What size pack do I need?

Hey team

I'm looking at getting into hunting towards the end of the year and I'm wondering what size backpack will I need? I know this will depend on what I want to do, so: lets assume an overnight (1 or multiple nights) hunt.

I currently own a 60L Kathmandu pack and I assume that'd have enough space if I'm going somewhere local and bag a pig/goat/deer and want to process it in the field and hump it back to the car but I'm not staying out overnight. On the other hand if I'm on an overnight hunt would I need a 80L or higher pack, so that there is enough room for sleeping gear and an animal that needs to be humped back to the car?

Cheers team and any help is appreciated

60L should be ample for up to a couple of nights... I hunted out of a 50L macpac cascade for at least 5 or 6 years. Everything from overnight sika hunting in the central North Island to a week in the Southern Alps, although that was a real stretch and i think i took another bag on the chopper with food for the week.

All depends on if its hut based, tent based for one thing. Your physical size and how fit you are also makes a difference. Pack design is a huge thing too as not all big packs handle weight well and some small packs handle big weights very well. I can get away with a 50l pack for an overnight including tent.

@Dorkus - hunted out of a 60l pack for 5 or 6 years... You are a legend, sir! @BobbyP only wants to know about what pack to get for a few nights! :thumbsup: ;)

60 litres should be fine for most hunts. And if you dont think its big enough for a longer hunt, then rethink how much your taking. I personally use an old Macpac Torlesse for everything, can carry very little, or I can carry heaps. But its simple and its tough. If I am pushed for space on a longer hunt, take the bones out of your meat, tie your trophy/headskin to the out side or top. And a couple of simple bags like a pillowcase, with some eyelets in the bottom corners can be simply tied to the outside if you really want to load it up. An 80 or 90 litre pack loaded to the hilt with all the bells and whistles aint that much fun to carry no matter how great the harness system is.

As above a lot depends on the situation but also the gear you have. Do you have lightweight down sleeping or a big bulky one. Tent lightweight one person or much larger. These two things alone take up a lot of space. Summer vs winter as well.

I would start with your 60l and see how you go. You'll soon find there's plenty of crap you really don't need and then leave it at home. Then you'll upgrade and get lighter smaller gear at some stage.

Get some pillow cases for meat bags and you can strap these on the outside of you pack if needed.

I use a 55l and 75l depending on situation, time of year and length of trip etc.

It's all part of the learning curve.

60l is plenty for a few nights man. Run with what you have a few times then upgrade when you have worked out what is going to work best for your situation and gear.

I find 50L is enough to get all your gear and food in, but stretching it for carrying meat out.

I've now got a 65L which I find perfect.

I'm not a fan of the big 80L+ packs as they get too wide to be walking through the bush with.

I've got a cactus hector 65l and I reckon I'm set for life. I'm pretty good at chopping and changing shit and trying new stuff but I've had it a few years now and it's never gone on the for sale pile.

I'm a known cheapskate and my first option is always to use what I already own

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Originally Posted by Happy Jack

All depends on if its hut based, tent based for one thing. Your physical size and how fit you are also makes a difference. Pack design is a huge thing too as not all big packs handle weight well and some small packs handle big weights very well. I can get away with a 50l pack for an overnight including tent.

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I currently use a Hennessy Explorer outdoor hammock, so this means i also take a rolled up yoga mat to prevent convection. So these two items can take up a bit of space

I used to use an old external frame Hallmark of about 40l and managed to get by.
The I got a 90 litre for a birthday and have it bulging at the seams sometimes. I think packs are like sheds - no matter the size you always manage to fill them up.
Staying in a hut requires quite a bit less gear than camping, and having someone else along cuts down on the gear each person needs to carry as a lot of stuff you only need one.

Yeah I hadn't thought about using the huts, but I'll look into it as not having to lug a hammock around on my back sounds like the winning ticket

You don't have to put meat in your backpack, especially if you bone it out in the bush. My meat goes in a pikau which folds down quite small and stays in the backpack when not in use. If I get something to put in it, I wear it over one shoulder, on my front or attach it to the backpack in some way.

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Originally Posted by MB

You don't have to put meat in your backpack, especially if you bone it out in the bush. My meat goes in a pikau which folds down quite small and stays in the backpack when not in use. If I get something to put in it, I wear it over one shoulder, on my front or attach it to the backpack in some way.

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Thanks for the advice, having someone giving me the heads up on a good set up is something I'm looking for so cheers

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Originally Posted by BobbyP

I currently use a Hennessy Explorer outdoor hammock, so this means i also take a rolled up yoga mat to prevent convection. So these two items can take up a bit of space

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You dont have to roll them up, they can simply be folded flat and fitted to the outside of the pack with the lid closing straps. And maybe an extra around the middle. If we stop thinking that everything that goes in to or on a pack has to be rolled, or fitted in a stuff sac, which is round, then you will find you can carry all the essentials comfortably, with the weight spread out for ease of carry.

I carry a fold up backpack in my daypack for when I get some meat, it's a Hunters Element Bluff pack - folds down really small but holds 25L, I don't know how it would handle large weights (only used for boned out fallow so far), but there's always the option of loading my gear in the Bluff and the meat in the daypack.

This is the one
https://www.hunterselement.co.nz/col...packable-pack#

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Originally Posted by Husky1600

You dont have to roll them up, they can simply be folded flat and fitted to the outside of the pack with the lid closing straps. And maybe an extra around the middle. If we stop thinking that everything that goes in to or on a pack has to be rolled, or fitted in a stuff sac, which is round, then you will find you can carry all the essentials comfortably, with the weight spread out for ease of carry.

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Good point. I assume you're talking about the yoga mat? I normally have it rolled up and attached to the outside of the pack but folding it flat inside the pack could work too

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Originally Posted by Cigar

I carry a fold up backpack in my daypack for when I get some meat, it's a Hunters Element Bluff pack - folds down really small but holds 25L, I don't know how it would handle large weights (only used for boned out fallow so far), but there's always the option of loading my gear in the Bluff and the meat in the daypack.

This is the one
https://www.hunterselement.co.nz/col...packable-pack#

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Thank you for the link, that looks awesome. So it's a fold up bag that you pull out if you need it? Also what size do you use?

My facetious answer to how big a pack should be, is the necessary size possible to fit the minimum amount of gear in it.. plus 20%. Because things don’t seem to go back in there as tightly once you leave the house!

But in all seriousness, I personally prefer a larger pack that’s a third empty with the straps pulled down tight, than a
minimum sized pack that’s crammed to capacity. What’s easy to pack and repack comfortably at home is different under the confines of a bivvy in the rain or a crowded hut when you remember your spare socks are underneath everything else.

I run a bigger pack, for the above reasons. I tie it down if a bit on the empty side. If everything aligns and I manage to drop a red while hunting I certainly enjoy being able to pack the meat away inside the pack and not having things bouncing around on the outside that can catch on things.

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Originally Posted by BobbyP

Thank you for the link, that looks awesome. So it's a fold up bag that you pull out if you need it? Also what size do you use?

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Yep, folds up very small (see photo), I have the 25L version.
Attachment 203633

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Originally Posted by Cigar

Yep, folds up very small (see photo), I have the 25L version.
Attachment 203633

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Do you think it will break with heavier loads or are you fairly confident it'll hold together?

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Originally Posted by MB

Do you think it will break with heavier loads or are you fairly confident it'll hold together?

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It’s pretty lightweight material, which makes me wonder how strong it is and if it would cope with a full load of meat, I might be able to tell you in the next few weeks! HE seem confident on their website.
As I mentioned earlier, I can always transfer my other gear to the bluff pack and load the meat into my 25L daypack for the carry out.