Which pack

[Ace12]

I have a tenzing 2220 I use extensively for whitetail tree stand hunting in the Midwest. Works well my only complaint is carrying my bow is a pain on it. Especially with also trying to strap clothes/horns/etc there’s just not enough straps. I bought a kuiu icon pro 5200 for my first western hunt this year and I enjoyed it for carrying my bow spotter tripod clothes for day hunts but when the weather turned warm I ditched it for lighter pack to just carry bow and spotter/Tripod. It was just too much pack. I’m thinking about getting a smaller kuiu bag and swapping out the 5200. Also looking into the venture 2300 for Midwest whitetails and day hunts out west. Anybody used both or have any ideas. Mainly looking for a solid day back that carries a bow nicely

 

[ebubedike]

I just picked up a Kifaru EMR2 it packs down to 2400cu in up 8400cu in or so. Its dimensionally big, but pretty light IMO, seems to be one of their premier hunting packs. Its got plenty of pockets and what not. Should take everything I have and also pack down enough for day trip use. Not cheap though but it will last me a lifetime.

 

[Jimss]

My preference is a large volume over small volume packs for hunting Western US game. Kifaru, Stone Glacier, etc are super comfortable and you can haul out 100+ lbs your first load out! In fact, you may find they are so comfortable you hardly know you have them on with 40- lbs?

I doubt if you will find a smaller volume daypack that is capable of hauling everything on your list comfortably unless you find a smaller volume Kifuru or SG bag and put it on one of their frames? When hauling bow, spotter, tripod, water, raingear...the list goes on...it's a lot more comfortable having a frame and pack designed for hefty loads that cinches down when not loaded than a small pack that is only designed for 40- lbs max load. With Kifaru you can customize or use different bags with the same frame for your particular style of hunting.

My daypacks pretty much stay in my truck unless I'm scouting or hunting super short distances from my truck. Similar to you I haul around quite a bit of "stuff" while scouting and hunting. With that said, it sounds like you may want 2 different set ups. One for whitetails and another for Western US game? I have the choice of 2 different Kifaru bags that fit on the same frame...depending upon my needs.

 

[*zap*]

With the minimal weight difference between a small pack bag and a big pack bag plus how the big bags compact down for 'bivy' mode I do not understand the need for the smaller bag when you sometimes need the larger bag for volume.

 

[gibbons025]

Kifaru Shapecharge with the Sherman pocket. It’s an awesome day pack.