Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Is black a bad color for a backcountry backpack?

I have a coyote brown pack that is a little small. I have the opportunity to get a good deal on a larger 80 liter pack that I know will be big enough for 3-4 day backcountry hunts and capable of hauling out elk quarters. One potential downside of the larger pack is that it is black.

Do you think color matters for a pack? If so, is black a poor choice?

This will be used for rifle hunting, not archery.

It doesn't matter...

Just your chocolate might melt faster.. grin ..

It's ok....assuming you don't walk like a black bear.

I think black is more than acceptable. The woods are full of shadows. My spare pack is black and never felt visually compromised (is that a thing?) wearing it.

Black works for me though it Defintely seems to have a stigma in the outdoor world.

You could always break it up with some camo spray paints.

As GregW mentioned about melted chocolate, it could put my gorp at risk.

Are you talking about from a safety standpoint, ie. people thinking you're a black bear? From a standpoint of being noticable to critters?
I wouldn't be worried about either in the least bit. Throw a blaze orange pocket or some other accessory on there if you're worried about your safety or if your state requires orange that can be seen from 360*.

Chocolate is a no go in AZ before November...Grin .

As far as safety I'd take a black pack over a brown one any day. I had a black Kifaru pack, never seemed to be an issue. As far as an animal spotting you, if you're facing it, the pack isn't really visible.

Put some blaze orange tape on it to increase visibility, especially since you are going to use it during rifle season.

Way back in the 70's, my Dad belonged to a hunting club, and several members were in Wyoming on a big game hunt. One guy kills a deer, and goes back to camp for help hauling it out. In the meantime, the guide finds the kill and starts to work on it. When the guys are a couple hundred yards away, they spot a 'black bear' leaning over the kill, and one of them shoots it.

It turned out to be the guide, who was wearing black pants and black jacket.

About 30 years ago, during Colorado elk season, a 'hunter' shot a horse, and, if I recall, the guide was sitting on top of the horse.

I wasn't so much concern about safety, as much as I was standing out like a sore thumb on the side of the mountain and being visible to animals.

That's crazy! I guess its always a good idea to throw on some blaze orange.

Personally, I don't think black is a good choice. While I do not know how black appears to animals - whether it looks out of place or not - I can tell you that black is incredibly obvious when you're out in the field. I was in the field once and I was a fair ways away from a river, but I spotted a patch of black and I wondered if it was a Turkey Vulture b/c I couldn't think of anything else that was big and black in that particular area. As I got closer I became more confused as to what it was. Finally, I determined it was an exceptionally black man with a large 'fro sitting on a bucket fishing.

The point is that the color black is an unnatural color in many areas and definitely stands out.

As for as the morons out there that will shoot something that turns out to be a person, I have never understood how someone can pull the trigger without first determining what it is that they're about to destroy. You never know what some jackass is going to do out in the woods and IMO it's better to avoid putting yourself in such a position.

Pics?

No, but I can show you something else. Hang on, I need my wide-angle lens.

My dad told me a story just about like the black bear story. 40-50 years ago he was hunting elk in wy. A couple hunters in the group were brothers and a herd of elk crossed the road in front of them in the timber. One brother jumped out and said he was going to run down the herd. He took off after the tracks in the snow and shot a bull. Not legal but guess he continued after the herd to get another. Never caught up a second time. When he went back to go take care of his first bull that went down that he never walked all the way up to it started to stand up so he shot it again. Turns out it was his brother in khaki pants bent over to starting gutting his brothers bull. Khaki pans looked like a bulls rump... So goes to show no color is safe if shooter is not safe...

Was his name, Jake? from State Farm?

Black absorbs a lot of heat. If that doesn't matter, I don't see a problem. I always have on visible orange, even when bird hunting in the early fall. I prefer packs that I can see from a distance if I drop it and run, such as a during a shot that quickly turns into a rodeo, so red is good. My favorite pack is a frame pack in red, but it is big and heavy, and I don't wear it as much as I used to.

I don't think trying to steer your gear around stupid is going to help much. Stupid just finds a way.

I bring a light weight black fleece hooded jacket bow hunting for bears. When I see a bear, I throw on the black fleece and crouch to approach bear. Of course wind has to be correct. I won't do this in heavily hunted areas obviously.