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3 day pack

Poke

Poke

I’m condescending
Joined
May 20, 2020
Member Number
763
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1,389
Looking for a decent 3 day camping pack. I’ll never use it for more than 1-2 days. It will double as a bob/trunk back. Needs to fit a small rifle or shotgun.

I do short hike single nights in a hammock now. I’m taking less and less each trip.
 
do you need to fit the rifle or shotgun inside or is strapped to the outside good?

Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

I have this, which I guess they don't make anymore. I like that it opens on the top so I can use the side straps and it doesn't really mess with anything, and it's easy to pack stuff if need be. it's not particularly big or bulky on it's own.

for 3 days with a hammock, there isn't really much that needs to go though. change of underclothes and extra socks. for just a day or two, a soft rifle bag with either pouches sewn on or webbing to put a small pouch to hold 'stuff' would be more than enough.
 
If you're doing legit 3 days in the woods and covering some terrain, you'll want a legit backpacking pack which means you also need to get fitted for one. The best pack will suck with a bad fitting. Go to REI, get fitted for one, and buy one of their store brand packs.

I'm taking the wife to REI today for this exact purchase.
 
Yotota said:
If you're doing legit 3 days in the woods and covering some terrain, you'll want a legit backpacking pack which means you also need to get fitted for one. The best pack will suck with a bad fitting. Go to REI, get fitted for one, and buy one of their store brand packs.

I'm taking the wife to REI today for this exact purchase.
Click to expand...
The REI I was at in Rochester is 98% tee shirt store with 2% mixed stock of camping. And my confidence in their staff was less than hoping a Google search actually gave me the best results. To me REI is a joke. Was it just the store? Or is your local store 98% tee shirts with a single 8’ shelf of assorted camp gear?
 
Provience said:
do you need to fit the rifle or shotgun inside or is strapped to the outside good?

Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

I have this, which I guess they don't make anymore. I like that it opens on the top so I can use the side straps and it doesn't really mess with anything, and it's easy to pack stuff if need be. it's not particularly big or bulky on it's own.

for 3 days with a hammock, there isn't really much that needs to go though. change of underclothes and extra socks. for just a day or two, a soft rifle bag with either pouches sewn on or webbing to put a small pouch to hold 'stuff' would be more than enough.
Click to expand...
Rifle in the bag.
 
Poke said:
The REI I was at in Rochester is 98% tee shirt store with 2% mixed stock of camping. And my confidence in their staff was less than hoping a Google search actually gave me the best results. To me REI is a joke. Was it just the store? Or is your local store 98% tee shirts with a single 8’ shelf of assorted camp gear?
Click to expand...

That's weird. Maybe it's a PNW thing, our REI stores are 25% apparel at most and the rest of the store is legit gear. And there are a few CS reps who specialize in each department.

We don't have many independent sporting goods or outdoor stores anymore. So REI is the best chain store around for us.
 
Weasel said:
holy crap dude do you know how big that's gonna be? (shockwave wouldn't be too bad) but an external mounted firearm is going to be much more assessable.

Mystery Ranch, Hill People Gear have good packs.
Click to expand...
 
You’re going to have a tough time fitting an assembled rifle in most smaller backpacks. I have an 8.5” .300 Blackout pistol that I wanted to have a bag to carry in the car. I found a pack that was 26” tall and it barely fit, most normal backpacks are 20”- 22” tall. If you’re fine separating the upper and lower you’ll have an easier time. It’s not going to be be “quick access” with other stuff in there anyways.

I picked up one of these as my vehicle bag, mostly due to finding one cheap, durability and the fact that it’s not “tacticool looking” if I’m walking down the road with it wearing shorts and sneakers. It’s not great for organization, it’s basically one front zippered pocket I have first aid and quick access stuff in, and then one big compartment. There is no frame either, but it has a semi rigid foam back panel.

www.blackhawk.com

Buy 3-Day Assault™ Backpack And More | Blackhawk

Shopping for the 3-Day Assault™ Backpack? Learn more about the latest 3-Day Packs and more at Blackhawk.
www.blackhawk.com www.blackhawk.com
 
Yotota said:
If you're doing legit 3 days in the woods and covering some terrain, you'll want a legit backpacking pack which means you also need to get fitted for one. The best pack will suck with a bad fitting. Go to REI, get fitted for one, and buy one of their store brand packs.

I'm taking the wife to REI today for this exact purchase.
Click to expand...
Fuck REI
 
gozuki said:
Fuck REI
Click to expand...

LOL okay. Also fuck Amazon, and Walmart, and Kroger, and all the other national corporate chains. But that's who we have to work with unless you're lucky to have an independent outdoor store available with good selection of brands/models/sizes to test.

OP asked for a camping bag, I assumed backpacking as opposed to car camping as you can car camp out of a floppy duffel bag, but that will make a difference. For three days/two nights in the woods one could step up to a larger external frame bag which is infinitely more adjustable but will most likely end up with an internal frame bag. Which requires lots of trying on and fitting with a load in the bag. No internal frame bag is truly "one size fits all", or even "fits most", they fit the small size window they are designed to and outside that window is a sub-optimal fit.

For the common brands, Osprey and Arcteryx are great. Most people don't have that much to spend. REI's store brand is a solid alternative.

The tactical brands offer decent bags for holding lots of gear, but not for actual hiking or physical activity with them. If the intended use is to live in a truck and maybe cover a mile or two, sure they will work.

I love HPG, but their UTE pack is almost too universal especially with the floating shoulder harness. Kifaru is super nice and they send one to the dimensions you give them but you'd need to actually test fit one to know sizing.

Ever put in 5+ miles with a loaded pack that doesn't fit well? It SUCKS. I would take an Alice frame + large ruck over a poorly fitted internal frame any day, at least I know I can adjust an Alice to work.

So yeah, I could have gone deeper to ask OP his intended miles/day over what terrain, and height/weight/build, and gear selection, and stores available. Instead I gave a generic answer that would work for most people who actually plan to use a pack to camp from and put in some miles.
 
Some of the pack companies have a 30 day money back guarantee. Load it up, an take it for a hike. send it back if it doesn't work out.

Also might be worth watching rokslide for a used one to go up for sale. I just picked up another Stone Glacier frame for cheap
 
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Eberlestock has some good options including modular with the ability to carry a rifle
 
How durable? How light? I have an Osprey backpack that I've used on the AT and for a day or two in the VA mountains and for various hiking, backpacking, and car camping trips. It's neither the lightest nor the most durable but it spends most of its time on my back or sitting on the ground as I dug stuff out of it. I've also had it loaded with a shit ton of gear and packed it down a beach. Some thought I was crazy, but the next morning when we woke up with frost on all of our tents and they were fussing about being cold and freezing all night I smiled as I packed my Army 3 piece sleeping system back into it and sipped coffee as the sun came up over the ocean.
 
This thread popped back into my head...

After I previously commented and saw some replies, I started digging into the current pack/ruck market. After learning what hunting packs have become my opinion has changed.

Brief background - it turns out that I have weird dimensions for packs. I'm 6' tall but with a short 17" torso for pack fitting (tall hip bones), and a normal 33/34" hip circumference. This explained why many packs didn't fit me well, and an Alice ruck fit perfectly.

First, I needed a new Daypack. Last summer I bought a Mystery Ranch Scree 32 which is awesome for shorter hikes with a lighter load. Their fitment definitely works for me better than anything else I've tried on.

I've also been wanting a larger bag for ruck runs and longer hikes. External Frame bags are a soft spot for me. I shopped HARD for good Military Surplus gear, but ultimately gave up on that option. Nothing is cheap anymore in that market. I also looked at modern Alice rucks like Tactical Tailor/Grey Ghost but there were too many compromises. In my searching I learned that the good hiking/hunting bag companies are making the modern Military bags outside of the MOLLE/FILBE systems which opened up a new market to me. Many of the newer hunting bags are AWESOME. Effectively a hybrid between the backpacking offerings and military contract offerings from many companies.

Others mentioned Erblestock - their bags look really damn good these days. I stuck with Mystery Ranch because I know the company and fit, but almost went with an Erblestock bag.

A Mystery Ranch Metcalf just got delivered. External Frame (ish) and enough capacity for everything I want to do. I'm going to test it out on my lunch break dog walk today.
 
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