Is there any gathering, or outdoor expo, or store, or something, where all these packs are lined up - Kifaru, Stone Glacier, Dana, Osprey, Arcteryx, Kuiu, MR etc etc, with 100 lbs in them and at least a 1/2 mile loop trail set up over varying terrain, and people can walk up and try them out?
If not, why not!?!?
Becuase these packs make up a tiny fraction of the packs sold overall and even finding those in one place is difficult.
Backpackers might buy a new pack every couple of years, or every year for heavy backpackers. Hunters normally keep a pack for a long time. The market is small.
95% or more of the hunting population doesn't need a good backpack. They either load them whole, or are so close to the vehicle, a half mile hump isn't going to matter. It might look cool to have a nice backpack. I saw a thread on the bowsite of a guy with crampons walking through a slushy snowbank on an August coastal mountain goat hunt. Funny stuff, but at least he had some sweet gear.
I just used a calculator and found that I humped over 800 pounds of dead animals this year in a Mystery Ranch backpack, distances of 2 miles to 14 miles. I've been tired and beat, but never sore back or shoulders. If I thought something would work better for me, I'd probably use it. Brad, I want to borrow your bora to see if I like it.
