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What pack do you guys use? I've looked at the Sitka models, Badlands, ect.

What kind of pack would you use on a 3 day elk hunt in the mountains?


Anyone use milsurp frame packs?

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None of us can agree on what's best. Something from Kifaru or Mystery Ranch is hardly a bad choice and a good place to start. The no longer produced Dana Flatbed frame packs have a loyal following and the used prices are starting to reflect this. Hill People Gear is, hopefully, going to have something similar available before next year's hunting season.

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You have entered a more dangerous zone than Remington SUCKs vs. Kimber Roulette vs. carry a big pig Marlin 45-70 lever action.

Most of us have 5-20 backpacks.
From ones found in dumpsters/lost and found to custom bespoke McHale packs that cost 2000.00.

I will tell you some things.

Stay away from a pack made in a foreign country unless it has been on the market for more than 10 years.

Old School Rules. A K2 Longbed from Ebay is going to be better than a Badlands/Eberlestock from Cabelas.

The president of Sitka gear was not using a Sitka model backpack on his backpack sheep hunt.

Stone Glacier($600+) vs. Kifaru Bikini Duplex T1($700+) right now is the emerging tech domestically made packs of choice right now.

A lot of people will tell you that a Barney's Pinnacle Hunter for about ($700) will be the last pack you will buy.

I have many Dana Design K2 Longbeds. They work great and are durable. I also have many other systems but not Kifaru/Stone Glacier yet. They are pretty spendy.

Do not buy Tenzing they are still working out kinks. Designs are good but zippers are not up to snuff yet. I used a TZ6000 this last season and it was ok. And perhaps carried pretty well but two zippers went south on me on first trip. This is inexcusable.
I have heard zippers going south on enough of them that it wasn't just me.

I have several Gregory and Lowe Alpine backpacking packs and they don't cut it with weight. I have heard that the big Ospreys are better. However, the more I get into this stuff the more I would say.

Get a good Kelty Cache Hauler. Get two large Silnylon Drybags 50L. Get some small bungie type cords. Bungie the drybags on the cache hauler and get used to carrying lots of weight both up and done hills. When you are carrying 80-100 lbs for 1 hour workouts then understand that a big packout could be 20-30 miles with 120lbs. You won't have that with your elk hunt but you will be getting ready to get into big country and you can use a window mount tripod for your spotter. Just lash it onto your packframe.

Marines have a decent pack made by Arcteryx. It probably would work for you as would a Just One Pack by Eberlestock. I have seen far too many Eberlestocks give up the ghost to recommend them for deep country. I experimented with the Eberlestock rifle scabbard on my K2 Longbed and I found that it would not hold the rifle and the seam separated down at the bottom near the crown of the barrel. I wouldn't recommend it. It was nifty idea but in reality it just can't handle abuse.

The Badlands Ox is a decent concept but I just feel that it doesn't have the ventilation that the other solutions I have mentioned have. It might be that I haven't tried one in the mountains yet.

Bullpacks look good but they are heavy. You start going towards an 11lb pack and that defeats the whole purpose.

So in the end I would advise you to find either a good Camptrails Freight frame pack or a Kelty Cache hauler and start from there.

Good boots that fit your feet are more important than spending thousands on packs. The other thing I would advise is that you can find lightweight solutions that aren't fancy but good but you have to be willing to be a bit miserable. Don't worry. We have all been miserable one time or another on the mountain.

Don't let not having very expensive gear keep you from spending as much time as you can in the Mountains. Your energy will more than make up for expensive gear.

Sincerely,
Thomas

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I've hunted out of Mystery Ranch most, flip between that and a McHale, both are way more pack than I merit. I've torn up an Osprey in rhododendron thickets here in Georgia, and seen an Arcteryx Bora tear up under a load in e sheep mountains.. Never used an external. I'm gonna give the Kuiu a try, just because. I've had several Kifaru packs and they are in the top tier, just haven't found the right one for me yet, AND their wait time exceeds my attention span.
I don't even pretend to imagine how you guys get an elk off the mountain. Half (the lighter half) of a sheep is all I have ever managed.
10-4 on the boots being a primary concern!
Lastly, if the lack of a backpack is keeping you home, give me a call.
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Well there you go!


Gloria In Excelsis Deo!

Originally Posted by Calvin
As far as gear goes.. The poorer (or cheaper) you are, the tougher you need to be.


gpopecustomknives.com


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I hear you on the boots. Right now Im using North Face Ballards (got a great deal on them) and really like them so far. Have a few miles in them chasing birds this season. They handle tough terrain, and are super comfy.


Looks like i'll just have to figure out what works for me. And honestly the cheaper the better...(i.e. used lol)

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I have the Stone Glacier Solo.

I hunt elk in the river breaks of North Idaho.

Boots and traction devices should be your #1 concern. Not just getting from point A to point B without any blisters, twisted or broken ankles, but STAYING on your feet for the trip, because the risk of taking even one spill can ruin your whole hunting season.

Look at really good boots and traction aids, either slip on spikes or full on corks and trekking poles.

Yes a pack is important and comes second on the list.

This is my take on the current pack picks.

A. All out lightweight no frills and no BS - Stone Glacier

B. Full featured add on extras and willing to take on the extra weight to get them - Kifaru

C. Cheap light on the budget and no extra money, the Marine Corps ILBE pack from Ebay.

D. Money is no object I want the best I can get - McHale.

Yes I had Mystery Ranch packs, they need to ditch the NICE frame and catch up to the market.


"Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe."
- Abraham Lincoln, the Rail Splitter from Illinois.
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For a 3 day trip you don't need to go too overboard. About any 4000ci internal will do , don't over complicate a bologna sandwich. All the kit in the world won't matter as much as your physical condition a good pair of boots and good glass. 20 years in north Idaho and here in Alaska that's all I have learned.

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Many different opinions, as well as differing levels of field experience and areas/types of use. The comments by "Kabok68" are well worth serious consideration and he makes points that are "true".

I have carried a wide variety of packs for 56.5 years, all over British Columbia, a lot of Alberta and a bit elsewhere in northern and eastern Canada. Much of this was for employment purposes and involved very heavy loads and some was long, solo trips in the remote wilderness of nothern BC.

I also worked in the gear industry and have owned most of the "highend" packs available from Euro., Canadian and American makers since the early '60s. I have some fairly definite opinions on quality control, customer service and durability where the current crop of packs is concerned.

First, you do NOT "need" a costly "state of the art" super pack to enjoy and succeed at backpack hunting, a Kelty Cache Hauler, Camp Trails Freighter, K-2 Dana Designs Shortbed or similar and often USED pack can get you started and may well meet your needs in total for many years.

I have two K2-Dana frame packs, one a Shortbed and also a Longbed Loadmaster and another Shortbed on the way here from California, all in mint shape and I actually prefer these, for most hunting over any of the several other highend packs I now own.

MY choices are, based on the absolutely critical factor of:

Fit-this MUST be right and is the primary consideration, as with footwear.

Quality of build and customer service-NOBODY I have ever dealt with comes even close to Mystery Ranch in this crucial area. Their packs are "heavy", I have now owned about 15 of them and my oldest is from 1978, still rocksolid and built as well as ANY custom pack I have seen.

Of all the "big name" US packs, Dana Design-Bozeman and the EARLY K2 packs built under Dana's supervision, plus the Mystery Ranch models from Bozeman, are THE BEST I have ever seen/used. Their customer service is legendary and IF one of their models in the size range you want will fit you, this is THE pack to buy and it will last decades, as mine have.

BEST pack, IF, you want an internal, it will cost a bundle, but, Dan McHale makes packs that nobody else has ever equaled, IMHO and while my experience with them is a fraction of that with DD-MR packs, Dan is THE man, if you have to have the ultimate.

Take your time, try out as many packs as possible, loaded with weights, I use sandbags,old concrete blocks wrapped in old towels fastened with duct tape and I would definitely speak with Evan Hill about the new pack they are now developing....his products, manner and gear knowledge impress me and he may well end up offering the "best" pack for hunters that most can afford.

There are, btw, usually good deals on barely used packs on the backpacking forums, the information-rich Kifaru.net forum-and here I have to compliment owner Patrick Smith, one of the first "gurus"of hunting packs as he allows sale of competitor's packs on the site he pays for, which I find a pretty decent way for a business person to behave........

I have found fine deals on "as new" packs on some of the backpacking forums, on Kifaru of course and on Evan's forum site.so, you can set your budget and see what you can find, the search itself is part of the fun.

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To the OP... I am a relative newbie to the whole back pack hunting scene. I have no where near the experience that previous posters have. But, to reiterate a couple things from above that have helped my learning curve:

1) Trekking poles make a big difference. Both in load carrying ability (less fatigue) and in traction/stability. I am 55 y.o. I had much less issue with side hilling and creek crossings in Colorado this year while using trekking poles than my younger compatriots without.

2) Test out your boots, with a weighted pack (60lbs), going up hill and down hill. Especially steep downhill. Toe bump sucks. I had to go up a full size in boot length to ensure I did not have toe bump on steep down hill with a loaded pack. Without first hand experience, it would not seem that a 60lb pack would make a significant difference in boot fit for a 220lb man. But, it does. Much easier to sort out at home, than in the field.

Just my $0.02. I am still learning as well...



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I keep drooling over the Kifarus, Stone Glaciers, etc online. My sheep hunt last year was with a Bora 95, mostly because I got it free from a friend who's backpacking days are over. I plan on using it again this year (I'm cheap!). It worked well with a side access zipper and long pockets on the back for scope/tripod. The empty weight isn't too bad either. I cut off lots of extra straps, zipper pulls, etc.

My boots did get upgraded and I figure a little misery with a pack is ok for awhile, as long as my feet are good. I'll also get more use out of the boots for multiple activities. A hunting pack sees uses limited to backpack hunting.

A good pack/rain cover is a must for me. Works as an emergency shelter to curl up in. Keeps gear dry (especially by covering your pack overnight), and if large enough, even goes over your entire gun to keep it dry on the pack. It is also a very easy way to change the color/camo of your pack since those camo packs seem to be way more expensive.

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Kifaru LH and Barney's Freighter Frame with Pinnacle pack. McHale's intrigue me


"The days a man spends fishing or spends hunting should not be deducted from the time he's on earth. " Theodore Roosevelt

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I have a Kifaru Longhunter and Eberlestock J34 and like them both but for different reasons. The Kifaru has a bulletproof suspension system and carries weight comfortably. The J34 is just plain flexible with the ability to expand as needed. Both will carry more weight than I'm capable of handling.


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Once upon a time I was slogging one way with a dana terraframe, and met Kaboku68 slogging the other way with a dana longbed. The meeting point was at the very least a LONG and hazardous day's slog from the extraction airstrip, if not carrying an animal. At the rate I was moving, more like a 2-day walk.

A "3-day elk hunt in the mountains" can't likely occur too far from anything, so gear failure ain't going to ruin the hunt. On one of the multiple trips to the truck, fix your broken gear. Not so for where I saw Thomas. I've done that hunt four times with older dana packs. No question they work. I carry an extra waistbelt buckle, figuring that it's the only thing that could hamper a packout if it went. It hasn't gone yet.

If you want to fiddle-fart around with every new lightweight foo-foo boutique camo pack on the market, feel free to hand over the big dough and have at it. If you want a pack that works, ebay an older dana terraplane or external frame, doll it up with appropriately colored krylon if needed, spend your big money on optics, and train like a world-class rugby player.


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Well heres the deal. This coming season (2013) will be the first time I "backpack" hunt.

I plan on putting in for tags in wilderness areas (nat'l forest) in Wyoming (where i live). So honestly I can get as remote as I want to.

It will also be the first season I hunt with a Bow. So realistically I probably wont even be succesful (well until rifle season rolls around).

So right now, Im leaning towards a mil surplus pack (unless its ridiculously uncomfortable) because I dont want to throw down tons of cash on a boutique pack.

Thanks for all the advice. Im gonig to go the K.I.S.S. route.

P.S. Im young, in good shape already, but the cardio workouts have already begun. (plus it helps living at 6k ft year round)

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"Thanks for all the advice. Im gonig to go the K.I.S.S. route."

SMART

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After doing a little digging on ebay looks like I can pick up a USMC pack (designed by arcteryx i believe) for around $100 bucks.

Bam, theres my pack.

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I see no comments for or against the 2012 kuiu packs. Have been hoping to hear some results from those users this season. Ordered one to get a look-see. Love the bag, want to be sure about the frame and suspension before deciding to keep or send back.

Any first hand user feedback to contribute to the discussion?

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Just bought a usmc ilbe internal frame pack.

Now I gotta buy a bow lol.

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YMMV- Kuiu came a very long way this last year and it looks much improved from the older one. Problem is that it is at the same price point as Mystery Ranch, Kifaru, Stone Glacier and Barney's.

I will give you a test that I can tell you will show the difference between the old dinosaurs that many treasure(K2,Barneys,Some Keltys in there too.) Load up your Kuiu with 200lbs of 5-25lb plastic coated kmart weights. The type you can get for just gear testing. They are made of some type of cheap concrete. You can find a 200lb set at yard sales for free or some such. Load the pack and walk 2.5-3 miles on flat country and see if the pack will be able to take the abuse. This includes you taking many breaks after the first mile. It is just like packing a moose quarter-remember you can seriously hurt your knees so be careful. This isn't for testing your capabilities its just for testing the durability of the pack. Putting it on and taking it off. It will stress the seams the suspension and make everything creak. Aluminum cotter pins on the old packs can actually kind of explode and pop off like 22 shells.
Packs of the first stripe will take this abuse and smile back.
There is a reason that those Dana Design Terraplanes are still outthere. They are plain tough.

I watched the testing of the new improved Icon on Jason's forum but I noticed that the Kroneberger guides didn't have them instead they had barney's pinnacles.

Kifaru right now is leading the pack debates because of Aron and Rokslide. The picture of Aron and the Ku5200 with a goat in it sold a heck of a lot of packs. The Alaskans that have them seem to like them. They sell them in such a way that there are constant addons. Kind of like AR-15s with rails, lights, bells and whistles.

One thing that has happened is that many of the new pack producers put a lot of webbing on their packs. I notice that their users cut a bunch of them off.

Jerry-Vek- We both were hurting units on that glacier. My foot ended up having a broken 1st Metarsal and was completely smashed severe contusion that extended to my ankle. I limped around for more than a month after I got back. However, at the time I was optimistic and thought it was just a really bad rock bruise. I knew you guys had another two weeks and wasn't going to get in the way of that. I was really hoping that you guys would catch up with that big ram. I found out this fall that that valley is where Toney Oney shot his big sheep. He went up it a ways and caught them near the top-I guess that there is a little green bowl up there. I don't know how you could of got by the "guards" but I know that the old guy probably died. Nobody got anything in there this year-either Claus or three different parties that were dropped by Gary. He dropped off an extra because all three groups went 1-2 barbeque and headed for pickup.
My wife and I made a go for the Cathedrals and for the creeks behind the lower strip. There were goats there including 1 good billy and 2 adult mature billys that would have been freezer fare. However, the next day they(the goats) worked their way up into the back valley above a 80ft waterfall. We got up into there and my wife vetoed my climbing attempt by just telling me what the hell was she going to do if I climbed up there and fell and broke my azz.
We backed down and went up the next creek. This is the back door to the cathedrals and we got up there and couldn't find a full curl. Plenty of 3/4s(5yeos 1 was a pretty good looking guy) but now you got to shoot a full curl in that unit. We climbed back over the lateral morraine on the back of the airstrip and waited hoping the stupid goats would come back to where we could get them. They never did for three days. we weathered the great tropical blow and ended up bailing after 6 days. Gary is talking more and more about retirement. I think that I can convince my wife to go into the glacier this year. I bought her a custom 6.5X55 mexican mauser and will put Z3-3X-9 ultralight on it.

Book is still coming along.

I put in for some drawing tags but I probably will have Gary fly me in someplace.

Back to OP. I have watched one of the kids at school abuse the hell out of his Marine Pack. I have never been elk hunting so I don't know but it looks good.

I hope people who read this know one thing.
1) Boots come first(German, Norwegian or Italian) get the best most durable boot that fits your type of foot. Get it wet and walk in it until it is dry.

2) Get the best possible optics that you can afford. I read these magazine writers who say that all you need is a 10X30 bushnell or Nikon or something. Good for them. Outfitter probably scouted the living hell out of the whole area. Under those circumstances they probably are right but if you are going into country green without scouting get a very good pair of 10X40s minimum and sit and spot as much as you can. I have a pair of 8X43 HD Elite Bushnells that were probably the best binocular that Bushnell ever produced. I also have a pair of Zeiss Victory 10X42 T* that I bought on sale. You can find a heck of a lot more animals with the Zeiss than you can find with the Bushnells. Whenever you go and shop for optics do the dollar test. Take a 1$ bill and pin it 30 yards from optics counter. Which binoculars can you see the signature of the Secretary of the Treasury. Now which ones can you see the script for the secretary of the treasury. You will find the big name binos can do it. Now a lot of people are going to say that they don't have the cash to buy the top step Binos. But I can tell you that it will make a considerable difference in how many critters that you will see. They are worth it.

3) Packs are next.

4) Sleeping bags, tents and stoves- All creature comforts. You can get by with $100 Marmot Trestles, Eureka Grand Mesa 2(150) and cheap MSR pocket rocket and a empty beef stew can. Maybe some trash bags but the top three are more important.
Best luck in the new year.
Thomas



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