Solo elk Hunters. A question:

[robtattoo]

I'll be taking my first trip out west this year & I've got a question regarding packs.
I have a great daypack, but it's nowhere near big enough to pack in a week's worth of gear, plus tent, plus sleeping bag etc...
I have a great long-term pack, more than big enough to haul enough gear to keep me comfy for a month, but waaay too big to carry only a day's supplies. It has an internal frame, so it's not very versatile either.

Do most of you guys carry 2 packs, a small day pack inside a large pack, or do you prefer a smaller, external frame pack that will cover both duties?

I'm really lost as to how to handle all my needs. I need something I can use while I'm hunting plus something to get me & my camp where I need to be & hopefully haul meat.

[wingnut]

I've gone with a Kifaru internal pack for the whole deal now.  On our moose hunts in Alaska we carry about 20# into the field each day from our base camp.  If we get a moose we are carrying 50-80 pounds back to camp for days.  I'd go with the long-term pack and cinch it down for daily use.

Remember you will have a lot of meat to take care of if you are lucky.

Mike

[hoosierbowman]

I am no expert as last year was my first elk hunt . However i used an ILBE which is a military internal frame pack  plenty of room and handles heavy loads well. I considered carrying small daypack but didnt want the extra weight . I will be taking the same setup this year cant wait for september .

[mmgrode]

Glad to hear you'll be headed west for a hunt, Rob.  You'll love it.  

I used to carry in an extra daypack to use once I packed in and base camp was established, but found it to really be a waste of weight and space.  I bought a kifaru duplex longhunter last year and use it for everything (backpacking in, day hunting, packing meat).  It packs a mighty load, but can also be compressed for dayhunting.  It works well and saves a trip going back for the frame, should you drop an animal. I'm sure there are other packs worth their salt in this use as well.  Just find a large cu.in pack that can compress down.

[dlnwohio]

I used a eberlestock j104 with the super spike duffel. Once I set up spike camp I unzip the super spike duffel and the pack shrinks to 2300 cubic inches. If you do harvest a animal on one of your day outings unzip the zipper and the main compartment expands giving you something like 4500 cubic inches to haul meat out. Keep an eye on the classifieds here as I just upgraded to a like new blue widow for a fraction of the price of new.

[TURKEYFOOTGIRL]

I carried a barebones frame with all my gear for years. When hunting I would have a fleece day pack on it with my hunting gear. Its much nicer hunting without a pack, but I always carry emergency stuff, food, knives and game bags.
 I have a mystery ranch crew cab but still prefer to hunt with a lighter daypack or fanny pack.

[The Night Stalker]

It depends on how many days you will be on the ground. I use to carry a kifaru longhunter with a hunting top lid for day hunts away from spike camp. I sold it because of the physical weight of the pack.  Counting ounces is everything depending on the gear you carry. For a 7 day hunt, look at the kifaru nomad with a hunting top lid and a grab it , bikini frame. Longer than 7 days doing bivy hunting, go with the EMR 2.  I can send you my pack list with weights. It can get real expensive, real fast.

[njloco]

I went last Sept. for my first elk hunt, your going to love it. Iwas lucky enough to buy a Kifaru UL3700, with most of the bells and whistles, it would expand up to about double its size, but still only weighed in at about 4lbs.Can't say enough good things about the Kifaru line, but there are many good packs on the market today.

Best of luck on your hunt.

[DarkTimber]

Probably going to get several different opinions because there are several ways to skin this cat.  

Personally, I prefer an internal frame pack that is 4000-4500 cubic inches.  It is large enough to easily handle a weeks worth of gear and food yet compresses down small enough to use as a day pack for hunting. If you are successful it can also handle hauling out your meat.  There are lots of packs that fit the bill. Below is a pic of the pack I've been using for the last several years.  It's a Gregory Baltoro 70 (4300 cu in).  I've had up to 12 days worth of food and gear in it(stuffed to the max) yet I can remove the top lid and compress it down to about the size of a typical day pack.   Again, there are MANY packs out there that will work, the most important thing is finding one that fits you.

I've been down the route of carrying a daypack lashed to my larger backpack and for me it's not worth the extra weight.  For some it might be.  

Either way you'll have fun.  Good Luck!!  

 

[Whip]

I really prefer one pack that can do everything and there are a number of options that can do that very well. The first elk I killed taught me that I want a pack on my back while hunting that is fully capable of hauling meat.  When you have an animal on the ground you have your work cut out for you.  The last thing you need is to add a five or six mile round trip hike through the mountains to retrieve a different pack from camp.

I use Eberlestock.  Good middle of the road pack.  Lots of others are out there as well, and like most things in life,  the more you spend the better they get.

I could bring a couple of mine for you to fondle this weekend if you want.  Or I could bring them to Tennessee in May if you're not in a hurry.

[smoke1953]

However if you want to use what you have it shouldn't be too much to lash that daypack to the bigger one. Not like you're changing camps every night so it's only a small burden for a couple of days.

[robtattoo]

Thanks guys. I'll be on the ground for 6-7 days, so I'm guessing that a 4500-5000cui pack would cover my needs.

Joe, if you could bring yours this weekend, that'd be great. Looking online is ok, but having one in my hands would be much better.

Right now, the packs that've peaked my interest are the Tenzing TZ 4500, the new Exo mountain gear 3500 & the Kuiu Icon 5200
I'm hoping that if I need to replace one or more of my packs, I can stay under the $400 mark...

[Biathlonman]

I run Kifaru longhunter and use the lid as a day pack when necessary. Plenty big enough for rain gear and daily kit.

[robtattoo]

Originally posted by smoke1953:
However if you want to use what you have it shouldn't be too much to lash that daypack to the bigger one. Not like you're changing camps every night so it's only a small burden for a couple of days.

That's kinda what I initially though, but as Joe says, if I have meat on the ground, I really don't want to have to hump however many miles I've gone back to camp to swap out packs.

[durp]

try a sling made from nylon webing (or plastic catch fence)...it dont take up much room in ur day pack and it will get the job done on that first trip back to camp to get ur pack frame.

[pinky]

Rob,  when I pack into the area I like to search for elk in, I carry in a larger pack (external frame) in my case and then I strap my mostly empty hunting pack on to that.  The external frame pack I have had since my teens.  I am able to get what I need into camp several miles in and then I have my smaller, quieter large day pack for covering country in search of the elusive elk.   On the occasion that meat has been packed out both internal frames with a liner (trash bag) and the external frame packs got the job done.  I'm in the two pack camp.  If your big pack fits you and you can carry you camp load comfortably I'd say go with it.  I am still looking for the right hunting pack for me.  Best of luck!

[Drew]

rob, I've been kicking around the same thoughts since my last couple trips outwest..

I just ordered the Kifaru nomad,with a Bikini frame, got the camp bag (which you can drop in camp with all your gear) and you still have an awesome hauler/day pack. It's over your budget of $400.

I looked hard at the Stone Glacier packs, and Kuiu...but after alot of research i went with the Kifaru!

[lt-m-grow]

I guess I am going to support the minority opinion.

IMO I would lash on a day pack...the vast majority of your miles will not be bringing your camp in and out.  It will be humping around all day and I would not want the 3-4 extra pounds AND the bulk of a full size pack on needlessly for those 60 - 75 miles (at least).   And I know Wingnut knows his hunting, so I am not questioning him, but I know I don't carry close to 20# of stuff with me during the day.  All I have is lunch, rain gear, water, knife and safety stuff.

And hopefully you will get lucky - seriously - however with elk hunting with a bow, the statistics say you will not.  Only about 10% get lucky.   Not trying to be rude...it is what it is.  The good news is you will hop skip and jump back to camp to get you meat hauling pack if you need it.  And frankly you will have multiple trips for meat going it alone any way.  One more will not matter.

I would also consider looking for an outfitter that is willing to just pack out your meat if I was going alone.   If you do that, then the small day pack is all you need during the day.

And again, I wish you the greatest luck and adventure.  Elk hunting is awesome and the mountains are even better.  It is just reality that taking elk home - most of the time - is not in the cards for most of us.

[DarkTimber]

Originally posted by lt-m-grow:
I guess I am going to support the minority opinion.

IMO I would lash on a day pack...the vast majority of your miles will not be bringing your camp in and out.  It will be humping around all day and I would not want the 3-4 extra pounds AND the bulk of a full size pack on needlessly for those 60 - 75 miles (at least).   And I know Wingnut knows his hunting, so I am not questioning him, but I know I don't carry close to 20# of stuff with me during the day.  All I have is lunch, rain gear, water, knife and safety stuff.

And hopefully you will get lucky - seriously - however with elk hunting with a bow, the statistics say you will not.  Only about 10% get lucky.   Not trying to be rude...it is what it is.  The good news is you will hop skip and jump back to camp to get you meat hauling pack if you need it.  And frankly you will have multiple trips for meat going it alone any way.  One more will not matter.

I would also consider looking for an outfitter that is willing to just pack out your meat if I was going alone.   If you do that, then the small day pack is all you need during the day.

And again, I wish you the greatest luck and adventure.  Elk hunting is awesome and the mountains are even better.  It is just reality that taking elk home - most of the time - is not in the cards for most of us.

Remember those 10% statistics include road hunters, lazy hunters and residents who might buy a license and not hunt at all. If I truly believed I only had a 10% chance at success I'd find something else to hunt. A guy that's willing to put forth the effort to pack in and hunt hard for 7 days has WAY more than a 10% chance at success in my opinion. I certainly wouldn't choose my gear expecting failure.

[Herdbull]

I have hunted for 2 to 3 weeks each year for over 20 years. On all hunts, I used a $69 freighter frame and lashed a wool day pack to that along with all the rest of my camp. I plan for success and carry the appropriate game bags in my pack each day. I used to use the Screaming Eagle Elk Hunter day pack, but now I carry the Bison Gear Elk Hunter as a day pack. This is a bit larger, but allows me to carry camera equipment as needed. But it also is big enough to carry 60 to 80 pounds of meat back to camp my first trip and retrieve the pack frame for subsequent trips. I have been trying to cut back on weight, and there may be other and better methods now, but the longer your trip the more weight there seams to be. I am certainly open to other suggestions, but thisd has worked well for me including long trips in Alaska. Mike