Hunting daypacks.

Armored farmer

Armored farmer

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South Eastern Illinois
I have changed my tune on backpacks.
I used to make fun of my boys for taking a backpack along for a half-day or all-day hunt here at home. I just carried my gear in my hunting coat pockets. Now I have several different hunting outfits that I am switching between. It is much more convenient to have my gear packed and ready in a backpack, then just wear whatever clothes is appropriate for the day.
Anyway....most everyone already knew that except me. :confused:
I have two old UnderArmor backpacks (my boys old school backpacks). One is orange camo...one is Antifa black.:uhoh:
I want to find a quality, adult sized, daypack to carry my binos, rangefinder, coat and gloves, lunch, etc.
I like molle attachment points, external water bottle sleeve, external pockets for small gear. I want to k.i.s.s.
Shoot me some ideas or links for the packs you guys like.
 
I really like Maxpedition falcon 2 or the larger Condor 2. My first falcon 2 lasted me for 10 years every day use as lunch bag for work. Only stopped using it because the wife said I needed a new one.
 
I use a hip riding pack with shoulder straps. I wear this whenever I am out in the woods. I brought it with me when I was looking at tracts of land to buy and I wore something similar when I cruised timber.

Here is what is in it.

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I tend to think you are looking for something different and probably bigger. Nonetheless, this is an example of how many items can be carried in a very compact package.
 
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I am a backpack acholic. My current EDC backpack is a Alpha One Niner EVA 1.5. I have probably $300+ wrapped up in just the pack and its accessories. And that is the shallow end of the posh EDC backpacks... BUT! My hunting packs on the other hand are usually much cheaper. My latest is a Alph Outdoorz Crossbuck. Only $60 and so far its been a great day pack for hunting. One big pocket for most of your gear, one medium pocket with organizer for the little stuff. A mesh pocket on each side for a water bottle or stash a pair of glove. One small pocket on the back with magnetic closer for quick and silent access. There are three pairs of compression straps on the outside that are great for cinching down a lightly loaded pack or strapping gear to the outside. The material is soft and quiet in the woods. Has more than enough room for a day in the wood even if that means bringing a lunch, water bottle and spare layer of clothing.

PXL_20230421_162043193.jpg
 
I'm not going to recommend anything specific, just give some tips.

Many of the cheaper packs are designed for kids to carry books to school. The straps are too short for an adult male, especially if you have to wear it over a jacket. Keep that in mind and if possible, try some on in person. If you find something you like you may be able to order it and save some money. I'd recommend a trip to a well stocked place like REI where you can actually see some and try them on.

I use a day pack quite often, not just for hunting. I'm not crazy about the ones designed for hunting or the tactical packs. Some of them are very durable and have multiple pockets and attachment points. Which adds cost and weight. If you're not careful you may find the empty pack weighs more than what you put in it. Especially if you get a pack bigger than you really need.

I like something designed for day hiking over a hunting specific pack. They are usually available in subdued colors.
 
I got a cheap-ish backpack at US Cavalry a few years back. It’s multicam which isn’t my favorite but it’s pretty nice. Wide padded straps and big heavy duty zippers. That is where I would start my search.
 
The first thing to consider is size. Typically this is measured in Litres. For day hiking (similar situation, but not quite the same), I have found that whilst many prefer something in the 15-25L range, I prefer 35-40L. Figuring that out is where to begin. Find out how large the packs you have are, and see if they accommodate what you wish to carry, including the bulky clothes you may want at a stand but don't want to wear whilst traveling to it.

Second is comfort. How far are you going and how important is it that the pack for you well in the kinds of clothes you will be wearing. Are you going to have a gun in a belt holster, or anything else on your belt that would interfere with a backpack waist belt. If so you need to factor those things in to your choice. A tough and simple pack that doesn't fit well is not a burden for a mile or less, but after several miles it may be. And there's no point having a pack will an intergral waist belt designed to support a substantial amount of the weight, if you aren't going to use it because it rubs your gun the wrong way.

Whilst adding molle pouches may seem like a good idea, I have found it preferable to avoid hanging extra stuff off the outside of a pack. It is designed to carry things, so just buy one that all your stuff fits into. The size, placement and number of pockets is obviously important. I keep my first aid and emergency stuff in the bottom half of a pack of it has an access point down there. That weight is then consolidated and safely stowed, but can still be retrieved quickly if needed.

Then there's color and price, etc.
 
I'm a big fan of Mystery Ranch backpacks. I bought their "Scree" daypack and really like it a lot. It is very light but has a surprisingly capable support system. There isn't any Molle webbing but there is some ladder web. There are a pair of water bottle pockets and two pockets in the lid that are accessible from the outside. The waist belt stows away for when you don't want or need to use it. A non-camo color choice makes it a bit more versatile, I think.
 
We recently had a storm that caused a 30hr power outage(two nights. One day) I found myself digging through my pack lookfor headlamps and phone.charger batteries. That makes me think about a bug out bag too.
I would like compressor straps and packing my heavy coat inside....maybe my poncho too. First aid kit. Gloves. Warm stocking hat. Socks. water. Some extra ammo. The usual.
 
Armored farmer said:
https://tacticalgear.com/maxpedition-falcon-ii-backpack#/6461/8823/1&dl=b&catr=1
I like this one.....probably too big for my needs.
Click to expand...

I have one of those. It is very appealing but not nearly as practical as it looks. The problem for me is that despite its size, the volume is split up among too many pockets (so many that you won't remember where you put things. Really.). The biggest compartment is too small to stuff a jacket into. It also has a really short torso length, so when loaded down there is no way to get support from the waist belt.
 
Another plus would be the ability to sling my rifle comfortably over my shoulder while wearing the pack...
Does anyone make a clip that would hold your rifle sling ON your backpack shoulder strap.
Keep it from slipping off?
 
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A fair number of packs will put a 1-inch web as a top layer of the shoulder strap usually to support an vertically adjustable sternum strap. You can clip a GrimLoc carabiner on that web and then snap that around your rifle sling. Cheap and works pretty good. Have the open side being to the middle of you body. You can simply leave it unlatch for quick access or in really tough terrain and when not using it snap it shut. I also use it to keep me from dropping things like my range finders or my call remote when in the deer stand.

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This is my black UnderArmor/ antifa pack(that's why I don't like it) .it is about right sized, but starts getting full if I add my lunch a poncho and a turkey decoy to my usual gear.
 

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I am a backpack acholic. My current EDC backpack is a Alpha One Niner EVA 1.5. I have probably $300+ wrapped up in just the pack and its accessories. And that is the shallow end of the posh EDC backpacks... BUT! My hunting packs on the other hand are usually much cheaper. My latest is a Alph Outdoorz Crossbuck. Only $60 and so far its been a great day pack for hunting. One big pocket for most of your gear, one medium pocket with organizer for the little stuff. A mesh pocket on each side for a water bottle or stash a pair of glove. One small pocket on the back with magnetic closer for quick and silent access. There are three pairs of compression straps on the outside that are great for cinching down a lightly loaded pack or strapping gear to the outside. The material is soft and quiet in the woods. Has more than enough room for a day in the wood even if that means bringing a lunch, water bottle and spare layer of clothing.

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Click to expand...
Yes!
All my csmo is Realtree Edge!
My Guncase is too.
What is the long scabbard attached?
I like it!
Which one is in the pics?
Alps?
 
I'm with @jmr40 (and will probably be about as popular as him here!) in that I don't think much of "tactical" and "hunting" packs. They seem to be designed to look kind of military-ish but are usually heavy and complicated. I much prefer gear made for hikers and runners. The relatively new market of "fastpacking" is especially interesting. This is gear made for people who run between campsites, so is very light and very comfortable, and provides good access to frequently used gear like water, lip balm, and snacks. I am currently using the "Fastpack 20" by Ultimate Direction and am pretty happy with it. Thirty and forty liter options available as well, but no digital camouflage options... :neener:
 
I think we need to make some differentiation between good purpose built hunting packs and tactical packs that are made from camo materials. My hunting pack is fairly light for its capacity, and made from soft quiet materials and relatively simple feature-wise in comparison to typical tactical packs. I have had my share of tactical packs too and they are heavy for capacity with lots of gadgetry, molle-straps, and potential for expansion even if those features don't turn out to not be very useful in reality. To me a good hunting pack rides the compromise between the ultra light hiking packs and over built nature of many tactical packs while being quiet and weather resistant. I am not sure my light hiking pack would survive what I do to my hunting packs and I have no need for the gadgetry of the typical tactical pack or even my current EDC pack that is fairly heavy for the capacity but it does make organizing all my EDC gear easy.

My hunting pack is that Alps OutdoorZ Crossbuck and that weighs less than 2lb empty but has 34L capacity. My EDC Alpha One Niner Evade 1.5 and only has 25L capacity but weights over 4lbs empty, but the organization is extraordinary.
 
Yep! A hunting pack need not be a camo covered tactical affair. Honestly, the Maxpedition and 5.11 stuff is just not something I'd plan to carry any distance on foot. I have a 5.11 pack for an EDC, but I don't often carry it over a mile. It can take a beating being thrown around and yanked about, tossed in the vehicle or on the floor.

But when the pack will be on my back more than tossed about, I'd rather have my new Osprey.
 
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