Quietest hunting backpack

[Plebe]

I'm beyond perplexed on the fascination with quiet packs. Do you intend to rummage around in it when a buck is right in front of you? I've used quite a few packs in my life made of different materials and I cannot EVER recall spooking game over a noisy pack.

If there were no tradeoffs, I could get behind it. But there are.

I keep a “noisy“ Ultra PE pack for those hunts where stretches of rain turn almost everything else into a soggy mess. It’s durable and waterproof. I can put a fleece cover over it to quiet it in transit (But I don’t)

While you can put a rain cover over a fleece pack, the pack won’t be any more durable.

Cordura is somewhat of a middle ground.

 

[bigmike23]

What pack do you use?

A cheapie badlands I don't even know the name of i got for free from Europtics the last couple of years.
Then a Fas pack this year my cousin hated and sold to me for 100$.
Sometimes I just ran cargo packets

 

[woodsdog2]

I'm beyond perplexed on the fascination with quiet packs. Do you intend to audition rummage around in it when a buck is right in front of you? I've used quite a few packs in my life made of different materials and I cannot EVER recall spooking game over a noisy pack.

Early season especially, when there’s little to no wind and you feel like crowding up to a bedding area or whatever, I like to keep things as simple and as quiet as possible. In the woods that scratchy tough fabric sounds ten times louder to me.

 

[Dope on a Rope]

I’ve been experimenting with this. Think I might add Velcro to the outside and stick all my stuff there until I need it.

 

[Maverick1]

Check out Kathy Kelly backpacks. Fleece.

 

[samu]

The new treehouse doesn’t have external zippers(that I remember?). I’ve only used it on a handful of hunts so I could be forgetting. But you can definitely go through a hunt without touching a zipper. My issue with it is it’s square structure, it seems odd for carrying my bow what feels like 12 inches from my body and only have a few things in the pack.

It's not really the zippers. I'll leave the lid open and put my thermos and snacks on top. Sometimes binoculars as well. Bow carry doesn't concern me either but I will be carrying the ambush platform and one climbing stick strapped to it. I've been using Eberlestock X1EII for now, it doesn't really carry a bow, the carrying system is excessively bulky so it's sort of unstable on gear hanger and overall it's just too big for the purpose.

I'm beyond perplexed on the fascination with quiet packs. Do you intend to aggressively rummage around in it when a buck is right in front of you? I've used quite a few packs in my life made of different materials and I cannot EVER recall spooking game over a noisy pack.

It's not when you see a buck, it's when you want to get anything from the pack and don't know if there's a deer approaching 50 yards away. You don't need to spook them, sometimes they just notice a weird sound and slightly dodge the location where the sound came from. I've had roe deer coming in at 40 yards, I accidentally bumped my range finder on the plastic zipper pull on my jacket, it stopped for maybe 5 seconds, then kept moving but circled around me through high grass and bushes instead of clear path I was set next to. Say I need to turn slightly for the shot and lean into the backpack in process, I don't want to make sound by just touching the surface gently as is the case with lot of gear. Bino packs are the same, need to hover arm around them when identifying approaching deer in the dark.

 

[Dope on a Rope]

It's not really the zippers. I'll leave the lid open and put my thermos and snacks on top. Sometimes binoculars as well. Bow carry doesn't concern me either but I will be carrying the ambush platform and one climbing stick strapped to it. I've been using Eberlestock X1EII for now, it doesn't really carry a bow, the carrying system is excessively bulky so it's sort of unstable on gear hanger and overall it's just too big for the purpose.

It's not when you see a buck, it's when you want to get anything from the pack and don't know if there's a deer approaching 50 yards away. You don't need to spook them, sometimes they just notice a weird sound and slightly dodge the location where the sound came from. I've had roe deer coming in at 40 yards, I accidentally bumped my range finder on the plastic zipper pull on my jacket, it stopped for maybe 5 seconds, then kept moving but circled around me through high grass and bushes instead of clear path I was set next to. Say I need to turn slightly for the shot and lean into the backpack in process, I don't want to make sound by just touching the surface gently as is the case with lot of gear. Bino packs are the same, need to hover arm around them when identifying approaching deer in the dark.

I reread and see the comment was about the Cordura lining which bothered me as well, and you do have to be more careful if it’s loaded tight when removing hard objects that are stuffed in there.

 

[Nosaj]

The new treehouse doesn’t have external zippers(that I remember?). I’ve only used it on a handful of hunts so I could be forgetting. But you can definitely go through a hunt without touching a zipper. My issue with it is it’s square structure, it seems odd for carrying my bow what feels like 12 inches from my body and only have a few things in the pack.

The lid does have zippers and there is a small zippered inside compartment as well. I open the lid zipper when I set up and leave it open until I am done and the inside zipper is like a security pocket that I keep my keys and wallet so I do not open it while hunting unless I am filling out a tag. There are also 2 zippers that allow the front of the pack to open giving access to the interior of the pack if you want something from the bottom of the pack without unpacking everything on top, however I rarely use those while hunting.

The new treehouses I was disappointed in. The furry outer makes you think quiet but that is sewn on top of the noisiest 200d nylon in the world.

I have had a different experience.

I starting using the Treehouse 38 last season and find it very quit. I have not had an issue with the internal 200d material noise wise and find it softer/quieter to the touch than normal 200d material. I can pull additional layers out of the pack or brush my hand across it and not have any issue with noise. The quite fleece material extends into the upper internal area of the pack where the easy access stretch pockets are located. The stretch pockets inside and out is where I access the most during the hunt.

For the way I hunt this pack is close to perfect. The pack is well balanced with my platform, one stick and a load of clothing. I really like being able to release my stick from the bottom of the pack without taking off the pack. I also like the way the platform attaches to the outside with 2 straps. The built in tree strap is quick and functional.

Sometimes I still hunt with my saddle looking for fresh sign to set up on and have yet to be aggravated at errant noise from the pack.

 

[samu]

Just to be clear, this is the latest version apparently?

 

[Dope on a Rope]

Just to be clear, this is the latest version apparently?

that's the one I've got. It's great in the tree, but was too bulky for me in early season(mainly the stiff square structure) when carrying my bow on it.
Context: I don't leave anything at the bottom of the tree it all comes up and down with me. I carry my stick in my hand on the way in(still dark so bow stays on my back), easy enough but looking for a better way to carry stick hands free without making noise.

I used the dagger pack with a butt bucket the last two sits, but I probably need to switch back as it gets colder. Outside of that is quiet but a lot of zippers.
My Pop Up mainly stays home unless its a deep back country trip because it is a little noisy/too much going on. But even those tend to be multi day trips where I prefer the Mainframe.