Which pack and why.......will be hunting Alaska next season and need a good pack. This will be my first pack in and hunt in Alaska. Thanks in advance.

I've not used the Badlands frame, but I've looked at them and thought you couldn't give me one of these things to use. I've carried various Cabelas's packs over the years and never wanted to buy one afterward. If the load isn't too heavy (50-75 pounds) it might work okay. I'd much rather go with a better pack and save some heartache from the beginning.

Barney's

I have bought 2 of cabelas packs and while they worked, they left a lot to be desired. I would take a hard look at an Outdoorsmans pack. I have an optic hunter and it is amazing. It is a lot lighter than a barneys pack and it rides a lot like an internal but it has an external frame.

hunting pard, has a Barney's used it for years while guiding, he also ran the Kifaru Longhunter (?) for a brief period, but didn't think it hauled heavy weight as well.

but these days he uses external frame Cabela's outfitter/guide some such name

the pack bag velcros onto the frame, so you can carry your stuff and if you get an animal, you just drop the bag and use the shelf and handy little straps and load carrier to put your meat in there and keep on trucking.

not too terribly expensive, and he swears by that system. the old boy has the experience to know what works and doesn't

granted it's an external, vs. the internal you mentioned

and in that light, if I'm hauling meat, I take my Barney's and leave the Mystery ranch, the McHale etc. behind

if you're sold on an internal by all means have one, but for some of us guys that have packed a lot of meat out, a good portion of us still prefer externals for that chore.

What he said...

You guys are fantastic will do my research on each and everyone you guys mentioned as per the Barney which model external and internal?

Pinnacle is the big Barney's, and is an external. Not cheap, but worth the money.

Kind of depends on what you are doing. Are you looking for a daypack to hunt out of camp or a pack large and tough enough to pack in 10 days worth of camp gear and food?

Basically looking for a pack to hunt out off, carry a rifle, food, and meat from game harvest. 3 of us will be dropped of via airplane and roughing it approx. a 5 day hunt.. Thanks cwk2 for the information!!!!!

I think the pinnacle is somewhere north of $600 now. They are a great pack, and hold up to a lot of use, but that is a lot of money for a pack if you are not going to use it often.

If you don't have a recurring use for an 8000ci pack, I'd look into the Dana external frames. You can get them for under $200, and they are a hell of a pack.

If it will only get used once I would still suggest the Barney's and trip if after the trip... There is no substitute for a real pack if moose is involved...

There's no subsitute for Sherpa if a moose in involved.

That's the name of my next horse!

Nothing hauls a moose better than a wheeler or sxs.

Depends where you are.

If I shoot a moose, you can bet your bottom dollar I can get a wheeler to it, unless i'm float hunting.

True. And the shoulder padding on the Barney's pack is worth a lot of money at certain points. But there are other solid options out there too.

See Vek's picture in the "self inflicted GSW to the foot" thread... I believe that's a Dana frame. Of course, he's packing a sheep quarter, but its a BIG sheep quarter!

Barneys hands down. Check out the youtube video of the guy strapping his secretary to a Barney's pack and walking around the office with her on his back.

Would depend on the floor and the secretary... But still hard to imagine an office floor and a secretary to match a moose swamp...

Saw the thread... Have not seen an option I would really consider solid... But for the "nuts" shot I really miss my old Barney's Freighter pack...

That was a tragedy.

I'll probably grab a Dana shortly, as my camp trails loaner/training pack is pretty much wore out. I'll let you test drive it if I get one.

I can't compete with the secretary, but... When I got the Stone Glacier Demo pack, the first thing I strapped into it was the wife.





Sorry for the terrible pics, that is a surprisingly difficult event to photograph.

I'm liking the Barney's, looks to be a pretty good pack!

The Stone Glacier is looking pretty interesting as well!

Barney's is a great pack. I've tried several internal frame packs and haven't found anything close to it when hauling a load of 125+ pounds. Internals can be more comfortable, they ought to be lighter and most are, but I've not seen one that I'd trade my Barney's for when packing heavy loads. If I was buying one pack and moose are a possibility then I'd go Barney's period. If moose are unlikely then there are other options nearly as good for hauling loads and they may be more comfortable in the bargain.........

Moose WILL be involved, actually that's the reason why I'm headed that way to hunt, along with Caribou and possibly a bear.

Who you flying out with and what unit you going to?

Heck, buy a new Barney's pinnacle and I'll buy it from you after your hunt. My pinnacle bag is needing to be replaced.

ime moose quarters ain't the only heavy loads,


hauling sheep out, and even bou if the pack is far enough and you load it up with meat

and a bear hide on a really nice bear, that's a butt busting load too ime

dang near anything but bird hunting and I'd just about as soon have a pack that designed to carry heavy loads

cause my old carcass sure ain't designed for it

lol, great stuff cwh2!


you can always tell her "honey if you put on much weight yaknow I'll have to quarter you before I pack you"


then duck

My brother is in the AirForce there that has a friend thats flying us in, as per the unit I want to say 23....will hold you to the buying of the Pinnacle if I decide to go that way!!

Unless you are a backpacker in real life, get the Barney's or the Dana external frame. If you are a backpacker in real life- and are going to spend any real amount of time and distance carrying 45-85lb loads- get an old Dana design internal frame in the overkill series(ie teraplane overkill) or mystery ranch. The only world where an external frame is superior is plus 90 or 100 lbs. when you strap 100 plus lbs on your back you are going to be unhappy in your pack- no matter what it is. With an external frame you are less likely to injure yourself with a load of that size- but it wont be comfortable. Below that 90lb mark there are plenty of internal frames that will absolutely blow the doors off any external frame.

I carry an internal frame- because I want to be comfortable while I can, and it does a whole lot more jobs in my life than haul moose quarters- and it's either a Dana or an MR because they are the only ones out there durable enough to perform moose sized tasks.

The only comfortable pack with a moose hind quarter in it is the one someone else is carrying for you...

and in that light, I did notice that your Barney's pack was way way more comfortable than my MR for all but one load last go round, hahaha. Switching out packs for a load left me with a certainty that the only attributes that really matter are durability and familiarity if either you or the rest of the equpiment lack durability, moose packing will reveal the shortage. If you lack familiarity with your pack- you are screwed, done dealing, and may as well pack the thing out in a duffle or suitcase. Learn how to wear your new pack, not like "oh, I've been backpacking all my life, I know how to adjust it" but more along the lines of go do a couple trips in it. Sorry I got off the subject of the packs you specifically asked about.

Good advice is never OT.

Will research the Dana's......thanks so much!