What's Your Next Purchase? V5

[wvboy]

My kifaru pack is out for delivery, should be here before 11.

I'm going to head to Home Depot and get a bag of something heavy (soil or something) and wrap it with duct tape, then load it in the pack and start getting that bitch adjusted. Headed to yellowstone in like 8 days and have about 40 miles of hiking planned over the 3 days were there so I'm planning to haul the kifaru with ~ 50lbs for all the hiking.

What makes the Kifaru packs different or special? I'm trying to get in shape for some more rigorous hunting and I like the idea of training with my hunting pack. I'm not that knowledgeable about packs and what qualities are important so any help would be appreciated.

 

[Ashton]

Have you looked at the P320 X five, x five carry or RX models? Pretty badass imo.

I like the idea of a mini reflex on a pistol but my understanding is the movement activated sights are not very good for carry as they are basically always on when you're walking around. I plan to carry this gun in the winter months OWB under a jacket. I saw one dude claim with the SIG Romeo he was changing batteries every week.

It would be nice to get a factory pre-cut slide for the future though. Hmm

 

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I like the idea of a mini reflex on a pistol but my understanding is the movement activated sights are not very good for carry as they are basically always on when you're walking around. I plan to carry this gun in the winter months OWB under a jacket. I saw one dude claim with the SIG Romeo he was changing batteries every week.

It would be nice to get a factory pre-cut slide for the future though. Hmm

The X five carry for example doesn't come with a Romeo like the rx. It's set up for it though. The X-ray3 night sights that come with them are really nice imo. These are also on the legion. Could just use a Romeo at the range.

 

[bushman505]

What makes the Kifaru packs different or special? I'm trying to get in shape for some more rigorous hunting and I like the idea of training with my hunting pack. I'm not that knowledgeable about packs and what qualities are important so any help would be appreciated.

Well in my opinion (and all my friends who are serious back country hunters) the pack and boots are the most important things. If you think about it, on a 10 day hunt, your going to shoot your rifle once or twice, therefore when picking a rifle, I want something light weight that can shoot accurately so I can almost forget about it during the trip.

Your pack and boots are being used constantly, having a cheaper rifle won't ruin your trip, having a pack that's killing your shoulders or digging into your back or boots that are eating your feet alive will ruin everything.

I like kifaru packs because they are made in the USA and they have stayed with the small business model (you call them, you can talk to Aaron Snyder himself). I like that they have been proven in the most serious hunts around the world, ultimate survival Alaska, and have been used by lots of spec ops teams around the world.

Also, they are very modular, once you have your frame, you can run any bag you want on it, you can put pockets wherever you want so it's set up exactly the way you want it and it will last a life time.

There's basically 3 maaaaaaybe 4 good companies out there if you are going to get serious about a good backpack, and by serious I mean drop the $$$ and never have to worry about it again.

-kifaru: pretty much known as the best of the best.

-stone glacier: designed for hardcore hunters by a hardcore hunter, these packs are quickly getting recognized as kifaru level quality.

-exo mountain gear: sort of new, some people love them and some hate them, I'm not a fan but lots of serious hunters like them.

And MAYBE mystery ranch: they used to be called Dana designs, their manufacturing has been sent overseas and their prices are a bit lower but the "Marshall" pack is their biggest nicest hunting pack.

For me, I hunt sheep, moose, caribou, blacktails and elk, I need a pack I can live out of for 7 to 14 daus and be able to not only trek and mountaineer with but haul 100lb loads or moose quarters with and not worry about my pack breaking (I've broken lesser packs before and even had to leave elk meat behind once because there was no way to carry it.

Anyways, you pay big $$$ for good packs but if you're looking for something you can train with, use for anything you want and customize for yourself, kifaru is the best, stone glacier is a close second, I don't really look at other packs anymore.

Also, Kuiu, their clothes are the best but their packs are trash, don't even bother.

 

[Gregolian]

Also, Kuiu, their clothes are the best but their packs are trash, don't even bother.

What are your thoughts on pack companies like Tenzing or Badlands. I have a Tenzing and loved it when I went coyote hunting and my friend in Utah uses a Badlands one for Elk in Utah.

 

[bushman505]

What are your thoughts on pack companies like Tenzing or Badlands. I have a Tenzing and loved it when I went coyote hunting and my friend in Utah uses a Badlands one for Elk in Utah.

I've heard tenzing is good but I haven't known anybody who has one, I think Cameron Haynes was using one so it's probably pretty solid.

Badlands is what I broke when it was full of elk, I just think of them as day hunting packs.

I guess my main feeling is that when you're headed out for a day or two, it probably dosent matter much like if your just car camping and doing hikes from the truck and doing a few miles and coming back. But for real expedition type use, I think it's worth dropping the coin. I mean when I go sheep hunting, I'm packing for like 10 days so I've got 10 days of food, sleeping gear, lots of clothing I could end up with a 40-50lb load (maybe more) and if I get a sheep, I'm going to be loading another 50-70lbs on that pack and hiking for a few days back so the highest quality is important for me.

I guess you need to decide how much you really NEED to rely on a pack and how much you're willing to spend. I used a cabelas "Alaskan" frame pack for years, no problems but it wasn't comfortable, for a day pack or like a quick blacktail hunt, id just grab whatever and not worry too much but for those big self supported trips that you prepare all year for.....I'll take my kifaru.

Also, for things like moose hunting where you're going to end up hauling out 500-600lbs of meat, that means your looking at ~ 10 "man" trips so 5 trips if you have 2 guys and 10 if you're alone, you're going to probably want to haul 70-80lbs at a time, a good pack can make that barable.

 

[Gregolian]

I've heard tenzing is good but I haven't known anybody who has one, I think Cameron Haynes was using one so it's probably pretty solid.

Badlands is what I broke when it was full of elk, I just think of them as day hunting packs.

I guess my main feeling is that when you're headed out for a day or two, it probably dosent matter much like if your just car camping and doing hikes from the truck and doing a few miles and coming back. But for real expedition type use, I think it's worth dropping the coin. I mean when I go sheep hunting, I'm packing for like 10 days so I've got 10 days of food, sleeping gear, lots of clothing I could end up with a 40-50lb load (maybe more) and if I get a sheep, I'm going to be loading another 50-70lbs on that pack and hiking for a few days back so the highest quality is important for me.

I guess you need to decide how much you really NEED to rely on a pack and how much you're willing to spend. I used a cabelas "Alaskan" frame pack for years, no problems but it wasn't comfortable, for a day pack or like a quick blacktail hunt, id just grab whatever and not worry too much but for those big self supported trips that you prepare all year for.....I'll take my kifaru.

Also, for things like moose hunting where you're going to end up hauling out 500-600lbs of meat, that means your looking at ~ 10 "man" trips so 5 trips if you have 2 guys and 10 if you're alone, you're going to probably want to haul 70-80lbs at a time, a good pack can make that barable.

Thanks.

I liked my Tenzig but admittedly we were camping out of a truck essentially, same as my buddy with the Badlands pack.

I know that my friend in Utah was talking about dragging me to Prince of William Sound to do some Sitka hunting with a guide and he was saying he'd probably buy a dedicated frame pack for that.

I like my Tenzig and it has an internal frame in it but I am worried if I were to use it for say elk and had to pack out a ton of it on my own the internal frame might not be able to withstand it.

 

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@bushman505
@Gregolian

Pretty sure those Tenzing CF13 are supposed to hold stupid weight pretty comfortably.

I saw this a while ago thought it was kinda funny.



More serious rundown of features

 

[Gregolian]

@bushman505
@Gregolian

Pretty sure those Tenzing CF13 are supposed to hold stupid weight pretty comfortably.

I saw this a while ago thought it was kinda funny.



More serious rundown of features

I have this one:

 

[bushman505]

Thanks.

I liked my Tenzig but admittedly we were camping out of a truck essentially, same as my buddy with the Badlands pack.

I know that my friend in Utah was talking about dragging me to Prince of William Sound to do some Sitka hunting with a guide and he was saying he'd probably buy a dedicated frame pack for that.

I like my Tenzig and it has an internal frame in it but I am worried if I were to use it for say elk and had to pack out a ton of it on my own the internal frame might not be able to withstand it.

Prince of William sound??? Where's that? Do you mean prince of whales island???

I'm hunting afognak island this year for blacktails and the terrain is severe.

One thing I'll say is that I'm as guilty as the next guy as getting focused on gear, rather than the engine.

You should be working your ass off to get in the best shape you possibly can if going after blacktails, they live in steep country and you'll have to go to them.

My training schedule is pretty loose but like this:

-junprope: 5x /week
-running: 4x/week
-strength 3x/week
-backpack training 3x/week

The m basically working out 15 times a week and pushing it hard the whole time, if you're going after blacktails, don't neglect your backpack work, you should have that thing loaded with 50lbs and be hiking mountains 2-3 times a week in addition to your other training.

 

[Gregolian]

This is a year off so I'm working my way up slowly.

Yeah, probably Prince of Wales.

 

[wvboy]

Well in my opinion (and all my friends who are serious back country hunters) the pack and boots are the most important things. If you think about it, on a 10 day hunt, your going to shoot your rifle once or twice, therefore when picking a rifle, I want something light weight that can shoot accurately so I can almost forget about it during the trip.

Your pack and boots are being used constantly, having a cheaper rifle won't ruin your trip, having a pack that's killing your shoulders or digging into your back or boots that are eating your feet alive will ruin everything.

Thanks for the information. I noticed Rinella and Ryan Callaghan using a $700 Savage 30-06 on one of the meateater shows where they were doing a lot of mountainous hiking. I assumed they had some super expensive hunting rifle that weighed nearly nothing, but it looked like a standard rifle with a black synthetic stock. I think Savage is a sponsor of Rinellas, but I suppose there isn't a huge difference between a lightweight Savage and a $2,000 Kimber Mountain Rifle.

Are there any stores that sell those brands of packs? Before spending the money on a nice pack I would like to try it on and see how well it fits. If I'm honest with myself I'm still over a year away from being in good enough shape that I would feel confident in going on a mountain hunt. I don't have mountains where I live that come close to comparing to the Rocky Mountains and some of my mountains (or big hills) kick my butt even without a full pack.

I'll be in Colorado this fall for a guided elk hunt, but it's more from set locations and not a overly strenuous. That should give me a sense of what kind of shape I'm in for the altitude and the terrain.

 

[bushman505]

I don't know much about Steve rinellas gun selection, he's sponsored by savage so he uses it on the show, I sort of doubt he uses them in his personal time, I can't imagine a guy that serious actually choosing to use a savage.

Unfortunately with the packs, there isn't really any way to try them, they come straight from their factories however the guys over at the good pack companies know so much about this stuff They can get you on track over the phone with a few quick measurements.

I never really thought packs like that were worth it until a year or so ago when I finally dropped the $$$ on one. Now I'm convinced.

 

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Pelican 1750 with foam $161

 

[jericksen5]

Been looking for a CZ P10c, and they've been like unicorns around here. Finally found a guy on armslist that bought one on an impulse purchase and decided he didn't need it. Brand new in box for $510 OTD. Just took it for a quick range session, and I have to say, it lives up to all the hype. Basically a Glock 19 but slightly better and more refined in almost every way (and I'm a big time Glock fanboy).

 

[Gregolian]

I know Glock is trying to "branch out" with the front serration models and the MOS models but really think they need to do something else.

I know part of their charm is they've basically remained unchanged since their introduction but really wish they change it up for newer models a tad.

Like, release a version of the 19 WITH the front serration and MOS features and like change the grip angle to be more standard or something.

 

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I know Glock is trying to "branch out" with the front serration models and the MOS models but really think they need to do something else.

I know part of their charm is they've basically remained unchanged since their introduction but really wish they change it up for newer models a tad.

Like, release a version of the 19 WITH the front serration and MOS features and like change the grip angle to be more standard or something.

 

[Cubo de Sangre]

Anyone pulling the trigger on a VEPR now that they're on the banned from import list?

 

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Only 1 or 2 more match loads I'm going to try. Eagle eye precision 69gr and maybe a 55-60gr ballistic/polymer tip.