Discussion about daypacks

Since forever, I've know that to carry heavy loads comfortably, backpack weight needs to be on the hips rather than the shoulders. Recently, I took a daypack on a hunt (normally wear a belt with pouches). Had quite a lot of water and the usual crap we carry in it and it weighed around 7kg. Shot an animal and put the meat in the pack and this probably brought the weight closer to 20kg. After half a day of walking, my shoulders were absolutely buggered.

Most daypacks on the market don't have waist bands and a lot of the ones that do are nothing more than narrow webbing. The few daypacks that have a substantial waist band are too short in overall height to get the waist band down to where it needs to be on the hips.

I'm going back to my belt and pouches, of if need be, my main pack which fits me well.

What are your thoughts on this aspect of daypacks?

What do you do with the animal when you hunt with a belt and pouch?

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Originally Posted by Shearer

What do you do with the animal when you hunt with a belt and pouch?

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Good question, have a pikau which the meat goes in to, same sort of issues, but it sits on the waist pouches to some degree and if it gets too much, I can carry it over one shoulder or in the hand. Not that this is much better, but I can vary the position. Also, I don't usually shoot anything very big :)

I think the modern solution is buy a modular pack system, so you can swap bags off the same frame....
eg: Mystery ranch, kuiu etc...

The old solution is just hunt with your main pack cinched up as much as possible!

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Originally Posted by Sika 8

The old solution is just hunt with your main pack cinched up as much as possible!

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Yeah, I think so. Treated myself to an ultralite pack a few years ago. It's light and folds down very small, so ideal.

Personally i carry a day pack most of the time, slim and slung low so it doesn't get caught on things... hated the waist straps on it so cut them off.

I also avoid zips on day bags as i have stuffed too much into them and had one fail before (my fault) was very annoying not being able to do it up!

Loads in packs require a frame of some form - having a loose sack of crud on your back means gravity wins and your shoulders and back don't.

I have seen a simple sheet of plastic with a suitable bend in it that stops the bag slumping as much, otherwise a bum bag setup and 'backpacking' the deer to wear it using the structure in the animal to keep it from slumping.

The other way is a small or med sized and full featured pack that can be adjusted and dragged right in is another option, I had one a while back that I hand stitched some extra adjustment straps onto it to get it able to be reduced right down until the volume was needed... The modern way is a load frame setup with a simple bag on it as someone else has noted, but a smaller full feature pack can usually be got and modified much cheaper.

Interseting topic with many opinions.

Bush hunting I always carried pouches and a pikau. Pikau has seat belt straps and when loaded it doesn't worry me for the 1-2 hour walk to car or Camp.

I now have Kuiu pack which has definitly changed things: The ability to sinch it down means it's much easy to hunt with and when bush hunting from camp I just take the pouches. If I get something back steaks go down my top and I carry the whole ass end back to camp over my shoulders.

That's likely to change again though as I just got a MollyMe so will see how that goes.

Bit of a hard ask to carry 20 kg with no conditioning and expect your shoulders to be fine.
Toughen your shoulders up with a bit of weight prior

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Back in the day we would rest our pack on our belt kit. Thus turning the belt kit into a hip belt.
This was military kit but the concept is sound and can be done with civi kit so long as its fit for purpose.

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Here's an example of what I'm talking about. This is Helikon Tex kit but loads of companies make suitable products.

Another option would be to use a pack with a hip belt combined with a bino harness or chest pack.

Yet another is to keep a pikau style game bag in your belt kit ready for use.


Just my $0.02 but carrying weight on your body sucks. Your goal should be to make it suck less, you will never remove the suck completely.
Its up to you to figure out how much time and money you want to spend on a battle gravity is going to win.
I say this as a kitpest who has spent a lot of time and money chasing this elusive goal. At the end of the day mindset trumps kit ;)
As 7mmwsm said some conditioning wont hurt either.

I recently started using a tatonka 30l hunting pack and find it very good. It's a little short but not bad.

It's had two outings so far and I've been impressed with how much you can stuff in it. First trip was 3 hind legs (bones in - back legs the bones stuck out the top a little), backsteaks, eye filles and heart plus the usual day trip bits and pieces. The second outing it fit five fallow legs (my mate took the other three, four backsteaks etc etc.

I think it would struggle with a stag but it's great for everything else. Heading for four more days on Thursday so will report back if anything interesting comes of that.

Worth noting my mate had an exo mtn pack on the fallow hunt and that was very impressive. Load shelf worked super well and it cinched down to a standard day pack size very easily. At some point I will happily sell my other packs in favor of one exo mtn.

Worth noting too, that most load carrying full size packs have a rucksack or the packs bag, a frame, and the harness. Your average daybag is a bag with two shoulder straps and a gut strap if you're lucky.

You can see why one is easier to carry when heavy!

Day packs are an interesting topic, over the yeas I've tried a lot of variations. I've currently have got a Hunters Element "Bounty" , not a bad pack, 35ltrs with padded hip-belt and plenty of adjustment. It's got a very similar harness system to my MacPac Assent which I rate very highly. Comfortable to carry when loaded and not obtrusive when pushing though scrub or around bluffs. I have made a couple of alterations to it to make it a bit more user friendly and hopefully Hunters Element will make them standard. It's my main day pack when I'm chasing tahr, with the idea of returning to base camp each night, hopefully with some meat, I've carried 15 to 18kg when loaded and it's been as comfortable as my Assent, so I would rate it. But it comes with a cost, it's 2.3 kg when empty, the same as my Assent which is 75ltr! On a slightly different note. Offen when I've walked into somewhere, with a full pack to go for a hunt, I end up with just my knife belt and rifle for the day, and because I'm usually on the Tops, I take rain coat, warm jacket, etc, etc, The game changer has been finding that Hunters Element (again) have a little fold up 25ltr day pack that I can tuck away in my main pack when I'm walking into somewhere, and pul it got, stuff all that I what for the day into it, and away I go. I've even used it strapped to my main pack, full of gear, when I was a bit short of space for the trip out. I thought it would blow apart, but it's still hanging together.

I use either a huntech Pikau or my osprey detachable day pack that attaches to my main pack. The pikau is a lot quieter but you have to untie it to open it

I've gone to the one pack for everything. Have used the one frame multi bag system for years (kuiu) but now just run a SG 5900.

I have been there done that withe belts, bum bags & pikau & tried a couple different day packs over the years but now I just use a spiker 40l pack with meat shelf easy fly camp out off it for 3-4 days I never lost a deer in tight bush because the pack rub on something & isn't quite I always had intentions off getting the next size up pack to go on the frame but haven't need the extra room yet with the load shelf

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Originally Posted by Dreamer

I've gone to the one pack for everything. Have used the one frame multi bag system for years (kuiu) but now just run a SG 5900.

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What are your thoughts on the SG 5900? I'm looking at getting a decent pack and looking at either the SG 5900, Mystery Ranch Metcalf or possibly the Exo K4. The great thing about the SG 5900 is it is available near me. The MR is available up in Taupo.

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Originally Posted by MonkeyNutz

What are your thoughts on the SG 5900? I'm looking at getting a decent pack and looking at either the SG 5900, Mystery Ranch Metcalf or possibly the Exo K4. The great thing about the SG 5900 is it is available near me. The MR is available up in Taupo.

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Firstly I’m sure there’s more people on here who have one that have used them more but I really like it. Very comfortable, the load shelf is easy to use very well made and robust. If you’re a fan of pockets for organising your bits and pieces it would take a bit of getting used to as there aren’t any internally but you can get swing out pouches. Compacts down well for use as a day pack. And as with most things these days the extras can add up like hip pouch bottle holder etc.


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iv been using a little Markhor 35 ltr with frame and it has a proper waist belt with adjustments and pockets on the belt, often carried 20kg in and on the pack just fine. the frame holds it off your back reducing sweet.
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Originally Posted by Dreamer

Firstly I’m sure there’s more people on here who have one that have used them more but I really like it. Very comfortable, the load shelf is easy to use very well made and robust. If you’re a fan of pockets for organising your bits and pieces it would take a bit of getting used to as there aren’t any internally but you can get swing out pouches. Compacts down well for use as a day pack. And as with most things these days the extras can add up like hip pouch bottle holder etc.

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I have recently converted to the SG 4800 which I asked about in another thread. I have only taken it out once but so far I have found it so much easier than my old rig. Cinches down to nothing for a day pack, didn't even notice it going through the bush, granted it wasn't too tight. Mine came with a bottle holder and gear pouch which I was happy about as I don't think I would've gone out and bought them otherwise. Now I just keep my knife & PLB on the belt which sits comfortably above my pack belt

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Originally Posted by veryfuturistic

I have recently converted to the SG 4800 which I asked about in another thread. I have only taken it out once but so far I have found it so much easier than my old rig. Cinches down to nothing for a day pack, didn't even notice it going through the bush, granted it wasn't too tight. Mine came with a bottle holder and gear pouch which I was happy about as I don't think I would've gone out and bought them otherwise. Now I just keep my knife & PLB on the belt which sits comfortably above my pack belt

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I contemplated getting the 4800 as I liked the look of that one as well but reasoned that you can detach the lid on the 5900 which is how I run it most of the time in bivvy mode they call it and still have enough capacity for multi day trips.


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I have been using the Cactus Huntaway for a fair few years now https://cactusoutdoor.co.nz/collecti...ducts/huntaway NZ made, hard as hell wearing and reasonably comfortable for day trips. I have used it on an overnighter on occasion but have since relegated it to day trips only. Anything over a day, get a proper frame pack :)

Hi all
I have been using the Huntech 40l bag for the last 10 years and find it good to use. I put a sternum strap on as when loaded up with meat it certainly travels better with the straps tied together. Has a hip belt and side compression straps as well to minimise the bulk when no much is carried. Being in the North Island and predominantly bush hunting reds and sika quietness is a required attribute and the fleece provides that. The bag has a canvass divider inside to help organise gear and keep the meat away from other gear. My one has lasted 10 years of thrashing and is still in great order, if it gets bloody then a trip to the washing machine is undertaken. A good bit of kit for bush hunting.

https://twinneedle.co.nz/products/mo...=8134078791727

My favorite pack I've ever owned. Strong as f..k and the rifle scabbard is brilliant, especially when you've got a pack full of veni and you want both hands free.

It's horses for courses. If you want to carry a big load a long distance a good hipbelt and frame are invaluable. Size of pack required varies with the mission I like the Kuiu daypacks around 30-35 litres for a day mission, or a full size >60 litre Kuiu for multi-day missions.
For areas I can get away with a smaller gear load I love my old Swazi bumbag that folds into a daypack. (Buffalo bag?) it can fit a boned out veni.
Also works good with a whole veni on a carry belt, the bum bag props up the weight so some load goes on your hips.

I run a cactus huntaway if in more open terrain or need spotter etc long range. Bush hunting tight stuff can't beat the Buffalo bag. Quiet and no thick straps so shooting with it on isn't a problem and can carry meat easily all be it not as far in comfort. Cactus more comfy and pulls up to a small pack when not full.