Packs/Bags
A hunting backpack gets judged on the walk out, not the walk in. Empty, everything feels fine. Loaded with meat, wet layers, and a wind at your back, the difference between a frame pack and a day pack shows up fast in your shoulders.
Our packs run from lightweight day bags for a morning sit to external-frame haulers built to carry quarters off the mountain, with fanny packs, sling packs, and gear bags filling in between.
Match the pack to the hunt
- Day hunts (under 1,800 cu in). Enough for water, calls, a knife, and a layer. The ALPS Commander + Pack carries a rifle or bow on the front and doubles as a meat hauler when the day goes well.
- Multi-day and pack-out (2,500 cu in and up). The ALPS Elite 3800 Pack + Frame separates the bag from the frame so you can drop the bag and haul meat on the frame alone.
- Frame first. A load-bearing frame moves weight onto your hips. The Commander X + Pack is the heavier-duty version of that idea.
- Modular setups. The Hybrid X works as a day pack or a hauler depending on how you build it that morning.
What actually matters
Torso length beats capacity. A pack sized wrong rides on your shoulders no matter how good the suspension is, so measure before you order. After that, look at how quietly the fabric moves against brush and whether you can reach your bow hanger or call without taking the pack off.
Building a mobile setup? See our complete saddle hunting setup and our coyote hunting gear list for what goes inside the pack.