Your hunt depends on great gear

Back pack in caribou hunt held up well very comfortable the support is a must I herniated a disc previously so really need to take care of my back. This did fine

A decently solid load hauler for the price that I am using for training. I pack a 50lb bag of gravel, and it manages it OK. Shoulder straps like to slowly loosen. Has a billion cotter pins that are annoying and only macro-adjustable. No shoulder load lifters, hip load adjustment straps are really weird when tightened (the hip belt itself is great). Lacks the features, comfort, and versatility of my hunting pack - BUT - costs 80% less. If you’re going backcountry and are going to live in your pack, I would personally get spendy on a great pack. This one works for more routine/shorter duration hauls. I wouldn’t want to put my 90lb spike camp (w/water) in it and hike a steep grade.

My application for this pack is somewhat unique: to support my HFpack rig (man-portable shortwave amateur radio), in situations when I want to wear an antenna and/or hike further with my gear. I was considering a surplus ALICE frame, but opted for the convenience of something that includes straps and a big shelf. I’m impressed with the quality.

Thais is my first experience with an external frame pack. As someone who sweats a lot, I really appreciate the ventilation. I was worried about the horizontal supports causing back pain, but the shape of the frame and the way it bears weight makes it a non-issue. At 5’8” and 220 lbs (38-40” pant size), I was also unnecessarily concerned about the fit. The waist and sternum straps would accommodate someone much larger than myself, but the pack might be unwieldy for someone shorter or very thin. Alps sells a version of this bag with XL straps, which would've been way too big on me.

The pack is surprisingly light, considering how much load it’ll handle—more than my personal fitness will. There’s no shortage of ways to strap in my current bag containing the transceiver and LFP battery, additional battery/solar hardware, a folding stool (or two and a table, to picnic with the wife), and as many field antennas as I care to lug around. I’m only limited by what’s convenient to drag into the field.

On that note, I also intend to throw my bulky quadcopter hard case on the frame the next time we shoot video away from the car. No more grime on the case’s wheels, no more straining my shoulders carrying it over grass and gravel.

I attached a 3/8” antenna mount to one of the vertical frame members. Hopefully the leverage of 7-14’ and 1-2 lbs of vertical extension, depending on the coil on whip combination, won’t fatigue the aluminum. Time will tell.