Viper Report post Posted February 4, 2014 I have the Eberle X2...love it as a day pack. If you go ultralight, you might do an overnighter with it. A friend has the Team Elk and loves it. A couple friends have the Outdoorsmans Optics packs and swear by them. They do 5 day pack hunts with it. I think this is the one on my wish list. They are 7 lbs empty, just like the large Eberle packs, but have the external flexible frame. Watch some Meat Eater episodes to get an idea how they perform. There are a ton of choices. It would be cool to have all the top picks in one room, and a few hours to go through them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
capoeirajosh Report post Posted February 4, 2014 The outdoorsman looks awesome. The only thing I am wondering about with it, is if it is waterproof. On the site, they sell a rainfly for the pack. This leads me to believe that it is not waterproof. Seems like it would be a pain in the butt having that rainfly on there and having to get in your pack. Love meateater by the way. :-) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
2 Full Curls Report post Posted February 4, 2014 Great thread. I have had the Outdoorsman's pack for 3 years now, and like it more every trip I take. I bought the pack for the following reasons: 1) I really like the idea of an external frame. I use to run a soft shell backpack and had a pack frame that I would leave at the trailhead if I needed to pack meat out. I wanted to be able to get my deer out in one trip. The pack is robust and can carry a lot of weight if needed. The other benefit to the external frame is it has a rifle shooting notch built in (pretty cool if you need to get off the ground higher than your bipod will reach). 2) I also figured I could use the external frame in an emergency situation in case I injured my self. For example, say you fall and injure your back and herniate discs (which I have done). You can take off the bag, cinch the frame on for support, and athletic tape yourself to it if needed and maybe walk out with a little less pain. 3) I liked the belt setup on the waist straps. It makes it easy to carry my range finder, sidearm, and flashlight. 4) I liked supporting Outdoorsman's as a local business. Good guys over there who are serious about western hunting. A couple of things to consider though: 1) It took me a couple trips to get use to wearing the external frame, after having been use to a softer/padded backpack. There is a trial by error process to getting the pack straps adjusted on the frame such that they fit well to your body size. If you get through that you are golden. 2) It is not water proof. I used it for 15 days on an AZ antelope hunt last year and had it in the rain often. It is water resistant but some of my stuff inside got wet for sure. I picked up the rain cover for it this Christmas. Its a perfect, lightweight solution. I just bought my Dad the Eberlestock Just One pack this Christmas. I did A LOT of research and talked to several guys who LOVE the pack. Like the Outdoorsman's it runs about 7 lbs. dry (so it's not an ultralight pack) but it is well made IMO. Very well padded (more so than the Outdoorsman's). My Dad was not interested in an external frame pack, and he really likes his so far. Eberlestock has a lot of attachments that you can get to spruce it up also. The Just One is comfortable enough to be a good day pack, and strong enough to haul out a deer from the wilderness area. With all that said, I am currently looking for an ultra light pack that I can take deep into the Wilderness for 5-7 days. Like Becker said, losing 3-4 lbs. on a pack can make a big difference. Mystery Ranch, Kifaru, Kuiu, Kelty are all packs that I recommend you research. Lots of information out there. Packs are like women's purses for men.... can't have too many and you can justify a situation where each is just right. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesPursuit Report post Posted February 4, 2014 Packs are like women's purses for men.... can't have too many and you can justify a situation where each is just right. So much this. Even if I am satisfied with my 2 packs I have enjoyed following each recommended item on this thread. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CWpredator Report post Posted February 4, 2014 />Thanks for the replies everyone. Does anyone have the badlands ox? Looks like a killer pack. I've got the OX pack. Is a sweet pack for sure. Definitely a work horse and can carry more weight than you want to throw at it. I only have 2 complaints with it. Is almost 9 lbs dry weight and it's doesn't breathe well on your back on early season hunts. Other than that it's extremely comfortable and perfect for those extended stays in the back country. Plenty of room for all your gear plus some and it makes packing out entire animals in one shot a breeze. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
capoeirajosh Report post Posted February 4, 2014 I think I now have it narrowed down to the OX, Dragonfly, and Outdoorsman. Still on the fence about the outdoorsman not being waterproof. I really like the warranty that badlands offers. Still need to look into a few other brands. Lets keep this going. Anyone have Tenzing? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red Rabbit Report post Posted February 4, 2014 If you have the money, you might look into the Kifaru line of packs. I have a Mystery Ranch NICE frame with load sling and bag, but the Kifarus are said to carry better. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
prowlerMan Report post Posted February 4, 2014 Thanks for the replies everyone. Does anyone have the badlands ox? Looks like a killer pack. I have a ox and the outdoorsmans. I prefer the outdoorsmans over the ox. It just fits me better and is 2 pounds lighter than the ox. The metal frame sides of the ox produce a lot of noise ("tings") going through brush. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MULEPACKHUNTER Report post Posted February 4, 2014 seems like we have done this several times now but i do see some new packs showing up in this round. i pretty much went off of weight and price alone, i run the kelty red cloud and i think its 4000 ci not positive. 130 or 160 bucks i think it was on sale at sportmans. 3 years of some serious backpacking including the canyon and all type of weather and load config. its light and cheap and its not had one issue. under 4 lbs and closer to 3 lbs dry. have ran 50 lbs in it easy and could run more. good luck, getting the pack is the easy part, packing deep is another story 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
capoeirajosh Report post Posted February 4, 2014 Check out the Tenzing CF13. Pretty sweet looking pack. http://m.youtube.com/results?q=tenzing%20cf13&sm=1 The TZ 6000 looks awesome as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest akaspecials Report post Posted February 4, 2014 Those outdoorsmans look pretty sweet! Are they waterproof? For you backpacking guys, how much space should I be shooting for here is these packs for backpack hunts? What is too small and what is too much cubic inch wise? The reason why the eberlestocks were so appealing to me is because of the adjustability of them when it comes to the size. You can start out with 2200 cubic in. and expand them out to 4-5000 cubic in. while being able to add on one of the spike camp duffles which would bring it to like 7-8000 cubic in. What is plenty when it comes to space? Rule of thumb is 40-60 liters for a weekend, 60-90 for longer trips. It all depends how much crap you bring though and the time of the year (cold weather clothes take up a lot of space!). I would always go a little larger than what you think you will need. It's easier to cinch down straps and decrease the size of a pack than to strap stuff onto the outside. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Viper Report post Posted February 4, 2014 I think I now have it narrowed down to the OX, Dragonfly, and Outdoorsman. Still on the fence about the outdoorsman not being waterproof. I really like the warranty that badlands offers. Still need to look into a few other brands. Lets keep this going. Anyone have Tenzing? I don't believe any pack is completely waterproof....somethings gonna leak. I wouldn't chance it, especially if I am carrying a down bag...or any bag for that matter. i don't see carrying a rain fly as a big deal, they are really light. Dry bags are real light as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
capoeirajosh Report post Posted February 5, 2014 So, what would be a good size cubic inch wise for, say a 5 day pack hunt with the ability to haul out meat/antlers? I don't own any backpacking equipment YET. I do plan on acquiring them though and will not do one of these pack hunts until I have those items. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Redman Report post Posted February 5, 2014 nice thing about the KUIU is you can add a different sized pack from 1850 to 7200 and still use the same frame.... I really don't think there is ONE pack for all uses. good thread keep the info coming 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rclouse79 Report post Posted February 5, 2014 I just ordered the Kifaru timberline 1. It is 7200 cubic inches, but only weights a few ounces more than the timberline 2 which is 5200 cubic inches. I was originally going to go with the 2, but I read quite a few reviews of people who bought the 2 and wish they had gone with the 1. There is hardly a weight penalty and they compress down to the same size for a day hunt. You might not ever need the extra volume of the 1, but it is there if you do. It is easy to compress a pack down but you can't make them grow. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
