Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Pack and Boots for Alaskan Dall Sheep Hunt

In any given model year, the dana frames are identical to others in that year. Early danas had a "jog" at the bottom of the frame. I can tell you from firsthand experience that the jog can bend/crimp if you slip on a steep downslope with a big load...

You want the later one with no jog. Hate to tell you Wes, but knowing what I know now after owning everything but a shortbed at one time or another, the shortbed would've been my first pick!

They all work fine. Later longbeds have the waistbelt harness sewn into the packbag, so the bag cannot be removed for the purpose of saving weight. It can be broken down and rolled/wadded up down by the waistbelt.

Thanks for the Dana info guys. His frame sounds a lot like the old Alpenlite, except that frame had a curve at the bottom of the AL tubing.

For what it's worth...
Here are some pics of a Kelty Cache Hauler.
I've been quite happy with this frame.
It is quite adjustable and is comfortable for me to carry.


Packing in (Kelty on right side). My buddy had a no-name external and had a rough hike.



Loaded for the trip home. I don't use a pack bag. The tarp is part of my shelter system. All gear goes in zip locks and the zip locks go in UL dry sacks that get stacked up then wrapped and strapped to the frame.



2009 Loaded with boned quarter, head, and full shoulder cape. I added a few more straps to the setup last year as the meat slid down a bit onto the cargo shelf and didn't stay quite where I wanted.

I've used a Mystery Ranch G7000 on two successful Dall sheep hunts and an alpine bear hunt. During both sheep hunts both my partner and I were successful, thus the weights were a bit "unruly" at times. He carries a Barney's pack, me the G7000. Here are the packs fully-loaded with an entire boned out sheep, cape, horns, and gear (~130lbs each).



If you decide you want a G7000, let me know; I may be willing to cut you a good deal on mine. Sure, it's used and has had sheep blood on it, but it is a Mystery Ranch...it is barely broken in!

From what I know of pack history, those Gold Wands are taken from the internal frame developments. If you adjust a pack in the correct order (yeah, there sort of is one), those side load shifters can make a huge difference in comfort. Dana uses rectangular carbon fiber bars running the length of the internal ArcFlexs. Osprey used a big Delrin horseshoe rod for their internals. Arcteryx has a 3rd and 4th stays with similar philosophy in mind.

Someone asked why Dana is so different than Kelty. This is one big reason why. Do the Barney's have anything like this? Their website sucks for information and viewing the packs. Anyone know of a video review of their pack(s) or a place to get several different angles of the frame and pack bodies? I'd love to know more about them.

I believe some survival schools (non-militia types) exercise with tarps acting like pack bodies and then using the compression straps as the harness system. You have the advantage of having a frame as a foundation. Great idea. I like the minimalism of it all. I reckon I like gear too much, or rather more than I appreciate minimalism.

UL Hikers have been at this for a while:'

http://www.moonbowgear.com/1trailgear/1Custom%20packs/Gearskins/gearskin.html

I've not tried it, but it looks like a MR Load Sling on a packframe would work out just fine.

The moonbow was partly the inspiration though I'd already tried sorting out how to drop the 5lbs of bag that was a pain to pack. Nothing fits quite right, it's a pain to access anything...

Now each dry sack I use has specific gear in it and is just the right size for that gear (cold weather, food, camp items/personals). I also use bags within bags. Each days meals are ziplocked so I can just grab and go. All personals are in another small sack etc, main fire kit in a sack, socks in a ziplock, so I can empty and repack a drysack without loosing anything.

My sleeping pad and bag get wrapped up like the moonbow making a sort of burrito, then the dry sacks are stacked lightest on the bottom heaviest on the top. Any tools (axe, saw) go closest to my back. Then the ends folded up and the whole thing strapped down.

When I get to camp I just unstrap and unfold. The tarp wrapping things up is the ground cloth while my canopy is the first thing off the pack. I can have it spread out and up in short order. Now all gear and the pack are protected from the elements and the stove can go together in relative comfort.

The only improvement I need to make is to get metal buckles or cams because the nylon/plastic ones on the straps have been breaking. I had some spares with me because of that.

--thumper338

You absolutely will not go wrong with a pair of Canadas by Meindl for your boots.

Meindl Alaska Hunter boots and Kenetrek hunter gaiters

Thumper, just man up and throw a diamond hitch over that load. All of your strap problems will go away, and you'll have by far the classiest load out on the trail.

Does anybody have any experience with Gregory packs for this kind of hunt you could share?

Denali Guide is great up to 80lbs then it starts having issues.

Osprey 110 Argon or the Archteryx Bora 95 are liked for internals.

Gregory thus wouldn't be bad with an assistant guide.

An interesting pack for your situation if you don't want an external but want a decent pack is the Lowe Expedition 85 + 15 that is made from Dyneema. It is basically an old Contour iv but with dyneema grid cloth and weighs about 4lbs. They run at about 350. This is a steal at this price and when people figure out what they really are they could be best Lowe offering in years. Problem is that they aren't selling and you might be able to snag one for considerably less.
You can haul the gun on the side or attach a kifaru gunbearer and still have enough capacity for a guided hunt/internal frame/ space for stuff and yet its light.

You can also look at the Kifaru internal frame packs. I think that they have been mentioned. I am just throwing you an interesting curve ball.

I also also looking at Meindl boots. I have two pairs of meindls that are from Germany. They are different from what cabelas sells no matter what people tell you.
Meindl has a product called the absolute Perfeckt. It is triple stitched and yet looks very good. I don't know where you could find one outside of AB Brooks but dang that looks like a straight up boot. A bit heavy and maybe some breakin time but you could where them almost to hell.

I presently run Hanwag GTX trappers and they are great. They took the glacial morraine and keep on smiling. I have regular feet and the hanwags fit fine without much for breakin.

Many people are crowing about the La Sportiva boots. Those red ones. I think that people with more narrow feet like these because they are very light and yet good.

I am just throwing out options for you.

Sincerely,
Thomas

That's mirrors my opinion as well...

Kaboku, I've looked at that Lowe pack with interest, but so far have only seen it on Lowe's website. Couldn't find a place that actually sold it. Where have you seen it for sale?

Beaver Sports up here in Fairbanks.

I have seen them for sale on other hiking websites usually marked down considerably. I think that they probably will discontinue them.

I have several contour ivs and Dana Design packs. However, I may spring for another Lowe Expedition because of the light weight and dyneema.

Sincerely,
Thomas

Barney's Pinnacle pack. I have a Kifaru Longhunter that I used on a Dall Sheep hunt and while an internal is more stable for me when side-hilling nothing compares to the comfort of my Barney's (which I promptly bought after the hunt). I'd like to give Mystery Ranch a ride one day because they get good reviews too.

I don't think that pack is full dyneema, it just has the dyneema grid, the body of the fabric is nylon, I think. The Gregory Pro (Makalu and Denali) have been made (in the US) of this for years. Apart from the old white Keltys with the yellow webbing, I'm not aware of any full dyneema packs besides the McHale.

There's no such thing as an inexpensive, NEW full Dyneema pack. The material is ridiculously expensive (same with silnylon), and it is a pain to sew. I'm surprised the price hasn't come down, but it seems like Gore-Tex, it just will not.

There's no such thing as an inexpensive, NEW full Dyneema pack. The material is ridiculously expensive (same with silnylon), and it is a pain to sew. I'm surprised the price hasn't come down, but it seems like Gore-Tex, it just will not.