I'm looking at doing a 7-10 day high country buck hunt this fall. I'm already getting in shape and scoping out good areas to hunt. I have a lot of gear for regular backpacking, but not one where a rifle and carcass are involved.

I've invited my brother, but he may or may not come so there's a possibility I may do this solo (fine with me, I like solo hunts!) The only downside is I will need to carry out anything I kill.

So, backpack hunters, what would be a good pack for a 7-10 day trip that would hold a rifle and could also carry out a carcass? I'm aware that I may need to make 2 trips, 1 for the carcass and 1 for my gear. I have an Eberlestock X1E but thats not near enough for the gear OR the carcass.

Suggestions?

Budget?

Anything with a couple of compression straps carries a rifle just fine for trips in and out. Kifaru gun bearer or Stone Glacier rifle carrier work if you want it handy. If you don't have to one-trip it all out just about any well made backpacking bag will work. One boned out mule deer takes up about 35 solid liters of space.

This is super helpful. Thanks!

Under $500 is my budget

That's the meat of course, no head/hide.

I've decided this is the one for me:
http://seekoutside.com/lightweight-backpacks/

Read this:
https://www.24hourcampfire.com/

And this:
http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/7892509/1/The_Paradox_Pack_Thread

I picked up a used REI XT85 this year on a recommendation from the Hills and Luke Moffat and for my uses it'd be hard to improve for the $ differential. It's light, it fits me well, and has carried everything I've put in it. The pocket configuration is also about perfect and I'll continue to carry it unless a packbag/frame is needed when going well over 100lbs. The rifle fits well in the bottle pocket on the side and my spotter with tripod will jam down into the bucket between the rear pockets.

It sounds as if you are kind of just getting into to backpack hunting and if this is true I would caution to go slow this stuff is crack. It has taken me a few years to dial in what I use and in that time I picked up a bunch of good gear that just is not right for me.

As for a pack I would recomend a going cheap and easy for a begining. I really like the LLBean carry all pack frame. You can strap bags on it and it carries 80 plus pounds very well.

Take a look at utube and see how a guy in Colorado used his

Good recommendation. That little LL Bean frame is great and inexpensive. I have one and it is very versatile! Pack it with drybags. Pack meat out in meat bags. Pack in a treestand. Heck, I use it with a 40 pound bag of rock salt to hike steep stuff with to get in shape for hunting.
Someone posted on here their backpack elk hunt. They packed in and packed the meat out all on the LL Bean.

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/64392?feat=hunters carry all pack-SR0&page=hunter-s-carryall-pack&attrValue_0=Olive&productId=1077114

I wish I had all the money back that I spent on cheap gear because I didn't want to go all in and do it right the first time.

I've been able to find a Dana Bighorn and Bomb used locally for under $50 and even cheaper for a couple of very large Mountainsmith packs which would work really well for what you are doing. Other than that, I agree with the advice you already have.
There are a couple of Dana ArcLight's on craigslist in Seattle right now for around $100. I'm not familiar with the Arclight. I'm sure if you searched here there would be some real world opinions. The external frame versions show up regularly, too.
Hope you get a great buck! (Are you going on that high country hunt in the Alpine Lakes area here in WA?)

Hey that is a great tip on the LL Bean pack. That looks like a winner and at $80 it would be hard to beat.

That's true, so do I.(see my sig line)

However, if this is his first backpack hunt, what if he hates it? As stated, there are a lot of "backpacking" backpacks that will do fine. But I've found "hunting" backpacks to be either cheap stuff or $500-$600 stuff. Not much in between. However, a lot of guys make do with all manner of military surplus packs etc. I had to give this backpack hunting a couple of tries before I decided this is for me, and this year, my big gear upgrade is going to be a pack. (see my previous post)
He said he had a budget of under $500. If I had a $500 budget, I wouldn't choose a $79 pack either.
But it seems $500 is about the "entry point" for a high quality hunting pack. Maybe $400 for an Eberlestock.

If he just wants to "try it out" on a budget, that LL Bean pack will get him out and back.

He indicated he has a fair amount of backpacking gear. One would assume he has a pack. He may have something that will work fine.

I do the hunt you're speaking of with a MR pack. I have done it with a badlands 2800 which is only acceptable if you are a gear freak and have lightweight stuff. ...you'll run out of space. You might look at proper packs....used mil packs by proper are good quality and cheap.

How about a surplus USMC ILBE Main Pack? Midway has these on offer for $80 at the moment.



They are a lisenced copy of a respected civvie pack, with the addition of molle and a funcy cammo pattern for the USMC. They are being replaced in service at the moment so there are a lot on the surplus market.. It looks like a hell of a pack for $80!

FWIW I did not like the LL Bean Carryall that much. Its a stripped down internal frame and there is a reason it is $80 new.

Pick up a good used pack if you want one to start out with cheap.

I started out with a used Dana Design Terraplane from ebay, which is what I carried a while. It's a fine pack. But carrying as a "daypack" while hunting didn't work all that great. Having decided I like this backpack hunting I decided I wanted something geared toward a hunting pack and found a like-new Eberlestock J107, It's was good pack, completely functional but at 9lbs empty just too darn heavy. I sold it.
So now I'm getting a Paradox.

I suppose I shouldn't say the LL Bean pack would work for his needs, as I've never personally used it in that capacity. I have used it as a daypack for hunting, packing in a treestand, and training/exercise.
However, because of its configuration it helped me to decide the Paradox will work for me.

There's 1 fallacy with using the compression straps on a hunt. Who's to say that you won't jump Mr Humungus on the way in or out? More than once I've headed up toward a high place and found him within 1/4 mile of the bottom. This fall, we found elk right at the bottom on the way out (it was too dark to shoot but we got them early the next morning). If I'm hunting, I want my rifle accessible every step of the way.

That is a great deal! I'm grabbing one as a spare pack for when people tag along. You can't beat that price!

[quote=Mitch_KThat is a great deal! I'm grabbing one as a spare pack for when people tag along. You can't beat that price! [/quote]

Although I 've not seen one in the flesh, I have seen the civvie version by Arc'Teryx and based on that alone I would risk $80 on this USMC version if I lived in the US..

I like the LLBean even if it is a cheap pack. The op can google hill people gear (HPG) LL Bean pack. Evan has a few thoughts on the pack. HPG gear is good stuff and the guys there have a perspective on the topic similar to mine.

This type of pack is not for everyone but I like it for the way I am hunting and where I hunt. It may not work for everyone but who is to know until they have figured out what they need. That being said I did get a HPG Ute this year and will also use it.

gwl,

I don't dislike the carryall because it is cheap. The Carryall is a stripped down version of an internal frame pack, and traditional internal frame packs with lumbar pads don't work well for me. I believe the design is inherently flawed for carrying heavy loads.

Based on my experience and testing, I think the OP would be better served to get a used Dana arcflex, or a Kelty Cache Hauler - both options well under $200. There are different options at higher price points, but either of those is a good starter pack.

I'm glad the carryall works well for you.

Nathan

I've been down the road of cheap packs over the past few years...

I started with a used Cabelas Alaskan I. It's a great frame pack and pretty lightweight. A bit noisy/bigger profile than I prefer, but you won't go wrong with this for hauling a big load.

I have a ILBE surplus pack, but I don't get enough load lift to carry a heavy load (I'm 6'1). Plus the thing is 8lbs by itself. Plenty tough to do the job though if it fits you.

LL Bean Hunter's Carryall was actually pretty cool and almost used it on my High Buck hunt this year. I just couldn't quite get the load lifters dialed in (I'm about the max height for this pack). Also, the belt/pack interface is really flimsy and sags with a heavy load.

My recommendation (short of a high-end hunting brand) is the REI XT85. I used mine this year for both overnight and day hunts. It's cinches down nice as a day pack and because I always end up miles from the truck it's nice to know I could haul some meat. It's the only pack I've used that really sucked into my lower back the right way. More load lift than I can use and I haven't had any pack-related comfort issues. IMO it's a perfect size for a 3-5 day trip and has lashing points to extend that out as much as you want.

Those REI XT85s really do look badass. Looks like a pretty close match for something like a Kifaru T2 as far as internal capacity goes, and the suspension seems well designed.

Tanner

The REI 85 XT is a very good pack. It can carry a load well. Plus any of the previous weak points that have been brought up about it on the reviews of it on the REI website can be easily addressed from either a preventative standpoint or a repair stand point.

I reinforce stitched ( just hand stiched with heavy duty thread) mine in any areas that I either saw for potential weak points or read about it having problems with previous owner review. There are not many- but there are a few. Just did not want it to be a problem in the field. And you could also use some military buckles on it in a few places if you wanted to replace the REI stock ones. I have not done this- but usually have some of those in a repair kit that I have at the trailhead or camp. I also reinforced the stay pockets connection points on the pack where people reported having problems with the sharp stay ends on the stays wearing through the fabric- and that was easy to do with some webbing.

Another neat thing that I first read about from the Hill brothers at HPG- you can use a Kifaru waistbelt on these REI backs if you want to. I tried it and it works real well.

So for a pack that weighs right about 5 lbs and is priced right- it is a could option for a lot of uses- including hauling meat off of the mountain.

I am totally ignorant about backpacks, but I asked the same question several weeks ago that the OP asked, and Ed T suggested the Paradox Evolution. Ed was kind enough to let me try one on at his garage. It was the first pack that I looked at, and since have looed at other set ups, but for simplicity, price, weight and size, I think the Evolution that ed showed me beats the others I have looked at.
The evolution has been discussed in some other threads here, and the OP might do well to do a search on this site for research purposes.

Royce

the OP is from Seattle. I just checked craigslist for Seattle and there are pages of used packs for sale. For a 1st time hunt, I'd highly recommend a good used one. Don't spend big bucks on a new one until you know what you want.

There have to be a boat load of used Dana's kicking around the PNW.

I've picked up two shortbeds off of fleabay in the past year. One for $120 and another for $80.

For this application, I can't recommend a Dana Design Terraplane or shortbed enough. Very good packs

*As long as they are built in Bozeman, MT.

They get even better when you pimp 'em out with an HPG belt and harness

I ended up with a Eberlestock J104 from a guy on hunt-wa forum. It looks about right with the expandable mid section and the ability to add more space w/ additional duffels from Eberlestock's site. I traded another pack for it - so in a sense I still have money to spend on other gear. I'm going to pack this one up w/ 50 or so lbs and make sure its still comfortable before committing to this pack.

Thanks for all the advice! Now to plan all the gear that goes into it..

Oh man,

I hate to break the bad news to ya but that J104 is gonna hurt like hell. You still have plenty of time before your hunt sell the J104. You'll thank me later. The J104 might make a good daypack for elk and deer hunts behind gates here in washington. I admit I like the gun scabbard.

Even the J105 is a much better pack than the J104. Ive used them both and you couldn't pay me to take a J104 into the mountains and I wouldn't take the J105 again either.

Honestly bro I'm trying to help you here. You can do much better.

Yep... trip it and run away fast.

Tanner

I have a j34, same thing I think. I love that pack. I use it more than any other pack I have. I love the rifle scabbard when climbing steep terrain. I think it is a comfortable, not too big, day pack. I love how it expands to carry out success. I have had mine for 5 years and have used it hard. It seems to be very durable.

That being said, I will never, ever take that pack on a high Buck hunt again. It is uncomfortable, even painful, pack for me when carrying 60+ lbs. I don't mind the pain after a successful hunt. I don't want to start my trip exhausted, sore,and hurt.

Second and third try at a pack for backpack hunting was an ilbe. First one was too beat up to use. $50 bucks wasted. Second was functionally sound. Better, but I lose shoulder lift over 50lbs.

Fourth try was REI xt85 purchased last summer on sale for less than $200. What a huge difference in comfort. The pack fits me well. Even heavily loaded, I still have plenty of room to crank on the load lifter straps. Way more organization than the ilbe. I think it makes a great pack for backpack hunting or winter camping.

Good news is I found a pack I can live with. Bad news is that it took me 4 tries at over $600 total. Sure wish I had started with a kifaru or other top tier company for that kind of money.