• The SH Membership has gone live. Only SH Members have access to post in the classifieds. All members can view the classifieds. Starting in 2020 only SH Members will be admitted to the annual hunting contest. Current members will need to follow these steps to upgrade: 1. Click on your username 2. Click on Account upgrades 3. Choose SH Member and purchase.
  • We've been working hard the past few weeks to come up with some big changes to our vendor policies to meet the changing needs of our community. Please see the new vendor rules here: Vendor Access Area Rules

"The official saddle hunting backpack thread"

First hunt with the pop up 18 the other day and I’m really liking it so far. The small frame really packs sticks well. Pack size is perfect for what I need. Configured the straps a bit for my needs.

I bought a silent reaper as well recently and love how quiet it is, but I don’t think I’ll ever carry sticks in without some sort of frame.
0AB3D466-4FB0-4BE8-8BD7-98367A4184D6.jpegFBA2CE77-73BE-45AF-A113-70DD780E2ABC.jpeg22640836-7C5A-4AC1-B4B9-C0EC124C1803.jpeg
 
I really like what I am seeing from the Horn Hunter Full Curl. Just the frame only. I carry very little in. And when it gets cold, all I need to do... that's really extra... is pack my Midi and Stratus jackets. My 3 sticks with aiders weigh just a tad over 5lbs. Add the Predator and I am at 8.5ish.
 
What’s the material like on the Full Curls. Really adverse to the “ not so quiet “ materials on some of these higher priced packs. Got an older Badlands pack that is the “ wolfskin” type material. Love that pack.
The material is quiet, the zippers have heavy metal pulls that love to clank. Going to wrap mine in stealth strip or remove them and tie on some paracord pulls.
 
@peteherbst Does the 18 on the pop up detach completely from the pack? I always thought they were connected permanently on there with the shelf besides the compression straps.

Any ways keeps them pack pics coming guys the more the better. Honesty didn't think this thread would be this great. Tip of the week I now do not use my foam pad for knees anymore. The waist strap on the Kuiu suspension has enough foam for me to straps around the trees and use that for my knees to rest instead.
 
Most backpacking western pack companies aren’t going to build a bunch of stuff out a fabric that won’t last 20-30 years. They expect it to last that long when you drop 2-500.00 on a pack. I think they’re missing an opportunity to appeal to whitetails hunters willing to pay 3-4 times for gear for it to be quiet though.

I wonder if @DaveT1963 could be our fleece ambassador to them and bridge the gap. Surprises me how well it holds up...

I don't necessarily understand some people's perspective/paranoia on the noise of Cordura, but even if you just had fleece for the lid and front panel it would help a lot.
 
@peteherbst Does the 18 on the pop up detach completely from the pack? I always thought they were connected permanently on there with the shelf besides the compression straps.

Any ways keeps them pack pics coming guys the more the better. Honesty didn't think this thread would be this great. Tip of the week I now do not use my foam pad for knees anymore. The waist strap on the Kuiu suspension has enough foam for me to straps around the trees and use that for my knees to rest instead.
Out of the package it’s attached via buckles and compression straps which I just took off and utilized in other ways or rolled them up in case I need the load shelf. I may end up leaving the frame at the base of the tree moving forward and just bringing up the pack as time goes on.
 
I don't think it is "paranoia." Cordura is a potential noise maker than can be eliminated.

That wasn't specifically addressed at you. You obviously know how to kill stuff and you have your beliefs. I tend to think the silencing stuff goes a little overboard and certainly does rise to a delusional way of thinking in some cases I've seen.

Methodical action and spatial awareness go a long way toward being quiet as a way of operating, and a little insurance on top of that can help when things don't go according to plan.

I don't think there is a fabric noise conceivable in normal use with these cordura packs that is going to carry beyond 40 or 50 yards even on a dead calm day. If someone thinks rustling around in a pack while sharing that radius with a deer is a good idea, they are probably beyond the type of hunting skills improvement that quieter gear is going to compensate for.
 
I used to have a Horn Hunter G2 back in 2006-2010 that was made of a fleece material. It was in predator brown deception. I sold it to a guy in Manitoba back in 2010. I regret it daily. I've yet to see another one of that build. I think it was a first gen.

Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk
 
I used to have a Horn Hunter G2 back in 2006-2010 that was made of a fleece material. It was in predator brown deception. I sold it to a guy in Manitoba back in 2010. I regret it daily. I've yet to see another one of that build. I think it was a first gen.

Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk
Your G2 does not have fleece? Mine does and I bought it ~2 years ago.
 
Thanks, that's kinda how I feel. I wear quiet clothes. Like to try to plan for the times I'm inadvertently not so careful or quiet. :^)
 
Can anyone comment on the Tarahumara pack by Hill People Gear?

I really like its simplicity and everything I read is good about its yoke harness in terms of comfort.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Another vote for the mystery ranch pop up 28
8b8aba4a9a8ceb2b9c8b002e14a64062.jpg


2f56db824ca490ccfd95598421b024d8.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Can anyone comment on the Tarahumara pack by Hill People Gear?

I really like its simplicity and everything I read is good about its yoke harness in terms of comfort.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

No experience with the tarahumara but the Connor is fantastic—fit, form, function, and quality. I heard from someone on here that they are currently unavailable for design upgrades. The Tara looks like a sweet little package though...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Back
Top