There are a number of sound reasons why such an outlet does not and is not likely to exist. The first is that all of the "name" packs are made by highly individualistic people who are competing with each other and are not about to make it "easy" for anyone to try competitor's packs before buying theirs.
Next, contrary to what most seem to think and even with the high markups in the "softgoods", i.e., some "kewl" tourist coming to BC wearing a highend G/T or eVent shell that was built for Everest[and 99% of the dudes do exactly that, makes us howl with laughter,] there is not actually a lot of money in the gear industry. This, is particularly true of the highend gear usually discussed here, MR, Kifaru, Valandre and so on.
Greenhorn, has nailed another important aspect of this and I can say that here in BC, one of big game trophy collecting's real "meccas", relatively FEW hunters actually backpack hunt and "dude hunters" from the US, and other foreign nations almost never do.
There are good reasons for this involving the size of many of our game species, the still very remote and wild country that can be and often is dangerous for any but genuinely skilled persons and the huge number of ATVs, 4x4s, river jet boats and other technical devices that most can now avail themselves of to bring home the "bacon".
I would like to stress here, again, that you DO NOT need to have all of the fancy and costly gear that is discussed here to successfully backpack hunt. The whole "art" has become so commercialized that the original purpose (s) have been smothered in WHO HAS the BEST, blah, blah, blah and also WHO KILLS THE MOST, yada, yada,yada.
Among the most successful hunters I know is my 52 year old cousin in Nelson, BC, a former N.H.L. hockey player and owner of a large construction firm that he has built from the beginning over the past 30+ years. He is VERY fit, large, strong, tough and loves to be out in the bush, all over BC.
I visited him last October and he jokingly said, " you know, Dewey, I see all these guys with all the fancy gear, buying new [bleep] all the time and they never shoot any game"....... This, is a bit of an exaggeration, but, not too far from the truth here in BC, from my observations since I started backpack camping and hunting in 1964 and working in bush for the BCFS the next spring.
Much of my hunting clothing is 20+ years old, some mended, faded and almost ALL of it is Cabela's grade stuff, it has worked for me just fine and the latest COOHOO or whatever matched camo sets, new pack model every year and all sorts of gadgets to supposedly do what real bush skills should do are just a commercial marketing ploy to take your money.
Get a Kelty Cache Hauler, some good USED gear and get out there, you will make mistakes, will sometimes be tired, dirty, smell bad and if solo, you WILL get lonely, but, it will all progress for you until you are a competent and happy backpack hunter.
Then, you get old, like me, and as your abilities decline with age, you will have memories that make life so very much more enjoyable.
