Has anyone else looked at the MR wildland firefighting bags as a hunting pack? Just me?
A couple of years ago I was in MT hiking and a hotshot crew blew past me on the trail. Each of them had a MR Hotshot on their backs, and it was around the time the Pop Up 18 was discontinued. At the time I thought about building a pack inspired by the Hotshot to put on a Pop Up frame, maybe even a couple to sell if the idea turned out alright, but life got busy and I didn't every follow through. But for the color, reflective material, and velcro, the Hotshot like it had great potential as a hunting pack, especially on a Pop Up frame.
Today I stumbled across the Big Ernie, and it looks even better than the Hotshot. It's a ~24L lumbar pack in coyote brown, with zippered side pockets where the Hotshot lacked them. It still has velcro compartment for a fire shelter, but that could be modified or used as a compartment for emergency items or left unused.
Even in its stock form, this seems like a better solution for anyone considering a discontinued Kifaru Hellcat or Scout for a hunting bag. Thought I'd throw the idea out in case it might interest anyone else, or if anyone else has tried these packs.
If anyone wants to collaborate and try to put one of these on an existing frame (Kifaru, MR Guide Lite, MR Pop Up, etc) lemme know. I'd be interested in getting my hands on one of these, and I think it would be a cool project to help someone out with (not advertising any services here, this wouldn't be a paid thing).
www.mysteryranch.com
A couple of years ago I was in MT hiking and a hotshot crew blew past me on the trail. Each of them had a MR Hotshot on their backs, and it was around the time the Pop Up 18 was discontinued. At the time I thought about building a pack inspired by the Hotshot to put on a Pop Up frame, maybe even a couple to sell if the idea turned out alright, but life got busy and I didn't every follow through. But for the color, reflective material, and velcro, the Hotshot like it had great potential as a hunting pack, especially on a Pop Up frame.
Today I stumbled across the Big Ernie, and it looks even better than the Hotshot. It's a ~24L lumbar pack in coyote brown, with zippered side pockets where the Hotshot lacked them. It still has velcro compartment for a fire shelter, but that could be modified or used as a compartment for emergency items or left unused.
Even in its stock form, this seems like a better solution for anyone considering a discontinued Kifaru Hellcat or Scout for a hunting bag. Thought I'd throw the idea out in case it might interest anyone else, or if anyone else has tried these packs.
If anyone wants to collaborate and try to put one of these on an existing frame (Kifaru, MR Guide Lite, MR Pop Up, etc) lemme know. I'd be interested in getting my hands on one of these, and I think it would be a cool project to help someone out with (not advertising any services here, this wouldn't be a paid thing).
Big Ernie Pack | MYSTERY RANCH Backpacks
Designed and developed for aerial delivered firefighters, this pack meets the demands of Smokejumpers, Heli-Rappel, and Helitack.
www.mysteryranch.com
