The $300 backpack experiment!

[jlh42581]

Dont know if you have noticed or not but I have been on this never ending search to find the perfect way of packing all this stuff.

Earlier this spring when I traded my alpha I sold my molle pack because I had a second one in the shed. I then had a bright idea... Buy a backcountry backpack and it will solve all my issues.

I bought a horn hunter full curl, the entire package came out to about $375-$400, the pack was $300. It had all these nice features, swing open sides, pockets everywhere, a frame built in. The plan was to carry my sticks on it and have it double as a pack frame for bringing meat out while also in certain instances to get me deeper for overnight trips.

I can say with 100% certainty that this is NOT a smart move. Everything seemed good in theory and in testing. What I failed to realize was due to how the weight must be packed with this idea it all ended up on my hips. First hunt, not so bad maybe I have it adjusted wrong. Came home and went over everything again. Second hunt... the feeling of this isnt changing, was this a dumb idea?

I may keep the pack for backpacking and or rifle trips but this is definitely not the way to go for a treestand hunter on half day trips. Tonight I took my 8lb assualt and strapped it to the other molle frame. I will load the sticks on and see how it feels with sticks and a pack. I might even go to carrying the sticks or pack in hand as I was doing it with the stand and everthing else but my bow on my back.

The molle is cheap at about $45 for a full frame and straps. What a dumb experiement. Now, the pack I have is beautiful but I guess only a backcountry trip could tell me if I want to keep it. Im debating on just selling it and looking for a used pack for that type of thing. The possibility of me getting that remote very often is slim as I dont live in elk country.

We shall see, the moral of the story is that if you find something that works pretty well you should just stick with it because it can get expensive really fast to not see any return on the money. Ive been through this with bows, stands, packs, clothes... so far the stands and the clothes are really the only pieces that for me have worked out to be worth the money to upgrade from one to the next. I love the new bows that are out but Ill wait till guys are practically giving them away before I make another jump. Its just not worth the time or the money.

[Crazinamatese]

I don't what you would say about this, but I think almost every serious hunter goes through a stage of self gratification by purchasing very expensive things. Things they may not necessarily need, but for some reason they think they need it and never use it. I have a closet full of hunting crap I never use. Back packs, clothes, various equipment. Im thinking about having a thrift sale sometime. I came to the conclusion this season that I carry only what I need in a convenient camo fanny pack. Thats it. I used to drag everything to the woods with me and it made no sense to do so. I sit on an average of at least 5 hours at a time. I used to think I needed to have everything with just in case something happens. Reality was, I was just fooling myself. The Infantry always taught me to go "light" much as possible. Less gear, more practical things should be carried, rather than junk you will never use and make less useful when you need to be tactical. Pack wisely. Don't kill yourself by bogging yourself down with more weight than you should carry with you. Those simple rules of thumb now carry into my hunting, and I believe that contributes to a little bit of my personal success during the season. However, I do not have a problem spending money for a quality tree stand from Lone Wolf . Everything else is over priced and over rated.

[magicman54494]

Yup, I've had a lot of ideas that were good on paper. The only way to make something better is to try, if it don't work try again. Stick with it!

[Chris Conroy]

I actually went cheaper and it got easier. I wear my tree saddle into the woods (I modified it to be lighter and for easier walking). I bought a Fieldline backpack from WalMart for around $30. I attach my 4 sticks to my pack with caribeaners that I use to hook myself up to the tree later. I carry my bow and quiver in my hand. The only thing in my bag is my climbing belt, rope/prussic knot, flash light, bottle of gatorade, a few snacks, a small folding saw, my release, and any clothes I might need when I get there. I weighed everything the other day and it is just under 19 lbs total weight, including my bow. This doesn't include clothes. I don't carry anything I don't use every sit. With that saddle I can climb and sit in just about any tree.

[BassBoysLLP]

I went through the same experiment, different pack. Back to the claw back straps for every under 1.5 miles, molle for everything after. Lots of bungees. It doesn't look as nice on the fancy pack, but I can position the weight anywhere I want on my back.

[Jdub]

I've been through probably half a dozen packs in as many years searching for the best. I wanted a bigger pack with more pockets so everything was perfectly organized. The more pockets I had, the more stuff I packed. I keep coming back to the same one, my timber hawk gut hook. Its a fanny pack with waist pockets and shoulder straps. Just big enough for all day sits and I can easily put my LW assault on over top of it. Got a great deal on a badlands monster fanny pack this spring, hunted with it once and went back to the timber hawk. Great pack, but the main compartment is not as friendly to get into while on stand as the TH. (I plan on selling the badlands if anyone is interested)

[Crazinamatese]

I've been through probably half a dozen packs in as many years searching for the best. I wanted a bigger pack with more pockets so everything was perfectly organized. The more pockets I had, the more stuff I packed. I keep coming back to the same one, my timber hawk gut hook. Its a fanny pack with waist pockets and shoulder straps. Just big enough for all day sits and I can easily put my LW assault on over top of it. Got a great deal on a badlands monster fanny pack this spring, hunted with it once and went back to the timber hawk. Great pack, but the main compartment is not as friendly to get into while on stand as the TH. [glow=red](I plan on selling the badlands if anyone is interested)[/glow]

How much? I like badlands stuff, but too pricey. The one fanny pack I seen by them in Fleet Farm would be perfect for me, but as I said, EXPENSIVE. Do you have a pic, or maybe a link to what it looks like?