"Shooting" day pack vs "normal" day pack

So I've never owned a dedicated shooting/hunting/tacticool day pack before as I've just used a pretty stand small 18L bag for my casual shooting and short hunting trips.
I've had pretty good success the last 10+ years, but one of things that's always bugged me is that it's never rigid enough to shoot off unless I unnecessarily cram it with stuff.

For those of you with these types of packs, do they tend to be more rigid or offer any obvious benefits over your backpack.
Also keen to hear any recommendations that I could look at before buying to decide if it's what I'm after.

Tramping pack brands for the win

Tried a few of "hunting packs" from hunters element, stony creek and few others and they are rubbish in comparison

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Ridgeline Tru shot backpack could be worth a look?

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...6uTazGbY6HPTCN

If its like everything Ridgeline I ever tried the zips will probably fall apart after about a week.

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Originally Posted by GravelBen

If its like everything Ridgeline I ever tried the zips will probably fall apart after about a week.

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If your lucky.

hunting packs seem to be over priced for what they are, tramping packs for the win imho. A hunting mate has a stuffed sock atached to his pack to make it better to shot from.

How about using a bipod

I have been using this recently, especially if I am going to need a rest on hillsides. It was great shooting wallabies off.
It has a meat sleeve and you can put all sorts of bags on it. Legs and meat slip into the sleeve and behind the bag. Great for carrying a big load of meat with,

Wont be everyones cup of tea though. And not cheap.

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https://outdoorsmans.com/collections/hunting-packs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfREArd8cY8

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Originally Posted by northdude

How about using a bipod

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I usually carry one, but find they have limited effectiveness due to long grass and step terrain.
I've started shooting with a sling which I find very effective but a sling and pack would be even better.

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Originally Posted by res

hunting packs seem to be over priced for what they are, tramping packs for the win imho. A hunting mate has a stuffed sock atached to his pack to make it better to shot from.

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Interesting you and 199p have said the same thing, is it just they aren't worth the extra money, or are the tramping packs just better designed and just as useful?

Love my twin needle minime. Roll bag so can stuff a whole boned deer in. Can take the foam back out to sit on. has side pockets perfect for water bottle and bi pod.

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Originally Posted by Beetroot

I usually carry one, but find they have limited effectiveness due to long grass and step terrain.
I've started shooting with a sling which I find very effective but a sling and pack would be even better.

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Are you hunting in open terrain? I find a pack with a solid frame a pita in the Bush, and really you need a solid frame to make sitting style shots over the pack.

The big store hunting brand packs here seem to focus on overpriced gimmicks as a marketing scheme as opposed to building packs that actually work.

Cactus is mean but canvas, as durable as it is, is a bit on the noisy side for a hunting pack material. Wish they used somthing a bit quoter like cordura or similar

I have a small Markhor 32 L pack it has a wire frame that is light but makes it strong enough that you can stand it on end and shoot off the top of it for elevation. It is designed to be quite low on your back, so doesnt suffer from getting hung up.
I think it was called a Corsica. Main fault as the perfect day pack was the hip belt is too thin to be effective, I got an Emmerson wide belt off TM and threaded it onto that and its been great!
Most soft style packs I have tried tend to roll around on your back, and throw you off balance just when you dont want to.

What about the traditional time proven method using your mustering / hill stick as a rest ? Sitting position with point of stick trapped in your right instep and the stick laying across at 45 degrees onto left knee. Stick and fore -end gripped with left hand.

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Originally Posted by Gibo

Love my twin needle minime. Roll bag so can stuff a whole boned deer in. Can take the foam back out to sit on. has side pockets perfect for water bottle and bi pod.

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Looks like the Lions beat you to the deer Gibo

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Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

Looks like the Lions beat you to the deer Gibo

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Drop bears i think

I'm a tight arse. I just use a Macpac Torlesse 35. Got for about $100 on the clearance list. Depending on how it stands, on back, side or end and where along it I rest the rifle I can vary the height. Carries enough for me and if wet it has a built in rain cover. Doesn't worry me that it isn't camo; if anything can see it it's behind me where I'm not looking. Tighten the compression straps if not carrying much and expand when needed.

agree with Bruce on this one...Ive shot many animals using the frame of pack as a rest...yes its a dreaded hand samwich but it works to get me above tussocks.
soft pikau works good prone,you just screw it up tighter rather than have to stuff it over full

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Originally Posted by johnd

I have a small Markhor 32 L pack it has a wire frame that is light but makes it strong enough that you can stand it on end and shoot off the top of it for elevation. It is designed to be quite low on your back, so doesnt suffer from getting hung up.

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I've got the Markhor 45L Elk Mtn pack and really like it. It's actually the second one I've owned. It has a metal support slat down the back so stays rigid enough to use as a rest for sitting shots. Ideally I prefer to get prone, but I did recently take a deer at 250m with a sitting shot using the pack for a rest as I couldn't get prone due to terrain. Worked well. The 45L pack I regularly use for 2-3 day hunts, but it's also not too massive for a day pack, although usually for day trips I just use a 22L Kathmandu pack.

I use a fleece Pikau from huntech.

Unless it's full its not very useful as a rest.

Do people find that they prefer a small day pack over a Pikau? It's pretty quiet and cheap.

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Originally Posted by gadgetman

I'm a tight arse. I just use a Macpac Torlesse 35. Got for about $100 on the clearance list. Depending on how it stands, on back, side or end and where along it I rest the rifle I can vary the height. Carries enough for me and if wet it has a built in rain cover. Doesn't worry me that it isn't camo; if anything can see it it's behind me where I'm not looking. Tighten the compression straps if not carrying much and expand when needed.

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Perhaps I'll have to give my Deuter 38L day pack a go, seem's like all packs/bag suffer the same fate if not loaded full of stuff.
As it has a bit of a frame it may be an improvement though.

Cheers

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Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

What about the traditional time proven method using your mustering / hill stick as a rest ? Sitting position with point of stick trapped in your right instep and the stick laying across at 45 degrees onto left knee. Stick and fore -end gripped with left hand.

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Or if you're a 21st century dude and use trekking poles, loop each wrist strap over the opposite pole's handle to create a small saddle and splay the poles out into a bipod. The neat thing about trekking poles is that (if you've got time) you can adjust the length to get the perfect height for uphill / downhill / cross-slope shots.

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Originally Posted by gadgetman

I'm a tight arse. I just use a Macpac Torlesse 35. Got for about $100 on the clearance list. Depending on how it stands, on back, side or end and where along it I rest the rifle I can vary the height. Carries enough for me and if wet it has a built in rain cover. Doesn't worry me that it isn't camo; if anything can see it it's behind me where I'm not looking. Tighten the compression straps if not carrying much and expand when needed.

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I've got an 18l macpac and a 22l osprey. The osprey has a lot of pockets and elasticated bits that make it handy as well as a gap in the back for a camelpack. It does sometimes get hung up in the Bush though but I can squeeze a good sized nanny into it along with all the other stuff I carry. For overnight trips I either use a 65l osprey or 45l spika pack. The spika pack has a rifle scabbard but the zip ends have started to Come off. It's not a bad pack though.

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Originally Posted by Gibo

Drop bears i think

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That was out the back of Tarawera ? Haven for them, just like Canterbury is for tahr ?

I use a fleece pikau. Seldom any shortgage of junk filling it up. I rest it on top of a rock or log if needed. Bumbags can give extra height.

My Macpac Pursuit 40 NZAT is good too and naturally big enough with overnight gear in it. It doesn't seem to be available at present. It has no frame except a removable slab of closed cell foam. Sits very well on my back for carrying loads and doesn't have a waist band worth mentioning. It rests on my waist bumbags.

I've finally sorted out a bumbag/belt system that works for me. So nice not to have anything on my back.

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Originally Posted by MB

I've finally sorted out a bumbag/belt system that works for me. So nice not to have anything on my back.

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This sounds interesting. Do tell!

No rocket science. I got some stiffish webbing, added a quality fastex buckle, then added pouches to suit my needs.

- Small pouch for emergency equipment
- Large pouch for waterproof jacket
- Large pouch for torch, meat sack/strap, knife and a few other bits and pieces
- Drink bottle pouch which has a pocket on it which will hold 3 x OSM and some beef jerky (enough for a day hunt)

I also have an additional large pouch which will hold a light down jacket.

I used triglides to hold the pouches on either end in place (pouches sliding around is really annoying) and have a shoulder strap which takes the weight of the drink bottle, so the belt doesn't sag.

In the unlikely event that I actually shoot an animal, harvested meat goes in the meat sack which can be carried on my back.

It sounds more complicated than it is! The right side of the belt does not have pouches on it, so good for putting rifle sling on shoulder, and as I eluded to in my previous post, no more sweaty back!

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Originally Posted by Russian 22.

I use a fleece Pikau from huntech.

Unless it's full its not very useful as a rest.

Do people find that they prefer a small day pack over a Pikau? It's pretty quiet and cheap.

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screw it up with off hand when you want to use it.....you dont need buggerall in them to be enough.

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Originally Posted by MB

No rocket science. I got some stiffish webbing, added a quality fastex buckle, then added pouches to suit my needs.

- Small pouch for emergency equipment
- Large pouch for waterproof jacket
- Large pouch for torch, meat sack/strap, knife and a few other bits and pieces
- Drink bottle pouch which has a pocket on it which will hold 3 x OSM and some beef jerky (enough for a day hunt)

I also have an additional large pouch which will hold a light down jacket.

I used triglides to hold the pouches on either end in place (pouches sliding around is really annoying) and have a shoulder strap which takes the weight of the drink bottle, so the belt doesn't sag.

In the unlikely event that I actually shoot an animal, harvested meat goes in the meat sack which can be carried on my back.

It sounds more complicated than it is! The right side of the belt does not have pouches on it, so good for putting rifle sling on shoulder, and as I eluded to in my previous post, no more sweaty back!

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F**** rocket science that’s pure genius! Good job. Would love to see a pic if you have the time. But I know it’s fiddly.

I use a Markhor 35ltr for day and light overnighting.
It's a great little pack with lots of features, pockets etc so you can get to stuff easily without dumping everything out. Including 2 on the waist belt
The light wire frame is great at keeping it off your back in this hot weather. Just the waist belt and shoulder straps get sweaty.
Down side is weight 1.8kg and cost. Does included Fluro hood, rain cover, whistle, rigged for hydo tube and bladder.
Also have a single pocket mackpac 25ltr day bag and while it's light it's useless as a hunting rest. It's a loner now.
The Markhor is stiff enough to use flat or sideways. Never thought to try it on end but could be handy for down hill sitting shots.
Z

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Originally Posted by Micky Duck

agree with Bruce on this one...Ive shot many animals using the frame of pack as a rest...yes its a dreaded hand samwich but it works to get me above tussocks.
soft pikau works good prone,you just screw it up tighter rather than have to stuff it over full

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Love him or hate him, TBR has injected a few memes into the shooting scene here.

The key is to get the soft pad surfaces of your hand and fingers simultaneously gripping rifle and pack / branch / rock so the bones aren't in contact with the support. A little practice goes a long way. Passively resting your support hand on a soft pack or a log won't get you very far. You've got 4 (or 5) fingers - use them.