Has anyone seen or used one of these?

http://firstpackout.com/elk_pack


It's kind of a cool concept. I know it's not taking the place of a pack board, but for boned out meat it might get me the 1-2 miles back to camp for the "big pack-out." I love hunting the backcountry, but I don't necessarily like having my 8lb pack on for the whole hunt.

I usually hunt within a couple miles of camp, but up and down a lot of ridges which makes it not fun to go back for a main pack to haul the meat. I was thinking if me and my hunting partner each had one we should be able to get a whole boned out deer to camp in one trip. Obviously more than one trip for an elk.

Not wasting the first trip sounds kind of nice and I could just hunt with my camelback or a waist pack from camp.

That looks like a very painful first pack out.Better to go wuth a Kifaru K u or one of Stone glaciers offerings
Tim

There doesn't appear to be any waist belt or internal frame support - which is probably necessary for the weight and compresability specs- so; I would bet that the "first pack out" especially if the load comes anywhere close to the advertised max of 90 lbs., would be MURDER on your back and shoulders.

I am looking at the ALPS OutdoorZ Pathfinder as my daypack/get the first load out. Looks pretty good. Got three modes. Waist belt with suspension, expanded daypack mode, and hauling mode. It is a decent price also. Then I will be getting the OutdoorZ Commander Frame for a large pack out to keep in the truck or for multi day trips.

Yeah, I'm still working on this issue and agree that no waistbelt is gonna suck... I really want to find the lightest weight daypack that can handle a load. I'm really looking at hauling about 50lbs +/-. I'm looking for options to avoid having to use my main pack for day-hunting from camp. Last year I used my external frame and tried to stash it in the bushes near where I was hunting. It was a pain having to go back for it and feeling like I didn't want to get too far away.

Or have a really good chiropractor.

Actually I don't know if it that bad of a concept, it gives you a quick orange pack that I guess is strong. Now how does it actually carry weight, probably not that good , but who knows. There are a lot of ways to get elk out, usually on your back, but you can throw a quarter over your shoulder and it works. I've even Santa carried a game bag before a couple miles, I give them credit for exploring solutions.

Each to his/her own, but, if you now have a packframe and want a smaller pack to bring out your first load of meat and whatever hunting/emerg. gear you prefer to carry with you on any hunt, my choice would be the lighter Mystery Ranch pack, called "The Trance".

I am sure that several other pack makers offer packs much like this, I just have found DD/MR packs to work so well for me that I seldom even look at the sites of other makers.

If, you are not familiar with MR quality, I will just say that my wife and I were on her medically prescribed walk today and did our monthly "drug store" shop at the same time. I had my 1978-vintage Dana Design "Bomb" pack, used hard for many years in wilderness work and it carried the 25ish lb. load home in great comfort. Quality like that is cheaper in the long run and one of these packs will do what you want and in comfort. JMHO.

Don't disagree, but they are trying to give options which is good. For a fanny pack hunter , its a start. I'd use my ULA most the time as its lighter than most fanny packs or regular daypacks. I figure an elk is two loads for a cow, so you could carry 50 the first time and 110 the second.

I think a better way to a pack like that for first pack out as a super light pack would be more of a vest approach or just looking at alternative methods like over your shoulder, partial drag etc. As my grandma used to say there are a lot of ways to skin a cat ..or elk in this case.

I've packed elk out of a lot of places without a waistbelt. Have also packed moose quarters a good ways without a belt.

It would certainly be a compromise for load carrying compared to a dedicated frame pack, but dedicated frame packs don't compress worth a crap. I pretty much always have at least a day pack while hunting, and can fit a fair amount of meat into it if needed. That's a compromise too.

Might be worth a shot for $50....

It's a stuff sack with straps, similar to the early Go-lite, which I tried. I was disappointed with it as a minimal backpack. But sometimes I stuff it in a daypack for a larger first load capability as is intended for this pack. Terrain, distance, time all factor in as to whether I even take it for that.

Ditto to not wanting to carry more than 50 lbs. in it and might hedge that down. But-- it REALLY helps to carry something out the first trip to reduce subsequent trips, and I prefer to hunt without a full pack on my back. I have filled a daypack with boneless meat and have also leapfrogged a daypack and another small pack both filled with boneless meat. That changes the discomfort into intermittent short bouts of pain!

This pack won't be comfortable with a load, is not up to heavy loads, and is not many things a real pack is-- but like compact pistols, they don't perform like a full size ones but you are more likely to carry it and have it with you. Are the limitations too great for the benefit of the one load of meat under less than ideal conditions? Only you can decide, and you may not be sure till after the first use!

Diffren' strokes...

I've never tried one but, I just can't imagine packing out a 50 to 60 lb. elk quarter without a waist belt and a pack with load levelers. I'm an old guy that has a hard time carrying 60 lbs. even with a quality backpack.

Another light option is the game glide if terrain is managable

Getting old in this neighborhood also!

Confession time: I have never found a pack that I could stand to keep the waist or hip belt closed for very long.

I've tried more brands than I remember names of; internal and external, big and small, etc. and no waist belt is ever comfortable for very long to me. I have recently been thinking of seeking out a truly expert pack fitter and see if the man can fit a hip b elt to me that is comfortable.

I start many pack trips with hip belt in place, and usually end up just buckling it behind my back. More and more, I don't bother to even start with it buckled, though sometimes on long days I will buckle the hip belt to change the load bearing for awhile. I've carried loads of well over 100 lbs. all day, most of that time with the waist belt open. (I don't like such loads and will likely not carry one that big again.) I've been "fitted" by some people who were supposed to know their stuff. My friends all swear by waist belts.

Got a weird bod maybe.

FWIW: Many boots and shoes fit me easily and I have less blister trouble than anyone I know. Good feet. Bad back?

I used to wear my pack frame while hunting and that did not work. To much noise and hanges up in the timber and brush. What has worked best for me, after much trial and error is that I bring out the horns, heart, tenderloins, in my back pack and go in the next day for the rest. Sometimes even the day after depending upon the distance. I have packed out over 90% of the elk that I have killed. Many with help, some without.

What ever works for you, I guess everybody has a different style of hunting. No internal pack bothers me while I am hunting. If I shoot something I already have my pack and camp with me. That or I pack all the meat to my camp and pack everything up and head out in one load. If your back 7 miles and makes two trips to get another pack thats 21 miles in a day. To be honest I have never backpacked for Elk though. Too much of a pu$$y to try it by myself.

I shot two standing next to each other a few years back. Had a bull and cow tag. Whole lot of work, and it got worse when my buddy shot a bull while we were packing my two out.

I grew up on a farm throwing 50 and 100 pound feed sacks over my shoulder. I doubt this would be much worse. Put the loins, tenderloins, and maybe some rib or neck meat in it and get back to camp, then you've just got the two hinds and both shoulders left. That should break the loads up nicely.

Ok, I cannot believe someone with as much packing experience as you does not wear a hip belt! You may as well use string and gunny sacks!

You are right, but I prefer the pain of string and gunny sack (which I have used in my younger days!) to the discomfort of hip belts. Note that I am not recommending that anyone else quit using hip belts!

Maybe should add or explain that hip belts don't give me specfic pain but they cause discomfort around and through my entire pelvic girdle that grows worse the longer I wear them with a load. The low grade sense of having my leg and hip movement bound increases my fatigue. On light loads and daypacks, I like a hip belt to snug things from flopping around on uneven terrain, but the larger the load, the less useful and more detrimental a hip belt is for my bod.

Minor side topic of personal comfort that I probably should not have mentioned!

Sounds like you might have been wearing your hip belt pretty low if leg movement was affected?

Thanks for the suggestion. It is a little difficult to describe the uncomfortable sense of compression or weight that feels like it is gumming up the works in that whole body section. I have spent hours adjusting hip belts up and down, from high waist to gunslinger low on packs with longer and shorter torso sections, internal and external, etc. as well as having others advise and adjust both hip belt and shoulder harness to match optimum hip and shoulder combo. You are right that when buckled low, it physically restricts leg and hip action, adding to the overall discomfort.

There is some anatomy anomoly going on and my guess is that it is more internal sensitivity than it is external shape of bod. I'm doing fine and enjoy backpack hunting. Whenever we are with a new person they are often surprised at how little I use the hip belt, and that has often resulted in letting me try their packs and adjust them to me. I'd like to go in person to have a McHale fitted to see how it worked over several hours of carrying a load --- but at my age a better use of time and money is to spend it on grandkids!

If this were the biggest problem I have I would be fortunate indeed!

I really didn't intend to hijack this thread and apologize to the OP. Try that pack for four $49 and tell us what you think of it!

As always, your posts are among THE ones I most carefully read and then think about for some time. You never "hijack" here, you add value and perspective.

I will just say, that, IF, anyone CAN actually help with your issue and I have seen this before, Dan McHale is THE man. He is a fine, totally honest and genuine guy and I have enjoyed talking on the phone with him several times since circa 1997.

I have lots of fine gear and less money than in former years....fine with me, I wanted my wife to retire 20 years ago, buttttt, you know how telling "the Boss" works, eh.......

That said, I will very probably FIND the $$$$ for a full-on McHale big pack for trekking at home in "The Valhallas" and "The Purcell" as well as the old "Darkwoods" property, where some fine trouting can be had.

I would get a McHale, if I were you, because, my good friend, we are NOT going to get any bloody younger!

"Anatomy Anomaly"

Good one! Hope you find a pack that you love to wear!

Okanagan,
You are not alone - I have the same issue. Once pack weight gets up to 80ish lbs, I can't do the belt for extended periods. It is worse on internal frames in my experience, and I can go higher in weight on externals before it happens. I suffered through it for several moose pack outs before I watched a buddy with the same issue run without the belt.

Depending on the load, I can get maybe 10-15 minutes max with a heavy pack, and then my legs just start to go to rubber. The heavier the pack, the faster it happens. I suspect it is cutting off circulation somehow, because when I pop the buckle, my legs come back almost immediately.

This pack came out about about 95% on shoulder straps only. I don't have as much control of the pack weight without the belt, so I buckle up for tricky sections.



If you find a solution, I know at least two people that would be interested in hearing about it.

I kinda had the same problems although my legs didnt go numb. The pressure from the waist belt(especially in the center at the buckle) was putting an uncomfortable pressure on my abdominal aorta. I ended up in the ER after a long backpacking trip because my abdominal aorta was pulsating very oddly and my chiropractor thought the heavy pack may have ruptured it. Turns out it is an inch to far to the left of where it should be. They found no problems even though they said it was a heavy pulse. Doctor did not know if I was born like that or all the heavy packing could of displaced it. For those of you that wear your pack lower this would be pressure on your Iliac artery which could explain the problem with the feeling in your legs.

So that and my [bleep] up back made me call Dan McHale. His two buckle full wrap waist belt really spreads out the load and dissipates the pressure evenly. I am now a happy camper and I no longer have that discomfort from a tight waist belt with a heavy load. It might not help out you other guys as it may be a different problem but I say its worth a try(and the cash). Not to mention all the other benefits of a custom built McHale pack.

Big W,

My legs don't go numb, just run out of juice. Feels like I have been humping a pack up a mountain for a whole day after 20 minutes, if that makes any sense.

I've never even heard of an abdominal aorta, but if you have a solution to this, I am all ears... Did you just fit Dan's belt to an existing pack, or did you go all in with a McHale pack?

Thats how I feel the first time I put on a heavy pack during spring training . Just kidding. It could just be your not getting enough blood to them to have any real strength but not enough pressure to make them numb? I am not a Doctor or an expert but if you say your fine when the waist belt is disconnected there must be something going on.

I would consult your Doctor, then consult the pack Doctor Mr. McHale. Maybe load up with your current pack and go out for a walk. Try to keep the pack and waist belt higher than you normally would. Play with that and see if it makes any difference.

McHales waist belts will not fit any other pack. I am pretty sure of that. I had him build me a custom pack. Details can be found it the McHale threads.

Have you tried positioning the buckle over the side so the belt protects you from the buckle ?

Nope... but I'll try that.

Maybe I'll go talk to a doctor... I'm paying for health insurance, guess it wouldn't hurt to use it.

Kutenay,
Thank you for the good words and thoughtful reply. Your posts are likewise among a few I seek out for the wisdom of experience in them.

We are NOT getting any younger, but the trails are longer and the hills steeper. I read your post soon after you wrote it, and have been thinking rather than replying. I spent some time on McHale's web site. They are close enough to drive to and it is tempting, especially to rent/try out one of their packs.

On the other hand, I should lose some paunch first because as they rightly comment, a hip belt doesn't fit nor ride really as it should when my belly pushes it down too low. (FWIW, hip belts were uncomfortable when I was lean in my 30's and hiking with packs several hundred miles per summer, so it is not merely the recent addition of pounds!)

Pondering... and maybe a little ponderous!

cwh2, thanks for posting such similar experience. Makes me feel a little less crazy! Nice ram BTW.

Hi Kach,
I am the owner and designer of, Firstpackout products. I found your post asking if anyone has used a firstpackout elk pack. I just thought I would try and answer any questions anyone might have about our packs.
They are designed to set higher on your back and that way there is less fatigue on your lower back.
I have personally packed-out 18 elk with my elk pack (I used the same pack and it is still in, all most new condition. Give me your email address and I'll send a pic of my personal pack that I have packed out 18 elk with) That's more elk than 99% of an average elk hunter will ever pack out in their entire life.
Because the elk is boneless, it conforms somewhat to your back. What that does is, makes the load not move around. I've never had a pack sway side to side while packing out an elk with one of our elk packs. I thought about designing a waist strap into this elk pack but after testing, I found that you really don't need one on this pack. You are more than welcomed to try one and if you don't like it, send it back and I'll give you your money back. I've been selling them since 2006 and have had nothing but possitive comments on how well they work. The photos on the website don't really show all the developement that went into designing this pack.
Please believe, it's not just a bag, with straps on it. Once you hold one you'll see all the inovative designs that went into this pack. It took 2 years of very tough testing to get it just right. I demand 1000 times more from my products because, I don't want them to fail when I'm 5 miles back in packing out a game animal. (I use them on any game that I shoot)
What I usually do is, I take the back straps and a hind quarter on the first trip out (40-60lbs) I bring my pack-frame for the rest of the trips. There are NO other game bags on the market that are designed like ours. Once you understand the design principle of our bags, you won't use any one elses.
I guarantee that once you use our elk packs and game bags, you won't use any others. Remember, our elk pack is designed to bring out your first load of boneless meat and then you use your pack frame to bring out the remainder of the elk.
I'm more than happy to answer any questions you might have. Just go to our website (firstpackout.com)and call my number and I'll be glad to talk to anyone that has questions...
Hope this helped. I'm not trying to promote our products, I'm just trying to clear up any misinformation that you might have.
John

John,

Welcome! Post some pics of that pack for us. Always cool to see how other guys pack stuff out.

Maybe I am unique as I injured my lower back in my mid 20's and must carry most of the weight on my hips. My MR Bighorn carried about 60 pounds of elk out first trip with amazing comfort. May be large for some as a day pack but for me it works.