good pack for elk

[thewileyone13]

Eberlestock packs... great packs for packing out. I have also head a lot of good things about Mystery Ranch packs and Kifaru... they are more $$$ though.

 

[sp6x6]

I use the modular Nimrod pinnacle day pack w/ meat duffle inside. You can also run a alum. folding frame. I have one set up for bow and one rifle, has a rifle or bow carry system. They make packs for firefighters and SAR, many styles

 

[Buffalobob]

You have not said what you are going to use the pack for. There is a lot of difference between a pack for hunting elk and a pack for carrying out elk.

As one person mentioned I seldom have a heavy load bearing pack on while hunting. I dress the elk and then go to the truck and drop off the rifle and grab the load bearing pack.

How many trips and how much you carry depends upon your physical condition and whether you like to carry a few heavy loads or more loads but lighter. Just personal preference but a 9000 feet elevation the lack of oxygen is really tough.

 

[sp6x6]

With my hunting pack set up , I always take something with me depending on location, time of day etc. If I am with a hunting buddy we can handle a elk. I have conservatively, packed out a 100 or more

 

[bubba41]

thanks guys i'll be hunting cow elk in the zion unit in utah . the eberlestock seems like the over all best choice . has anyone hunted this unit ?

 

[Biggs300]

I'm very happy with my Kifaru G2 Longhunter Standard. At 5200 cubic inch, it works well as a hauler,(especially with the cargo chair option) as a late season 3+ day pack or even a day pack. With the options available for this pack, it extremely versatile. The best part, it is a comfortable pack with or without weight. If you need something bigger, the Longhunter Guide is even roomier.

 

[1300meters]

Good hunting.1300 meters

 

[bassin93]

Browninglover, you've got to be the toughest SOB in the woods if you can pack out a hindquarter, a front quarter, the backstraps and the tenderloins plus your riffle and water. Thats got to be pushing 200 pnds or more. Hell, thats all I ever put on my horse at one time. I bow down to you.

 

[permaculture]

Browninglover, you've got to be the toughest SOB in the woods if you can pack out a hindquarter, a front quarter, the backstraps and the tenderloins plus your riffle and water. Thats got to be pushing 200 pnds or more. Hell, thats all I ever put on my horse at one time. I bow down to you.

I was thinking something along those lines also. I know the type of weight I can dead-lift and squat and knowing that, I can't imagine carrying 160-200lb on my back for any length > than a football field. Then, add rocks, unstable slopes, snow, ice, wet leaves, possibly some steep uphill and that is a real challenge. I might just drop dead trying to do that. I suppose there are worse ways to go.

I am currently walking 2 miles during lunch with a pack that weights 37lb. I think I need to put some more rocks in it.lightbulb

 

[Browninglover1]

Guys to be fair they were not huge bulls but I've done the same thing with 4 different elk. The first time we tried it we were back in a little farther than we wanted to be and there was no way in hell I was going to make two trips (there were two of us, which would have been 4 backpack loads) to get the spike elk out. So we decided we'd try to do it in one trip and we loaded our backpacks up. Then we put them on while they were on the ground, but they were so heavy we had to help each other stand up. A mile and a half later we were at the truck and couldn't believe we had done it.

That night I shot a MUCH bigger bodied elk and it took me 3 back pack loads to get him out but I only had to take him about a quarter mile out to the truck. That winter we got an average sized cow and got her in two backpack loads and then last fall we got another spike and that's the load I talked about in my first post. So my first post was probably a little misleading if people thought I was packing out a huge bull, but the spikes we shoot are as big as the cow elk we've shot through the years. However I've heard the cows in Wyoming are bigger than they are here so take that for what it's worth. But my pack had tons of room to spare with the load mentioned in my first post and I don't know how much it actually weighed but I was super glad when we got to the truck. By the way every time we've packed an elk out like this it's been all down hill, I don't think my legs could handle it if I had to go uphill farther than the 100 or 200 yards to get to the ridgeline.

 

[Browninglover1]

I was thinking something along those lines also. I know the type of weight I can dead-lift and squat and knowing that, I can't imagine carrying 160-200lb on my back for any length > than a football field. Then, add rocks, unstable slopes, snow, ice, wet leaves, possibly some steep uphill and that is a real challenge. I might just drop dead trying to do that. I suppose there are worse ways to go.

I am currently walking 2 miles during lunch with a pack that weights 37lb. I think I need to put some more rocks in it.lightbulb

Just for kicks try loading up your pack real heavy sometime and see how far you can go. Honestly the hardest part is standing up with the dang thing on, I usually roll over on to my knees and then use a tree to help myself stand up so I don't strain anything.

To get ready for hunting season we run a few times a week and do one good leg workout a week. We deep squat 225 pounds with 4 sets of 10 and it makes an incredible difference when you start to pack stuff out.

 

[permaculture]

Thanks for the reply. I have MOLLE 2 rucksack and that with the assault pack attached should be able to support 120lb. I can throw it on and walk around the neighborhood.

225 for 10 deep might be a little more than I can do at this time. I have been focusing on fewer reps increasing up in weight. I will give it a shot tomorrow or Thur and report back.

 

[Browninglover1]

Thanks for the reply. I have MOLLE 2 rucksack and that with the assault pack attached should be able to support 120lb. I can throw it on and walk around the neighborhood.

225 for 10 deep might be a little more than I can do at this time. I have been focusing on fewer reps increasing up in weight. I will give it a shot tomorrow or Thur and report back.

My hunting buddy and I started doing 4 sets of 10 with 135 for 2 weeks, then we would start with 135 and add 20 pounds each set. Then we got to where we were adding enough weight to finish with 225 on our last set. After 6 weeks we were able to start with 225 and do all four sets, we honestly could have done more weight but we felt that more weight would just be bad for our knees. Neither one of us could believe how much weight we were able to push; the last time we worked out my buddy did a burnout rep after having already done 3 sets of 10, and he stopped at 30 because he was completely out of breath but he could have kept pushing it. He's a total work horse!

 

[1300meters]

The best is the decker,it fits on a mule if you are hunting out west you don't want to be making several trips ,(bears) can be a problem.I use the eberlistock dragonfly.&
Good luck and good hunting. 1300eters