What pack do you use for whitetail meat hauling?

[IkemanTX]

I bought a Mystery Ranch Metcalf a couple years ago for backcountry camping trips and future western hunting. Used it to hike an elk out of a special draw hunt in Oklahoma in January of this year, and hiked my first whitetail out this year. The elk was 3 miles in, the deer was 1.5 miles in.

I will NEVER drag a deer out whole again. What was I thinking for all those years dragging deer 1-2 miles out whole?

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[GCTerpfan]

Still haven't found a meat hauler pack that I like. I've tried the X2 and the MR 28. Not thrilled with either. I like the concept of the MR frame, but I hate the bag that's attached to it. I wish I could attach my badlands pursuit day pack to the pop-up frame.

Any updates or new suggestions?

What didn’t you like with the MR 28 bag?

 

[IkemanTX]

If you pack in your outerwear, or in cold late season climates, the bigger bag is nice to have, imo. You're able to stuff all your extra clothing in the pack, rather than having to wear it while hauling your game out or needing to lash it to the frame or overloading the meat shelf and getting it bloody. That way, you still have strapping to lash sticks, platform, weapon, etc.to the pack.

I see a lot of pics of more minimal setups hauling out meat....which looks great....but they are often sans most of the hunting gear I'd need or choose for whitetail deer hunting.

This right here has been HUGE for me. I use the main body of my Metcalf for all my outer layers, and hike in wearing only a warm weather base layer and pants.
I can easily fit a very heavy jacket and a pair of heavily insulated bibs in the bag with room to spare. If I had to wear all that a mile or two in, I would be a sweaty mess.


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[mschultz373]

milsurp atlas with frame. put a few contractor bags in there for when you knock 'em down.

 

[dalton916]

I use an Alps OutdoorZ Elite pack. They have an 1800 and a 3800 bag that both attach to the same frame. You can take the bag off to simply if that’s what you need or you can extend it out to make room for your meat you’re hauling out.

The bags have a top compartment for quick access and the rest is one compartment with zippered areas inside and a hydration pouch pocket. The large compartment has a zipper that allows you to completely open it or to position the zipper so as to only access a certain area of the pack. I would be willing to bet the dislike of the MR popup bag has to do with the single top opening.

I hauled multiple deer out with this pack and it hauls wonderfully. The frame has an easy to adjust setup for sizing and the hip belt adjusts accordingly as well. I haul my camera gear and everything else I need with the 1800 pack. I also bought the 3800, but I have yet to break it out.

If I was going to do a backpack hunt for moose, an afternoon Whitetail hunt 3 miles down the road or hike the Appalachian Trail I would grab this pack and whichever of the two bags I needed without hesitation.

Here’s a link where you can scroll through and see the pack frame….

ALPS Outdoorz Elite Frame

The all-new Elite frame is 30-percent lighter and 30-percent stronger than previous pack frames. In addition, this new frame hits higher benchmarks...

ads.midwayusa.com

Same here for the 3800 bag (the 1800 is identical, only smaller)…..

ALPS Outdoorz Elite 3800 Pack + Frame

For multi-day backcountry trips, the Elite 3800 pack bag is the optimal choice. With its 3800 cubic inch capacity, the main compartment features...

ads.midwayusa.com

I’ve only ever seen one other person on here talk about these packs, but they are damn fine packs. I love mine.

ETA: https://alpsoutdoorz.com/extreme-packs/elite-series.html

P.S. a dove stool fits perfectly around the outside of the 1800 bag and my climbing stick straps easily to the outside.

 

[Loopwing]

What have you tried? I like using 2 batwings. I can tuck a mid layer behind them and also hang my water bottle behind using an amsteel soft shackle I made. If I'm using heavy layers I strap them against the batwings using the 3 straps. I also added the FHF Gear Blaze panel, which is reversible between blaze and brown and is a stretchy pocket that I use for gloves, hat, etc. https://www.fhfgear.com/products/FHBLPOBOS.html

I've thought about trying a vapor 2500, but the batwings are very functional and if I want to pack a deer out, I can always open them and use the straps.

I am using 2 batwings, but still like to have an actual pack for storage. I have 2 separate dry bags that zip in, but then limits the amount of meat I can pack out. I just bought some G hooks and I am thinking about messing with a bandit with adjustable straps.

 

[WHW]

I started fieldquartering & packing out during the 1977 season with my 32nd deer kill. During the seasons since then I've packed out 356 deer with a surplus military, medium size, ALICE pack (as seen under my stand on my avatar picture). Of course I realize that some outstanding packs with all the bells and whistles are available. And I have one that's outstanding, but still prefer my ALICE pack when it come to getting a deer from the field to the vehicle.

 

[DB4x4]

What didn’t you like with the MR 28 bag?

There's not much structure or organization. It's basically one big soft stuff sack to me and ends up feeling like a blob of gear hanging off of my back.

 

[GCTerpfan]

There's not much structure or organization. It's basically one big soft stuff sack to me and ends up feeling like a blob of gear hanging off of my back.

The only bag I can think of off the top of my head that has structure would be the mystery ranch tree house or something along those lines. Most of the other packs listed in this thread would be similar as far as pack material and structure.

 

[Lowg08]

I use a kuiu 2300 pro set. Hauls all my gear, stand, weapon and deer. Has been working excellent this year so far. Fits in the tree great too.

 

[Hoytfieldarcher]

Still haven't found a meat hauler pack that I like. I've tried the X2 and the MR 28. Not thrilled with either. I like the concept of the MR frame, but I hate the bag that's attached to it. I wish I could attach my badlands pursuit day pack to the pop-up frame.

Any updates or new suggestions?

There's not much structure or organization. It's basically one big soft stuff sack to me and ends up feeling like a blob of gear hanging off of my back.

DB4x4, take a look at the Pintler bag on a MR28 frame. Way more room and organization.

 

[Jake_b]

Exo K4 2200, hauled out six deer with it so far

 

[DB4x4]

The Horn Hunter Full Curl Lite G2 Combo might be a possibility for me. Frame and meat shelf with a small day pack attached. Anybody try one of these before?

 

[davidallenjoy]

Mystery Ranch Crew Cab. Before I was gifted that pack I always used an old Alice pack with Molle shoulder straps and waist belt.


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[EricS]

I’ve got a badlands 2200 I used this year. I really need to spend some time carrying a loaded pack this year. I used to like carrying the 2200 but this year it wasn’t comfortable empty. With a deer in it it sucked. Probably more because I gained a bunch of weight and it’s hard to carry weight on your hips when everything from a couple inches above the belly button tapers down all the way to your feet. There’s just nothing there to stack weight on.
I also have an ILBE gen 2 rucksack. It’s 4500 cI and heavy. I could provably cut a few pounds of straps and buckles off. It’s tougher than I am for sure and despite being military surplus it’s actually comfortable and a great design. Made by arcteryx. If someone asked me to grab a pack and come help them with something heavy it’s what I would grab.
My first pack was a large slice pack with frame. It hasn’t been used in years. The straps and frame are in the barn attached to a climber. Neither have been used in years.