Looking for first pack.

The modular design of the MR is great. Buy the big or small pack with frame then later buy the other big or small pack alone. You're not having to spend the money to have two complete packs (unless you want or need). Close to home hunt needing a small to mid size you got it. Draw a tag that'll put you in the backcountry for days, throw on the big bag
 
I'm just curious OP……..how'd the hunt go?
What pack did you go with and did It perform the way you expected?
There's a post in the elk hunting thread that has the whole story. Honestly for most of the hunting we did a pack was not required. The road system in the Black Hills is wild. We found it difficult to get away from a road. It was a lot of short hikes to glassing spots for most of the time we were there. A good friend of mine who now lives in Nevada and guides elk hunters in the steep country came along and Several times when we were planning longer treks he had me leave my pack at the pickup or whatever we were using as a base point and just roll with the rifle and a few essentials. He was in better shape than me and could move through rough terrain and dead fall way faster, he said if we need it he'd go back for it. It was a good call on his part Several times when we were making adjustments on the fly the pack would have hurt me.

I knew it wasn't going to be a back country hunt as we were staying in a hotel every night but I didn't expect it to be like it was. Having said all that the afternoon I killed my bull I'm glad I had the pack for that particular situation and we did end up packing him out about a mile . For what we did the pack worked good. The Just One is pretty versatile in my opinion and for most of the hunting I do out here on the prairies it will work great. If I was going on a true back country hunt I probably would want something else. But the Eberle would also work. I still really love the the gun scabbard part of it.

For what it's worth my buddy that guides that I mentioned had a Kuiu, my other buddy that was a long bought the same pack as me. The 3 of us packed out the head, hide, and all the meat in 1 trip.
 

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Congratulations on the success. Here in Nevada we do the same thing, leave the pack behind when necessary but that works best when you're not hunting alone and have someone else to bump it along. Otherwise create a waypoint on OnX but that can bite you in the A sometimes.
 
There's a post in the elk hunting thread that has the whole story. Honestly for most of the hunting we did a pack was not required. The road system in the Black Hills is wild. We found it difficult to get away from a road. It was a lot of short hikes to glassing spots for most of the time we were there. A good friend of mine who now lives in Nevada and guides elk hunters in the steep country came along and Several times when we were planning longer treks he had me leave my pack at the pickup or whatever we were using as a base point and just roll with the rifle and a few essentials. He was in better shape than me and could move through rough terrain and dead fall way faster, he said if we need it he'd go back for it. It was a good call on his part Several times when we were making adjustments on the fly the pack would have hurt me.

I knew it wasn't going to be a back country hunt as we were staying in a hotel every night but I didn't expect it to be like it was. Having said all that the afternoon I killed my bull I'm glad I had the pack for that particular situation and we did end up packing him out about a mile . For what we did the pack worked good. The Just One is pretty versatile in my opinion and for most of the hunting I do out here on the prairies it will work great. If I was going on a true back country hunt I probably would want something else. But the Eberle would also work. I still really love the the gun scabbard part of it.

For what it's worth my buddy that guides that I mentioned had a Kuiu, my other buddy that was a long bought the same pack as me. The 3 of us packed out the head, hide, and all the meat in 1 trip.
Congrats! Nice bull….
 
While not specific to the OP's needs, I've found that gear selection is a journey, not a destination. I've been through a lot of packs and other kit trying to fine tune my setups. The biggest thing is to not get too invested into a particular piece of kit unless it really works out well for you compared to other options.
I've never thought of a piece of gear that didn't work out for me as a mistake, just a success in finding out what doesn't work out!
 
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