Pack frame

that would take some carefull planning....I don't know how you could do it even. When I pack in it takes my whole pack for cloths,food, gear, ect. ect. and I will sort and reduce down as much as I can. I use the cabelas Alaskan 2 pack and it holds a ton of gear. I think you can just get the pack w/o the frame. I'd get a pack, IMO.

I agree,
I have the Cabelas Alaslan pack and have worn out two frames packing out deer. I try to keep my gear to a mimum and then tie meat bags to the frame outside of the pack bags. This frame has a great pack shelf that can be sinched down around as much crap as you dare carry! The only thing I have against them as that I wear all of the suspension out in about two years of hard backpack hunting.-----shooter

Well if you have a big pack on the frame where do you put your sleeping bag and tent and pad and food and clothes and firearm and all you gear. do the packs hold all that cause they didnt look that big to me? Once again i have never done a pack in hunt so i have no clue.
:-k

I just need a little advice on how you guys do you pack in hunts thanks

Here's how I do it.
The key to backpack hunting is in buying the right stuff. When you talk about where to put a sleeping bag, the sleeping bag that I carry is good down to 0 and packs into a compression sack the size of a nerf football. It and my blow up pillow go into the main compartment of the alaskan. I have a bivy tent that rolls up and fits neatly with its poles and fly in the side pocket of the pack. My jet boil stove and water pump go with my MT house meals in the flap compartment. My clothes and four pillow cases for boned out meat also go into the main compartment. A five gallon collapsing water bag goes folded up in upper main compartment. With my jacket and extra thermals. My rifle goes into the padded-protected side sheath built into the alaskan pack. Toiletries and other small items go into the upper of the two left side pockets. All of this fills about half of the alaskan and leaves plenty of room to lash meat bags onto the outside of the pack bag sitting on the bottom shelf. Horns are usually tied upside down from the top rail with orange streamers tied to them. This is how I do it, I have pics if you are interested. Hope this helps.-----Shooter

Thanks a bunch that definately helped alot. thats crazy how a sleeping bag can shrink to the size of a football. I have the alaskan pack frame but not the pack. will any other packs fit on the alaskan frame or just the alaskan pack?
:)

Not sure, but I think that there are a couple of variations. You want the one with the rifle scabbord for sure. My sleeping bag is called the cat's meow by North Face. During late hunts, I carry a liner that weighs next to nothing and adds to the warmth alot. My tent is by kelty and weighs around 5 pounds total. I have been in deep snow and driving winds with this tent and had no problems. David Long writes an excellent book about backpack hunting if your interested.----shooter

Ill have to look into that. My only problem is that im on a really tight budget im still in high school and currently unemployed so its kind of hard to get the best equiptment. but Hunting is my life so when i do get a job thats where all my money is going!

Thanks Shooter I got alot of good tips from your post.

One thing you need to plan ahead for is water availability. I've hunted spots that I packed water into the week before because there was no suitable water for human consumption. You need to scout the area for your water souces beforehand. It's the heaviest item you'll need.
Mark

Thank you all for all the good advice i really appreciate it.

Lots of good backpack hunting tips on this thread. :thumb

I did not read all the posts, so sorry if this is duplicate info.

Besides hunting specific stuff, the four most important things are your pack, sleeping bag, tent, and sleeping pad.

1. Pack: go to an outdoor store like REI and get fitted. Period. I don't recommend an external frame. They don't carry correctly and will be more work.
2. Get a good sleeping bag. Marmot is a great brand if you can't afford western mountaineering. Get one that is 700-800 fill down. Packs smaller and is lighter.
3. I like to get a 2 man tent that is around 4 pounds. They are out there.
4. A sleeping pad makes a huge difference and adds a lot of warmth/insulation. I like the thermarest blow up pads.

Boots may top others lists, but I use a pair of approach shoes and boots aren't a biggy for me.

As you can see, everyone has their own opinions when it comes to backpacks. I'm completely opposite of sewing except for getting fitted at a quality outdoor store like REI.

External frame packs are much more comfortable to me and carry much more weight than an internal frame, IMO. They carry VERY well if you know how to adjust it properly. I usually backpack a few times a year for the last 5-6 years.......sometimes for 10-12 day stints.......to carry that amount of gear and food, you'll need an external frame,IMO......and nothing packs boned out meat as well as an external frame as well.

I'm currently using a Kelty Tioga 5500 backpack. The entire pack weighs only 5 lbs which is far less than all others in it's class. I also suggest Marmot, Western Mountaineering, and other quality gear. I have a Marmot 2-man tent that weighs about 4 lbs.........but the last two years I've been using a Big Agnes SL1 tent, which is a very roomy one-man tent that only weighs 2 lbs. I also use the Big Agnes down bag and pad......both are VERY lightweight and pack the size of a football.

I have my 10-12 day archery hunts cut down to about 55 pounds now......most of which is food to last that long. 5-6 day trips could easily be 30 pounds or less. Quality gear is the key.....and generally you get what you pay for.

A freighter pack frame can run from 79.00 to 400.00 depending on where you get it. I got a great one from Cabela's for 129.00, Bass Pro has a simialr frame for 89.00 I saw whwn I was in the Denver store a while back. A professional forestry supplier gets near 400.00 for a simialr frams. So shop wisely. The Cabela's I got has a blaze orange cover so ya dont get shot hauling your stuff. Good luck.