Hey everyone, if you were going to buy an Eberlestock pack to use for bow and gun hunting out westwhich pack wuld you buy and why? I have a very economical pack now and are seeng the results afyer only 2 seasons. Thanks for your help.
Which Eberlestock.?
- Thread starter directtim
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Looking at spending several days in the backcountry.
I am getting ready for my first backcountry trip. I bought a Dragonfly. I have only made one short hike with it with over 50lbs in it and I am pretty happy with it. I did make a few adjustments but have not been back out since. I also have an X1 that is awesome for a day pack or even a night or two away from the truck. I think I may be different from many others in the fact that I will not live without the gun scabbard. I refused to strap a $3000.00, or more, rifle to the outside of my pack. Who knows what could happen. The Dragonfly is somewhat thicker(sticks out off your back) than other packs. If you do not need the scabbard There may be other packs that would better suit your needs.
trebark
Well-Known Member
Eberlestock packs are nice and I have a Gunslinger 2. After doing some serious hiking (20 miles with 30lbs of gear in it - including 16lb rifle), I found the pack was good but not great. This is due to the fact that the pack does not have any type of real suspension system in it.
I am beginning to look at the Kifaru packs.
I am beginning to look at the Kifaru packs.
Everyone keeps saying they have no real suspension. I am far from a pack expert but the suspension on mine seems to do great. After hiking with over 50lbs in mine the suspension seems to keep the weight off my shoulders and on my lower back. What is a "real" suspension?
trebark
Well-Known Member
A 'real' suspension will have vertical stays in the pack in order to help with rigidity and keep the pack placed correctly on your back.
With my GS2 I found that after several long distance hikes with a good load in it, the padding started to crush and lost some of its 'suspension' characteristics.
With my GS2 I found that after several long distance hikes with a good load in it, the padding started to crush and lost some of its 'suspension' characteristics.
My Dragonfly has two vertical aluminum bars that I would call stays. At the top they have cinch straps that transfer load off my shoulders. Again I am no expert. I have no other pack to compare to. My X1 certainly does not have this.
melsdad
Active Member
I have the j34 and it has the aluminum stays as mentioned above. You can bend them some to fit your profile of your back better. I have not been lucky enough to haul meat in it yet. But the hiking I have done so far with the loads I have carried (didn't weight the pack) I have been very happy with the pack. And believe it will stand up to whatever I throw at it. Check out Eberlestock's website they have some video clips of there packs and one shows how the stays can be adjusted.
I too have a J34 and it is one of the more comfortable packs I have owned. I also have a Kifaru Longhunter, a hauler pack along with a couple of inexpensive day packs. The J34 is easy to adjust and fine-tune based your body size and the load you intend to carry. Its flexible design with the use of the spike camp duffle is ingenious.
angus-5024
Well-Known Member
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- Jan 22, 2008
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Both the J34 and Dragonfly have stays. The rest dont.
I have a J107 Dragonfly. Its great for long hauls and meat, but terrible for a day pack.
If I were to it agian I would get the J107M and have the wider scabbard. I too will not hike without a full scabbard.
Sounds to me like the best fit for you would be to get the "Blue Widow" with the Scabbard attachment. It has a bow-hook system.
I have a J107 Dragonfly. Its great for long hauls and meat, but terrible for a day pack.
If I were to it agian I would get the J107M and have the wider scabbard. I too will not hike without a full scabbard.
Sounds to me like the best fit for you would be to get the "Blue Widow" with the Scabbard attachment. It has a bow-hook system.
retiredcpo
Well-Known Member
Well you will get many opinons one which pack
My vote is for a dragonfly
this comes from a retired disabled vet who made a very long pack last year with my deer. it was slow going (do to me not the pack) but I made it
(im the one packing the deer in the eberlestock ad here on the LRH web site)
But it does not make a great day pack kind of heavy
retiredcpo
My vote is for a dragonfly
this comes from a retired disabled vet who made a very long pack last year with my deer. it was slow going (do to me not the pack) but I made it
(im the one packing the deer in the eberlestock ad here on the LRH web site)
But it does not make a great day pack kind of heavy
retiredcpo
to the OP, "Which Eberlestock" depends on what you are planning to do...
If you are looking for one pack for everything, day pack, week long back pack hunt, hauling out 100lb loads of meat, the J107/J34 will meet your needs. If you are only planning day trips, will hunt out of a camp every day, maybe have access to other packs, (or friends with packs) you might want to look at one of the lighter packs like the X2 or X3.
I bought a J107 as my first "do everything" pack... But it weighs almost 9 lbs empty. Add in an 11 lb rifle and you have a 20 lb pack without any kit.
So, I bought a slightly used X2 as a day pack to compliment the J107. If I am planning an all day outing, potential to bivy over night, the big pack goes. IF it will be a quick trip, scouting, etc, the lighter pack goes.
If you are long, tall, short, thin, wide, you might want to make sure you get one of the Eberlestock packs with the replaceable hip belts and shoulder harness. Then you can customize the pack to fit you. I put an XL hip belt on both of my packs. The standard belt fits O.K. with summer clothes. But would not fit over my cold weather clothes. Plus the additional padding on the XL belt makes it even more comfortable. I am currently doing 1.8 miles around the farm 2x per week with total pack weight of 60 lbs in the J107. The pack itself is still very comfortable for me. Will work up to 3+ miles 3x per week before I leave for Colorado in October.
If you are looking for one pack for everything, day pack, week long back pack hunt, hauling out 100lb loads of meat, the J107/J34 will meet your needs. If you are only planning day trips, will hunt out of a camp every day, maybe have access to other packs, (or friends with packs) you might want to look at one of the lighter packs like the X2 or X3.
I bought a J107 as my first "do everything" pack... But it weighs almost 9 lbs empty. Add in an 11 lb rifle and you have a 20 lb pack without any kit.
So, I bought a slightly used X2 as a day pack to compliment the J107. If I am planning an all day outing, potential to bivy over night, the big pack goes. IF it will be a quick trip, scouting, etc, the lighter pack goes.
If you are long, tall, short, thin, wide, you might want to make sure you get one of the Eberlestock packs with the replaceable hip belts and shoulder harness. Then you can customize the pack to fit you. I put an XL hip belt on both of my packs. The standard belt fits O.K. with summer clothes. But would not fit over my cold weather clothes. Plus the additional padding on the XL belt makes it even more comfortable. I am currently doing 1.8 miles around the farm 2x per week with total pack weight of 60 lbs in the J107. The pack itself is still very comfortable for me. Will work up to 3+ miles 3x per week before I leave for Colorado in October.
