This year I ditched my Badlands packs, which I had been using for midwest hunts the last 4 years, for my Kifaru frame and pack. The reason behind this was the fact that I pack my stand and sticks in and out every hunt and the frame carries odd and heavy loads well. Well that and its another excuse to use an expensive piece of gear I would normally only use a couple weeks out of the year. I guess I just wanted to know if it was a viable option for midwest hunting. I already had the frame; a Kifaru tactical with 24" composite stays. For the pack I settled on the Apollo which consists of a singular bag (no pockets) totaling around 1800 ci. I also added my sherman pocket to the pack for a compression point for my stand in addition to some organization and a belt pouch on the frame to carry some small items. This seemed to be just the right amount of room for my camera and usual gear. The good- Obviously it carried the weight of the stand well. I found that I could sandwich the stand between the sherman pocket and the actual pack and it carried it pretty well. I used an XOP stand and sticks so they stack on top of each other, the sticks would be on the outside of the sherman pocket secured to the stand with their locking mechanism. The bag also had just the right amount of room for my small camera "bag" with camera and lenses inside, my extra layers, and snacks/water. The pack also has a sleeve of sorts that was nice for tucking my quiver in when I was in the stand. It's also hard to beat a pack that is precisely fitted to you for long hikes with heavier weights. The bad- Being made out of cordura, Kifaru packs are inherently loud af. You just need to pay attention to what you are doing when moving around in the stand or on the ground, twigs are louder and so are zippers. The packs also have A LOT of straps and buckles. These are awesome for out west because you can compact your load so it isn't flopping around or compress your pack for day hunting. Clearly I didn't really need to do either of these, just secure my stand. I removed a couple straps but there were still more than was necessary. But both of these negatives are just kind of the nature of the beast, using a beefy pack for midwest hunting. All in all, i'm undecided if I will do it again next year or opt for a non frame pack like the eastern ruck or the new shape charge. That being said, I am convinced Kifaru has the best system for backcountry hunting packs
Interested aswell. Was thinking of getting a frame pack to attach stand to and maybe pack a deer out with.
I've used it to help pack out a muley but didn't ever have a worth while opportunity around here this year
Exo has advertising with what looks like a lone wolf between the bag and frame I would not think twice if I need to pack a stand in to give that setup a try
For sure. I had their 5500 a couple years ago and tried using it on a couple whitetail hunts packing a stand in. Just way too much bag
