quote:

Originally posted by kutenay:
Frans, If you drive down to Bozeman, MT., you could get the guys at MR to fit a pack system to you, using their smaller "yoke".

We hadn't quite decided on the summer plans just yet, and we were leaning towards driving down to Butte to spend some time with friends... Short hop from there to Bozeman... I need to go do some researching on their site...

Thanks for the advice.

Frans

I have 2 peak 1 external frame packs.The dwight Schuh is my daypack,and the 5400 cubic inch is my home away from home.I train with it carrying 60lb of sand.RB
RKD-Jordans Outdoor outfitters in Kamloops are selling the Tatonka systems.

i have a nimrod and i love it. packed out a boned out mullie out of crevice canyon it was so heavy i couldn't sit down to rest cause i wouldn't be able to get back up, only problem is the pinnacle only holds enough stuff for an overnighter,

I say eberlestock Just One and Kelty Freightor external frame. I looked at the Kelty Bison 3300 for under a $100 is very nice and worth looking at. Good luck!

I have been using for many years a Karrimor Jaguar which has served me in an outstanding way (and will continue doing so, hopefully ....) now, for shorter trips I have recently bought a camelbak commander - I haven´t used it yet thou it seems to be just as comfortable as I would desire, with great storage capacity and of course its own hidration system ....

Visit nimrod's site. Multiple options allow you to select capacity as required by your trip. Have used nimrod in several configurations for more than 5 yrs in North America & Africa. Higly recomended.

Peakebrook ----- I used a Gregory for years on many mountains and climbs. I am sure my pack is old technology now. My climbing pardner (daughter) has been having babies for the last five years, by the time I get back in the game it will probably be with the babies, (I hope). Back then you could always depend on Dana Design or Gregory to lead the way. I would still put my money on Gregory if I were a betting man. Good packing

Not all that long ago I was also in need of buying a well made large capacity (5500ci+) pack for an upcomming elk hunt. I looked at Kifaru, Badlands, Nimrod, and Dana Designs just to name a few. In my surch on the internet someone suggested I give Northern Mountain Supply a look, as thay often had great deels on back packing and camping gear.

Low and behold thay had Dana Designs packs on a close out deel. I bought one each of the Long Bed and the Terraframe for $98.00 EACH and that was WITH S&H no less!. I used the Terraframe that same year on a WY elk hunt and it exceeded my expectations in every way as far as comfort, fit, function and reliability. These Dana packs both retailed for $398.00 originally. Now the two Dana Designs packs I bought are not spacificly designed to be a pure hunting pack, but at $98.00 I simply could not see spending any where from 3x to 6x as much to get a Badlands or a Kifaru.

My friends and I were simply in awe of how well these Dana Designs packs are made, but what realy impressed me was the level of comfort I experienced packing out 60lb+ loads of elk meat, antlers and capes. I simply could not get over how comfortable the Terraframe felt fully loaded.

I also have seen the adds for the new Mystery Ranch packs. Unless I am mistaken, the Future Deluxe looks like a near cabon coppy of my Terraframe, except it has an internal frame where as both my Longbed and Terraframe are external frame packs.

My next pack purchase looks like it might be a Badlands 3500 as I need a good lt/wt internal frame pack that can handel packing out a medium load of meat or the antlers and cape as I at present dont own one, and dont like to hunt with a 6000+ci pack unless absolutely nessasary. The Badlands 3500 seems to be the best choice of all the packs Ive seen so far.

Figured I'd bring this one to the top again.. I recently bought some new Mystery Ranch gear and I'm nearly a grand into it, with the accessories from Kifaru I added to it. I need to recover some $$ before I end up sleeping outside. I put a post on the Classified area for some backpacks I'm selling, will add the details here also.

I'll give an update to the Mystery Ranch NICE system after I've had a year's worth using it done. I'm hoping it's great! For the price it better be because I was pretty pleased with my existing gear.

I have a Dana Design Astralplane Overkill that was built in Bozeman, one of the good ones. It's black and size medium. It's the big one (7000 ci I believe) they made, same style as the old terraplane, just bigger and with 2 access zippers on each side. I paid about over $500 new for it's seen minimal use, about a dozen times since I purchased it in 1996. It's a top-end expedition style pack.

I'm also selling a Mystery Ranch pack I bought last year, which was a special build (military prototype) that i saw in their shop and bought just before hunting season last fall. It's a camo version of thier "Deluxe" model, size Medium, which is lighweight, but big enough for several days of hunting. It's what I used last year and I did use it a lot. I had them sew chainings down both sides and the middle for lashing extra gear on, my tripod in particular. I paid around $375 for it I think after the custom work.

Price is $275 for the Astralplane and $225 for the Deluxe special, or $425 for both, shipping included.

Let me know if any pictures, or need any more details. If you do any web-searches on the Dana Design pack, you have to take into consideration this is an older style Astralplane Overkill, made in Bozeman. When Dana Gleason sold Dana Design the manufacturing went overseas and they are not nearly the same pack as they were when this one was made here locally.

I noticed some of you mentioned the Eberlestock Just one packs. They have recently started retailing them in Australia, and they seem like a good idea.

Of the two Just-One models on the eberlestock website the j105 and the j104, which have you guys used or would you recomend?

Also how compact can you make it if you use it as your daypack after you have set up a spike camp? Seems like it might still be pretty bulky even when it is compressed down.

Cheers

I ordered a Kifaru pack a couple of weeks ago...a smaller one from the military side called the "Express", along with a cargo chair. Should fit most of my daypack needs. It is only 2300ci but it is made to attack pockets to it and the cargo chair will help with bigger external loads.

I like the idea of a solid, non-camo color(I got coyoter brown)... I wish more hunting clothing was available in brown/kaki/greens instead of camo. I really don't like most new camo..I like the asat and predator stuff because it breaks up outlines, the other stuff is too fine of detail and blurs together into a dark blob farther that 40 yards or so(IMHO).

I was torn between a Mystery ranch NICE frame, a kifaru pack(Zulu, longhunter, omni-yoke, pointman, cargo hauler...) and I have looked at the Justone by eberlestock. I have a buddy who ordered one of those so we are gonna compare the two. He was looking for a sheep hunting pack and thought the eberlstock stuff looked good. We will be trying these out on day trips this spring and maybe some spring bear hunting.

-phil

I have the J104 and love it. The J105 has more adjustment on the harness and is a little heavier. Both are great, so take your pick. I bought the rain cover, expander bag and zip in panel.

Thanks GaryV and Hunting1,
I think I'm pretty sold on that pack, probably the J104 considering that a lot of the time it will be used a daypack where weight and flexibility are more of a consideration.

Lookin forward to testing it on some expeditions in the Victorian highcountry (hopefully get to test its freighter function too!)

Hi Sakoman

Let me know if you find someone in Australia that has the J104 in stock - the distributor doesn't have any, neither do Eberlestock. I'm very interested in one but suspect I might have to go with the J105.

Ian

Ian,

To be honest I haven't actually sourced one myself yet. I did the research assuming that they would import all of the products, but may have to settle for the J105, or import a 104 myself.

If I find someone who has them I'll be sure to let you know.

Get a Barney's pack. I consistently pack loads from 100+ to 200+ pounds and it is by far the best pack I have ever wore. The suspension system on it is worth the price in itself. I doubt there will ever be a need for another pack.

quote:

Get a Barney's pack.

Barney the Purple Dinosaur? Or Ally Barney? He makes packs for snowboarders.

WPN
Barneys frame is great.. Bag is very heavy..When wet as would occur on a 10 day hunt in the mountains.. It is very very Heavy..
AK