I bought this pack hoping and praying wild edge stepps would fit in the main compartment and I could add an over the shoulder strap for climbing the tree. No such luck. So, for a minimal investment, and a couple of hours, I decided to get to chopping. I exceeded my own expectations, and turned this into a fantastic option for early season.
First thing I was happy about was keeping the little pouch I made for the predator as is. I ended up fitting both the platform and the stepps into it. PRO TIP - unzip your WE bag, and place the unzipped portion of the bag over the post of the platform folded up. saves about 2" of depth as the post rides inside of the stepps., instead of on the outside of the bag.
As you can see, the "load shelf" of the willow creek was not designed for the heavy monstrous predator platform...
So, chop chop
I removed the back of the accessory pouch, and sewed in some heavy duty fabric. then I double layered it, and test fit with the goodies inside.
I also added a third strap and buckle lower on each side to accommodate the new dimensions. And Voila! I have a nice early season pack when i'm not filming....
But then I thought, man, I created a bit of room, and the frame feels ok on my back, let's see what happens if I add film gear...
All of a sudden I have a pack that weighs 1lb 14oz with the mods I made.
I can fit predator and 5 WE stepps or 7 stepps no issue, fourth arrow camera arm, 2 liters of water either in a bladder or in two skinny bottles, grunt call, thermacel, knife, release, headlamp, keys, etc. I can wear my saddle with ropes daisy chained, or I can daisy chain and clip to side of the pack too. Camera pouch goes on my waist belt.
Honestly, I think i'll use this thing for every hunt I don't have to pack clothes. It also resolves one of my biggest pet peeves - an unnecessarily large pack in the tree with me once all my gear is out of it. If you can sew, and have a bolts/spurs/WE and aider combo for climbing method, this pack is perfect for a minimal setup.
First thing I was happy about was keeping the little pouch I made for the predator as is. I ended up fitting both the platform and the stepps into it. PRO TIP - unzip your WE bag, and place the unzipped portion of the bag over the post of the platform folded up. saves about 2" of depth as the post rides inside of the stepps., instead of on the outside of the bag.
As you can see, the "load shelf" of the willow creek was not designed for the heavy monstrous predator platform...
So, chop chop
I removed the back of the accessory pouch, and sewed in some heavy duty fabric. then I double layered it, and test fit with the goodies inside.
I also added a third strap and buckle lower on each side to accommodate the new dimensions. And Voila! I have a nice early season pack when i'm not filming....
But then I thought, man, I created a bit of room, and the frame feels ok on my back, let's see what happens if I add film gear...
All of a sudden I have a pack that weighs 1lb 14oz with the mods I made.
I can fit predator and 5 WE stepps or 7 stepps no issue, fourth arrow camera arm, 2 liters of water either in a bladder or in two skinny bottles, grunt call, thermacel, knife, release, headlamp, keys, etc. I can wear my saddle with ropes daisy chained, or I can daisy chain and clip to side of the pack too. Camera pouch goes on my waist belt.
Honestly, I think i'll use this thing for every hunt I don't have to pack clothes. It also resolves one of my biggest pet peeves - an unnecessarily large pack in the tree with me once all my gear is out of it. If you can sew, and have a bolts/spurs/WE and aider combo for climbing method, this pack is perfect for a minimal setup.
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