Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Daypack choice ,Gear, weight

I recently bought my first pack for a hunt that came up very quickly in West Texas. I bought it at Cabelas, so I can return it or exchange it and having used it this weekend, I am considering doing so, but need some advice on what to expect as this is new for me.

The pack I want is for an all day hunt, from a camp, so no need for 3 days or something. I do want to be able to haul meat back on it.

What I want to put in the pack is water, rifle, spotting scope and tripod, maybe shooting sticks, knife, meat bags, flashlight, small camera, and maybe a few other small things depending on the situation and the weather at the time of year.

I ended going to all the local stores (Cabelas, Gander, Bass Pro, REI), and what I found was fit with weight in it is king. The Cabelas pack I wanted was too short, so when I stuck 40 pounds of weight in it, it was all on my shoulders. I am tall enough that most off the shelf packs would not work.

Long story short, the only pack available that was long enough was a Badlands 2200 and the Clutch. I liked the gun carrier on the Eberlestock Gunrunner they had, but it was too short a pack for me. They sold the 2200 before I got back to get it, so I ended up with the Clutch, bigger and more expensive than I planned. But the sales guys said...try it, bring it back after your hunt if you don't like it. So I had to go that way.

The pack worked fine, but things got heavy fast. With all the stuff I had in it, it was in the area of 40 pounds (my rifle is 10 lbs with 10 rounds and sling).

Honestly, my shoulders never hurt,it was all on my waist, but it seemed a little crazy carrying all that weight just for a daypack to me. That said, the pack is 7.2 pounds, rifle is 10 and the 106 oz of water I carried was like 6.5. Is this what most of you guys end up carrying weight wise?

I ask because I am trying to determine what to expect realistically and whether I should keep this pack or move down to the 2200 (two pounds lighter), or some other pack in my price range. However, if this is just par for the course, I will stay with what I have as it seems very versatile and has most of what I want in a pack. What I like about the Clutch is it is described and seems to be a pack for multiple uses, from daypack to overnighter, and it has the kinds of pockets I want...especially for carrying a spotting scope etc.

What I don't like is it's 7.2 pounds....and if I don't ever overnight, then I don't need the larger size of the main compartment, so I could go down to the 2200.....and the rife carrying solution....too slow by far, both pack suffer this problem.

So how much weight and stuff do you guys carry for a day's use?
What should I be expecting realistically for a daypack and equipment to weight?
And what do you use to haul it?

Keep in mind, I have narrowed my choices to:
1) Ones I can afford....Kifaru and every mystery ranch except the Dragon Slayer are just too much for me. The Clutch would not have been possible without a bunch of Cabelas discounts I had saved up
2) those I can try on as I found fit while carry weight was critical to making my choice.

I do like all the pockets, I don't like packs with one big storage area. I would prefer a better rifle carry solution. I thought about the Kifaru gunbearer, but having the barrel in my face seemed awkward. I tried the Gunslinger Corral, but so far, that has not worked and it seems to squeek terribly.

Thanks!

I'd suggest that you post this in the Backpack Hunting section, where they specialize in such questions.

Be advised that they are serious about weight there and the first thing they'll ask is why in the heck does your rifle weigh 10 pounds.

Natman,

Thanks for the advice. Yeah, I expect that question, this is not my regular rifle, it's my range shooter, but it's the only one working right now. That being said, I am not an ultralight rifle guy, nor a backpacking hunter. I don't really have that opportunity in life. More a 'from camp out and then back' hunter.

I'll post it over there perhaps, but will have to change it up to preclude those sorts or rattrail questions.

Thanks!

Don't be too quick to dismiss the Kifaru Gunbearer system unless you try it first. I have used this system for many years on a number of different packs and absolutely love it. Unless your firearm has an absurdly short barrel, properly adjusted it will not be in your face.

It does sound like you are packing a ton of crap with you if you are hitting 40#. For day hunts you should be able to come in way under that ... even with your heavy firearm.

Also, don't shy away from paying for top quality gear. You can get $100 or more worth of pissed off if equipment of poor design or quality compromises your hunt. Also, carrying meat requires space - inside or outside the pack. Think that one out.

I just bought an Eberlestock F1 Mainframe w/ superspike duffel, side bolt action sniper scabbard, & Multi pack accessory pouch. It's been great on one 2-night/ 19 mile trip and it was great, but I've yet to use the scabbard.

I'll be trying it all out in 2 weeks in Wyoming!!

The kuiu pack in he size you're looking for is pretty nice. Don't get too hung up on pockets. Beyond a certain point they just useless fluff. Better to have a pack with room you can work with. In lieu of pockets you can organize your gear with small bags: zip locks, dry bags, ditty bags, or whatever. Also, another vote here for the gunbearer, they're slick.

I don't know whether this helps or not, but for a day's hunting out of a camp I wouldn't be carrying half that weight, and a lot of it is distributed around me, rather than all in a pack. Typically I'll have a Camelback Raider, with 2 litres of water (67 oz, roughly) and in it a small camera, toilet paper, a pocket first aid kit, some cord and electrical tape, and a couple of muesli bars and maybe some biltong. I have binos on a strap across one shoulder and a knife on my belt, and a GPS in my pocket. My rifle's in my hand, other than for times I need both hands free (when it is slung over my shoulder), and none of my rifles weighs 10 lbs.

I do have a spotting scope, and it is quite compact, so I could strap it to my daypack I suppose, but in fact I haven't seen the need of it for my own hunting so it generally only goes with me to the range. I haven't seen a need for shooting sticks either, so there's some more weight I don't need to lug around.

It strikes me that If you already have 40 lbs to lug around when you leave camp, you'll really struggle if you add to that the weight of a deer.

I agree with this. 40 lbs is alot of weight to lug around every day. My day-hunting packs don't weigh more than 12-14 lbs with 2 pints of water. You can carry everything you need in 15-1800 cu in for day hunting. An Eberlestock, Badlands, Cabelas will all work. I like the BL 2200 for your stated application - if you plan to take a load of meat/head-hide out on trip 1. If not, you won't need the 'packing' capabilities of the 2200. I recently found the Horn Hunter series of packs to be very good for what you suggest. I personally have the G2 and Main Beam. G2 for run-gun day trips with no plans to bring out a load and the MB for bringing out a load. The only issue for the OP is the torso length. I have aa short torso and HH packs fit well.

I'd suggest laying out all your stuff you think you need for a day hunt. Most folks tend to want to take too much stuff. I've been guilty of that as well. At least until I started elk hunting in Colorado. I quickly decided what was necessary and what was nice to have. A very small amount of nice-to-have stuff goes.

If you have any questions on what is considered necessary, post what you are taking and the guys here will help with ideas on necessary or not and lighter alternatives. I've found advice on this topic to be very good from the 'Fire.

catorres1, I am old and feeble but still go to the mountains to hunt. I count every gram I carry and only consider MUST have items. I recently bought a Marmot Kompressor Verve 42. It is the lightest internal frame pack I could find that will carry a winter load comfortably. It is 4200 cu. in. with a removeable lid, full length side access zip and a large shovel panel and weighs only 3 lbs.

A full winter load of survival and snivel gear plus Foxpro and an avalanche shovel is 21 lbs. plus rifle,scope ammo and sling @7.5 lbs.

I have no plans to pack out anything heavier than a skinned wolf.

Mike r.

Thanks for all the advice, guys. Yeah, it struck me that 40 lbs seemed a bit ridiculous. I tried to weigh everythign when I got home to see what the problem was, but stuff got mixed up on the trip home, so I am not sure what all I had in the pack at that moment. I do know my DSLR, a small rear bag, my rifle and my water were there. Combined with the pack weight, that covers over 30 pounds of stuff. Can't cut back on the water in West Texas heat, and I already planned to cut out the DSLR and put a lighter rifle on when it's ready and lose the small rear bag.

The other stuff? I can't remember what was in there, but I will definitely be packing more carefully next time.

I think I have pretty much decided to take the Clutch back to Cabelas. It's over 7lbs empty, and I don't need all that space most of the time. I think instead I might go with one of the Kuiu Pro bags. I like the expandability of the system. I can get something like an 1800 for general use, and it will be around 4 lbs. Then have one of those super light meat expansion bags they sell and be in business. And if I find I have the opportunity to go on a real backpacking trip, I can just buy another larger bag to use on the same frame in the future. But frankly, that's probably unlikely.

When I looked at my Clutch this weekend, I realized that most of that big main chamber was just empty except for the DSLR I should have left behind. I only need that big space when I kill something, so a system that lets me expand on a frame as needed seems like a good way to go so I can most of the time run about with a lighter setup.

Oh, in my defense on the DSLR, I was hunting with my sons, one for his first hunt ever, and if he got something, which he regrettably did not, I had to capture that moment. All I have right now is a DSLR, so that's gotta change too, to something much smaller and lighter. But that camera and bag alone weighs 5.5 lbs...I figured that out when I got home and weighed it!

One thing I've found, and maybe it is a bit of a self-discipline thing, is that if you take a bigger pack you'll be tempted to take more stuff. Nature abhors a vacuum.

FWIW for deer that aren't too heavy you can tie each foreleg to its corresponding back leg and then the whole deer becomes a backpack, with each side's legs forming the pack straps. Your daypack goes on the front and away you go, with no need for a big pack to stuff meat into.

Edited to add: you'll want to put some blaze orange on the deer, carrying it like that, for fairly obvious reasons.

Dan,

Yeah, I noted that most of that heavy pack I had was left empty and was just extra weight. The reason I went so big, was that was my only choice on short notice and I thought, well, extra space is always nice. But I did not think about the weight issue.

Originally, I wanted to get a frame, then strap a small pack with hydration to it. Then I'd have something light that I could carry meat on, and shoot off of.

Now I am kinda intrigued by the Kuiu modularity. Thinking of getting the smaller 1850 pack, but then I could expand it with meat bags as needed, but for most of the time, probably have all the space I need or should have to keep myself from going too heavy.

Something to consider - the weight-benefit ratio of items you consider necessary. I carry a bit more stuff than most and its because I consider the weight-benefit ratio. If I find a piece of gear valuable and the extra weight is justified in my mind - it goes. In the situation you describe with the DSLR - take it!

At the end of the day, we all have different likes/needs. Take what makes sense, consider the weight you'll be carrying in the terrain you hunt - then go hunting.

As blasphemous as it sounds, I refuse to carry a range finder and spotting scope when I elk hunt. I do this for a couple of reasons. Its romantic to think I'm going to hike over to the far ridge and kill the elk I see. I've tried it a bunch and ended up tired and elkless. Elk travel fast and you're not going to 'beat' them anywhere in the mountains. If they are headed to bed down - different story. For me, I'd rather have the weight savings and may be giving up an opportunity but I can't say as I know of any lost opportunities. I did have a range finder mishap when I first stared. Elk at 400 yards that I thought was more. In hindsight, I could have a killed a dandy bull had I known how far it was. I still don't carry a range finder.

Yeah, I am new to carrying a pack and am just getting started in sorting it out. All these years, I usto just go with a large fanny pack with water and some other stuff. Now that I have boys that hunt, I am pursuing new opportunities where a pack makes more sense, as some additional things like a camera are important to me. But I have to sort my kit out, so to have a pack be so heavy was surprising to me.

I had a spotter in the pack with me, mainly because I was trying to sort out gear weights and how things would carry etc. So this all was really a gear run in and now I am trying to put those learnings to use.

I'll be getting a new, small, camera...with kids, it's important. I have a very small vid cam with me as well, might be able to leave it at home with an all in one.

Need a good spotter and lightweight tripod/shooting stick solution.

If I go with a lightweight pack setup, I can probably cut weight by 3 pounds right there.

So looking at the numbers, I bet I could cut at least 10 pounds of the weight. So that's like a 20 pound pack (1/3 of which is water) and an 8-10lb rifle.

I could go lighter on the rifle, but that's one place I don't want to go. I don't care for really light rifles.

I was heading in the Kuiu direction, but have read too many accounts of broken frames. But I do like all the pockets etc...so I am looking into getting a Kifaru ultralightweight frame and then strapping on a Kuiu Icon Pro bag. Apparently, it hooks up very easily. This is more cost effective than a Kifaru bag, lighter and has the kind of organization scheme I prefer.

I just need to verify some costs/and feasibility.

I've used the Eberlestock X2 the last three years and am happy with it. Good day pack with frame and ability to haul first load of meat out.

Bison Gear Lost River

Made one at a time in Montana with a lifetime repair warranty

Mine is 10 years old and has hunted 5 states and 2 continents

Hauls meat and wears lower on your back with lash straps for extra gear

My African PH loved mine so much he asked me to give it to him as part of his tip

It came home with me and I left him cash

catorres,

Here's a little different perspective that may not help your situation, from an older hunter. A few years ago, as I approached 60, decided that packing meat out on my back not only wasn't much fun anymore, but that humans had invented the wheel quite a while back. Started using a game cart instead, whenever possible, and liked it so much eventually invested in the best cart I could find, the Neet Kart, with two in-line wheels and bicycle-style handlebars so it can go on narrow trail in steep country and even hop over modest logs.

Sometimes I leave it in the pickup until needed, but sometimes walk it into the area I want to hunt, often with my Kifaru packframe and other gear on the cart. Last fall it was back in the pickup when my wife killed a cow elk, so I hiked back to get it while Eileen broke the elk down. We had the elk in the pickup in no more time than it would have taken to pack it out, and perhaps less, with far less stress and strain.

Later in the fall I had another epiphany when I developed a severe leg strain when hunting the same steep mule deer country I'd hunted two years before with the same equipment. I was in good shape but a few days from my 62nd birthday, and decided to analyze my gear. Found my daypack weighed 15 pounds, because I'd been throwing everything I thought might be handy for several years. After winnowing out all but the essentials, everything left fit in a much smaller pack that weighed four pounds. Also stripped some weight from my rifle and other gear, as well as myself, and this fall will be carrying about 25 pounds less into the same hills. But will still be using the Neet Kart to do most of the meat hauling, or pushing a light camp into the hills. The wheel really was a marvelous invention.

If you have the time, perhaps you could tell us the contents of the 4 pound pack?

Besides water, I bring a mini first-aid kit, a compress bandage and vet wrap, a leatherman, headlamp with one extra set of batteries, a few tabs of firestaring fuel, a bag of granola laced with M&Ms, some paracord and a space blanket.

Never weighed it, but it would probably go significantly above 4 lbs.

Guys,

Thanks for all the responses!

John, packing out meat is an event I could happily skip, I need a sherpa! The cart device sounds very cool, but where i get to hunt, I don't think it would work. Not sure how to describe it, but think of South Texas brush country, but on really steep rocky canyons covered in loose rock, boulders etc. Much of the time, you are almost crawling on the side of a hill to get between and under thorntrees and mesquite.

We were out there last week trying out this gear, it was about 93 or 95 degrees, so I had 110 oz of water for just me. My buddy looked at me (he only hunts from blinds for the most part), and said if you shoot something back there in the canyons...good luck, you're screwed.

But I need to do what you have done and really get down to what I need. Water is always going to be big...6-7 lbs based on the oz's I go through in that heat. Bino's, rifle, pack, knife, meatbags, rangefinder, shooting sticks, tiny camera.

I would like to be able to also take a spotter and tripod, it makes peering into the brush in farther off canyons and under the shadows more easy for my poor eyes. But maybe I can do without that. Dunno, I am too inexperienced to say.

Based on those items, not including rifle, I suspect I am looking at 20lbs or so, if I have a 5 lb pack. At least. If i drop the spotter and tripod, I should be down around 14 or so, much more manageable, but I'd really like to have it if possible.

But I'd love to hear what you are carrying, and what you are carrying it in, that would probably be very helpful.

I just took my Bandlands pack back today, at 7lbs and some oz's, I need to do better. It was big and bulky anyway for most of my use, I want something more modular and collapsable. So I am looking at getting a Kifaru or maybe Stone Glacier Frame and strapping on one of the Kuiu Pro 1850 bags on. Should be a pretty light setup, nimble for daypack use. But if something goes down, or I need to carry more stuff for some reason, then I can expand it out etc.

But not having access or experience with these packs, I am taking something of a leap of faith...but if I can save 3 lbs over the badlands, well, that's the spotter right there just by changing packs.