Looking for a small pack frame

[Nic Barca]

Hi everybody, I'm looking into packs right now and pictures don't really do justice. I'm looking for first hand advice.

I am a slim guy (5'8" 120 pounds) who is looking for a small pack frame that I can use while still hunting and stalking through thick bush. It would need to be compact, comfortable, and quiet. I have a day pack that I probably would strap to it as the main pouch but would need the frame pack so that I have something to strap my meat bag to that can support the weight. I would be carrying up to 50 pound loads of meat.

Basically I need something small and simple that can slide through brush quietly. Any recommendations?

I was thinking of checking into the ALICE pack frames again but I tried them before and recall metal pressing into my back in an uncomfortable way. That was a long time ago though and I was smaller. Maybe a souped up ALICE pack with better padding is what I need. I'll give the army surplus store a look.

[Family Tradition]

I have a pack frame like that and I bet you can pick one up cheap on Ebay.

Its the ever popular BoyScout aluminum frame.

I changed over the shoulderstraps and added a waist belt to make it fit better. Painted it up and added a big Tarantula fanny pack bag to it.

I have hauled many 80lb pigs on it whole and a few boned out bucks.

I'll take a few pics of it tomorrow and post them up.

I would think that it would be the ticket for what you are looking to do.

FT

[jej]

For "sliding through the brush" you'd want an internal frame backpack. see the Kifaru website for pupose built hunting packs. My favorite internal frame packs built for general use are made by Gregory. You can get any size you need. I have a strong preference for models that let you swap out belts and harnesses, rather than ones that have belts and harnesses permanently attached. frame sizes are by spine length and its worth the trouble to find someone who is trained to fit you - an authorized gregory dealer - even if you are going to buy elsewhere. I'd guess you'd need a medium pack and a small belt and perhaps a small harness.

For hauling stuff, external frames are nice. They snag on every bit of vegitation in the immediate area, so not so good for sneaking through brush. My favorites are by Kelty. Of course, with these, you can drop the bag and use the frame alone to haul game or whatever. I like a frame pack for open trails. More comfortable, more air against my back.

jej

[easymoney]

Pony up the cash for one of the specialized pack systems or go to your nearest army surplus store and pick up an alice frame. Small, lightweight, cheap, fit mainly small recruits and can haul great weights...
There is a great amount of trade off (money vs availability)when you start to mention very special conditions.

[hunting1]

My wilderness pack is based on a MOLE frame and would work. I would recomend taking a look at it. Good luck!

[OCD4BlackTails]

I was just looking for the same thing. I just ordered a Badlands 2800 pack today and should see it Friday. It looks like a normal pack, but once you release the straps it opens up a huge area in the center to allow you to haul your quarters out. The badlands web sight doesn't show it in split mode, but other web sights do. I got this pack so I can haul some gear plus the meat, yet the pack is still much smaller than my 6500 cu in pack. I plan to put my gear in it on the hike in and have it spread open to haul my sleeping bag and clothing. The bottom of pack has two straps for carrying sleeping pad. Then once camp is set up, close the pack back up and hunt with it on. Then if I get a deer I can split the pack once again to haul the meat back to camp. I like the long cylinder shape storage compartments for my 80mm spotting scope and tri-pod.

Let us know what you decide to get. http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-gift.gif

[hunting1]

http://www.wildernesspacks.com/pages/products/packs.html

http://www.mysteryranch.com/catalog/index....;products_id=35 (http://www.mysteryranch.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=35)

Take a look at these. Packs to me are like woman with shoes, got to have a bunch of them! Good luck!

[easymoney]

"Packs to me are like woman with shoes, got to have a bunch of them! "
I hear ya, I&#39;ve tried most all that I come across, that are good ones. But, back to the original post, I would stick with an external pack system that allows you to pack your gear, then if you score you can drop the pack bags and haul some meat very efficiently...
This "internal vs external" argument comes up all the time and IMHO the external packs haul much more weight comfortably...