Kurt loaned me his demo Terminus (6000 cu in model) for a recent Wyoming elk hunt. This wasn't a true backpack hunt, as we were staying in a house, getting up early, and hiking in several miles by headlamp each day, then getting back home to sleep in a warm bed (and have a cold beer).
But, we figured it would be a pretty good test of the pack as we'd have a chance to load it heavy, and, with three of us hunting, a good chance to get multiple users' feedback and comparison on the Terminus. Fortunately, all of us are approximately the same height and build (6'0" and 180#-ish), so we were able to swap packs around without much adjustment of suspension systems, even during a single carry.
Over seven hunting days, we killed and carried three elk; one mature cow, one raghorn bull, and one yearling cow. All animals were at least four miles from the truck and each involved an elevation gain of right around 3000' vertical.
We used four packs over the course of the trip, a Mystery Ranch NICE frame with 7500 cu in bag, a 2005-vintage Mystery Ranch G6000, and an original DANA Terraplane, plus the Terminus.
One of the three of us was in the processs of rehabbing a torn MCL (backcountry skiing), so the other two ended up carrying a bit heavy to compensate, and, after his kill, he stopped hunting and left just two of us to carry.
The lightest load carried in the Terminus was both front quarters plus backstraps and trim meat from the mature cow, which along with personal gear and rifle totalled approximately 85# on the bathroom scale once we got it home.
Since there were two of us on the carry on the raghorn bull, we ended up a bit heavier. Each load consisted of a hind and a front quarter, plus roughly half of the backstraps, tenders, and trim, plus personal gear. This load in the Terminus was right at 105# according to the bathroom scale, while the MR NICE/7500 combo ended up with a bit more at about 113#.
The final carry on the yearling cow again put the Terminus at about 98#, as I deliberately loaded both hinds, plus backstraps, tenders, and personal gear to give it one last workout.
During the last two carries, I loaded a hind quarter on the load shelf, with a front going into the pack bag along with trim meat and gear. So, even in a situation where one might be day hunting, the Terminus is a pretty good platform with the capability to get a lot of meat moved in a single trip.
The overall consensus was that with loads between 85-100#, the Terminus carried as well or better than both the Terraplane and the G-6000, but not quite as well as the NICE frame/7500 combo, even with loads between 85-100#. But, for 5+# pounds, I'm willing to make the tradeoff.
There were a couple things that the pack could use. First, water bottle pockets would be convenient and allow one to lash a rifle to the pack for a trip out. Second, a shelf inside the bag would let you get a heavy load to ride a bit higher.
If you are in the Anchorage area -or the Mat-su, and want to take the pack out for a test run, drop me a pm.
Last edited by TDL; 11/08/12. Reason: clarification
