Do everything pack

Hey guys,
I’ve been downsizing all my hunting gear to only high quality essentials, and the next thing I need to look at is my pack.
I currently have a Macpac Ascent (older NZ made one) and a Huntech 40l day pack. For the day trips and overnighters in the Ruahines that I am limited to now (young family) I’m finding the Ascent just too big and also too heavy considering it’s only 1/2 full. Having used the Huntech 40L a bit recently, I think the capacity is good for up to a 3 day trip. With the current market of ultralight gear, I was wondering if there are any good lightweight packs that people recommend at about the 40L size? The one problem I can see with the ultralight stuff is loading it up with meat. Most are not rated for that kind of weight.....
The new Tatonka stealth 35+10 comes to mind, anyone got one? It’s 2kg empty, but can carry 35kg apparently
https://www.tightlines.co.nz/Item/St...Pack-35plus10L

If you plan to come home with more than just your spare socks I’d suggest a few litres of free space is necessary. 40L is pretty tight with a boned or animal onboard plus your gear.

I just carry my Tatonka 70L pack everywhere it's sub 5kg but can carry more than I can before it's an issue.
always plenty room for everything on a short trip and beats trying to cram shit into a smaller pack.
the other issue with a lot of ultra light packs is they need to be full to carry well otherwise they won't sit right.
that's my thoughts anyway.
I guess it's down to what suits the individual.
I have a Spika day pack (around 35L from memory) but it's just too small for anything practical so it is pretty much relegated as a range bag or rimfire spotlighting gear bag.

I understand of the hunt light concept with a small pack but what happens when you shoot an animal and have a heap of meat? I much prefer to pack light with my larger lightweight pack and then have ample room for meat. No way you could fit a fully boned animal plus 3 days gear into 40l?

I use an Osprey Aether BTW.

Have a look at the Cactus Huntaway. 45+10 litre. 1.6kg and built tough.

The old macpac ascent is an excellent large pack. Pretty light and super tough for its weight. I use one for multi day hunts. for shorter trips (up to 3 days) I use a Cactus Huntaway, can get a boned out red in plus gear. I am pretty minimalist when it comes to gear though. It's an excellent small pack that is lightweight for its strength and durability. Mines one of the first cactus made and has been dragged through some absolute crap and carried some huge weights, still looks near new. Like to see some of the ultralight tramping packs do that.

Agree with the above. I like a good canvas pack. You need it when you are pushing through shit. I rate cactus gear.

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Originally Posted by stagstalker

I understand of the hunt light concept with a small pack but what happens when you shoot an animal and have a heap of meat? I much prefer to pack light with my larger lightweight pack and then have ample room for meat. No way you could fit a fully boned animal plus 3 days gear into 40l?

I use an Osprey Aether BTW.

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Its doable, I just strap the drybag with my quilt and shit to the outside of the pack works well enough. TBH though the huntech doesn't carry that well when loaded, fine for a day hunt but gets old after a couple of days with a full load on. With 3 days of gear and food onboard for a walkabout my traps and neck start to get sore after the first full day.

I have a cactus huntaway as well that carries wayyyyyy better than the huntech but is a bit noisey when bush bashing. Is my go to now for short on the go hunts.

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Originally Posted by Hunter_Nick

Hey guys,
I’ve been downsizing all my hunting gear to only high quality essentials, and the next thing I need to look at is my pack.
I currently have a Macpac Ascent (older NZ made one) and a Huntech 40l day pack. For the day trips and overnighters in the Ruahines that I am limited to now (young family) I’m finding the Ascent just too big and also too heavy considering it’s only 1/2 full. Having used the Huntech 40L a bit recently, I think the capacity is good for up to a 3 day trip. With the current market of ultralight gear, I was wondering if there are any good lightweight packs that people recommend at about the 40L size? The one problem I can see with the ultralight stuff is loading it up with meat. Most are not rated for that kind of weight.....
The new Tatonka stealth 35+10 comes to mind, anyone got one? It’s 2kg empty, but can carry 35kg apparently
https://www.tightlines.co.nz/Item/St...Pack-35plus10L

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Had a play with one of these the other day, look like a decent pack, not exactly light though

Thanks for the input! I guess I knew deep down that there is a certain amount of pack weight required to carry meat out. And yes, the Huntech 40l isn’t that comfortable with a bit of a load on.
Given all the recommendations for the Cactus Huntaway, I’ll have a good look at one of those for my one pack to do it all.
Can’t see me doing trips any longer than three days for the foreseeable future...

And here I was thinking “Finally someone has trained his other half to carry all there stuff into the hills for them:XD::P clicked on here to see the do everything pack with the accompanying black eyes:XD::XD:”!
Alas no such luck :oh noes::thumbsup:

Stone Glacier make some awesome gear. I have the krux evo 40/56. It's light, durable, will carry a serious load (I have been carrying 160 pound moose quarters here in Canada while guiding) and will shrink up pretty small when empty. It has a load shelf that's awesome when you need to haul out meat but already have your main bag full. I haven't got the photos from my clients yet but I have loaded the shit out of this thing for 60 days of solid hunting and maybe another 30 of preseason cutting trail etc. I'd highly recommend it.
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Hey @Stocky why the gloves? Not trying to be smart? Are they for bug/plant protection or is it just cold?

A Macpac torlesse 50L would be well worth looking at.

Kifaru if you like the finer things in life

Or Stone Glacier, Exo Packs

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Originally Posted by Sideshow

Hey @Stocky why the gloves? Not trying to be smart? Are they for bug/plant protection or is it just cold?

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Combination! That photos on the way out. We cut up a valley the outfit hasn't ever hunted so we cut a new trail up the valley for 5 days camping as we went. The gloves are because one person runs the saw and one flags trail and tosses all the cut branch's and things. They have a bunch of wild rosebushs so it's mainly to keep you getting stuff in your hands. On the way out it was all to keep the bugs from getting us. When it gets cold the gloves are a lot thicker hahaha

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Originally Posted by hotsoup

Kifaru if you like the finer things in life

Or Stone Glacier, Exo Packs

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All good options the other guides that didn't run stone glacier run exo or kifaru. I made my decision on being able to go into the factory in Bozeman and talk to the guys who were really good to deal with.

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Originally Posted by Stocky

All good options the other guides that didn't run stone glacier run exo or kifaru. I made my decision on being able to go into the factory in Bozeman and talk to the guys who were really good to deal with.

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Fair enough. Each brand make fantastic packs, IMO it simply comes down to the flavour you like. I own a few Kifaru and enjoy supporting the brand. Would happily run any of them

Update:
I thought I could get away with the old Macpac Ascent pack for my do everything pack. I took it away this weekend for a hunt, and the verdict is that it’s NO GOOD for sneaking through the bush. It was catching on just about every branch in the vicinity. Too high and too wide at the bottom. Not to mention noisy and scratchy
Back to the Huntech 40L

I am off on a overnight deer hunt this morning. Taking my 45 litre Hunters Element - no sleeping bag just a SOL bivvy bag and cotton liner. Allowing enough room for one boned out deer. Temp suppose to be around 30c again.

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Originally Posted by Hunteast

I am off on a overnight deer hunt this morning. Taking my 45 litre Hunters Element - no sleeping bag just a SOL bivvy bag and cotton liner. Allowing enough room for one boned out deer. Temp suppose to be around 30c again.

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Good luck mate, hope your hunt is more successful than mine, I'll fill you in when you get back :D

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Originally Posted by Hunteast

I am off on a overnight deer hunt this morning. Taking my 45 litre Hunters Element - no sleeping bag just a SOL bivvy bag and cotton liner. Allowing enough room for one boned out deer. Temp suppose to be around 30c again.

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Your keen. I can never get a good kip without a bag

I put an old fleece vest over my canvas packs to stop the hang ups and noise issue,also it’s blaze orange for safety.

This a constant issue really. I have the Cactus Huntaway and really rate it. The lightest, strongest most comfortable pack in that class I have seen. You cant kill them. Big issue as noted already is 40L doesn't leave much room for meat when your gear is inside too. It works for overnight trips and also for alpine trophy hunting where I camp where I stop for the night (1 to 3 nights). I do think however that a 60 litre pack with a light weight day pack inside is still the best answer. There is another recent thread about day packs that I posted mine on. The biggest challenge is to find a commercial day pack that isn't full of pockets, zips, padding, bell, whistles and WEIGHT AND BULK. Which is why I made my own. I use an old Macpac 60L single compartment fixed harness pack that is great. Low pack so doesn't hang up. If you want to hunt with your gear on board in the bush then the 40L Huntech is probably the best.

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Originally Posted by Hiawatha

This a constant issue really. I have the Cactus Huntaway and really rate it. The lightest, strongest most comfortable pack in that class I have seen. You cant kill them. Big issue as noted already is 40L doesn't leave much room for meat when your gear is inside too. It works for overnight trips and also for alpine trophy hunting where I camp where I stop for the night (1 to 3 nights). I do think however that a 60 litre pack with a light weight day pack inside is still the best answer. There is another recent thread about day packs that I posted mine on. The biggest challenge is to find a commercial day pack that isn't full of pockets, zips, padding, bell, whistles and WEIGHT AND BULK. Which is why I made my own. I use an old Macpac 60L single compartment fixed harness pack that is great. Low pack so doesn't hang up. If you want to hunt with your gear on board in the bush then the 40L Huntech is probably the best.

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I have been thinking about making up a couple of meat bags that are designed to fit onto the side straps of the hunterway. Something lightweight that can be rolled up small and stashed in the bottom of the pack until needed.

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Originally Posted by Hunteast

I am off on a overnight deer hunt this morning. Taking my 45 litre Hunters Element - no sleeping bag just a SOL bivvy bag and cotton liner. Allowing enough room for one boned out deer. Temp suppose to be around 30c again.

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Interested to know if you still have all you toes now? Thought about buying a SOL escape to use with a sleeping bag but have read varying reports - one saying that the SOL wicked the heat away and made the user colder

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Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

Interested to know if you still have all you toes now? Thought about buying a SOL escape to use with a sleeping bag but have read varying reports - one saying that the SOL wicked the heat away and made the user colder

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they are good but if you get one make sure you get the breathable version, they cost a bit more but are worth it as the cheap ones are like sleeping in a garbage bag, you sweat like a pig as it doesn't breath

The new (ish) kuiu pro 3600 which is 60 litres is an outstanding do it all pack

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Originally Posted by Hiawatha

This a constant issue really. I have the Cactus Huntaway and really rate it. The lightest, strongest most comfortable pack in that class I have seen. You cant kill them. Big issue as noted already is 40L doesn't leave much room for meat when your gear is inside too. It works for overnight trips and also for alpine trophy hunting where I camp where I stop for the night (1 to 3 nights). I do think however that a 60 litre pack with a light weight day pack inside is still the best answer. There is another recent thread about day packs that I posted mine on. The biggest challenge is to find a commercial day pack that isn't full of pockets, zips, padding, bell, whistles and WEIGHT AND BULK. Which is why I made my own. I use an old Macpac 60L single compartment fixed harness pack that is great. Low pack so doesn't hang up. If you want to hunt with your gear on board in the bush then the 40L Huntech is probably the best.

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I use a cactus Miklat which is an awesome day pack Cactus also made me fleece cover to stop the noise it has no bells and whistles just a good main pack and a top pocket and can roll up to go in your main pack.
It's not big enough for overnight trips unless you carry your animal out whole and put the pack inside it.
It will hold 2 boned out yearlings.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...2cb4a62339.jpg

Sent from my CPH1903 using Tapatalk

If you were after a 60 to 70 litre pack.

Between 300 to 500 bucks

What would you guys recommend?

Sent an old macpac cascade to get repaired but they somehow managed to not do the main thing that needed to be fixed. Which is the shoulder strap adjustments.

Kind of getting to the point where it's more cost effective to buy new

Get a used Cascade or Torre

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Originally Posted by Chur Bay

Get a used Cascade or Torre

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I did. But it needed to be fixed. I am in the process of sending it back to twin needle but direct. Not through macpac

Cactus BLT are about the right size . Good luck finding one second hand though.

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Originally Posted by Russian 22.

I did. But it needed to be fixed. I am in the process of sending it back to twin needle but direct. Not through macpac

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I took my Fairydown / Arthur Ellis and co pack into Twin Needle for re-strapping. After months I picked it up and it is great, though I did feel ripped by the wait and the $60 because all that they had done was throw the skinny old straps away a 'clip' a new modern 'off the shelf' 'complete padded back with straps' onto the frame. A job that a halfwit could perform without instruction in under five minutes.
TN don't make these frame backs, probably buy them from our biggest trading partner for $5 each. Perhaps they are available online ??

Ive been thinking about one these as a 2-3 day. One planet, mungo. 65L basic. Tough as, great harness. I rate my macmillan which is 90L.

I use a berghaus vulcan, 80L with side pouches removed for anything longer than 1 night. Under 3kg, internal frame, bombproof, they are pre-molle military packs used by a few armies in Europe. Rainforest here you need to be streamlined with everything inside the pack, not hanging off it, as vines etc hang you up too much. It has outlasted all other pack types Ive tried, nothing lasts long in the tropics. These were also used for alpine ops too, has ski-pole and ice pick loops on it.