What Hunting Pack Is Best for You?
By: Zach Kennedy
Choosing the right hunting pack isn’t just about comfort—it can make or break your hunt. Whether you’re heading out for a quick evening sit or grinding through a 10-day alpine expedition, your pack is your lifeline. It carries your essentials in, and more importantly, it helps you haul success back out.
So what hunting pack is best for you? The answer depends on how—and where—you hunt.
Know Your Hunt Style
Before you even start looking at brands or features, think about your hunting style.
Day Hunts: If you’re in and out the same day, you don’t need a massive pack. Something in the 1,500–2,500 cubic inch range will carry your layers, food, optics, and survival gear without weighing you down.
Multi-Day Backcountry Hunts: Now you’re stepping into the 4,000–7,000+ cubic inch range. These packs are built to carry camp, food, and gear deep into the mountains.
Meat Hauling: This is where a lot of packs separate themselves. Not all packs are built to handle heavy loads like quarters or capes. A proper hunting pack should have a strong frame and load shelf system.
Fit Comes First
You can have the most expensive pack on the market, but if it doesn’t fit right, it’s useless.
A good pack should:
Sit snug on your hips (not your shoulders)
Distribute weight evenly
Adjust to your torso length
This is especially important for long hikes in steep country—like the alpine terrain we deal with in British Columbia.
Features That Actually Matter
There are a lot of “nice-to-haves” out there, but here’s what really matters:
Durability: Brush, rock, and weather will destroy cheap gear fast.
Weight: You don’t want to carry unnecessary pounds before you even load it up.
Organization: Enough pockets to stay organized, but not so many you lose gear.
Load Shelf / Meat Hauler: Critical for packing out animals.
Weather Resistance: Rain and snow are part of the game.
Our Go-To Choice
After years of trial and error, we typically run packs from Kifaru—and for good reason.
They’re incredibly versatile, whether you’re running a stripped-down day setup or a fully loaded backcountry rig. But where they really shine is in the alpine. Steep, rugged terrain demands gear that won’t fail, and Kifaru packs are built tough enough to handle it.
When it comes time to pack meat out, that’s where they separate from the pack (no pun intended). Their frame systems and load shelves are designed for serious weight, making those brutal pack-outs a lot more manageable.
Other Solid Options
While we lean heavily toward Kifaru, there are other great packs worth considering depending on your budget and preferences:
Stone Glacier – Lightweight and built for backcountry hunters who count every ounce.
Mystery Ranch – Extremely comfortable and known for their durability.
EXO Mountain Gear – A great balance of comfort, simplicity, and performance.
Each of these brands brings something different to the table, and all are capable of handling serious hunts.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, the “best” hunting pack is the one that fits your body, matches your hunting style, and won’t quit when things get tough.
If you’re hunting hard—especially in the alpine—you need a pack that can keep up. For us, that’s why we typically stick with Kifaru. They’ve proven themselves time and time again when it matters most: deep in the mountains, miles from the truck, with a heavy load on your back.
Choose wisely, because when the moment comes, your pack isn’t just gear—it’s part of the hunt.