What to use to pack out

[Deleted member 46119]

I've never packed out before.

I have access to land locked BLM with some good bucks.

It's a steep hike in and pack out.

What do I need?

 

[pods8]

Do you know how to break down an animal? That would be step 1 to make it packable. At minimum I like to remove the legs and I may or maynot debone the legs (elk there is more weight savings to do so versus deer you just got to balance load versus time/effort in the field). Then debone the rest of the meat from the carcass, no need to mess with carrying the spine/ribs if you are packing something out. I didn't call this quartering because some think of quartering as splitting the spine, NO THANKS!

You can get by with a single knife but I like a skinning knife and a boning knife (I carry foldable ones but fixed blade would work too). Quality game bag(s), not the cheese cloth ones, are good for loading the meat into esp. if you're taking trips. They let the meat breath/cool and help keep the dirt/bugs off. I have some caribou gear bags I like but there are others.

Then you're onto packs. Ideally you want something that doesn't sag under load or else you have to bear it on your body. A pack frame is a cheap way, or you can get a more dedicated pack.

I don't hunt with a hauling pack, I hunt with a eberlestock x2 day pack (works well if your torso isn't too long) which is quite comfortable with 20-30lb in it and will structurally carry a heavier load but at 40-50lb it starts loading the shoulders much more versus the hip belt. I have my basic gear with me in this and if I down an Elk I've got the gear to get it broken down and I can grab a moderate load of meat on my first trip out and then swap for a dedicated bulkier hauling pack. That's just my preference versus having a bigger pack on all the time and having it collapsed down trying to keep it slim while hunting.

 

[Timber338]

I quarter the animal regardless of what it is. Add backstraps and whatever other meat you take out (tenderloins, heart, liver, etc), then you are more modular with how much weight you want to take out in one load. A large bull over long distances, say 5+ miles, I will typically load a front quarter and a backstrap, do that twice, and then a trip for each rear quarter. If it's shorter distances to the truck, or a smaller animal, I'll start adding more weight to each trip. Say a front, rear and backstrap to a single load. Same philosophy can be applied to whatever animal you hunt... just load it up to your comfort level.

As far as packs go, find the one that fits YOU the best. I have an internal frame Gregory that is 80 Liters (~4,900 in^3), and I can fit half an elk inside of it. It fits me great, the load is distributed well, and overall it just works for me. Lots of different types of packs out there. If you just use an external frame, then bring some rope to tie to quarter to the frame.

And if you've never packed out before, more important than the type of backpack you use, is how good of shape you are in. Get the pack soon and drop in a 60# bag of concrete and go for some hikes.

 

[pods8]

And if you've never packed out before, more important than the type of backpack you use, is how good of shape you are in. Get the pack soon and drop in a 60# bag of concrete and go for some hikes.

This. In my experience I can haul up to a certain threshold of weight and move steadily for a mile or two at a shot (before a standing break) on flats yet if you add 5 or 10 more muscles are fatiguing out after a few hundred yards.

Last season elk after 5 hard days of hunting (ie I lost 5lb during that period) and finally putting one down that threshold was about 65lb of pack weight turf for my body. 60-65lb and I could keep moving, 70+ nope. So when you factor in 10lb of pack and gear that meant ~50lb of meat. Had to pack out 200lb worth of meat 5miles between 2 of us so we got first hand experience in how shuffling a back strap or such makes a difference.

I've been working my legs a lot more since and I hope for that threshold to be increased come this Oct/Nov.

 

[mnoland30]

I'm with the first reply. Once I figured out how to bone out an animal and butcher it in the field, I've never carried out bone again. With practice, you'll get better. I can take my time and do an elk in 3 hours by myself. In a pinch, on a hot day, with 2 elk down and 2 of us, I did both elk in that time. I carry a Gerber Bolt Action Exchange blade knife and a folding filet knife. I don't use a saw anymore. I bag mine in clear plastic bags, and hide the meat away from the gut pile a couple of hundred yards. That has worked so far. I keep an extra sleeping bag, food, etc. at the truck so I can stay there overnight, if it is too late to get back to my backpack camp.

My buddy uses a GoLite Jam. It is rated for 30 lbs, and will handle more if you're careful. No need for a frame if you bone the animal. When he gets to the truck, he changes to a heavier pack. I use a slightly heavier pack that weighs 3-1/2 lbs. after I cut off all of the non-essential crap that they put on to fool the newbies. I use a Kelty now, and it ripped the first time I loaded it over 80 lbs. , I can pack out a cow in 3 loads usually. If the hike is tough, I pack lighter. I can go over anything with a 50 lb. pack. I've used the cheap camo packs from Walmart with good success. I bought the Kelty thinking it would hold up better, but it didn't. I carry a mini waterpump plier (about 5" long), dental floss, and a leather needle (about 3/64" thick) to sew up boots and packs. I've used it more than once. I even sewed a saddle once, but I had to heat up the needle to pre-drill the holes through the leather. I ripped my pack with a 100 lbs. of deer before I knew how to bone them out. The sewing kit worked.

The big thing is to be in shape. The best way I've found is to load your pack with 45 lbs. of sand or lead, and walk 3 miles a few times a week. You'll get used to the pain of the pack straps, and build uphill muscles you don't build by biking, running, or just walking. The Forest Service Fire Fighters walk 3 miles in 45 minutes with 45 lbs. in order to qualify to work fire. It works even on flat ground. I'm 60 now, and I go slower, but I still carry 45 or 50 lbs. to get in shape.

Once you know you can pack out an animal, you can't hunt where others can't. Good luck.

 

[Deleted member 46119]

Thanks guys.

I can break down the animal, lots of experience there.

Not in the shape I want but with the right equipment....

and that's the advise I need. Packs, sacks...

Keep it coming.

 

[pods8]

Well like I mentioned above I use caribou gear bags, I like them. I opted to just buy individual bags of the sizes I wanted. The material is strong enough, light, and washes up well. Its not stretchy like some bags so you're not fighting to get meat into the opening. My experiences in helping others and their various bags has exposed me to: cheese cloth alaskan bags (worthless), pillow cases (too small, cotton doesn't dry fast, etc.), and old school canvas bags (way too heavy/bulky and also slow drying), thicker stretchy bags (bit of a pain to load meat into and also launder later). Order

There are tons of dedicated pack threads out there. My main comment there is be careful on lighter weight "back packing" bags, those often are designed around 40-50lb loads and seems start separating when you stuff 60-70lb of meat in them.

 

[JOSH 03]

Anybody use the older military style mountain rucks? They usually require some additional padding added in the form of cut up foam precisely applied with duct tape but they can haul a load that most men cant carry. The central storage area is huge and they are quite durable. Nothing pretty about them, just functional.

 

[pods8]

I picked up a surplus ILBE pack to try out, the bag certainly is robust now to see how the pack/internal frame carries a load on me.

 

[JOSH 03]

I picked up a surplus ILBE pack to try out, the bag certainly is robust now to see how the pack/internal frame carries a load on me.

Those IBLE packs were pretty good pack. I actually had the opportunity to test and evaluate them as they were being implemented. They are definitely more comfortable, a tad heavy, but they adjust nicely and keep the weight centered and inline with your body. Overall, great pack and I'm pretty sure you can pick them up for a steal.

 

[pods8]

I picked one up in excellent condition back in the spring (~$70 shipped complete), I was planning to start training with it then but ended up focused on a running plan instead and didn't want to double up beating up my legs. I'm going to switch over in a week or so and will have a better feel for how it carries various loads.

They are certainly not light in the fairly robust material used and a massive amount of strapping. Some work with a razor blade could certainly put the pack on a diet and in the long run I'll likely trim it down but I'd like experience with what straps are the most useful in load control, etc. first. (Sorta tempting to pick up a beat up main pack portion only for cheap to experiment on and swap my straps/belt onto it).

The main complaint I've seen on that pack is its a medium length torso pack so the load lifters don't work for longer torso folks. I'm on the upper end of medium so we'll see how it plays out for me. The load lifters on me would be nicer if they had some more angle, they're at least positive angled still though. However the pull point in the factory configuration is not pulling from the top of the stays, instead there is a bar tack 1-1.5" down shortening the pull point. I actually shot Arcteryx an inquiry on that bar tack (they designed that pack but it was build by others) wondering if it was just to adapt to short torsos and if it could be removed.

"The bar tack for the load lifters was aligned partway down the sleeve in order to take the initial load point off the top of the sleeve. This helps redistribute the load onto the sleeve. We saw some advanced wear when extreme loads (or misuse) were directed 100% into that top seam. A user mindful of this potential weakness can chop the bar tack and keep an eye on how repeated use pulls/wears on the top seam."

Honest answer on a product they don't really have to answer the general public on, good folks so you can make your choices accordingly.

 

[mnoland30]

I don't even gut the animals anymore. I skin the top side, butcher it, and flip it over. At the end, when I'm going for the tenderloins, I might cut the belly to make more room, but it is much cleaner and easier than the traditional method.

 

[JOSH 03]

No doubt the straps offer limitless configurations. You are absolutely correct about the torso length. The pack was designed with averages in mind. Those that dont fall within the parameters of average size have to figure out a way to make it work. Good luck with it, I bet you will some mileage out of her.

 

[pods8]

I don't even gut the animals anymore. I skin the top side, butcher it, and flip it over. At the end, when I'm going for the tenderloins, I might cut the belly to make more room, but it is much cleaner and easier than the traditional method.

I was intending to try that out this year on an antelope/deer if successful (don't want to do it on an Elk first just due to bulky parts). The concept is straight forward after having butchered a few but I wanted to practice cuts around the pelvis (where there are the holes) and the rear pin ribs on something smaller when the gut sack are in place.