I have been packing in for deer for a couple years now and have not made up my mind what works best. I have used a frame pack to get to camp then used a day pack from there. I have also used a regular pack to pack in then used it to hunt with as well. I like to be able to pack meat out on the first trip back to camp so a small day pack or fanny pack is not for me. What do most of you guys do? From a spike or main back country camp do you hunt with your main pack, a fanny pack, or a day pack?

What's a "regular" pack?

So long as my main hunting pack compresses down fine when empty I use that to hunt out of once I am hunting out of my spike camp I packed in. Really don't have a use for a pack that can't haul my day hunt gear and meat.

Agreed. The only time I switch over, is if I'm on a backpack hunt while bowhunting for mulies or Coues whitetails. In terms of rifle hunting, I always use an external frame pack for everything, no matter where I'm at in North America.

Agreed +2.

Yep, always a good idea to carry some of the critter out on the first load. Every bit helps. Various combos I have tried include an empty pack frame with a summit pack tied to it, nearly empty. A fleece jacket over the frame dampens noise when walking/hunting with it, and I put the jacket on when sitting. Diamond hitch or strap meat in a meat sack to the frame and leap frog it with the other pack on the way out.

Another option: If you do take a second pack for day hunts out of camp, what they used to call a summit pack is a very large day pack, big enough to carry several days worth of overnight gear. That size pack will carry a lot of meat, as much as I want to stagger along with on rough ground, and I've hunted quite a bit with one of those in the 3000-3500 cubic inch range. When loaded with meat, bulky camp gear/clothing can go in a garbage bag tied outside. I have also lined the main bag with a strong garbage bag that extended well above the top of the pack and filled it with meat a good six inches higher than the pack sides. Lacing parachute cord around the extended part of the garbage bag supports it enough to hold the meat if you are careful. That size pack with hold all of the meat from one smallish boned out buck.

I really don't like to carry in a full sized pack with a smaller pack merely for day hunting stuffed inside it, but have done it. In that scenario I prefer to take my 4000+ cubic inch Golite pack, which is little more than a stuff sack with straps, extremely compact and light when empty, and hunt with that. With that arrangement, I fill both packs and leap frog them when heading out with meat.

Mostly I hunt with a full size pack that has very little in it, enough for a minimal overnight bivy and room for lots of meat. An average mule deer fork horn boned out makes one load one way with all such camp gear included. A heavy mature buck or having lots of camp gear may force two loads, and rough terrain may make it safer to carry two smaller loads.

Edited to add: I missed several good replies posted while I wrote! Agreed that I'd rather carry a larger pack nearly empty than a small one no good for larger loads.

Okanagan:

How in the world do you through a diamond on a pack frame?

Maverick

Excuse me .... throw .... not "through.

I have a huge bias toward packs similar to the ULA epic, where it it essentially a small pack, where you can put a large dry sack or the like in and compress down. Now, I don't think the Epic is suitable for heavy loads without modification, but something like that could be made pretty light that could carry a large load.

Easy to show but impossible for me to describe. I don't have any digital photos but will try to lash something up and photograph it, though that may be awhile. You can make it a single diamond, double, or as many as you want until it becomes a virtual net. It will hold a bag of jello in place.

The frame has to have some kind of cross bar or lashing point top and bottom, plus access to side frames in at least a few places.

I see. I've thrown a lot of hitches on horses and pack frames. Just had a hard time envisioning a diamond thrown on a pack.

Had a short hike into camp this year and had a Mountainsmith FrostfireII and a Dana Big Horn available. The Big Horn worked the best by far. Lighter is the main reason. Still big enough to carry out a load. It just seems to keep turning in on itself and worked well as a daypack with the ability to carry out a load.
Only time I carry a daypack anymore is hunting where I know I'm coming out every day. Even then, I'd rather load up pockets and simply have a fanny pack than carry anything.

put all my small essentails in a liteweight fanny, but use a kifaru siwash to carry all & be my day pak also...looking to get a timberline...will still be a daypack...the fanny goes from pack to truck to atv to whatever i'm doing carring licenses, knives, firestarters & what not & i don't have to worry about where or what when i need it

By regular pack I mean the pack that you use to carry all our gear to camp. I like the look of the Epic. I have been looking at the LL Bean carry all. Same idea as epic but a lot cheaper. The epic looks like it would be easy to hunt with.

Glad you posted this thread. I've had the same questions, having spent no time actually backpack hunting. I have an Eberlestock X-1 for day hunts, capable of packing out a whole whitetail, though fully loaded. However, not enough room in that to pack in a spike camp for several days.
I have a Kelty Coyote for packing in, but it's a little big for a daypack though can be cinched down fairly compact.

Couldn't see carrying an extra pack just for day hunting and I am certainly in the camp of "packing the first load back to camp" and needing enough pack to do that.

Using my main pack for a daypack makes more sense to me.

Interesting - it'll pack a whole load of whitetail deer meat, but yet, won't pack a simple camp? Very interesting.

Interesting mayber but not really that hard to understand.
Tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, multi day's food, extra clothes, water filters etc etc etc, gear needed for multiple days out, eat up a lot of space.
Could maybe lash a number of these items to the outside, but no, the X-1 isn't large enough to backpack in a multi day camp. At least it wouldn't be my first choice. I'm sure it could maybe be done, but I'm not a minimalist. Heck, you can pack in "camp" in a stuff sack. Just depends on one's definition of "camp". One man's necessities are another man's luxury.

Yes, it is (just)large enough to handle a butchered whitetail, to that I can attest.

I'm not one of the "experts" on here, just here trying to learn.

I have a soft-shell day pack made by Camelback with a pocket for a water bladder and enough room for the essentials. It weighs almost nothing. It doesn't have much for a hip belt, only a strap with no hip pad but I don't put more than ten pounds or so into it anyway. It has a daisy chain that makes it just about the same as a Kifaru pod for riding piggyback on the back of my main pack (a Longhunter) using their dock & lock straps. When I'm packing in camp, it doubles as an external pocket and I keep small stuff in it that I want easy access to like snacks.

Huh, must be some small whitetails, I guess. Anyway .....

Nah, I'm probably just not "expert" enough to shootbig ones.

If you say so ......

Agreed!

The eberlestock blue widow compresses down really nicely. It has a fanny pack that is attached to the top of the pack when in transport mode, and you can take it off and wear the fanny only, for hunting out of a spike. I don't really like the way a fanny pack is worn so in the future I'll just compress my pack and take it with me with the fanny inside of the pack with essentials for the day. That way if we kill something I've already got the pack and can pack the first load back to camp if need be. My only complaint with that pack is that it's a little on the heavy side IMO, but it's super comfy as far as back supports and straps and what not.

I was hoping to hear from more users of the Eberlestock Just One packs on how that concept is working for them. Seems like they have put a lot of thought into building packs that get big enough to carry camp in, get small enough to be out of the way during the hunt and get big enough to carry meat and the head on the way out with camp too if a guy can move the weight?

I've done a fair bit of backpacking and a fair bit of hunting, but I haven't combined the two a lot.

When I'm hunting "normally" I cover a lot of ground in a day. For instance, I got my deer last year toward the end of a day where I'd hiked 16 miles, mixed abandoned roads, old trails, and cross country. For that a Badlands 2200 or similar works good, a little big for a day pack, but you' don't have to go back.

When I backpack in and camp to hunt, I usually set up camp within a mile or so of where I plan to hunt. Under those conditions I usually don't carry a pack, instead, something more along the lines of a "possibles bag" with just bare essentials.

I pack with a Kifaru UL5200 with a few outside pockets. I drop the outside pockets and most gear at camp and cinch the pack up tight. Carries great (2-3/4#) and allows you to carry meat back. Packed my archery black bear a couple of miles to camp past fall, stashed him on the glacier over night, boned him in the morning, then out three miles to the truck. I shot the bear with the pack on.

Same pack performed great for a 14 day backpack stone sheep hunt that started out "heavy" with food. Why carry the weight of a second pack too? I use the gunbearer to carry my bow as well.

Sounds like a good old Kifaru Longhunter to me......

The Kifaru Ultra Light does the same things as my Longhunter, although it may not have the longevity. Time will tell in that regard.

That is true to a point. 100+ pounds in a Kifaru Longhunter with your gear and meat is much more comfy than 100+ in a Kifaru UL. However, for day hunting the Kifaru UL is dang hard to beat!!

I'd never haul a separate pack into the backcountry though if spiking out just to day hunt out of. Doesn't make any sense to me. Both the Kifaru UL and Longhunters are great packs, can't go wrong with either one.

I am working on a pack system off of an airborn molle frame. I have to find a good set of shoulder straps. I may just have to have a set made. I tried the molle set but they are very thick and heavy.

https://www.entrygear.com/product.asp?id=1606MM

I just finished my 50th hunting season. I am currently using a small Badlands for a day pack but it doesn't have the size to use as a effecient meat pack. Over the years I have tried about every combination, large internal frame packs, and external frame packs. Both styles are bulky and get in the way especially when timber hunting. We are spiking in about 5 miles this next fall in Idaho for elk. I will strip the Badlands down and lash it on the out side of the bag on my external frame pack. When I get camp up, I will reload it. Only way I have found to do it.

Elkmen, that is what I am planning to do I agree I like a small daypack for Idaho timber, I have the older Hydropack, and the Ultraday, I havent decided which one to use yet.
Which one are you using as a daypack?

ridgernr
I have the 2200, its a great size for a day pack, and has the bladder. Its narrow, doesn't hang outside my body. Has a chest strap and the waist belt will hold it tight against your body. The only downside for me is I wish it had a few more outside pockets. I have to get into the main compartment a little to often for my liking,.

I use what I packed in with, just synched down as much as possible to use as a day pack when I'm spiked out. More often than not thought I hunt with my camp on my back and stay mobile usually not spending more than a night or two in the same place, until I find the elk (or deer, sheep, etc.) I find I am more mobile and can cover more ground this way. IT just means carrying more weight with every step you take. I'm a gram counter so packing in a day pack is not an option I'm willing to excercise.

Would like more ideas, looking for the Silver Bullet here:)

This is a big decision for me also......my fanny pack of the BL4500 just doesn't cut it. I Can't imagine using my Badlands 4500 as a daypack though, but I'm having a hard time talking myself into carrying an empty daypack just for day hunting once i make a camp.

9-10 Days worth of everything adds up in a hurry, don't think I can afford the extra dead weight of a daypack when going up up up the Mountain.
I'm a flat lander:)

For Maverick



Here's a diamond on a pack frame. Not the best shot but it might give the idea.

RC

I'd say get a lighter main hauling pack than the Badlands 4500 that cinches down smaller.

Look into the Kifaru Timberline series for example. 5.5 pounds for 7000 cu in that cinches down small and can easily carry triple digit loads better than the Badlands 4500.

My set up is a Kelty Load hauler frame with two MR load cells on the shelf and a 40 liter day pack on top of that, with any large or bulky stuff lashed on, (sleeping pad, tent, etc.). Its a set up I've been looking for for years. Just drop the frame and grab the day pack and go. No digging through gear looking for the stuff I want in my day pack and no forgeting stuff. Might not be the lightest or best setup but it works for me.

Depending on the length of the hunt, couldn't the MR Crewcab work as both? I've been tossing the idea of purchasing the Crewcab for just this reason.