics and gear for the day. You can comfortably carry on your back while riding or throw on the saddle horn.

I would suggest the Hooligan it is an amazing pack.

If you want a full frame pack for future use Without horses then go with SG or Kifaru with your bag of choice, lots of options. Unless you live in the west then go with the internal frame packs I mention above, both handle 40lbs great and have great layouts.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I’ve been doing workouts with a stone glacier 40/56, evo lid and x-curve frame. That combo is awesome. It compresses down to nothing, it’s light and holds everything I’ll need for a 5 day trip which is about as long as I ever get to go out. On the occasion that I go for a week or more I have a bigger kifaru pack. I’d skip the avail and choose a pack that is better suited to hauling some weight.

 

[Jac]

Mystery ranch pintler

 

[Wilks54]

I would urge you to go light, and since you have an outfitter that will probably be packing out the meat for you, you don't need a big pack with a big external frame. Personally I really like the Avail as a choice for your situation. Perfect for day hunts, and you will use that rear compression panel ALL THE TIME as you take off and put on layers. It has plenty of external straps that also help you attach a tripod, etc to the outside of the pack. The only thing it doesn't have is a hydration bladder, but I think you can buy one separately from SG.

 

[Firehole Hunter]

Kuiu Pro 3600. Packs down good and you don't need a really big pack with an outfitter. But more important is that you can add different packs to the frame and harness system, completely modular. They are light, sturdy and relatively inexpensive for what they offer and what you need.

 

[Clayniss]

I have a kifaru woodsman I'll sell ya

 

[Tahoe1305]

I bought a kuiu setup last month and finally used it on my first hunt. It’s the newer pro suspension. I have the pro1850 bag and ultra7000. I really like the kuiu bag options and it’s priced less than most others. If I was going to do a basecamp Hunt I’d take my 7000 bag with the 1850 packed inside. Can fit 7 days easy in the 7000 then drop that and use the 1850 for day trips. If you get meat can throw between 7000 and frame on way back (1850 inside). Total weight with the 1850 inside the 7000 is ~6.5lbs. Min weight with just hydration pack as shown is 3.5lbs. Way more comfortable than any setup I’ve ever used (not a ton of experience trying others though).

 

[tracker12]

You will not need a super big pack hunting out of a base camp. Stick with a nice sized day pack and let the guide worry about the pack out.