In Need of New Pack Recommendations

[grouse]

Stone glacier has a line of military packs. Check them out.

 

[ottobounds]

Eberlestock. I've been running their F1 Mainframe system for years. Very modular pack system.

 

[adk hunter]

K4 all the way. One thing I noticed was a game changer during packout of two bulls and a cow elk this year was that when packing meat/quarters in the load shelf it has its own stabilization/cinch straps separate from the pack portion and the system is simple. So when you buckle your pack down on top of your meat load you don't lose the functionality of your pack accessibility or anything strapped to it like your rifle/tripod AND it significantly stabilizes the load to prevent shifting weight. If that makes sense. Also I ran kuiu for a few years and did a heavy packout (100+lbs) of a bighorn sheep around 20 miles out of the frank. At one point we traded packs so I could see how my buddy's k4 felt loaded down. Came home and sold my pack immediately. I don't know which was worse…how much better his felt or how miserable it was to put mine back on! K4 handles heavy like a dream. Now heavy pack-outs are fun.

Sounds like you could use a sherpa??

 

[California hog hunter]

I would say the kifaru has more options extra straps and lots of different pockets.
You could set it up like the exo by adding 2 compression straps. Not sure how the molle attaches to the frame but the ark has slots and you could leave the tabs out to install the molle if that's how it works.

 

[701hunt2fish]

There are a lot of good ones out there. Something to look into, is to make sure all the accessories are compatible with the pack you choose. These manufacturers come out with new or different models and they are not compatible with existing products. Nothing worse than wanting to add a 25 dollar sling, rifle carrier, orange panel, or water bottle carrier and your 600 dollar four year old pack is obsolete.

 

[Sdvldog1371]

The Corps left me with a bad everything, yet I refuse to quit hunting, Exo K4, I think it actually helped me out this season with all of the draws I hiked up and down. The lumbar belt almost felt like it was supportive. Lite load-out for the hunt, but I was pleasantly surprised with how it performed over my ILBE.

 

[dfanonymous]

Thanks. That's awesome to hear and give me a little hope. Exo and Kifaru are both within my price range but the current offerings of bags aren't necessarily ideal for my needs. MR has the bags that fit my needs but I'm not paying $1000+ for a pack that gets wobbly at super high weights. My NICE frame is miserable when packing out a medium sized animal in one trip. Last year on the pack out my ruck weighed 152lbs not counting my rifle and my frame was not happy. I'm researching now (I haven't found anything yet) to see if either EXO or Kifaru frames can be made to work with an ALICE style interface (11"-12" wide) since I have a few bags in that style.

I've never had a MR guide lite mt frame/pack get wobbly on me…and I only do expedition distance pack outs. Gutless method butchering in the field, miles of hiking, the whole thing.

That's coming from a guy that has a exo on in his profile photo here…I don't have a dog in this.

You could go hunting with a fanny pack and a 5 gallon Home Depot bucket for all I care, I'm just saying, I've had pretty much every MR pack in the last decade and not one that was adjusted properly had a issue.

The new military used ones arent the same as the old. The closest to the hunting ones is big D's special blend…they have since made a bunch of commercial packs similar to that Dana design of old.

The SATL ones are not made for just walking about. The bolsters are for use with a plate carrier. Most of us don't hunt with a plate carrier. Most of these packs are for minor sustainment.

There's a weight rating that is very literal. 150 lbs is above the rating for pretty much all of them. The OG nice frame I'm pretty sure was rated to like 60 lbs…the new ones are only said to "stabilize weight surpassing 100lbs." That could mean 102 lbs and it's done.