Is a Daypack worth it?

[GW Hunter]

That's what I used to do until I found the Eberlestock Dragonfly pack. Yes it's on the heavy side, but it is indestructible. My hunting area is all granite and packs made with thin ultralite material don't stand a chance. I've packed out loads that were definitely pushing 100lbs and the Dragonfly made them manageable. Zips up tight enough to not be cumbersome during the hunt.

 

[Backcountry sports]

I've been cruising the forums and know that everyone's hunting style, preferences, and needs vary greatly. I am trying to decide on a pack for back country hunting (Stone Glacier, Seek Outside, EXO). Size is always the big question, but again everyone packs differently and has different gear, and desires in the field.

My main question: for those that go into the back country for multi-day hunts, did you find that having a separate daypack was preferable to unpacking all your non-essential gear and compressing the pack? Would having a separate daypack be advantageous?

Thinking along the lines of a SO Lanner vs Goshawk with Merlin...

I use bad lands I have 4 models depending on the hunt

 

[Jeffrey Van Zandt]

I've been cruising the forums and know that everyone's hunting style, preferences, and needs vary greatly. I am trying to decide on a pack for back country hunting (Stone Glacier, Seek Outside, EXO). Size is always the big question, but again everyone packs differently and has different gear, and desires in the field.

My main question: for those that go into the back country for multi-day hunts, did you find that having a separate daypack was preferable to unpacking all your non-essential gear and compressing the pack? Would having a separate daypack be advantageous?

Thinking along the lines of a SO Lanner vs Goshawk with Merlin...

gun gear is in a Saber belt pack for wheeler hunts for a short more then one day trip then a gunslinger pack works good for a 3-4 day hunt

 

[Lee Deming]

You can look into the Slumberjack line. My brother and I have the Bounty packs. Initially heavy, they compress down to a very comfortable size. It has a separate day pack attached on the outside in which I carry things I will need right away and tons of room for anything else I might have to carry. Where I hunt in MT I am miles from a road in sometimes awful weather so I carry quite a bit of gear in case I stay in there overnight. The pack carries it all and then expands to carry a quarter out. (Not that I have had a chance to do that yet.) The rifle carrier is great and both the attached day pack and the main compartment is set up well for hydration bladders. Their Bounty 2.0 is a nice pack. We wore them on a backpack archery hunt to a dry camp in the Missouri River Breaks a couple years ago. All of our gear including tent, sleeping bags and 80 pounds of water were in the two packs.

 

[Wilderness Blacktail]

I like a medium size pack that compresses down nice but still allows me to haul meat back. Personally I would not carry an extra pack just to have a perfect pack for every situation considering it all got there on my back. Out of the truck, sure.
For horseback hunts I bought a pack frame with meat hauler from Wilderness Pack Specialties in Oregon and put a small pelican bag and couple pouches on it. That gives me a daypack I can use to haul whatever I'm capable of lifting. It's the Kodiak frame, made entirely in US too which is neat.

 

[Stephen Mills]

I'm converting to strong, light, durable Kuiu Pro6000 with carbon fiber frame and ultra comfortable suspension and the daypack they call Stalker 500.

I'm dropping weight in my pack from Eberlestock - G2 Gunslinger II. While the Eberlestock is amazing, the extra weight exacts a toll when carrying it.
The Kuiu system is pure genius with an array of superb Game Bags for bone-out meat that can be hauled with ease using the Pro pack frame and suspension.
The Kuiu Binocular Pack is carried on my chest, yet lifts into immediate use.
Their three versions of camo are brilliant whether the hunt is in alpine, forest or gorse.

For backpacking without the rifle, I have been using Osprey's Archangel and a small day pack by LowePro for camera gear and gettin'-back-to-camp supplies.

 

[Montucky Roamer]

Oh, and for carrying a rifle , the kifaru gunbearer goes on whatever pack I'm using. It takes a little getting used to , but having hands free yet quick access to rifle is sweet. Highly recommend, I can't stand hiking without being able to shoot quick. Even at night since I'm usually hunting griz country.

 

[Greta06]

I run the exo 4800 and have it on me all the time, was a great investment. They compress down really well to use them as a daypack and they are super lightweight. The best part about them is when you put down some game your haul out pack is already there. I couldn't imagine not having it this past year when i was about 4 miles from the truck with an elk down. Also super comfortable with heavy loads. The crew at exo are great guys, Mark always responds right away when you reach out to them.

 

[dm406]

I run with Stone Glacier 6900 talus in bivy mode a lot, this pack compresses nicely and has the Room to haul out a full deer when expanded, so no extra trip fro a different pack to haul a load. I have found that no pack is comfortable when you start to get in the 100 lb range, but the Stone Glacier system carries these type heavy loads better than anything else I have tried

 

[Wilderness Blacktail]

That reminds me the Wilderness Pack Specialties company is awesome to do business with. Fast shipping and will make it right if theres a problem.
My 2nd package got mixed up and they sent me somebodies more spendy bag, and when I called to tell em and said I'd pay for the new bag too because I liked it they said thats on us, u keep it too. and 4 days later my side pouches showed up.
Lifetime warranty, frames are guaranteed unbreakable, and even the thread is US made which I think is cool.

I think that kinda company deserves a bit of press

 

[Wilderness Blacktail]

My coworker and I packed out a bull and a cow on his Kifaru packs, I used the Woodsman bag 3400-4000 and he had the bigger size the Reckoning 5000-6500. Both with the heavy duty frame.
I mean that literally too, lol. feral cattle removal project. The bull was estimated at 13-1400lbs by the livestock expert.

 

[Glizock]

I run the exo 4800 and have it on me all the time, was a great investment. They compress down really well to use them as a daypack and they are super lightweight. The best part about them is when you put down some game your haul out pack is already there. I couldn't imagine not having it this past year when i was about 4 miles from the truck with an elk down. Also super comfortable with heavy loads. The crew at exo are great guys, Mark always responds right away when you reach out to them.

Good to know... Have you done a 7 day hunt/camp with that size?

For us, we always want the frame on our back. As soon as your tag is filled, you can begin hauling meat and not waste time/energy going back to get a capable pack/frame. We focus on designing our larger bags so that they compress really well — even for day use. Guys are pretty amazed that something like our K3 4800 can haul a week's worth of gear, yet also make a great daypack...



And beyond just the bags compressing well, we have designed our frame platform to be light and offer freedom of movement to hunt in. If you have used external frames in the past and think that a "frame pack" is too cumbersome to hunt in, you'll be surprised at how things have changed with frame pack systems like ours, and similar designs.

Thanks for the info, Mark. Appreciate it.

 

[7magcreedmoor]

Eberlestock J107. See avatar.

 

[dblizzard]

I mostly hunt from spike camps accessed with horse mule power. I have gravitated to a multi pocketed vest to optimize my mobility during the stalk/hunt. When I do harvest I return to camp for a mule or pack frame.