Good backpack

[On my two feet]

I'm goin on a 10 day goat hunt and want to buy a decent pack, I had my eye on a mystery ranch Marshall at grouse river but looked today and they no longer have any mystery ranch packs online. I would like to buy within Canada so no duties, what pack and where would you guys recommend? I really like the features of the mystery ranch system....

[allan]

Any pack that has the capacity you need and fits you well will work best, hunting specific packs tend to cost more.
Mr packs are very nice, they are bombproof but tend to be on the heavy side.
I have a mr nice 6500 and love it except for the fact how heavy the pack is empty.
My father in law hunts with a bright red pack he bought at an outdoor store and he manages to kill deer every year while wearing it...

[decker9]

I hunted goats a lot of years with the cabelas packs, not the comfiest, but they got me out there. If you see yourself doing a lot of packing in the future, I would be looking at buy once cry once, and go with one of the top few, since I switched to a kifaru, I'd never shoulder anything else.

[BgBlkDg]

If, you are serious about mountain hunting and can/will spend some coin, there is now one pack maker whom I recommend above all others.

This is Seekoutside, of Colorado, USA. Kevin, the main guy worked for Kifaru for some years and his packs are simple, light, very sturdy and fit like nothing else I have tried in 61 years carrying many packs.

They have a new, large pack coming out now, called, "The Brooks", IIRC. and it is ideal for what you want. I have two of their packs now, a Multicam Divide and a new model Exposure and NOTHING has worked for me like these.

I am working on a total re-do of my mountain gear now and getting these packs with all gear for solo hunts down to about 2/5 of the weight of my old MR-Bozeman, Kifaru and many other highend packs and my back is not as sore with these.

Google them, go on their site and forum and check them out. I probably will not buy the new large pack as I am beyond the days of long, BP mountain hunts, but, I can afford whatever I want and this is my choice, hands down.

[untilthelastbeat]

Like stated above if your planning on doing a lot of mountain hunting it's best to pay the big bucks for a pack but I understand sometimes the cards just don't fall that way. If your interested in will have a tatonka frame and pack for sale in the next couple weeks. I bought it for my first goat hunt and it worked well. 75 lbs going in and about 130 coming out.
Have used it for packing out deer and a 53" bull moose as well. For the price point they are great packs. However my new kifaru fulcrum is on the way and I won't need it anymore.
It's the new tatonka 80 liter bag with a pocketed lid, 2 side pouches, bottom zipper pocket and front pocket that detaches with shoulder straps into a mini aproach/day pack.
I'd take 275 for the whole rig
Pm if interested

[IslandWanderer]

I've got a bull-pac, works well for me. Pricey, but strong and it doubles as a pack board.

[swampthing]

I just saw that backcountry in ft st john has mystery ranch packs. I think the marshall was $775. Good lookin pack. They ship.

[SaintSix]

I'm on the island a little south of you. if you'd like to try on a Eberlestock Battleship or Mainframe let me know I have both we can load it full of gear and go for a walk/hike if you like. PM if your interested

[Hotstepper]

I was sitting down to ask a similar question, but I'm curious about entry-level external frame packs. I'm mostly interested in short hike in camping and packing game out from behind gates and off road. I don't have a lot to spend so I'm thinking used. I see badlands ox packs come up once in a while are they all right? I'm thinking cabela's alaskan too, but they recently re-designed and upped the price.

[twoSevenO]

I was sitting down to ask a similar question, but I'm curious about entry-level external frame packs. I'm mostly interested in short hike in camping and packing game out from behind gates and off road. I don't have a lot to spend so I'm thinking used. I see badlands ox packs come up once in a while are they all right? I'm thinking cabela's alaskan too, but they recently re-designed and upped the price.

I think you would be just fine with a badlandx OX if you can get a good deal on a used one. They are a bit heavier than the top of the line packs out there, but they should work fine for hauling loads in and out of the back country.

People often forget, the best packs in the 60s were worse than the lower end packs of today ..... and people still got sh*t done.

[mad_mallard]

Looked at several packs originally.
Started with a mystery ranch crew cab. Was a solid and comfortable pack frame and well constructed bag, but decided I didn't care for the bag layout.
picked up a Kifaru Bikini frame and a timberline 2 from here ,lighter Weight . And a better bag for what I do.Also have a Highcamp bag as well. I'm quite happy with it.
Kifaru doesn't make the bikini frame anymore but if your interested in seeing it I'm in Duncan.

What works for some doesn't necessarily work for the next guy.
My opinion is that you need to look at as much as possible and decide what layouts and features appeal to you. Handle as many as you can .Decide on a budget and go from there.

[tikkahunter]

I started out with a badlands pack, a model that is now the summit. Saw it for sale at a store, threw it on my back, thought good enough for me. BIG mistake. Got it home, put weight in it, and wished I had never bought it. Just didn't fit me right. Put up with it for a few years, but finally broke down and bought a Kifaru duplex with an EMR2 bag. Can't believe the difference. Changes everything for the better. So I say all that to say make sure the pack fits you right, it makes all the difference in the world.
If I was to buy another pack today, there are 3 brands I'd look at. Kifaru, obviously. MR, a buddy of mine just got a marshall, and loves it. And a Wilderness Wanderer, made in Kamloops I believe. Another buddy has the WW, huge pack that you can easily add or remove pockets and accessories.

[hunter fisher]

my friend is a sheep hunting lunatic and swears by a pack company called Frontier gear, sold at Barneys Chalet. expensive, I think about $1000, but they are known by sheep hunters as unquestionably the best. they are only made in Alaska at a mom and pop shop. when my friend ordered one, they gave him a phony receipt so he didn't have to pay very much duty

[Weatherby Fan]

I have MR Nice frame and a 5500 bag, a Stone Glacier X-curve frame with a Sky talus 6900 bag and a Kuiu frame with all their bags, in order of comfort for me MR Nice is the most comfortable but it's also the heaviest at 8lbs empty,
then the Stone Glacier X-curve is close and then the Kuiu, I'm a stocky sort and I find the Kuiu frame just doesn't fit me all though their 5200-7200 (tel:5200-7200) series bags have the nicest layout of all.

my older brother is a skinny sort and he loves the Kuiu frame and 7200 bag, he's been wearing it while exercising and says it's awesome.....!

[ajr5406]

I started out with a badlands pack, a model that is now the summit. Saw it for sale at a store, threw it on my back, thought good enough for me. BIG mistake. Got it home, put weight in it, and wished I had never bought it. Just didn't fit me right. Put up with it for a few years, but finally broke down and bought a Kifaru duplex with an EMR2 bag. Can't believe the difference. Changes everything for the better. So I say all that to say make sure the pack fits you right, it makes all the difference in the world.
If I was to buy another pack today, there are 3 brands I'd look at. Kifaru, obviously. MR, a buddy of mine just got a marshall, and loves it. And a Wilderness Wanderer, made in Kamloops I believe. Another buddy has the WW, huge pack that you can easily add or remove pockets and accessories.


I have an older model Wilderness Wanderer that I picked up from another HBC member here for $50! You can find them cheap every now and then, mine is used but the frame is in perfect condition and the straps feel almost new. The bag is great too, just not waterproof.

Great packs, especially if your looking for something big and with an external frame.

[BgBlkDg]

The new SO "Brooks" is now out and a video can be seen on the Rokslide Forum.........MOST impressive, best I have seen yet.

[whitlers]

My Icon Pro 7200 has been nice to me so far but it does feel like it's on the cheaper side.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Contact Tod Bartell as Omenica carries MR packs. They are one of the HBC sponsors.

Great service!

SSS

[OceanMon]

Tried calling SO for a couple of days last week. Kept getting the machine.

Ended up calling SG and they picked up the phone immediately and were helpful at answering questions. I ended up ordering from them.

I was really interested in the SO bags, but in thinking about them, the side pockets aren't waterproof... So you'd need a cover of you wanted the contents in them dry. I didn't like how the SO Brooks doesn't have the load shelf.

[Goose]

reviving a old thread here.......wondering about a few packs the Stone Glacier sky 7400, and the Seek Outside brooks 7400 or SO Broadwing 7000.
Im a bit taller and have slightly wider shoulders at 6 3 and 265lbs......another option is the Kuiu ultra 6000.

For the majority the frames are carbon fiber, with the exception of the titanium in the Stone glacier, they all seem pretty solid. I am just wondering which would be maybe more comfortable for me, or have the ability to adjust better to my frame.

As for the bags themselves, I would like to avoid using a rain bag over top. But in being new to this field of bags, Im wondering if these bags are mostly waterproof, with the exception of torrential down pour, which may cause the zippers to weep. But looking for feed back.

Hip belts, as these are a major load bearing item, the Kuiu has a double buckle system for separate adjustablitiy, some have shaped waste belts.....but again looking for opinions on how each fit. Im a 38-40 inch pant.

Durability - IM curious about the lightweight aspect vs durability of fabric. I dont necessarly need the lightest bag in the world, a few ounces or a pound more wont kill me, as I could probably loose another 15lbs off the meat sack gut i have.

The main use of this bag will be getting a few kilometers in for a a night or 2 overnight off the beaten path and hopefully packing out a deer or parts of an elk, im really not planning on a light weight sheep hunt anytime soon......but im not ruling it out either.

thanks for any feedback, I know theres a few guys out there with a tiny bit of experience out there.

Cheers guys

[RiverOtter]

To be honest, if you're looking at a predominantly meat freighter pack, the Cabela's Alaskan rigged with a dry bag for day/light overnight trips is a lot of pack for the money. In fact it's affordable enough to have alongside a top shelf pack, just for blood runs, to extend the lifespan of your expensive pack.

[RiverOtter]

Forgot to add, they come on sale a few times a year if you're not in a panic.

[Citori54]

They were on sale last week for $129.