One, for hauling clothes etc... And two, for hauling game out

Looking for recommendations and experiences. please?

Badlands 2200 is as nice as anything I ever used.

+1 on the 2200

What kind of game?

What is your total price range?

Looking to use it to pack out elk and/or mule deer.

I was always told to get the best you can as it will save you in the long run. So I guess I don't have a price range in mind, I'll get what I can afford at the time.

Get something that's large enough to handle bone-in rear quarters and has a solid, proven suspension system. If you're looking to get a quality pack and not cut corners, I'd be looking at Kifaru and Stone Glacier.

Tanner

I like my Kifaru AMR.

I have a badlands 2200. I do like it. I haul my clothes in too. It is built like a tank and in return it is a little heavy. It works well when i am hunting the big mountain. It works okay when I am hunting close and coming out for lunch. I like it a lot less for a half day pack than i do a daypack mainly because of how heavy it is. I also have a cabelas scout pack which i used for 10 or so years and let my son carry around now. It works really well for the half day hunts. It also allows you to strap your clothes on it too but does not have a frame or capacity for the heavy loads. So if your hunting sounds anything like mine you probably want 2 packs. The cabelas bow and gun pack was a pretty good compromise between the two, but I sold it when i bought the badlands.

I also want to add the best feature of any of these packs is the ability to strap your rifle or muzzleloader on it. It is awesome when walking a couple miles before daylight to not have the gun falling off your shoulders. I drag my 8 year old around a lot also so it really came in handy muzzleloading season when i have to carry both our muzzleloaders. I can't carry just one gun since I let him shoot a 50gr load which I wouldnt want to shoot past 50 yards. So it is a nice feature if you don't want to let a kid fall all around with his gun.

The single most important requirement for a pack is that it fits your back properly. Start there and then explore other features.

A 2,200 cu. in. pack is small. OK for day hunting deer. It's too small to haul out the hind quarter of an elk and not big enough for multi-day backpacking. The Badlands 2200 weighs 6# and has a volume of 2,250 cu.in.

I use an Osprey Talon 33 (about 2,000 cu.in.) for day hunting deer. I like it because it comes in daylight orange and that satisfies the orange that's a requirement in Colorado. It weighs about 3#.

For backpacking you need at least 4,000 cu. in. An Osprey Aether 70 is about right (70 liters, 4,200 cu.in.) weighs about 4#.

I use to use and Osprey Exposure CM (65 liters, 4,000 cu.in.). It was always kind of tight for even a short backpack trip. They don't make them any longer. It weighs about 3.5#.

The pack that fits my back best (I have a 23" torso) is my Osprey Aether 85XL (about 5,200 cu. in.). It's not as quiet as I would like and it doesn't come in camo color or orange. But it's the pack that I use the most because it's so comfortable on the trail. It only weighs 2 ounces more than the 70.

BTW all of the Osprey packs that I have mentioned weigh about 4# or less when empty. That's an important consideration. I don't want carry a pack that weighs 7# empty.

I own a ULA Catalyst, which weighs only 2.5#. It's probably the most uncomfortable pack that I own. It's also available only by mail order. I own a bunch of backpacks; North Face, Go-Lite, Deuter, Gregory, Kelty, Alpenlite, etc.

You can see that I like Osprey packs. It's hard to find packs that are built as well and weigh as little as they do. But they don't really make hunting packs. They're great for backpacking.

I've been toying with the idea of buying a Kuiu Ultra 6000. But I've hesitated because the biggest frame is good up to 22" torso. They say I can send it back if it doesn't fit. But I would have to pay for return shipping just to take a look at it. They told me that they don't have any retail outlets. Everything is mail (Internet) order only. It's quiet and comes in a couple of different camo patterns. I hate to buy something that I haven't seen and can't try on. I don't really need a pack that big for backpacking but it would be good for hauling out the hind quarter of an elk. It weighs less than 4#.

The Seek Outside Unaweep Fortress 4800 looks good but it also has a max torso of 22" and it's materials are not all that quiet. It's pretty light at less than 4#.

The Kifaru Duplex Timberline 2 (85 liters, 5,200 cu.in.) with an Ultralite frame weighs just under 5#. It has different frame sizes and will fit a 23" torso. You can buy options that send the empty weight over 6#.

KC

If you want the best, I'd be looking at Kifaru and SG, like Tanner said, and I'd add Seek Outside as well. I've been extremely pleased with my Evolution. I sold a Kifaru to get the SO. A buddy was a die-hard MR guy and he sold his Grizzly and now uses the Evo, as well. Neither of us regret the change.

I had a Badlands 2200. That thing is good for carrying jackets and knives, elk quarters not so much. I was able to get it off the mountain, but it kicked my butt. I do not recommend this for hauling large loads.

I have a Kuiu Icon Pro 3200 now, it is light and fits pretty good. It has an external frame that is carbon fiber and I can carry lots of items inside.
I have used it on a couple elk hunts. It has tons of great features, but I want something bigger.

If you want to do serious backpack hunting, you need to look at Kifaru. That is what I will be getting next month. Call and talk to them, they are very savvy to carrying loads that exceed what I want to try. They're pricey, but sounds like you've already figured that the best is gong to cost a little more.

Good luck.

Forget the Badlands stuff and 2200 cu.in.

Listen to Tanner, KC, Jordan, Brad (if he chimes in), Ed_T, and KevinT, as well as a few other dedicated western guys. They know this game and won't lead you astray.

Whatever you get, make damned sure it fits you well and make double damned sure to log a BUNCH of miles under it with a pretty good amount of weight on board over as uneven a terrain as you can LONG before heading after mulies or elk.

Badlands are horrible packs to be quite frank...

kifaru or exo mountain would be where I'd set my sights.

Ya right. That's crazy talk.

Just admit it. You had a problem. Good thing I held that MR intervention for ya

I need to try one of those Seeks and see what the heck. I can't see me switching from what I'm using anytime soon, but it's nice to know! They certainly look like a quality Ruck.

Kifaru for me. The thing I like is that I have the duplex frame, and can switch bags. Myself and a few of my buddies are already on bag #2 for our duplex frames. And it wasn't from lack of use!

Seek Outside

They are quality. CFVA used one to haul some good-sized loads this fall and said it was comfortable. I have one too and like it up to about 45 lbs but for whatever reason, with heavy loads I like the Kifaru better, guess it fits me better with the beefier hip pad.

Yep, fit is everything when comparing the top brands. With my body shape, the full-wrap belt fits me so much better than the lumbar pad style that the Kifaru Duplex uses.

I've hauled out many many elk quarters with my old BL 2200 and it does this fine actually....though it leaves little room for clothes and other items which is why I now own a J107m

Put me in the Kifaru and SG camp, as well. I prefer Kifaru by a little bit, but could use the SG for a long time and not complain.

I have used Kifaru, seek outside, stone glacier, and Mystery Ranch. They are all great and would have no problem using any of them. Though mystery ranch packs are needlessly heavy and the last I would choose.

The waterproof fabric the seekoutside packs are made out of it pretty darn nice for extremely wet environments or packrafting.

The Kifaru EMR 2 is my preferred setup as it can be a day pack or haul super huge awkward loads though is a tad on the heavy side.

I feel Stone glacier has best balances the feature to weight ratio and could see me using one again.

Hope that helps.

Ordered with 4" extensions the Unaweep frame is 28" tall and can easily fit 23-4" torsos with the proper adjustments. If you buy one in Multicam, Olive, or Slate and legit spoke an animal because the fabric was too loud I'll buy you a beer.

Cheers,
Dave @ Seek Outside

I have an outdoorsmans optic hunter and you don't see too many people using them, but I love mine. It has done everything I expected of it and more. I am planning on getting one of their long range bags for it in the near future, as both will work on the same frame. I really like the external frame that is a little flexible, it rides really nice, even packing out bone in moose quarters.

I'm not sure exactly what my torso measures, but i'm 6'3" so fair to say it's not too short.

So I bought a Unaweep 4800 with the 4" frame extensions. I kept cutting a little bit off the extensions until I got it right for me. Ended up with about 2.25" extensions.

The frame is plenty high to get the pack up off my hips, and get a good geometry to use the load lifters.

The most I have carried is about 60 lbs, and that carried well, even with past L4/5 disc surgery.

Here's a couple pics to give an idea how it carries,

I would look a Kifaru also very comfortble and lots of options with the different bags, I have a Mountain Rambler with the load sling and works great for packing quarters or boned meat!

Huh. You misremember... It was me who held a intervention for you... Pretty sure you tried on a certain pack and had made a switch by the following sheep season... Which shows what a smart and open minded fella you are. 😜

First, pack fit is so individual. What one guy loves, will leave another with bleeding hips. But lLots of great choices out there these days. Great time to be a backpacker. That said...

I've been fortunate enough to own or use most of the big name hunting and mountaineering packs. Except Stone Glacier, gotta try one of those...

99.9% of my under pack miles the last few years have been with a Seek Outside Evolution. It's just so versatile and light, my other packs rarely see the light of day. Carries weight awesome, while being so light it's not worth carrying something else, likely less capable, as a day pack. Seems like way back when I was fortunate to demo a preproduction Evolution... I've made 3 big pack purchases since then, all SO packs. No regrets.

Best of luck finding the best pack for you!

I had to hogtie you to get that Grizzly off your back. Thank me later

Put me in the SG column. Nothing unnecessary and its built to carry a lot. I started with one of the only military surplus wooden packframes to a Kelty external frame to a Lowe Alpine Contour iV which I used for many years. I then shifted to K2 Longbed and I hunted that for a long time then I searched and tried many. I got to Kurt's SKY 7400 and I am home. If anything I probably will buy another one just to make sure that they last me for a while.

For multi day trips I use an older Arcteryx Bora 80. For me, it has great suspension and bag.
You can find them barely used for $100 - $150.

Used a Seek Outside Unaweep 4800 for a 57 mile trip this summer and it performed flawlessly.

Money well spent.

I get a lot of use out of an early-90s vintage Dana Designs Alpine, bought on craigslist for $50. It squeezes down to a good compact size, and will tote some serious mail. Once, out of sheer curiosity and opportunity, I filled it from stem to stern, collar extended, with loose moose meat. With that weight (advertised pack volume 6000ci, well north of 150#) it was more than a bit noodly, but with some heavy cinching and a herculean standing effort from the solo turtled strap-in, I carried it the flat 1/4 mile to the creek. The side pockets, compression straps, and beavertail allow multiple options for strapping on a rifle or Beverly hillbillying bows and drybags of clothes and such. There are better options for one-tripping a deer/sheep plus camp, (camp weight, limited as it may be, pushes the dana arcflex internals over the edge a bit) but this will do it. A dana external does it better.

If you are hellbent on spending half a thousand for a lesser pack, then this approach will surely disappoint. I do grant that I blew probably $1 of potential garage sale earnings spraying various leftover drab krylon on my pack to dull the bright green color. Keep the krylon off the compression straps - they get a little stiff and tough to cinch when painted...

If you want to one-trip a good deer or sheep plus camp, and you bring all of the meat out instead of capping meat poundage at 60lbs and claiming the rest lost to bloodshot or lazy boning, then some trials with some heavy haulers of repute are in order. That means full framed SG, Kifaru, MR, and possibly others of the rocky mountain boutique packs mentioned in this thread. I use an old dana external for those times when it's not practical to 2-trip the packout for whatever reason. I have a kifaru bikini in hand but don't have a suitable bag for it yet. We'll try that one next season, possibly.

Still fantastic packs! Especially at that price. Miles ahead of the ILBE.

Im gonna have to chime in and say that my Arcteryx Bora 80 is still the best heavy load pack Ive ever owned. Im 6' 220 pounds and have carried 80 pound loads miles and miles comfortably. I have had Kifarus, badlands, Eberles, and Mystery Ranch. I keep going back to my Bora for big load trips.

My Dana Designs Astraplane is still the best monster pack I've used.......

Casey

After using a heavy bombproof Blacks Creek Canadian for years I was able to try all the above mentioned packs at the Western Outdoor Expo on the same day. I went with a Stone Glacier 6900. It just fit me best. used it to pack out 2 elk and a deer last fall. One elk was on a multi day back pack hunt and the others were on day hunts in the smaller mode. Nothing but good to say about SG.

Outdoorsmans Optis Hunter is about as adjustable as it gets. Added a Kuiu 3K bag for light trips. Can't complain.

im also looking for a larger day pack. Used the Just 1 last year and it was ok but heavy. Been looking at the MR Cabinet but the Seek unaweep 4800 has peeked my interest.

Would it be capable of hauling and elk quarter or even a boned out mule deer?

Thanks in advance for any information that would help with my decision.

Springcove

I have carried more elk in a Unaweep 4800 than any of the others we offer. I've also done a full boned out deer 7.5 miles off trail , off route, sometimes uphill, sometimes ducking under oak brush and going down one cliff band (yes that sucked) . So the short answer is yes it will do fine. Let us know if we can help.

Thanks
Kevin

Get the Unaweep and quit the mental gymnastics.

Rock on brother.

Thanks for the recommendation. Will be making my order soon.

Springcove

I used the Kuiu Icon 3200 last year with zero complaints

Another vote for SO here.

HD

Kifaru Duplex Hunting Frame. Buy different bags for different jobs. You'll never look back.

Not sure if this helps, but I went with the Slumber Jack Rail Hauler 2500 and I m very pleased with it. I shopped around a lot for a good deal. I only paid $119 for it.

I day hunt almost exclusively and the solid frame lets me haul a full deer out in one trip. Its a very compact frame not like your standard frame pack at all. It also came with a nice 2500 cu in roll top bag that I can stow my stuff in and it stays out of the way. Its anodized aluminum is quite light and sturdy.

Plenty of attachment point as well. for PALS/Molle

Cheers