Go in Light and Come out Heavy - Which Pack?

[Snubbie]

Originally Posted by Tim in Washington

I still say look for a Dana Design external frame pack they handle a heavy load really well.look at the classifieds on trailspace.com
Tim

Heck, an old Dana Design Terraplane internal will carry a heavy load and comfortably! Well, as heavy as I want to carry anyway. The Dana Designs were THE pack once upon a time and still are going strong and still light years ahead of some newer "top of the line" packs in the comfort department.

I have my doubts that will continue under Marmot's ownership though.

[Snubbie]

Originally Posted by Daveinjax

Kifaru duplex frame and pack system. The best period. Know a guy who packed out a 210lb man who had broke his ankle 4 miles back in a wilderness area. Pack was fine but his legs were not.

In that example I'm more impressed with the man than the pack!

[SWAT Medic]

Originally Posted by solitude

Check out Kuiu packs as well.

Late to the party...but a plus one for the Kuiu Icon. It has a very lightweight carbon frame and can be used with different sized packs that easily attach to the frame in seconds.

[Mike 338]

I use a day pack to hunt from and return for a pack frame/moose bag to haul. Mostly now, I try to utilize goats or horses/mules to haul meat. I'm less gung-ho and more cautious now about overloading myself. There's a reason you don't overload a dumb animal with weight and that reasoning applies to people as well. There's plenty of 35 year old men whose knees are ground down to nothing and have given themselves hernia's from packing meat. Surgery is expensive and inconvenient. Just say'in, it might make more sense to make an extra trip even if your pack can handle it in one or two. That said, those Mystery Ranch packs do look nice.

[Idaho Sawyer]

FYI, Mystery Ranch is owned by the original Dana Design guy. If you looked at them you can tell they have the terra plane design on some of them. I have a Dana that has treated me great!

[mtntrapper1]

That would be Dana Gleason, Who I met when working next to them in the original building of Dana Design, At Bozeman. Great Guy, and I have 2 old Dana packs I still use for Hunting, Mountaineering and day hiking. They are still going strong after 15 to 19 year of use. I use a very large old Gregory and an old frame pack also. Dana's are hard to find now but worth having if you can get one. I have a friend who has a Stone Glacier, and it is very nice. I have used it. But Im not ready to spend that yet with the Dana's, a frame and Gregory still working. I can easily strap a rifle or bow to any of these packs when travelling in with a load. Also on an old Dana Bomb pack for 1 day / to 3 day use. The stone Glacier needs a couple side pockets for easy access. I also have a Dana front "Marsupial Pouch" that hold a water bottle and Binocs and gloves ect. large enough to be superbly helpful for access yet small enough to not hinder shooting ect. It attaches by side straps to the shoulder straps and is fully adjustable for height and tension with an adjustable strap and connector to attach side to side. I have never seen another one like it. But it really works well.

[jamesmc2]

+1 on the Dana Design. If your packing elk quarters you don't need to break the bank. There are a lot of good load haulers that will easily handle 70-80lb elk quarters. I have used many different backpacks from a wide variety of pack makers. To me the best and most ergonomic suspensions on the market are made by Gregory, lots of attention to detail and design. Their packs are reasonably priced for what you get and very high quality. I used the Gregory Palisade to pack out 2 bull elk this fall which easily handled the 75lb loads. Have carried up to 100lbs. You can pick up the Gregory Palisade (80L) or Whitney (95) on ebay for less than $200 used.