WTB Hunting Pack

[TexasT-Rex]

Want to buy "entry" level hunting pack. Getting started with public land hunting and would like a decent pack to possibly haul camp in and haul meat out. Something like Horn Hunter Full Curl Combo or open to suggestions from all you experienced hunters. Not wanting to spend a ton, as I am starting from scratch with EVERYTHING.

-Thanks in advance, any info is greatly appreciated.

 

[VikingsGuy]

Want to buy "entry" level hunting pack. Getting started with public land hunting and would like a decent pack to possibly haul camp in and haul meat out. Something like Horn Hunter Full Curl Combo or open to suggestions from all you experienced hunters. Not wanting to spend a ton, as I am starting from scratch with EVERYTHING.

-Thanks in advance, any info is greatly appreciated.

Sometimes I view the "buy once, cry once" advice on threads a little snotty, especially on the high end glass threads, but for the base fundamentals I do think it is important. If you can, better to save up a get the "right" pack and boots early in your journey (if you look around you can find some good sales on MR metcalf packs and also find lightly used ones on this and other forums). An ill-fitting pack or boots can really put a crimp in a hunt. Get theses two right + the time and ammo $ to practice, practice, practice with your rifle of choice + put ONX on your phone are the 4 keys to making your early attempts positive experiences in my opinion. Fancy glass, fancy guns, fancy tents, fancy clothes and fancy electronics can come later. YMMV.

 

[TexasT-Rex]

Sometimes I view the "buy once, cry once" advice on threads a little snotty, especially on the high end glass threads, but for the base fundamentals I do think it is important. If you can, better to save up a get the "right" pack and boots early in your journey (if you look around you can find some good sales on MR metcalf packs and also find lightly used ones on this and other forums). An ill-fitting pack or boots can really put a crimp in a hunt. Get theses two right + the time and ammo $ to practice, practice, practice with your rifle of choice + put ONX on your phone are the 4 keys to making your early attempts positive experiences in my opinion. Fancy glass, fancy guns, fancy tents, fancy clothes and fancy electronics can come later. YMMV.

Thank you for the advice, I will keep that in mind for sure.

 

[Cheesehead]

Sometimes I view the "buy once, cry once" advice on threads a little snotty, especially on the high end glass threads, but for the base fundamentals I do think it is important. If you can, better to save up a get the "right" pack and boots early in your journey (if you look around you can find some good sales on MR metcalf packs and also find lightly used ones on this and other forums). An ill-fitting pack or boots can really put a crimp in a hunt. Get theses two right + the time and ammo $ to practice, practice, practice with your rifle of choice + put ONX on your phone are the 4 keys to making your early attempts positive experiences in my opinion. Fancy glass, fancy guns, fancy tents, fancy clothes and fancy electronics can come later. YMMV.

This is great advice. I’d suggest pinching pennies, waiting a bit, and buying a used Exo/SG/Kifaru/Mystery Ranch class pack. You will thank me for this advice later.

 

[JLS]

I was in your shoes once. I bought a Badlands 2800 for a great price. Every time I used it to pack critters it would go back in for warranty repairs. If I tried to do a deer in one trip I would end up with sores that took a couple of weeks to heal. The additional 350 I spent for my first MR seemed well worth it after that experience.

Sometimes spending wisely means spending more. Do your homework.

 

[Aussie_hunter_JD]

I had heard advice like this and thought surely it's just a bit of wank factor (as we would say in aus). I bought a cheaper pack and though it hasn't completely fallen to pieces I thoroughly regret it. Mind you a SG evo or MR metcalf are around $1,000 in Aus so I still haven't upgraded. But I will when I can. My advice is don't cheap out.

 

[VAspeedgoat]

The horn hunter packs are good quality just heavier than high end packs. I have one and have used it a good bit. Just recently upgraded to a mr pack. I don't regret saving the money early on, it got the job done just fine.

 

[Addicting]

Save the classifieds on here to your favorites. Check it daily and get a good used one. You will thank us later....

 

[deer_shooter]

I agree with the advice above on getting the best you can afford on a pack and boots. Be sure to try on and/look at a variety of brands, sizes, etc, even if you have to drive t an hour or two to a store that has variety. Both items, especially boots are very personal as far as fit and comfort, so there is no 'best' pack or boot. There are of course a number of brands to examine. Packs listed above and there are probably a dozen threads or more here on boots.
It would also be good to figure out your budget and then scour ebay as well as keep an eye out on this forum for deals. This time of year is pretty good for used year shopping.

 

[bmt99]

The horn hunter packs are good quality just heavier than high end packs. I have one and have used it a good bit. Just recently upgraded to a mr pack. I don't regret saving the money early on, it got the job done just fine.

This is exactly what I did. Good pack just a few pounds heavier (kind of like me when I bought it). I don't regret getting that one. Was easier to spend more money on boots which was huge!

 

[rjthehunter]

I ordered one of these...
No complaints about it yet. Holds a lot of equipment and has lots of pockets. I actually like it quite a bit for the price. I will probably upgrade but while I finish my last year of college it'll get me through!

It comes with a pack, then you can disconnect the pack and use it as a meat hauler. Pretty slick design.

Commander + Pack Bag - Coyote Brown | ALPS OutdoorZ

www.alpsoutdoorz.com

 

[Irrelevant]

I spent a decade hunting with an old Osprey backpacking pack. Worked great. Damn near free on Craigslist.

 

[VikingsGuy]

I ordered one of these...
No complaints about it yet. Holds a lot of equipment and has lots of pockets. I actually like it quite a bit for the price. I will probably upgrade but while I finish my last year of college it'll get me through!

It comes with a pack, then you can disconnect the pack and use it as a meat hauler. Pretty slick design.

Commander + Pack Bag - Coyote Brown | ALPS OutdoorZ

www.alpsoutdoorz.com

I have one these these from 5 years ago in near perfect condition (only used for one 2 day trip) that I would sell for $100 (50% of new pricing) plus cost of shipping.

 

[riv3rbanks]

https://austin.craigslist.org/spo/d/austin-mystery-ranch-selway-60/7002109628.html

This is a pretty good deal depending on your size. It's been up for a while now.

 

[0uTkAsT]

Packs are such a personal choice, like much of what we rely on heavily like footwear and optics. You'll get 10 different suggestions from just 3 or 4 people.

The problem with buying used or shopping online for the best deal is that you don't always know exactly what you're going to get and returns can be impossible or at the very least inconvenient.

I suggest going to a retailer if you can, and trying a bunch on. Don't let a sales guy sell you on features or anything, just keep your needs in mind and see what fits best right off the bat, then go from there.

Personally, I've had at least six packs in the last 5 years and settled on the Eberlestock X2 as my go-to. It's not perfect and there's some things I don't like about it, but it's kind of the "Goldilocks" based on my current range of experience.

 

[TexasT-Rex]

Thank you to those who took the time to respond, lots of options to think about and thank you for that! I think I’ll try and find a retailer and try some on. Thanks again

 

[npaden]

Thank you to those who took the time to respond, lots of options to think about and thank you for that! I think I’ll try and find a retailer and try some on. Thanks again

The only problem with finding a retailer and trying some on is that the best packs aren’t sold at your traditional retailers.

The high end packs are very adjustable and can generally be adjusted to fit about anyone. There are personal preferences like the amount of pockets, layout, etc. but it really isn’t like a boot where one brand just seems to fit your foot better or worse than another brand.

The top end brands can flat carry a load way better than other packs. I’ve had several packs and would have saved $ and had a much better experience just going with a top end pack right off the bat.

Stone Glacier, Kifaru, Mystery Ranch, EVO, Seek Outside would be the brands I would be looking at. If they are outside of your price range you can find them in the classifieds. There is another site that starts with rok and ends with slide that has a very active classified section that generally has several name brand packs for sale at any given time. I like the regular forums here better but they have a more active classified section.

Good luck.

 

[ShadowFast1]

I ordered one of these...
No complaints about it yet. Holds a lot of equipment and has lots of pockets. I actually like it quite a bit for the price. I will probably upgrade but while I finish my last year of college it'll get me through!

It comes with a pack, then you can disconnect the pack and use it as a meat hauler. Pretty slick design.

Commander + Pack Bag - Coyote Brown | ALPS OutdoorZ

www.alpsoutdoorz.com

I just took receipt of one of these about two weeks ago. I've done a little bit of hiking around with it and so far I like it. It's lighter than both of my internal frame packs and more comfortable. That's not saying much since both of those internal frames are pretty inexpensive packs but I was still impressed. The rifle holder is an awesome piece of kit too. I'll be taking it elk hunting soon and I'll have a better understanding of how well or how poor it is. But so far it looks like a great "bang for your buck" hunting pack.

 

[king1886ranch]

I sent you a pm.

 

[Dakotakid]

I have an extra mystery ranch that I got at an rmef banquet. Still in plastic, but I would expect it to be a good pack and you could try one out locally if you know an rmef person.