First Impressions: Eberlestock Gunslinger

[TMR]

I have the Just One model, I think.......Absolutely love it. It does look a little different than your and opens up to be a pack for meat. It is very comfortable with my Sendero in. I have done a couple of overnight wilderness hunts with it, very comfortable all day long. Just my opinion.

[Brown Dog]

Nope, mines a gunslinger. You can see in my pic at the start of the post that the 'hip' belt is too high on the pack and therefore is sloping the wrong way from the pack for weight bearing....this is shown more clearly in this pic from Eberlestock's own website:

It should be 3-4" lower and sloping upwards:


..in terms of weight bearing, the belt is functionless [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

...it's a paunch belt, not a hip belt [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

[ds]

BD,

Guess the belt would work for me. I'm a short ass. That said I am not very keen on foam stuffed belts, they always stick up or out when you have the pack off and want it to lie flat.

Have you tried it sitting, kneeling and crawling?

It has my interest though with muzzle up carry - I take it there is a cover sheet for the muzzle (top).

If you get over for a shoot you can try one of the drag mats I sent you a pic of.

David.

[Ian M]

Matt,
Did you consider Kifaru, either their military or hunting packs. I certainly like their stuff, very ergonomic and excellent rifle toting system. One of their packs probably just saved me a bit of abuse, I just had a saddle loosen and dump me down a pretty steep incline in the Bob Marshall Wilderness in SW Montana. As I lay assessing the aches and pains I looked up as the horse tipped over and slid down the same slope - quite a sight actually. He stopped a few feet above me, flat on his belly. I did not like that situation so I slid downslope to get behind a big tree. Just as I got there he took off again, this time stopping right were I had been. Elk hunting memories, but not great ones...

[uncleB]

Brown Dog,
I studied these packs out a year ago for a wilderness area hunt I drew out for. I opted for the Just One pack because it is more versatile than the Gunslinger (a bit more expensive as well) it has a hip belt that rides where it is supposed to and is very ajustable so you can ajust the weight on your hips and shoulders. the only minor drawbacks are that the gun scabbard is off to the left side so it stresses your left hip slightly more than your right. and that the muzzle has to go down to fit.
I put more than 100 miles on one last year, and me and Goodgrouper carried an Elk out last weekend using the Just One pack,best pack I have ever owned *****
UB

[Brown Dog]

David,

The muzzle cover in my 2nd pic is from an eagle scope/muzzle cover, not the pack.

Ian,
Sounds like an extreme sport [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] ...I guess the maxim for trees that 'if it isn't wider than your shoulders, it won't protect you' doesn't apply to horses? [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] ...I considered kifaru, but didn't like the idea, from a balance perspective, of a heavy rifle hanging down one side of the pack....I think I may regret that decision [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

UncleB,

Certainly sounds like the justone is OK! But I think the gunslinger may be for 5'7" and under [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] ...... [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]


Bottom line is; I have to make this pack work in order not to have wasted $180.

To do so, the following will (very annoyingly for something I've paid money for [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]) be necessary:

Make an unpadded belt with velcro patch to replace padded paunch belt.....this would thread through 2-3" lower than the paunch belt.

Make web loop to ensure attachment of yoke to highest horizontal bar is secure (right now, it's hanging on by a 1" velcro overlap)


Rather disappointing really.

[Gerald89]

Oh dear I am on hold with this now I'm a 6'2"er!

Bad comfort and not built to top specs [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img]