Pack Designed For Hunters Mind
You finally found where the big bulls are hiding. As you expected, it’s nowhere close to a road.
You hunted all day in wet, miserable elk-season weather, but it’s not until 3:30 p.m., with 3 tough miles of hiking to the trailhead, when the trophy elk of your dreams steps into an opening.
The decision to take a shot with darkness looming depends not so much on what’s loaded in your rifle, but rather what’s in your pack.
Smart hunters who challenge the elements for big game never walk far from vehicles without the tools they need to field dress their quarry and endure an unplanned night in the woods.
I’ve carried these essentials in cheap packs for years, only to suffer sore shoulders and the cost of replacing inferior gear that splits at the seams and deteriorates in foul weather.
The stouter daypacks by companies such as Kelty are great for carrying gear, but they’re not designed for hunters. The pack materials are noisy in the brush and the colors aren’t suitable.
The fleece packs found in most hunting supply stores can sop up several pounds of water in a short rain shower.
In recent years, manufacturers have started making packs specially designed for hunters. I’ve looked closely at many of them. Here’s the one that seems to top them all.
The Kifaru SpikeCamp is a mid-sized internal frame pack. It has straps for compressing the bag size if desired, yet it has the frame, shoulder straps and hip suspension system to carry heavy loads when the pack is expanded to full volume. An optional CargoChair attachment folds up against the back of the pack. Stuff an extra jacket in it, or a load of firewood.
Quick pulls on two straps lower the platform to carry a bag of meat. Swing the platform all the way under the pack to form a comfortable chair that keeps your butt dry.
A bungee makes quick work of strapping clothing, tripods or other items outside the pack.
An internal sleeve holds a spotting scope. Better yet, it holds a water bladder, which doesn’t slosh like a water bottle. Ports are built into the pack for the water hose, which attaches to a shoulder strap.
Drinking requires very little movement or effort.
The pack’s profile is clean and sleek, making it a dream to carry in timber. The only negative is the bare nylon top, which makes noise when brushed against boughs.
Kifaru could fix this by adding two Velcro strips and a fleece panel for the top, or the customer can do it at home with a swatch of fleece and a few safety pins.
Fleece panels are available for the body of the pack and the CargoChair. The reversible panels are camouflage on one side and blaze orange on the other, making the pack suitable for bowhunting and rifle hunting seasons.
The HandWarmer pouch that attaches between the two shoulder straps is an option I found invaluable while hunting in the wind-wracked Blue Mountains last week. Side openings allowed me to slip my hands easily in and out of a fleece-lined pocket. A separate zippered pocket held my compact binoculars, cow call, two-way radio and other items I’d need quickly. The pack is designed by Patrick Smith, who made his name with MountainSmith packs for climbers and hikers who demand durable, comfortable and functional gear.
One of the great innovations for hunters in the SpikeCamp is an optional webbing device that takes the weigh of a rifle off a hunter’s shoulder and puts it on his hips.
“The ancient shoulder sling just doesn’t cut it,” Smith said. “Too slow, too insecure, too snagable, too uncomfortable and not usable at all on a modern pack with snugger straps at the top of the shoulders.”
The GunBearer attachment snugs the rifle to your body, leaving both hands free for climbing rocks or moving brush. A quick-release strap frees the rifle to your hands faster than you can swing a slinged rifle from your shoulder.
All the accessories are easy to attach and take off as well as to adjust. Buckles are padded where needed to protect rifle finishes.
I like this pack better than any of my daypacks built by top manufacturers in the backpacking industry. The hip belt and shoulder straps work admirably without being bulky and overbuilt.
This isn’t a pack to be used in autumn hunting seasons and then shelved. The SpikeCamp is made for years of year-round use.
1. BOTTOM LINE SpikeCamp pack Volume: 2,300 cubic inches Weight: 3 pounds Cost: $200-$350 depending on options. Info: (800) 222-6139 or www.Kifaru.net
2. Big-game hunter’s daypack Essentials Lunch Extra food Rain coat Extra sweater Extra wicking underwear top, socks, gloves, cap protected in zipper-type plastic bag Matches in waterproof container Fire starter Candle Flashlight or headlamp, with extra bulb and batteries First-aid kit Whistle Water container Map, in plastic bag Compass Toilet paper, in plastic bag Emergency space blanket Plastic tarps Parachute cord Knife (2) Game care Saw Knife sharpener Plastic trash bags Muslin game bags Mylar tape (for hanging to discourage scavengers from meat left overnight in field; available at garden stores) Surveyor’s tape Latex gloves Moist towelettes Hunting License, tags String Extra ammo Rifle ram-rod and patch Game calls Binoculars Scope cover Anti-fog cloth Miscellaneous Safety pins Butane lighter Pocket warmers Two-way radio Highway safety flare Water purifying tablets Metal cup Camera Paper and pen Book Sit pad Thermos with hot drinks Pliers (Leatherman-type tool) Plastic shopping bags