Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Freight Hauler

I'm planning an Alaska float hunt. I need a freight hauling pack frame. I don't want any packbag as I'm spoiled with my McHale rig. Can't use my McHale for moose quarters or portaging duffles though. What should I be looking at for easy lashing of heavy loads and anti-gravity comfort? Thanks.

A vast majority of guides in Alaska use a Barney's Freighter Frame. I bought one not too long ago with the Pinnacle pack and it is the most comfortable pack I've ever put on. I also have a Kifaru Longhunter (internal frame) that can be converted into a freight hauler. They're both expensive but they're at the top in quality and both come with lifetime warranties. If I had to chose one for handling moose quarters though, I'd probably chose the Barney's.

Barney's
http://www.barneyssports.com/itemDescription.jsp?depid=2&prodid=283

Kifaru
http://www.kifaru.net/FREIGHTR.HTM

Just to throw another option out there for ya Believer. This is one sweet freighter pack:

http://www.moosejaw.com/moosejaw/pr...9_428567&avad=397_825_df_2199_428567

Shop around and you can probably get one for a couple hundred bucks. I've hauled some pretty heavy loads with mine and it handles excessive weight impressively well. Workmanship is top notch.

Levi

Hey Levi,

I looked at that pack and it looks impressive. I've never fought fire and I was wondering if anyone knows what that other tool (not the pick) is that is strapped to the pack....the long handled tool. Not the chainsaw .

Mark

All be darned if I know Mark. Kind of an odd looking thing, eh. Maybe somebody wiser can enlighten us.

Levi

That's a brush axe, they use 'em for whacking the bases of brush quickly. The sharper they are the better they work, kinda like a machete. The blades are replaceable.

Brush Axe

MtnHtr

We used to call those "Sandviks" after the makers, they are Ok on some small fuel types, but, I will take a good Pulaski any day. The Sandviks are best for women and kids, they tend to break too often when men "give 'er" on the fire line.

We called it a Swedish bush ax. Blades are replacable. Much more comfortable than a machete. Used for limbing or clearing a trail. Not designed for HEAVY cutting.

brush axe is excellent for limbing, also when cutting at ground level the frame takes the beating not the cutting edge which as mentioned is replaceabel without tools.

Official thread hijack. -1 pt.

Most of my moose and bou were hauled with a cabelas guide frame, that being said I have a eberlestock just one now and its out performs the cabelas by far. You can stick an entire bou in there and it hauls great. If you were just hauling meat the mystery ranch nice frame with the load sling is pretty sweet!!

True Romo, but informative stuff none the less. My apologies Believer if we interfered with your thread too much.

Levi

I used to use one of the Sandvik brush axes a lot when beaver trapping. Sharpened to a razor edge they were hard to beat for cutting willows and alder.

And +1 on the Granite Gear Flatbed. They are a terrific pack.

Ed T

Hopefully this isn't another thread hijack, but rather an addition to packframe info...

Anyway, for all you GG Flatbed owners, what would be your guess at the rough size/capacity of the load you could carry - say if you stuffed your gear into a big sack such that it would still fit within and be well controlled by the load panels - how big do you think that would be? I'm having trouble visualizing the "capacity" of such a setup. Could it fit a 60 litre, 80 litre, etc load? Thanks and sorry if this is getting away from the point of the thread...

Kevin,

The Flatbed will hold easy, 7000-8000 cubic inches. 10k if you need to push it. I think 7000 ci is about 129 liters. Nice thing though is they function great as a day pack/meat hauler.

Ed T

Holy cow! Thanks for the tip Ed T, that is quite a bit larger than I envisioned it. It is hard to tell from pictures and some rough measurements. I like the flexibility that it seems it should give me, I was just worried that I would run out of capacity when I load it up with meat and all my gear for the trip out. Those darn sleeping pads, bags, and puffy jackets can eat up volume!

I have been thinking of this pack to replace my old cobbled together one once it dies. Right now I'm using a 15 year old cheap outbound internal frame with a new Gregory hipbelt fitted to it, as both my dayhunting pack and my backpack hunting pack. Works reasonably well and has hauled some heavy loads but I can't see it lasting much longer...

You need to buy my Kifaru Longhunter Rendevous for a pack that will last your lifetime; it is as new and is just superfluous to my needs as I now have a LOT of packs. PM me and buy it for a good price and you will be a happy packer everafter.

Kute,
It sounds like you should open up your own backpacking/mountaineering/ P64 Winny specialty shop!

Why no mention of the Kelty Cache Hauler? They are inexpensive at $90 online. Anyone using one or exp with one?