Aggieland...my wife says I have no ass. What size are you?

Also, the Kuiu pack you had...was it the new series? I read on of the big improvements was the belt and lumbar support. The material was supposed to have more grip and the lumbar was adjustable in thickness...

The biggest issue I am having right now is the Kifaru is twice the price. I can get the Kuiu loaded with hydration, extra pouches, etc. All for unframed $550.
The Kifaru will end up being close to $900. Maybe it's worth it though.

2100-2800 c.i. is too small. See my earlier remarks.

Kifaru ZXR is the best 5 to 7 day pack out there. I won't be caught going hunting out of state without it. Has roughly 5,300 cubic inches. Very low profile pack that can be used for scouting & packing.

If you need a bigger pack then the Kifaru EMR is the best one out there. 7,500 cubic inches of room and can easily handle 150 pounds of load comfortably.

Another great thing about this pack is that is will compress down to nothing and work very well for a daypack once you have hiked into your base camp.

Is this your first elk hunt?

I will going on my first elk hunt, in Idaho. I am not trying to spend a grand on a pack.

Would the Eberlestock V90 battleship be a comparable bag to a Kifaru or Kuiu that has been mentioned in the thread already? I like the fact that it has almost 8k cu. in. and is at the $429 mark.

What say ye, experienced wapiti slayers?

I'm 5'10 180. For the price the kuiu will work just fine. I had the first kuiu pack. Now they are much better.

For a day pack you don't need a big huge pack. It will be a pain in the ass, I use my timberline for pack in hunts and day hunts. But if it was only day hunts I would want something smaller.

Also look for the kifaru used online, They don't wear out! But I agree on price, I spend over $900 on mine but only use it a few trips a year. I love the pack but living in txt we don't get as much use out of them as folks out West.

Don't buy an Eberlestock or anything that makes you carry the load on your shoulders. I can guarantee it will suck balls. 80-90% of the weight in your pack should be transferred to your lumbar section. Makes a ton of difference, my friends on the pack out we're a half mile behind be because their packs were kicking their asses.

One more thing anyone saying they haul out 90-120# loads is full of crap. No one in their right mind can or should be trying that walking in the mountains. I carried close to 80# of meat off one peak down to camp and it was brutal on my legs and back, that was with a kifaru ul 5200 then carried quite a bit of camp and meat back to the truck a few miles. but anything over 70# is for the normal guy very heavy over any distance.

Just spoke to the ring leader of the hunt and we have 4 horses to take for the two of us going from TX. The guy we are meeting up there has horses for himself too.

If that is the case, then I am going to use a pack that I already have for a day pack and spend my money elsewhere. Probably going to talk him in to going halves on a badass tent.

Who are you going with?

Sorry for hijacking thread, I will only ask questions about packs from now on.

Me and Trev for sure. His co-worker that has the Northwest territory is lining all of it up. Over the counter elk tags and a wolf tag is what we are gonna get. Not sure what unit we are going to.

quote:

---

anyone saying they haul out 90-120# loads is full of crap. No one in their right mind can or should be trying that walking in the mountains.

---

Marcus Luttrell and many other men/women in our military wouldn't appreciate the put down.

Backpack hunters across the west would like a few words with you.

The Sherpas in Asia? They say hello.

But hey, since you don't like to do it, everyone else is full of crap. Cool.

quote:

---

One more thing anyone saying they haul out 90-120# loads is full of crap. No one in their right mind can or should be trying that walking in the mountains. I carried close to 80# of meat off one peak down to camp and it was brutal on my legs and back, that was with a kifaru ul 5200 then carried quite a bit of camp and meat back to the truck a few miles. but anything over 70# is for the normal guy very heavy over any distance.

---

I would like to just tag along and watch someone pack out 100# + loads on their back down a mountain.

Dude I humped more weight than that in the Marine Corps. Hauling out 100 - 150 pounds of meat is no problem for me and have done it on many occasions.

Thanks for your service Burnet.

I would venture a guess that the average guy, with the average amount of prep that many put in are not prepared to carry 90-120 lbs at altitude. That being said, there are guys who do it all the time, so while impressive, it's far from impossible, or insane. Probably falls into the category of: if you are wondering if you can, you probably shouldn't try.

quote:

---

I would venture a guess that the average guy, with the average amount of prep that many put in are not prepared to carry 90-120 lbs at altitude. That being said, there are guys who do it all the time, so while impressive, it's far from impossible, or insane. Probably falls into the category of: if you are wondering if you can, you probably shouldn't try.

---

quote:

---

quote:

---

anyone saying they haul out 90-120# loads is full of crap. No one in their right mind can or should be trying that walking in the mountains.

---

Marcus Luttrell and many other men/women in our military wouldn't appreciate the put down.

Backpack hunters across the west would like a few words with you.

The Sherpas in Asia? They say hello.

But hey, since you don't like to do it, everyone else is full of crap. Cool.


Any video proof of guys going up and down mountains at 10-12000ft carrying 120-150# loads? I know Aron Snyder personally and have seen what he can carry, I also know he is a beast and trains daily carrying heavy loads. But he will also tell you 99% of people claiming to carry that weight are full of crap. I'm sure some guys have carried that heavy of a load on level ground but whatever not worth arguing over.

For bad ass shelter/tent consider a Tipi from Seek Outside or Wyoming Lost and Found. and a small stove.

---

Poultry - Marines are taught to hump early. In basic training we go through the Crucible. The mountains that run along Camp Pendleton are well known. To graduate from basic, a Marine must hump with a full MOLLE pack, full combat body armor, and weapon. The mountains are known as Mt. MF'er & Grim Reaper. A Marine who will be up for a 54 hour period will do 48 miles of humping in the mountains with the last being a 20 mile hump. This is just basic. In SOI training & other training it is alot more rigorous. A life in the Marine Corps is little sleep, humping everywhere 24/7, sleeping on the ground, and shooting s##t. That's your basic life as a Marine Grunt. If your Recon then the physical requirements and training get even harder, which should stand for something because what the basic Marine Grunt goes through, most couldn't hack it.

My cousin is a Marine and he packs in with me on our Western hunts, I can assure you he won't carry a 150# pack. Not saying their are not guys that can carry a pack that heavy, but putting one on and walking around on level ground is one thing. Would love to see a video of you loading your pack with 150#'s of gear and climbing, We typically climb 1000ft over 3-4 miles. IT can be done but who the hell would want to?

Didn't realize we were talking about in shape military men. I thought we were talking about firsttime out of shape weekend warriors traipsing along in the Rockies With a 100# pack. A little different guys. I meant no slight to our military at all. And yes there are guys that can lug that kind of weight but I have also seen more than my fair share of hunters dieing with a 50# pack. Again no offense meant to anyone . If you can and do pack 150# around in the mountains more power to you.

Wow...this thread took a turn. Thank you to all our military men and women. I know you are perfectly capable of carrying alot of weight up and down mountains. To Cowboys point, I am not. SOOOOOO....

Log...I agree about the 2100-2800 ci may be too small. The Kuiu is like 1895 but adds an additional 2100 for a total of almost 4000 ci with the load shelf. Do you think that would be big enough?

PFG...yes, it is my first hunt.

Basically where I am at right now is I want a Kifaru...but don't know if I can swallow double the cost over a KUIU.

You only need a pack large enough for your daily gear, h20 bladder and a jacket.

I think for the price you would be super happy with the KUIU pack. I would suggest just getting one big enough for a day pack. You have horses for packing meat and gear. Also in the future you can always get a larger pack for any kind of pack in on foot hunt and always use the smaller pack for day hunts or just running around doing whatever. I carry a H20 bladder maybe 1/4-1/2 full each day, a havalon knife, rain gear, elk calls, game bags or trash bags, etc on day hunts and having enough room to stuff your jacket or other outer wear into the pack after the day warms up or you get hot from climbing is nice.. I really don't think you would want a very large pack.

Also the need for a large lumbar pad is not as big of a deal on these smaller packs, If your just carrying light loads for day hunts.

General reminder, in terms of physical fitness, Log is NOT remotely average.

I would like to suggest that you take a look at the Arc'Teryx Bora 95 backpack. You can really only find them on eBay or secondary market because they quit making them a few years ago. I used one to pack a bull elk off a 8500' hill in Wyoming and it worked great! My buddy from Colorado has one and he has packed elk, deer, sheep, mtn goat, and moose off some really steep mountains out west. If your a big guy then make sure you get the XL size cause the large pack may be too small. Good luck in your search and hope you kill a big bull this year.

quote:

---

PFG...yes, it is my first hunt

---

Just a thought... borrow from a friend, buy used, or go a cheaper route on round 1. You may not like elk hunting, or the backpack style of hunting. Would suck to spend big money on a customized pack on your first elk rodeo and then no longer want it.

Since both the Marines and Arc'teryx have been mentioned, I will say that I have a surplus marpat ILBE pack, that I have put a fair amount of weight in. Never hauled meat though. Has a nice hip belt, and rides nicely off the shoulders. Can be had for $100 or so on Amazon. Tons of room, and overbuilt for toughness. Not as cool, or have as many of the bells and whistles as some others mentioned, but maybe a useful option.

Burnet has probably got a lot more miles under one than I do, maybe he will offer some insight.

The USMC ILBE is a huge upgrade over the ALICE. With the ILBE you can get the weight off your shoulders. Roughly around 5,000 cubic inches. Can hold 120 pounds well. Just to tell you how big this pack is it has room for 60mm and 81mm mortar rounds outside the main pack. Mine is a Gen 2 but I have the reconnaissance variance of this pack.

A tip for those who are joining the ILBE club: slide a piece of cardboard between the strap velcro and frame sheet velcro, and then work the pack around until you get the positioning where you need it, and then carefully either remove the pack and remove the cardboard to set the velcro in place, or have a partner remove the cardboard.

quote:

---

The USMC ILBE is a huge upgrade over the ALICE. With the ILBE you can get the weight off your shoulders. Roughly around 5,000 cubic inches. Can hold 120 pounds well. Just to tell you how big this pack is it has room for 60mm and 81mm mortar rounds outside the main pack. Mine is a Gen 2 but I have the reconnaissance variance of this pack.

A tip for those who are joining the ILBE club: slide a piece of cardboard between the strap velcro and frame sheet velcro, and then work the pack around until you get the positioning where you need it, and then carefully either remove the pack and remove the cardboard to set the velcro in place, or have a partner remove the cardboard.

---

Good info, will give that a try...thanks!

Mine is the one with the tan hip belt, I think that's Gen 1, but I'm not sure. Is the Gen 2 made by arc'teryx as well?

I'm Planning a trip to Colorado next year, and have been planning on using mine to pack in and out. Based on hauling enough stuff for a 4 day trip (including water), I'm pretty confident I can pack quite a bit of weight with it. I don't think there is a comparable value out there than one of these at around $100. If you are making your first trip, it could be a good option. If you are unfamiliar with arc'teryx packs, research the civilian models...top notch stuff.

I used an ILBE pack at Meredith this year. Unfortunately, it was just a 5 mile day hike and I didn't see any whitetail (after Mulie season closed). It functioned ok as a day pack, but is so massive that its easy to pack too much crap. Also, there's very few pockets for organization. I tried to keep everything straight by grouping into small dry bags from Wally World. I think I paid around $65 from a local seller on ebay. I modified it by cutting some stitching off the attachment point for the load lifters to improve the angle. I need to work on lightening the pack, my load and myself for next season.

Here's how I plan to fix the pack.