I bought a SG 7900 this year. I liked it, a bit overkill so I took the lid off. But was comfy, few goat hunts wore it as a day pack for muley hunting. Packed out an elk.
Tenzing 6000, I bought one to try thinking I would upgrade down the road, love it and have no reason to upgrade now 3 years and lots of 2 day up to 12 day trips with it, no issues.
A bad day in the bush beats just about anything...
I’ve been using an old moose packer pack for 20 + years simple and affordable under 200 can’t go wrong I’ve packed out tons of deer and moose never had a problem. Be a cold day in hell for me to drop a grand on a pack. The old timers had trapper Nelson’s I have a couple of those as well covers all my bases even on a solo hunt. A million pockets and fancy looks are a gimmick to get your cash!!
Different priorities is all. For me hunting isn’t a hobby, its a lifestyle. I use top tier optics, top tier rifles, top tier gear. If there was something better I would use that, but for me there isn’t anything better than Swarovski/Leica/Kimber/Stone Glacier. That gear gives me the most enjoyable experience that I can possibly have, with the least possible risk of injury.
My pickup is 15 years old and has over 400, 000kms on it, and isn’t fancy but it hauls my gooseneck horse trailer just fine. Just different priorities is all.
If your <$200 backpack works for you then thats great. However, there is definitely packs out there that will carry the weight better with less chance of shifting on you causing a fall or twist that results in an injury to your spine or nerves and make the entire experience more enjoyable.
I’ve been using an old moose packer pack for 20 + years simple and affordable under 200 can’t go wrong I’ve packed out tons of deer and moose never had a problem. Be a cold day in hell for me to drop a grand on a pack. The old timers had trapper Nelson’s I have a couple of those as well covers all my bases even on a solo hunt. A million pockets and fancy looks are a gimmick to get your cash!!
There are crappy packs that are gimicky to get your cash and then there are the real deal packs that flat out work at hauling big loads and you have to pony up the cash to get that.
If you are doing big mountain hunts with long pack outs then $500+ is not that crazy for a pack. I did a 10 day solo sheep hunt and the pack out was 24 km, a good frame sure didn't feel like a gimick on that hunt. Not everyone hunts like that so not everyone needs the same type of pack. For some a cheap pack will suffice and for others high function is needed.
Props to the old guys though that did the extreme stuff with less than stellar gear, tough as nails.
There are crappy packs that are gimicky to get your cash and then there are the real deal packs that flat out work at hauling big loads and you have to pony up the cash to get that.
If you are doing big mountain hunts with long pack outs then $500+ is not that crazy for a pack. I did a 10 day solo sheep hunt and the pack out was 24 km, a good frame sure didn't feel like a gimick on that hunt. Not everyone hunts like that so not everyone needs the same type of pack. For some a cheap pack will suffice and for others high function is needed.
Props to the old guys though that did the extreme stuff with less than stellar gear, tough as nails.
I can’t argue your reasoning I definitely think middle of the road is ok $500 I could do as long as it’s practical. Seems like a lot of unnecessary bells and whistles on some of these packs. For me a good riding pack that’s not hard on the back is worth the cost. I just think sometimes these companies try and market shit that makes no sense once you get a look at it.
I can’t argue your reasoning I definitely think middle of the road is ok $500 I could do as long as it’s practical. Seems like a lot of unnecessary bells and whistles on some of these packs. For me a good riding pack that’s not hard on the back is worth the cost. I just think sometimes these companies try and market shit that makes no sense once you get a look at it.
I think the top pack makers have a foundation of making the best packs suspension then adding some features to differentiate. The middle of the road and lower quality packs try harder to seel you with features/gimicks than making a pack that carries well.
My first pack was so cool, had all these great pockets, could unzip and expand, and had this awesome gun scabbard. Turns out all those features actually made the pack worse and what it was meant to do, carry weight. The pack had excellent reviews online as well. Total waste of money and agony to carry loads over 40lbs. It was marketed well though.
I’ve been using an old moose packer pack for 20 + years simple and affordable under 200 can’t go wrong I’ve packed out tons of deer and moose never had a problem. Be a cold day in hell for me to drop a grand on a pack. The old timers had trapper Nelson’s I have a couple of those as well covers all my bases even on a solo hunt. A million pockets and fancy looks are a gimmick to get your cash!!