Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting My McHale Pack Experience - Part II

Here's mine traipsing through the Yukon, looking for a sheep



Strangely, this is one I got off ebay, and had Dan rework it for me. I'm liking it better than the one made for me from scratch.

doccd you have any better pics of the pack?I have a appointment next week with Dan and need some ideas.

what are must haves for a new pack?

Bayonet system is really awesome. Lets you extend the length of the frame. The rest is based on your personal tastes I guess.

I am thinking a LBP 35 with kangaroo pouch and half zipper.It looks like the bayonet system is a must also.

i sent Dan my cash and measurements last week. Im still on the fence on which pack to go with. The Critical Mass sounds great for packing out an elk. On the other hand when not packing out a critter it sure would be nice to have a smaller lighter pack. The Windsauk is the pack Ive had my eye on for a while. The problem for me is, could the CM be overkill or will the bayonets etc. be sufficient for heavy loads.

I have a CM with bayonets. I don't know how big a load it will support. I know I can't lift that much or walk with that much.
I also have one of his light packs (his simplest older version about day and a half sized) and it will control a pretty chunky load itself. If I were doing it over again, I'd probably drop down from the CM frame to the regular frame S-SARC for the big pack. For carrying meat, especially quarters, you need the bag to be big enough at top to slide the quarter in shoulder down. My small bag is cut too narrow for that. The CM is big enough that it's like loading into a garbage can.
The bayonets are good in that it allows my big pack to reduce down to a shoulder high pack that still has a sturdy suspension and frame. It works well when carrying the pack through thick brush where the short configuration doesn't hang up overhead or way out to sides. The bayonets are sturdy.
Tell Dan what you want it for including what a usual load will be and the biggest load may be and listen to his advice. His larger non-CM packs are built for carrying heavy loads.
Oh, also do not compare his cubic inch estimates to any other pack manufacturer cubic inch estimates. A McHale 5000 ci pack will have a much higher capacity than a mass market 5000 ci pack.
On the Windsauk- I don't have one. I will tell you that I use the side straps on both my McHale packs extensively to shrink them down around whatever the load is. The CM would be mostly unusable without shrinking it to hold the load in the right place when the pack is not full. Even with the small pack, tightening down the side straps to lock down the load makes the pack much more comfortable to carry over rough trails, through blowdowns and such.

If you have plans of ever carrying 60lbs plus, I would go with the CM series. I have been using mine for the last few weeks now and have loaded max wt. so far of a measured 55lbs. and it carries better than any pack I've owned, including Kifaru. And that 55lbs feels lighter than in any other pack ( I loaded the demo pack with a measured 85 lbs and it just carried better, more comfortable, more stable. And that was with lighter fabric and frame stays too).

The CM waste belt is so much better than the other packs because of it's width, full coverage and the double camlock buckle adjustment. It really does work. That and the Bypass shoulder straps make for a superior carry system that makes on the trail adjustment in small increments fast and easy.

I have the S-CMII in 1000d cordura with the summit lid. I had Dan attach a couple loops to the waste belt/frame bolts and an extra set of daisy chains on the side panels next to the back/harness side, heavier frame stays and Dyneema shoulder straps as extras.

The pack is big (+7000ci) and heavy(8.5lbs all up)by todays' ultralight standards and yes EXPENSIVE ($1000). But with the three design features of waste belt, bypass shoulder straps and frame configuration in relation to the other two, IMO it is superior to any system out there for carrying comfort and stability. You throw in Dan's quality sewing and craftsmanship and it is hard to beat and will last a very long time.

Even though the pack is relatively heavy, it carries so much better, it feels lighter than it is. I've been using mine for day hunts carrying a total of 25lbs. and I just feel better at the end of the hike than I have with the other packs carrying the same wt. When I shoot something I'll be able to load meat in to the lower part of the pack, or attach to the outside (those loops and daisy chains) and move the gear up above the internal shelf with the bayonets reinstalled and I'm good to go. Can you tell I like this pack?

I know this picture is crappy, but it's of the CM-II pack, with a kifaru gunbearer. I has a Kangaroo pouch on back, and it's all Dyneema, painted green, and it's on Dan's website.



This is a pic of the Winsauk that I bought off ebay and have had it out to Dan three times for remodeling. I don't seem to have a better picture of it around. If you go to the Windsauk portion of his webpage, it's the white undyed one along the left margin. He's camo painted it, added hip pockets, and a kangaroo pouch on back, as well as putting a panel load option into it (a wizard of a seamstress did this), and put on a hip pack top and the bayonet feature. It's really not even the same pack anymore. Please not, that for sheep hunting I think his side pockets are great because they fit a buttstock of the rifle and you can strap the forearm to the bayonet. The gunbearer works great, but for whole days hiking, it's nice to have the gun out of the way.

what do you guys think about dyneema?Is it worth the extra money?

Full dyneema? -probably gilding the lily. I have the dyneema shoulder straps and bottom which seems to be a good compromise as those are high wear areas. It really is functionally abrasion proof. Shoulder straps get salty and the dyneema supposedly keeps chewing critters at bay. It does make the straps more comfortable because of the way they slide over your clothing. The dyneema fabric is heavier than the nylon dyneema grid so full dyneema will add some weight, not to mention the sticker shock. My smaller pack is older and uses the very light grid nylon. The only places it shows wear is where my larger pack has dyneema reinforcement on the bottom. So, I'd say the usual dyneema reinforcements are just where they need to be.

I like my CM but you should know that the bypass shoulder straps, bayonet frame extensions and double camlock waist buckles are all available in the SARC frame style. The SARC waist belt is very good and uses double buckles or cams. The CM waist belt is better but the overall pack is heavier.
So, I'd agree that if you're going to carry very heavy loads often, then get the CM. But, if you're usually going to carry ordinary loads and occasionally pack very heavy loads, then get one of the bigger SARCs set up by Dan for heavy loads. It'll be lighter, more flexible and cheaper than the CM.
Getting a CM to occasionally pack out deer is like using a .375 mag for whitetail. It'll work but it's overkill.

Having both a larger SARC and a CM, I totally agree. As I mentioned, I sent my SARC, which I got off ebay, back to Dan to modify and put on the frame extensions, and the bypass system. I don't find myself often using these features, though.
Don

If I read Dan's site correctly, he's no longer offering full dyneema. I don't know why. My only dislike is that it seems to take on water and get heavier in the rain, a problem solvable by a pack cover. When you hold the fabric in your hand, you'd swear it would stop a .22 long rifle.

is there a part 3 yet??

Happy New Year!

Any news or updates?

Hello all, new guy here. In fact, looking up McHale LBP reviews is what brought me to this site. I'm in the market for a new pack and it's come down to two; the LBP and a similar sized pack from another well respected company. I apologize for necroposting, but I'd love to see this thread updated with more reviews of the LBP's.

I also wanted to mention I got a chuckle out of your quote Brad. I mean no disrespect, you've probably forgotten more about backpacking than I'll ever know (And props to you, by the way, for apologizing. Too few people do that anymore). I just wanted to make an observation on the "antiquated" vs. "advanced" argument. I bought a SIG P226, European made handgun new, many years ago. I like it so much that more recently I bought the same model that is supposedly the "advanced" version, 1 peice stainless slide with Nytron finish versus the old folded carbon slide of the original. The old gun is better in every way (except perhaps rust prevention, although in fairness it has never rusted either). It is more accurate, smoother, better trigger, etc. I promptly sold the newer version. I'll never sell my oldie.

The department I work for switched radios a few years back. We went from the Motorola Saber to the newer, more advanced, Motorola XTS 5000. The newer radios are smaller, lighter, "more powerful", etc. Better in every way right? Nope. The Saber battery lasted way longer (I can barely get a 12 hour shift worth of charge out of my new radio), the Saber transmitted and received far better in remote areas. I was once on a rescue where I (and all my gear), got dunked in the Pacific and then stranded on a beach. The Saber continued to work the remainder of the afternoon until a Coastie helo could come and hoist us out. Finally the battery got so corroded the radio stopped working. Put in a new battery the next day and never had an issue. The "advanced" newer radios crap out constantly (I have coworkers on their 3rd or 4th radio from normal use). Sorry for the long stories. The point I was trying to make is that with gear I've almost come to view "antiquated" as a compliment.

I had planned on doing a Part III after the fall hunts, but life seems to have gotten in the way.

Maybe this weekend.

That'd be great Russ! With lots of pics of course. Hahaha. But seriously, if you wouldn't mind giving a list of the gear you pack in it I'd appreciate it (at least a list of the larger items). I'm still up in the air as to which size LBP I'd get. I noticed you said your 38" in the top photo configuration was about 4,200 CI. But that confused me a bit as well. From reading the site it makes it look like the biggest of the LBP's they offer (40" I believe), is only 3,000ci. Then the S-Sarc (42 or 43" I think) comes in at about 4,000ci?? The numbers seemed a little bit off.

Thanks!

PS- I love the color sceme you chose for your pack. Grey and coyote work well together. Also, I'm shooting you a PM if you don't mind.

The numbers should be accurate. I had it designed for a very specific size based on past experience with other packs. I'd have to dig through my papers to be sure, but I believe mine is somewhat taller than normal and the 4200 would include the back pouch, which is oversized as well.

well you guys are to late.I just ordered a LBP36 in full brown cuban (or what ever he calls the new dyneema material)