BC Hunting Gear

with the exception of the pack, I think you can glom onto almost any shoulder season Rockies gear list posted here for ideas on lightening your load

a bull elk is going to yield ~ 200-ish #'s of boned meat, cape & rack ~ 70 #-so even w/ two people you're looking at multiple trips (you've got your gear to haul out too!)- I'd want a pack that could handle 70 #'s or so, much more than that (particularly on steep, timbered ground) and it's going to pretty tough to handle

that eliminates most of the packs that we're typically using

for packs- Kifaru, Mystery Ranch, Badlands, Eberlestock- the usual suspects :)

You could find a used Kelty or Camp Trails Frame and sew your own packbag for it out
of lighter stuff.

David,

I have been checking out several packs by the makers that you suggest. Do you have a personal favorite?

I think the lightest weight model that I have been considering is a Eberlestock Just One. I kinda like the idea of using a very light weight bag of camp gear to add capacity without adding much weight on the daily hunting pack. The Kirafu UL's are lighter, but I have difficulty dropping more $ for my backpack than I paid for either my bow or my rifle!

Thanks for your input.

Hugh

Don't over look KUIU, they have a new carbon fiber frame pack coming out and it looks very very nice. KUIU.com and check out the blog.

My main pack is a Mystery Ranch NICE frame with a Longbow – and while it is light (relatively speaking for a hunting pack), it's nothing like those on this site.

If you look at the weights of the frames only on some of the larger packs, you'll still be in the 4# range with most of them – my NICE frame weighs about 4.3#, the Kifaru G2 Hauler frame weighs about the same. By swapping out the heavy fabric in the packs with silnylon drysacks you'll save a fair amount of weight and still have your heavy duty frame.

Another option to consider would be something like the REI 85XT – it's not as robust as an MR/Kifaru style pack, but it's much larger for it's size. Clever use of scissors and some patience could get it down under the 4# mark I bet.

I thought ULA had a load carrier style pack also – whether or not it will stand up to the abuse of a few pieces of elk is a good question.

Hi Hugh,

Don't mean to hijack your thread, but maybe this is useful. I have size large K2 Loadmaster Shortbed (designed by Dana), purchased 1997 or 1998. Was thinking about posting it on gear swap in a week or so (no, I'm not the guy who double-posted one of these here and on eBay a few weeks back). A little wear and tear, but nothing major. External frame, so the packbag is easy to remove and potentially substitute something lighter. About 7.5# empty.

PM me if interested.

Hi Hugh,

I'm currently looking for the same thing. I just came across the Granite Gear Stratus Flatbed. It says it can take up to 70 pounds. I was thinking of modifying my Ray Way pack to attach to it. I'm off for elk this year in the Canadian Rockies.