What pack do you use for whitetail meat hauling?

[thedutchtouch]

There's a few threads that will help on this (Google search using site:sadddlehunter.com as a search term work better than the internal one) but it's also helpful to include the size animal you're intending to pack. A Florida whitetail and a Colorado elk are vastly different pack outs. Or so I hear.

 

[Plebe]

I’m goin with a mystery ranch Popup 38

My initial thought was Popup series too. But now I'm wondering how tall the stays are when compressed? I see a listed height dimension as 22" which is the same height as a Regular Kuiu Carbon Fiber Frame.

 

[kyler1945]

My initial thought was Popup series too. But now I'm wondering how tall the stays are when compressed? I see a listed height dimension as 22" which is the same height as a Regular Kuiu Carbon Fiber Frame.

For what it’s worth, I’ve had the original popup since it came out. I’ve thought the popup feature was pointless, and have never used it in the woods stowed. I like it because it’s a lightweight well built platform to do what I do.

I am sure other folks like the feature. But there may be quite a few who share my opinion.

 

[Wirrex]

My initial thought was Popup series too. But now I'm wondering how tall the stays are when compressed? I see a listed height dimension as 22" which is the same height as a Regular Kuiu Carbon Fiber Frame.

I would not worry about the size of any of the high end frame packs. It is un-noticeable really. That being said I personally wouldn’t bring any meat hauling pack in a tree. Too big of a profile.

 

[Blacksmith]

I still use a cheap small pack from Wal Mart. Put a garbage bag in it and quarters inside. Worked fine for five does already this yr. Although I'm excited to get my Waldrop Pac Seat to put my bag on and pack them on the shelf.

 

[thedutchtouch]

For what it’s worth, I’ve had the original popup since it came out. I’ve thought the popup feature was pointless, and have never used it in the woods stowed. I like it because it’s a lightweight well built platform to do what I do.

I am sure other folks like the feature. But there may be quite a few who share my opinion.

Same here. The "meat shelf" carries my platform great and I did "test" it with a 40 lb sack of dogfood when the pack was new, felt fine walking around the back yard like a crazy person. I may pack out a deer this year if it makes sense, the one doe I shot last year was too small/close to the truck to bother

 

[DB4x4]

I would not worry about the size of any of the high end frame packs. It is un-noticeable really. That being said I personally wouldn’t bring any meat hauling pack in a tree. Too big of a profile.

So what do you do with it then? Or are you suggesting leave it in the truck and just come back for it if you get something?

I have an old Walmart Fieldline pack that would be big enough and has a crappy internal frame that I guess would be better than nothing. I might leave it in the truck this season. If I get something, walk back to truck, drop off saddle, weapon, primary pack, etc ... And take the meat pack and kill kit back into the woods for retrieval.

That would still make two trips, but has to be better than a long drag. It would let me try out the process before dumping $200-$500 on a pack I might not use that much.

To the guys that pack out: Do you make two trips or one? One would obviously be preferable so coyotes or degenerate hunters don't take your deer, but is it worth carrying a giant pack all season just to use two or three times? I mean, we would all love to say we kill something every time out, but that's not reality.

 

[LAKY]

To the guys that pack out: Do you make two trips or one?

One trip. Much more efficient.

 

[Wirrex]

So what do you do with it then? Or are you suggesting leave it in the truck and just come back for it if you get something?

I have an old Walmart Fieldline pack that would be big enough and has a crappy internal frame that I guess would be better than nothing. I might leave it in the truck this season. If I get something, walk back to truck, drop off saddle, weapon, primary pack, etc ... And take the meat pack and kill kit back into the woods for retrieval.

That would still make two trips, but has to be better than a long drag. It would let me try out the process before dumping $200-$500 on a pack I might not use that much.

To the guys that pack out: Do you make two trips or one? One would obviously be preferable so coyotes or degenerate hunters don't take your deer, but is it worth carrying a giant pack all season just to use two or three times? I mean, we would all love to say we kill something every time out, but that's not reality.

Bottom of tree.

 

[kyler1945]

So what do you do with it then? Or are you suggesting leave it in the truck and just come back for it if you get something?

I have an old Walmart Fieldline pack that would be big enough and has a crappy internal frame that I guess would be better than nothing. I might leave it in the truck this season. If I get something, walk back to truck, drop off saddle, weapon, primary pack, etc ... And take the meat pack and kill kit back into the woods for retrieval.

That would still make two trips, but has to be better than a long drag. It would let me try out the process before dumping $200-$500 on a pack I might not use that much.

To the guys that pack out: Do you make two trips or one? One would obviously be preferable so coyotes or degenerate hunters don't take your deer, but is it worth carrying a giant pack all season just to use two or three times? I mean, we would all love to say we kill something every time out, but that's not reality.

I have had the popup in the tree with me for a bunch of kills. The deer didn’t mind.

I have also left it, a bigger frame backpack(kifaru) and a frame only style pack within a couple to few hundred yards of my set. Downwind, and not where deer will cross. If I kill I retrieve and bring to kill site. It’s almost 99% on my way out, as I rarely approach a set into the wind…

Base of tree has resulted in kills too, but not bowhunting. I have a YouTube video of what happens when you leave weird objects that smell like apes at base of tree. Bucks don’t like it when they’re five yards away. Good plan for rifle hunting.

 

[weekender21]

So what do you do with it then? Or are you suggesting leave it in the truck and just come back for it if you get something?

I have an old Walmart Fieldline pack that would be big enough and has a crappy internal frame that I guess would be better than nothing. I might leave it in the truck this season. If I get something, walk back to truck, drop off saddle, weapon, primary pack, etc ... And take the meat pack and kill kit back into the woods for retrieval.

That would still make two trips, but has to be better than a long drag. It would let me try out the process before dumping $200-$500 on a pack I might not use that much.

To the guys that pack out: Do you make two trips or one? One would obviously be preferable so coyotes or degenerate hunters don't take your deer, but is it worth carrying a giant pack all season just to use two or three times? I mean, we would all love to say we kill something every time out, but that's not reality.

You don’t need a giant pack to pack out a whitetail, just a well designed pack. The Mystery Ranch pack I showed above still holds all your hunting gear in the pack, the straps adjust to sandwich the boned out meat between the frame and bag.

That said, I’ve made two trips. At times that just makes more sense. Maybe a bigger deal if you’re miles from the truck in rough terrain but that’s not generally the case for most.


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[Plebe]

A 22" Kuiu Frame with a 3600 Pro Bag, packed with Incinerator Bibs and Fanatic Jacket, with a platform and 4 20" sticks lashed on might look something like this. Well, something exactly.

I don't find that too big to bring up the tree. A Badlands Superday is 25" tall.

 

[Plebe]

I would not worry about the size of any of the high end frame packs. It is un-noticeable really. That being said I personally wouldn’t bring any meat hauling pack in a tree. Too big of a profile.

I've got a 24" Kifaru Duplex Lite with the Stryker XL. It carries weight so much better than anything else I've tried it's actually less noticeable than smaller packs.

By the time I've got my outerwear on and I'm up the tree, it's compressed nearly flat...that's still a big square of multicam. But it cost so much, I've never thought about leaving it on the ground, lol.

I'm curious where you draw the line on pack profile in the tree. Admittedly, I risk being skylined sometimes when I think it's my best shot.

I had thought about running the Kuiu with a load hauler and accessory pouch instead of a pack, and carrying my outerwear in a drysack. That would be very light and about as small as I could manage with what I have.

The smallest meat hauling rig I know of is the Black Creek Lumbar: https://blackscreekguidegear.com/product/cure-lumbar-pack-1200-ci/ . That would be a small profile in the tree I'd think.

But I don't see it working for me as I always pack in my outerwear.

 

[Weldabeast]

I use Alice pack whenever there is an option to pack out....could probably fit 3 deer in that thing if I was so lucky. It stays at the boat and I go get it after the shot. I'm never very far from the boat. Most of the places I go to hunt u not allowed to quarter in the woods

 

[MSbowhunter48]

I started using the pack rabbit exo frame last year and it suits me pretty well. I use it just as a frame and also carry a day pack to the tree with me. Most the time I leave the frame in the truck and go back to retrieve it if I kill something, unless I’m hunting over half a mile from the truck then I’ll drop it off within a couple hundred yards of the tree.

 

[Kayl]

Just bought a Eberlestock f1 mainframe and 2 batwings. Hopefully I can report back on it this year!

 

[Empostarr]

Badlands Vario system for me, with the day pack and meat shelf. Day pack for warmer weather, and I can detach it from the frame when not hiking that far. Use the big bag in the winter for cold gear. Carried my first buck out in it last year, worked fine. I also intend to use it for an or west hunt one day. Plus has a great warranty

 

[HuumanCreed]

Is money an issue? If not then I think the Kifaru Stryker series are really well made. But the Alps Outdoorz Commander Lite look like a good budget option.

This does not look that bad either.

https://www.amazon.com/Timber-Ridge-Traditional-Backpacks-inches/dp/B0746HWY42/ref=pd_lpo_2?pd_rd_i=B0746HWY42&psc=1

But honestly if you don't care about buying new or weight too much. A military ALICE pack is probably the way to go if you want to DIY something for your personal need.

Or hunt around the local thrift stores for a hiking pack with frames. You can probably cut them down some if you want more compact version.

Here, get this.

Used Gander Mountain External Frame Real Tree Camo Backpack | ShopGoodwill.com

shopgoodwill.com

 

[7mmremmag]

After I got serious about it I bought a stone glacier x curve frame with several different bags. Once you have a real frame pack you appreciate what it does. But I will use a regular pack if I am not going deep. It doesn’t matter as much if you’re not going far and deboning which is my preferred method.

Yup I have their 1850 day pack and sometimes just install that on my x-curve. Typically I am running the solo bag on my x-curve

 

[devildog]

I am going with a Kifaru Stryker XL this year. I have used a X2 in the past and it worked well. I really don't worry about how big my pack is in the tree (maybe I should though), but many times I have used my pack to hide behind when a deer was coming. It was nice knowing the deer would not see movement because of the pack blocking me.