What backpack are you presently using and how would you rate it overall? Internal or external frame? I have used both the internal and external and my present pack is by Bad Lands , it is a internal and has done a good job.

I have an old Cabelas Alaska II frame pack. I have only used the pack a time or two but have used the frame many times. Its pretty rough looking. If I was going to have to pack meat I want a external frame, I want to be able to take the pack off. Some of my hunting partners have internal frame packs and they had to take out gear and pack meat, not a good plan in my books.

I use an old (15 years) external frame backpack. I have several, including two internal frame packs, but I really like the old JanSport. Very comfortable and doesn't make me as sweaty as the others. Plus I am better at packing it so that i don't have to destroy the entire packing job just to find a tooth brush.

I have seen some really interesting packs on the market that kind of blur the line between internal and external, but they are pricy

Jimmy,

I use a Kelty that I got at REI. That is for backpacking. For hunting I got one of those Trapper back frames from Cabellas and I put a day pack on it for goodies.



Does liking them count for a rating. I had a cheapo before and hated it but it packed a lot of meat.

Jimmyd223: I have a couple of external pack framed backpacks and both are excellent: one is a Kelty and the other is a Camp-Trails (the latter is actually an outfit I got from Barney's Sport Chalet here in Anchorage and I do not know how easy it is to get the frame and pack from other places). Any of the the packs themselves can be horrible since they carry too much stuff (ugh). But the external frames are invaluable: you can strap awckward stuff to them and carry it from one place to another...chuncks of large animals. I have sometimes just taken the pack off the frame with my gear in it and used it as a soft duffle/stuff bag that can easily fit into a small plane...pack frames are useful all by themselves and can be stacked up in a plane to take up less space than if the pack was still on them. Enough rambling. Kelty and Camp Trails produce solid welded frames.

Hello;
I built my own. It's kind of a scaled down version of the old Trapper Nelson packboard, small enough that when riding it doesn't dig into the saddle. I always keep a basic survival kit in it and if I have to pack something I can always take the bag off, leaving the pack frame underneath. With me building the wooden frame and my wife doing the sewing, it probably cost 10 bucks.
Grizz

Alaskan Guide model. Up here it's nice to have an external frame for packing out moose, sheep and caribou. It also doesn't break my pocket book. A lot of guys up here also like the Barney's.

I have a very nice Lowe internal frame pack that is very strong. I use it for packing gear & meat. I also have a Bianchi day pack that I use to hunt with. They have worked well for several years. I just bought a Dwight Schu hunting pack with the "flex fram" last year. It looks & feels great but I have yet to pack out game with it so far. I will be using it while hunting in the Weiminuche again this coming September!!!!!!!

I bought a Cabela's Alaska Guide frame to use in Idaho last year and was very happy with it. I strapped my Crooked Horn daypack to it to carry my gear. I attached the rifle hanger to it and that worked well to sling my rifle on while hiking.

Jeff

Jeff, that is the very same one I am looking at for a new update to some of the older external frames I have. Any comments on how it fit and felt with a load.
I have several day packs that would work but I have been very happy with the Bad Lands products so far.

Heavy

Jeff

Jeff, you mean to tell me your two huntin partners did not help share the load I won't mention any names

I've used a Dana Big Sky panel load day pack for about 13 years, now sporting a few wonderful blood stains. I don't really like a top load for most day hunts, digging into the bottom of it for grub or a camera is a bit of a pain. Much easier to unzip the whole panel and view the contents! This is especially true when I steal my kids haloween candy and it falls to the bottom.

It carries an antelope in one trip, a large mulie in two. Doubt its a large enough pack for elk. The shovit pocket is great for strapping on a hind quarter. The front quarter fits inside just fine.

I put on a "padded cell" accessory on the waist belt for my binoculars and really like it compared to using a neck strap.

I use a frame called the freighter it has a fold down shelf it works well and is very sturdy ive had a 168 lb. hind quarter on it twice and a half of a spike bull another time held up with no problem from the frame

Actually Chic carried a quarter and my jacket if I remember correctly. He offered to carry more but it was my first time packing an animal so I wanted the experience. I started off with 3/4 of a deer which somehow turned into a bull moose 3 1/2 hours later when we got to camp. I'll tell you though that first beer tasted awfully good As for the pack I liked the way it handled but I have nowhere near the backpacking experience the others here have.

Jeff

I have got one, but I am looking at the Kifaru packs for a trip to Alaska in 2006. You can get a folding shelf as an accessory that converts it to hauler-type for meat, etc. They are not cheap by any means, but I have a not so great back (scoliosis) and will pay for comfort and good weight distribution.

yea Ivan he was a monster bull scored 378 we all called him old whitie we had seen him for 4 years but never got a shot at him .but ond day taking a short cut thru the deepest darkest hole there he was almost didnt shoot but his size got the best of me. it took 41/2 hr oneway to rig just about killed me

That makes my knees hurt just thinking about it. I think the carrying capacity of my body is a bigger limiting factor than that of a pack.

Jeff

I have some 40 yrs. serious, backpacking experience and have owned and used 15 different packs, including units from all over Canada, the U.S. and Europe. I spent quite a few years in employment where my pack was one of my major tools and I have fitted and sold packs for a living.

I strongly recommend the following packs for heavy, hard use and either own or have owned these.

1.) For an external frame pack, the "Bullpac" from Idaho. The various frame packs known as "Freighters" etc. are not in the same class, I have broken and worn out a number of them. The "Bullpac" is also very comfortable and fairly priced.

2.) For an internal pack, I had a "Badlands" 4500, it was an excellent pack in all respects, mine was stolen and I would buy another without hesitation. They are super folks and really do produce a fine product, the prices are also fair.

3.) My most respected internal frame maker is Dana Gleason of "The Works at Mystery Ranch", formerly of Dana Design. I have been using his packs since 1977-78, he is a genius and the packs simply do not break. My last one was also stolen and I will be buying another when the new model they are working on is offered in about six weeks. NOBODY, makes a better pack!

4.) Kifaru---I am going to buy one, based on talking with the designer, Patrick Smith. They are pricey and complex, but, they are building a hell of a reputation. For the hunter who bones out and carries his game inside a pack with his camp gear, this is the way to go.

I also have and use packs by Gregory (Denali Pro) and so forth. While these are not primarily hunting packs, they will certainly work and a camo cover can be made from fleece to adapt it/them to hunting. This is an option for those who want one pack to do it all and have chosen a bright coloured unit from Gregory or J.J. McHale, another superb maker.

Your pack is a really crucial piece of gear, especially in the mountains and, along with boots and sleeping roll, is one of the places where spending the money to get the finest is a wise idea. You can do without a fancy, custom rifle, but, a cheap pack will cause you real grief!

I have a Kifaru Spike Camp and like it a lot. The way that it carries the weight on the hips is unlike any other pack that I've put on. It is a little complex but is just the thing for a gadget freak. Patrick Smith is a really neat guy and stands totally behind his products. I've not had the experience in the wilds as much as some of our distinguished posters but from the packs I've put on or looked at I like the Kifaru's the best......DJ

I'd like to thank those of you who have taken the time to give this some thought and responded.

I have an old (20 years) "freighter" style frame that was a cheep meat packer. Afew years ago I found a bag for it and although it has worked fine, it's by no means a comfy thing to carry. Because of this I've been looking at the Cabela's Alaskan, and the Dwight Shue flex frame. I also looked at the Bull-pac and liked it.

If people have any more to comment on these I'd love to hear real experiences, good or bad!

BigNate, that is the great thing about forum's and the feedback on product's. With 40+ years of hunting and packing I have used alot of packs as the older gents always made the youngun's do the heavy work . Back in those days it was the old military wood framed packs, think I'll go BURN one just at the thought of the pain endured over those years In later years I have used several,some good and some were really bad. I have come to really like the BadLand and it works very well for a boned out deer but I like the looks of the Alaskan external frame for the larger loads.

I can't say enough good things about the Barneys pack frame.
I used a Camp Trails pack for my first moose and vowed never again. Since I hunt by myself most of the time I have carried many 100#-150# loads on my Barneys pack. The loads are heavy but comfortable, maybe manageable is a better word for it, with the Barneys pack. I use the pack frame and just strap a small day pack to it for most of my hunting. Though I do plan on buying one of their bags for an upcoming sheep hunt this year. These pack frames aren't cheap but mine has been worth every penny of it!

Jarrett

As a young guy, I worked for the B.C. Forest Service and resigned from a very good career track position to work in the bush. I became a "lookoutman" in the most remote, wilderness parts of B.C., by choice. We had minimal equipment and were issued "Trapper Nelson # 3" packboards to carry our food, water, lampgas and wood up the mountain,solo, to the tiny, wooden shacks that we worked and lived in.

I was issued two 10 Imp. gal. steel milk cans, full of water and I packed these for close to a mile from where we could get the Bell GB-47 chopper; this must have weighed 125 lbs each or more. This was hard work, I couldn't do it now.

So, the next year, the lightweight gear became available and I started using it to make life easier. I bought my own and wore out several aluminum pack frames from 1968-2001; I also used a Dwight Shuh pack, the original model, for hunting; it was junk and useless for any load over about 25 lbs; the rigging on it wore out very quickly and I had to continually repair it.

If, a person hunts for meat and does not have to pack out large antlers, a "Badlands" 4500 is an excellent choice and will last for a lifetime of hunting trips. I loved mine and this is the dollar value in packs for the average hunter. For packing out big racks and humping awkward loads, get a "BullPac", you will never want another pack frame. These two make the ideal combo for most backpack hunting.

For the serious wilderness hunter, the Kifaru packs are outstanding, but, they are costly, so, I would do some serious thinking about what I was going to do, before I bought. The cost of an item of gear is not important to me as I have no kids to worry about, but, it is a major concern to most guys and the packs by Dana Gleason are a bit pricey as well.

I cannot imagine anyone who buys and uses a pack from any of these four makers-who adjusts it correctly-being unhappy with it. They all hunt and know their stuff and are really super people to deal with. There are benefits and negative aspects with all of them, but, if you analyse your needs, discuss these with the pack makers and buy accordingly, you will be happy with the results.

I must agree with jimmyd223, I would LOVE to burn some of those old, wooden framed torture racks!!!

kutenaymtnboy , damn the ol' milk can trick , think I would have asked for aluminum cans
As you have said, there are several top makers on the market today and it all boils down to what your needs really are. The Kifaru has to be one of the top packs out there but so is the cost.
I am at the point where one such as the Alaskan or simalar with one of my BadLand fanny packs will work for the hunting now days. I did purchase a military Gore-Tex outer bag liner that is the cats ass and with a small tarp, I have the right set up for a wilderness camp, with plenty of room for packing out game.
Thanks for all your insight for the new guys just getting started, I'm sure it will make things much easier for them

I've been using the Cabelas Alaskan Outfitter frame and pack the last few years. When hunting I just attach my hip pack to it and I'm off. I also added the gun attachment to it. I've been very happy with this pack. This last year I packed out my cow elk (bone in) in two trips. It was very heavy but it wasn't uncomfortable. I've packed out a few deer and they were farther trip and still it wasn't bad. The lumbar support is very good and the shoulder straps and hip straps are well padded. I think this is a great pack.

I'm also curious about the Kifaru packs but until I wear out or break(can't imagine) my current pack I'll stick with what I got.