What size backpack do I need?

Jimss

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Mar 6, 2015
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I would be cautious about Kuiu. When I looked at the reviews it seemed like there were complaints about hauling monster loads with their frames. I just noticed that Kifaru doesn't sell the EMR2. The Fulcrum is the new and improved version. I really like the improvements of the Fulcrum! The straps across the front are a huge improvement! It also compresses super tight for day hunts.
 
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Silvereagle50
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Dec 14, 2018
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I would be cautious about Kuiu. When I looked at the reviews it seemed like there were complaints about hauling monster loads with their frames. I just noticed that Kifaru doesn't sell the EMR2. The Fulcrum is the new and improved version. I really like the improvements of the Fulcrum! The straps across the front are a huge improvement! It also compresses super tight for day hunts.

Yea it doesn’t seem that Kuiu packs aren’t well liked. I just don’t know if the new pro series has fixed those issues.
The main reason I like the Kuiu is for all the organizational abilities. Has really nice pockets built in. No adding extra stuff to get that.
 

BJP

FNG
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Apr 9, 2019
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Just got back from a caribou and my buddy hunted sheep in nwt used exo4800 was packed full could have moved camp with it but it was stuffed to the top would definitely go bigger my buddy used a sg6900 it had a good bit more room.
 

tuffcity

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Nov 2, 2013
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FWIW I run a SG 5900. With the meat shelf you can pack a ton of stuff in it and I used it 2 seasons ago for a 8-9 day hunt for calls. Packed over 120# load off the mountain with it. I like the lack of pockets it has and the way it fits and stays tight to my body. I've used other packs that seem to roll from side to side with that much weight- particularly unnerving when coming down steep stuff.

Do the trade show for trying different ones on. The manufacturers are good at helping get you sized properly and showing you how to adjust the pack for optimal comfort. Bought mine at a Reno Sheep Show and SG was great at getting me outfitted properly.
 

kscowboy01

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Feb 10, 2015
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I wish SG came in camo. I have a few elk archery elk hunts in close quarters that make me appreciate the camo. In sheep hunting, you often drop the packs and move in. With some of the Western hunts I do, my pack is right next to me and my bow.
 
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I wish SG came in camo. I have a few elk archery elk hunts in close quarters that make me appreciate the camo. In sheep hunting, you often drop the packs and move in. With some of the Western hunts I do, my pack is right next to me and my bow.

Man I really don’t think it (camo), matters, unless you’re turkey or waterfowl hunting. Now days I pretty much do all of my hunting in camo, but that’s only because I now have clothing that I use exclusively for hunting, and figure it can’t hurt to be wearing camo. For most of my hunting life I never wore a speck of camo, and I really don’t think that my hunting suffered because of it. I go back through all my pictures of kills, and there are way more that I’m not wearing camo than ones that I am.


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kscowboy01

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Man I really don’t think it (camo), matters, unless you’re turkey or waterfowl hunting. Now days I pretty much do all of my hunting in camo, but that’s only because I now have clothing that I use exclusively for hunting, and figure it can’t hurt to be wearing camo. For most of my hunting life I never wore a speck of camo, and I really don’t think that my hunting suffered because of it. I go back through all my pictures of kills, and there are way more that I’m not wearing camo than ones that I am.


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When you have 30 cows around you and some are 5-8 yards away, I want to be as concealed as possible. Elk are very curious creatures. I went with the Kuiu due to the camo. I wish Sitka made bigger packs. A lot of my AK and BC friends use SG and love them.
 

Kotaman

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Oct 12, 2012
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North Dakota
When you have 30 cows around you and some are 5-8 yards away, I want to be as concealed as possible. Elk are very curious creatures. I went with the Kuiu due to the camo. I wish Sitka made bigger packs. A lot of my AK and BC friends use SG and love them.

Sitka makes a 6200 ci and a 4000 ci pack.
 

Wildwillalaska

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Sep 26, 2017
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Kenai, Alaska
One of the only things I miss about Texas after I moved to Alaska 15 years ago is the Dallas Safari Club show each January, that and being close for the Tulsa gun show. If not coming up for the Sheep hunts till 2021, I’d hold off buying a pack yet anyway. Glance through the pack section, you’ll see there are new models each year that all but make our old packs obsolete and make us lust after the newest better-than-sliced bread models that are .3 ounces lighter.

Think up here for backcountry pack hunts you will see more SG, Kifaru, and Barney’s than anything else. I’ve had all, and a couple Seek outside bags too. I used the SG 7900 Guide the last two sheep hunts and actually love it. Last year was first year using it and loved it till I crammed an entire sheep and most of camp into it and then it simply sucked—as would most any other pack on earth. I had a hard time getting the belt perfectly tight, it was either too loose shifting the huge load to my traps or way too tight and crushing my hips. The belt just seemed to slip till too tight. Email to SG quickly fixed the issue with a couple pointers on how to adjust it more precisely with large loads—and this year it was nothing but perfect. This year I only had 1/2 a sheep and head so not quite as heavy but longer pack out—bag performed flawlessly.

I really love the SG 7900 Guide so much as it sets up same as my Barney’s frame pack I’ve used for moose season for years now. Run spotter on one side in the zip side pouch, rifle on the other side. The SG Guide is the same configuration, fits my monstrous 95mm Swarovski spotter, holds the tripod on the back with the little pouch for the legs, which at times I just run it with spotter attached. I also used the hydro lid last two seasons and like it, makes for much simpler access to water bladder vs packed away in the main body of the pack.

Kifaru are top quality and really liked the fit of the frame and belt, just wasn’t my cup of tea on the bags. If you are one that likes molly webbing and attaching things to the bags, they really do give you the chance to add and customize configuration. I’m more of simple/streamlined if I can—which is what I found with SG and the Seek Outside bags too.

Good news is the quality and options between SG/Seek/Kifaru/EXO are all such good choices you just need to find the one that melds to your frame best and you enjoy wearing.

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madcalfe

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May 9, 2019
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British Columbia
I have no complaints with the SG talus 6900 it gets a little tight for 10+ day hunts. But I usually just clip my water bladder onto the outside if it does. I’m going on the 3rd hunting season with it and packed out a lot of game. I will say I did manage to put a small rip in the stitching on the bottom of the frame where the carbon stays start. I just sewed it up with 80lbs fishing like and she should be good to go for a few more years!118315
 
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Silvereagle50
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I have decided that if I buy a new pack, I'll be going with the SG. Either the Talus 6900 or the Guide 7900.

That being said, I just went up and looked through all of my buddies (the one going with me on this sheep hunt) equipment. He has everything Kuiu, Sitka, First Lite in clothing. Boots were Crispi, Kenetrek Salomon.
His Packs were a Kuiu (something) 7200 and an Exo 3500. The Exo felt way better at least at first. His Kuiu was brand new with tags and still all compressed up from shipping. He said he didn't like it because it wasn't comfortable. I started playing with it and got it to feel much better. So I may just use that bag since I know he will be buying something different for our sheep hunt.
 

eamyrick

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Apr 24, 2018
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I have decided that if I buy a new pack, I'll be going with the SG. Either the Talus 6900 or the Guide 7900.

That being said, I just went up and looked through all of my buddies (the one going with me on this sheep hunt) equipment. He has everything Kuiu, Sitka, First Lite in clothing. Boots were Crispi, Kenetrek Salomon.
His Packs were a Kuiu (something) 7200 and an Exo 3500. The Exo felt way better at least at first. His Kuiu was brand new with tags and still all compressed up from shipping. He said he didn't like it because it wasn't comfortable. I started playing with it and got it to feel much better. So I may just use that bag since I know he will be buying something different for our sheep hunt.

Sounds like you have access to a KUIU but I’m in Austin if you want to borrow mine. I have an Icon Pro Frame with a 4K bag. I hike around 70lbs once a week and I’m confident you have to find the pack that fits you and just roll with it. I’m positive that hiking 80 plus pounds in the mountains is unrealistic for 99% of guys regardless of what pack you use and simply internet chest puffing. The Kuiu will be fine.
 
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Bag size needed for a 10+ day solo walk in hunt is likely a different story from what is needed for a guided hunt where a guide/packer might be carrying shelter, cook gear, tripod/spotter, some of your food, and you might have air drops to avoid packing 10 days of food.

My SG sky talus 6900 had plenty of room to spare on my dall hunt. I was carrying all my crap including my shelter, a spotter/tripod, and 5 days worth of breakfast/Lunch and snacks I brought from home (guide/packer carried mountain house dinners).
 

DuckDogDr

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Aug 24, 2019
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@madcalfe what kind of bipod is that?

Definately agree you should try everything on you can and check comfort...even carry you some weights and put in the bag to see how everything fits.
I learned the hard way elk hunting. My first year I went to the local cabelas, found an economical frame pack and said hell I'll suffer through if it's not perfect....and that is exactly what I did i was miserable with just a 40lb pack..

Following season..I pinched every penny and wound up going with a kifaru...much much more comfortable with 50 lbs and better fit. I could noticeably hike longer and easier to the point my room mate even commented
 
OP
Silvereagle50
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Update: I found and bought a SG Sky Talus 6900 on the classifieds here.
came with a few extra accessories and for a couple hundred $$$ in savings.
 

Jimss

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Mar 6, 2015
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Great choice on the SG! You won't be disappointed! I can guarantee you'll be super glad you didn't go with the Kuiu! The classified section on this website is awesome! Now get in sheep shape and you'll be set!
 

SLDMTN

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Jul 30, 2015
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Palmer, AK
Good choice on pack brand and size. On a draw tag hunt in the Chugach this fall the hunter had a brand new Kuiu. Packing the sheep out I would hike up, drop my Kifaru, hike back down and take the hunters pack. Literally same route back up, step for step. Kuiu makes great clothing.

The Kuiu is a tempting option from a price standpoint and bag design. They're very comfortable with under 50 lbs in them as well. When they're loaded heavy I have two primary complaints. First, the bag moves on the frame. When you're really trying to thread the needle on routes, the bag has a mind of its own and likes to move opposite of your intended direction. Second, it puts the majority of the weight on your shoulders. Off the top of my head I can only think of a few guides up here that wear a Kuiu pack, a ton of them wear Kuiu gear.
 

ColeyG

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Oct 25, 2017
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I've been beating around the Sitka Mountain Hauler 6200 for the last three seasons and so far I am pretty darned happy with it. I was skeptical going in as I usually avoid buying version 1.0 of a product that is significantly different than anything else a given company makes. This was/is Sitka's first foray into the land of big meat-hauling packs.

Coming from a long history of mountaineering and climbing, I have pretty high standards and am pretty picky when it comes to pack design and functionality. I was expecting this pack to be lackluster as compared to some of it's cousins in the regular backpacking market, but I was pleasantly surprised.

The thing that impresses me the most with this pack is how well it carries under a significant load. This is due in large part to the design of the frame and the internal load shelf/sling design and positioning. At one point this past year I had a whole sheep (meat and head that is) in it along with my day gear which I thought to be about 130 or 140 pounds in total. The pack bore it very well and didn't compress, warp, or buckle. The pack positions the bulk of the load in a manner that make it much easier to carry as opposed to lumping all of the heavy stuff at the bottom of the pack.

The pack is very adjustable for a variety of torso lengths and configurations. It doesn't have a lot of "extra" stuff on it like pockets, straps, etc. which is a good thing. I greatly prefer simple, streamlined designs over lots of bells and whistles that needlessly complicate a pack.

I'd say the size is just about right for a 8-10 day hunt where you might expect to carry a load of meat out. Mine fit a sheep, my half of the camp gear, and my personal gear with a little bit of room left over on an 8 day trip this fall.

For it's size this pack is pretty light as well, 6.5-ish pounds. Not bad, but not as light as some.

There are lots of other little things I like about this pack that I could ramble on about, but instead I should probably hit on the few things I don't like.

The material that this pack is made out of is pretty noisy and stiff, especially in the cold. Not ideal for digging stuff out of when you are trying to be stealthy. I like the fact that the material is fairly water resistant, but I worry about the durability of this fabric over time. In particular the bottom of the pack, the part that tends to get the most heavily abraded over time, is a single layer of the pack fabric. Mine is already starting to show some signs of wear and weakening from repeatedly setting the pack down with a heavy load in it. Most pack manufacturers either use a heavier, more durable material on this part of the pack, or beef it up with a few layers.

The material that the hip belt is made out of, or perhaps the shape of the hip belt could be better. For me it was perfectly comfortable with moderate loads, but at about 60lbs and up, the bottom edge of the hip belt really digs into my hip meat. It is as though the bottom edge is just too sharp and should be more rounded to avoid cutting in.

As I mentioned above, I like the very simple design of the pack. It is basically a main compartment, a back compartment, and a lid. I wish the back compartment were split into two like on the old Dana Designs Astral Plane and Terraplane packs. I like to have one quick access pocket back there for the spotter and another for gear as opposed to tossing all of my quick access stuff in one pouch and then having to rifle through it all to get anything out.

The velcro compression strap minders are annoying and unnecessary. They get caught on your clothing all of the time and rarely stay fastened to hold the shortened strap.

The side mesh pockets are not well designed on this pack either. It is hard if not impossible to get a nalgene or similar water bottle out of them when the pack is loaded. The top of the pocket is made out of a non-stretchy material that doesn't allow enough expansion to get bulkier items in and out of these pockets easily.

Overall these complaints are relatively minor in the big picture and I have been super happy with this pack so far. It does fill what was a void in my pack lineup for a long time, a backpacking style pack that also hauls meat well. I'd definitely recommend considering it. As others have said, packs are a lot like boot in that proper fit is of paramount importance.

I have a smaller Exo and like it a lot as well. Their waist belts and waist padding suck, but the frames and bags are awesome.

Stay away from the larger Seek Outside packs. A buddy bought one for one of our hunts this year and it shit the bed on the first trip. One of the pack stays tore out of the fabric and we were barely able to make a field repair and limp it along for the rest of the trip. Additionally the compression straps on the pack go around and over all of the access portals (zippers pockets, etc.) on the pack making it very tedious to get stuff in and out quickly and easily. I was very unimpressed really with every aspect of that pack.
 
Joined
Nov 12, 2019
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When you guys are packing for these 8-10 day trips, what is taking up the majority of your pack space? I have been able to pack everything I need for a 3 day/2 night backpack hunt in an SG Solo 3300, but I’m planning on a much longer sheep hunt for the 2020 season and I’m looking at getting a larger pack for my SG frame, it seems like I could fit everything in one of their 5900 ci options with room to spare, unless I’m severely underestimating how much additional food I’ll need.
 
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