Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Pack and Boots for Alaskan Dall Sheep Hunt

i've both a Barney's and a MR 6500

have used both

for my needs I prefer the Barney's




good luck, hope you end up like this

You'll notice most of the external recommendations are from Alaskans and most internal recommendations from Lower 48'ers. I've been using Barney's for the past 20 years. Tried the internal frame packs and always went back to the Barneys for hunts where I might pack out any significant weight. The internals also made me much hotter as they sat right against my back.

If you're only planning one hunt look at the Cabelas external frame packs. My sheep hunting partner has used them for years and they work for less cost. The Barneys are a step up in quality, but the Cabelas would serve you well.

Boots are the most important aspect...much more so than the pack. In fact, I had my pack belt buckle break on the 2nd day of a 10 fay sheep hunt (I carry a spare since they are only a few ounces). Spent the next 8 days tying the darn thing around my waist. Surprisingly, it wsn't that bad. Still hiked over 40 miles that way. Bad boots with sore feet and your done. I think the gold package is a wise investment.

I have been using a kifaru longhunter guide for the last 4 years for sheep, goats, carbou etc and it has been great. It is a light, tough pack that can easily handle more weight than I can. It has 7000+cu-in and I can go for a 14 day sheep hunt with everything I need and the only thing strapped to the outside are my river shoes. My partners use Barney,s and they are a very tough pack, but when we are buswacking there packs and rifles are always getting snagged. With a kifaru gun bearer the rifle is never high enough to get snagged and my hands are free. The generation 1 longhunters are selling very cheap right now. The last one I saw for sale went for around $300.
As for boots we have had great luck with meindels(?spelling). Good luck with your choice.

I was just talking about this in a private conversation and thought it worthy to mention here. A smart pack to keep in your sights for any backpack hunting is the USMC ILBE. It's designed by Arcteryx and manufactured here in the USA by Topper. Injected molded foam backpad and belt, as you'll find with Badlands and Arcteryx outdoor rec gear. Designed to carry 120LBs. Top shelf in every regard, but maybe not in weight.

Personally, I think all this focus on weight is a bit misguided. It's more important to have a comfortable pack with a suspension system that can handle heavy loads than it being lightweight. If you can get it all in one package, that is great. However, most lighter packs buckle at the sign of any serious weight, and over a long span of wearing them, the cost comes at the price of your body. Saving a couple LBs is a great idea. Shaving weight should always be a priority. But I'd rather lug around 6LB pack that I don't notice even after a couple hours than a 3LB pack that makes me always cognizant of it being there.

Alaskans don't have the monopoly on good hunting advice...

WHAT!?!?! Aww dang it, here I thought we were special

Lots of good advice in this thread, particular about testing new boots with the socks you intend to wear on the hunt, as well as the quality of some of the older pack frames build back in the nineties. Also count this as a vote for an external frame. I like the versatility a good one offers.
My experience says it is a mistake to get to hung up on a particular brand of boot. If there is an area that screams for physically trying on, before buying, this is it. Boot technology has come a long, long ways. There are excellent boots out there that are comfortable from the moment you put them on, and your feet will tell you. Not the least of which was a mean discovery that my feet unexpectedly changed, a lot, a few years ago. This requiring me to change my preference to a company that used a different last to build their boots around.
There are also excellent boots out on the market that will [b]Not [/b]be comfortable from the moment you put them, and never will be.
With the many choices of footwear available today, I believe "break in to be outdated, and possibly insane, to put up with poor fitting boots.
Particularly since a little time dedicated to "pre-purchase" trialing can completely avoid the problem.
I have real trouble with the concept that you should spend $400, then a lot of time & discomfort, breaking in a pair of boots. Call it progress.
Best wishes for a great hunt.

To the OP: Remember that the Alaskans are hunting un-guided, and plan to haul out their gear and sheep in a few trips as possible. If you plan to haul all your gear plus an entire sheep in one load (150lbs?) then you need an external, and that means Barney. Some of the guys above have done that. On a guided hunt, you won't.

I much prefer an internal when running up and down the mountains and I would strongly recommmend internal for a guided hunt. Lots of great advice above on internals. Anything from 5000-7000ci should be fine. If you will use it for other trips consider that; otherwise, the advice above to buy a used quality internal and sell it after the trip is a great idea. Boots are more important than your pack.

FWIW, I've only done two dall hunts, one sucessful, both with an Dana Astralplane. The most I have hauled with it was an entire sheep (boned but head still in the cape) and all my day-hunting gear. That load pegged the Astralplane load-meter. I have a Barney's frame, but no packbag (yet) and for a hunt in certain conditions I might use it.

Barney's ain't the only big-load external out there.

This load ended up on the external framed terraframe only because I mentally flipped a coin before the hunt. It could have easily been in/on my terraplane.

Vek just posted a picture of my favorite pack. Here's another pic of the same pack:



Keep your eyes peeled and pick one up on ebay for ~$200. Search terraframe, longbed, dana external, and k2 external.

Just curious Vek -- why didn't you use the top bar and go up with that load instead of strapping stuff on the back? Busting through brush in the bottoms?

The sad thing is they had to blow out those Dana Design Loadmaster series packs for around $99 in 2000 or so. When the ultralight trend hit, you could find incredible pack deals from Dana, Osprey, and the other highest quality hitters. They had to give them away to make room for the revamped product lines. Should have grabbed a handful.

EDIT: thanks for sharing the photos, fellas. Love seeing these haulers in action.

The top bar would've been just one more thing to carry. The cape had dried out to very little weight, and the bag of clothing was quite light. No biggie hanging them off the back. That top bar might have been the straw...

Vek that is a great photo the rifle looks a little scuffed up as well. Looks like it was a tough hunt.

I have been trying to buy a Dana external for about 6 mounths now. I can not find one right now and i seem to just miss them if i am not glued to the computer 24 hours a day.

Well now you all have done it! I really want one of those older Dana Designs.

Can someone explain to me (being a newby to these packs) all the different styles - Terraplane, Astralplane, Longbed, etc.? All those terms make my head swim right now.

What are the key things to be looking for?

Old Danas: If you go internal, you want the ArcFlex suspension, which is the beefiest. The Astralplane (7000ci) and Terraplane (5800ci) have roughly the same design. There are several other models with that suspension, such as the Alpine.

You can also just buy a new Mystery Ranch. Many of the designs are the same, though updated.

Astraplane (7000c), Terraplane (5800c), Alpine (4930c), and Stillwater (5000c) are all from the top tier ArcFlex suspension series. These are all based on size Medium packs. Add 200-400c for a size Large. They come in XS, S, M, L, XL.

The Loadmaster External Frame series is the Terraframe, Longbed, Shortbed, T-1, Z-1, and Flatbed (the contraption that is purely a fold-out deck for hauling). These come in Regular and Large. Two sizes only. I've never seen a Z-1.

Alpine has no long rear pockets. It's just a big single chamber, with Dana's shov-it odd gear sling. I think it's body chamber is same size as terraplane.

For externals, longbed is your oldschool looking bag 6500ci or so with long bottom that holds sleeping bag. Shortbed is lopped off at the sleeping bag compartment. Similarly, terraframe is 6000-6500ci with bottom sleeping bag compartment, and T1 is lopped off.

How much weight can I expect to be able to haul with an Alpine or Stillwater? My guide is saying that coming out I will be hauling 60-70lbs max.

I need a Large/Large size and am thinking that an Alpine, Stillwater or Terraplane would be best for me. I am also thinking I would favor a internal frame.

From what have I read here the mid 90s are the best, but are there dates, features, etc to avoid?

I've read many reviews of people carrying 100LBs+ with an ArcFlex and claiming it was still comfortable and maintaining its structural integrity. When I've read these reports, I've been skeptical, but after you keep reading them, you have to come to grips with it must be true. I know from personal experience that 70LBs is made easier with these packs. Your legs still have to do the work.

The problem with dating Dana packs is that the company was sold a few times from '95-2002. Bean counters got involved with manufacturing. I personally have seen at least five different versions of the ArcFlex system that I estimate came from '95-2000. The Shoulder Bar (a part of the carbon fiber system within the overall suspension system) kept changing (at least three different versions of this part alone). The shoulder harness changed a couple times (looped cloth/felt-like, all nylon). The Beavertail changed materials twice (Hypalon, Cordura). Then you can start guessing by the pack colors because they offered different and more colors as time progressed. Then fabrics (500d Cordura, ripstop Cordura, ripstop shiny nylon).

I would love to offer more, but then it gets more and more confusing. Addendums to posts, various posters with different and helpful experience and knowledge. I didn't start catching onto the nuances until I held them in my hands and noticed little details changing.