Thread: The big wide world of load shelf packs

Gidday everyone,

After a year or so of hunting I am looking at buying myself a flash pack. I use a fourth or fifth hand Karrimor Jaguar IV which appears to be of Falklands War vintage and it has served me well on trips in the 2-5 day range. It's a big, tough bit of kit and incredibly hard wearing - it will probably outlast me. There are some things I don't like about it through accumulated experience:

- One compartment can be a pain to access
- I can't figure out how to use the side pockets effectively (i.e they're a bit shallow for the gear I'd like to put in there with a full pack but don't cinch down enough to put smaller things in them)
- Difficult to tie things out on it, especially meat
- Limited flexibility (tough fabric but no give/adjustability)
- For me, it's not that comfortable for heavy loads or really long walks (a fit issue, but would be good to get something new that I know is my size)

I would like to get something in the 40-60L range which has an extendable load shelf which will cover 80% of the hunting I will do, and if I want I can get another bag to fit on the same frame. Ideally it would also cinch down to daypack size/or could run just a frame and large drybag for that purpose.

I know Kuiu, Stone Glacier, Mystery Ranch, Tatonka & Spika all have options in different price points (and probably heaps more I haven't mentioned). Everyone's a partisan but I'd like to hear about any experiences or recommendations or things you wish you had bought at the time. I am looking at getting a Kuiu tent at the moment & the packs have good reviews on here, but I don't mind shopping around. In an ideal world I would also try something on for size and fit but a lot of these are not stocked locally so advice is welcome.

Also if anyone is flicking anything that suits second hand let me know

Cheers and happy hunting