There is backpacking. There is hunting. And then, there is backpack hunting.
Leaving society behind, hiking into the mountains, and surviving for days on end with the items you have on your back — on a mission to find, pursue, and kill an animal and then pack out protein to feed our families... There is nothing like backpack hunting!
That is our passion and our purpose. It is the sole reason that Exo Mtn Gear exists.
We design our bags from the perspective of backpack hunting. Every stitch and square inch of our design is there with a purpose, on purpose.
A well-designed pack can enable you to hike more comfortably and hunt more efficiently, but only if you understand how to use it effectively.
In the video below, Steve Speck, Owner and Lead Designer of Exo Mtn Gear, shows how to load a K4 Pack for a multi-day backpack hunt. You will also find a podcast discussion with Steve & Mark of Exo, and this article will continue to highlight some of the packing principles discussed in the video and podcast.
In Episode 525 of The Hunt Backcountry Podcast, Steve & Mark discuss this pack-loading video and dive deeper into the “why” we load our packs the way we do, and why K4 Packs are designed the way they are.
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Download
PACK-LOADING PRINCIPLES
From a very high level, loading your pack for a backpack hunt should begin by considering what you need during the day’s hunt, and what isn’t needed until the end of the day at camp.
Before you load your pack, make a pile of the things needed throughout the day, and a pile of the things that are not needed until the day’s hunt is over.
Take the items you don’t need access to throughout the day — sleep system, shelter, extra food, extra clothes, etc — and store those items inside the pack’s main storage area.
Then take the items you need access to during the hunt — the current day’s food, your water storage and filtration, your optics, your weapon, etc — and store them in ways that are accessible, yet secure.
LOADING THE MAIN BAG
When loading the main bag, you want to place light and compressible items at the bottom of the pack, then stack denser items above. This will help use the pack’s space efficiently, by compressing items at the bottom of the bag and making the most use of the pack’s space, and will also help load the pack with ideal weight distribution.
For optimal weight distribution, you want heavier and denser items to be placed in the middle-to-upper portion of the bag, and also as close to your body as possible.
The other factor to consider when loading the main bag is what items to keep near the bag’s access zipper, so that they are more easily accessed throughout the day. For example, a puffy jacket could be considered a light and compressible item to load in the bottom of the pack (just like a sleeping bag or quilt), but it is often important to keep your puffy jacket near the zipper and easily accessible.
OUTSIDE ACCESSIBILITY
As you work your way out from the main storage area of the pack, you are evaluating what items to keep secure, yet accessible throughout the day.
As we said in the very beginning, there is backpacking, and then there is hunting. And one of the many things that is different on a backpacking pack vs a hunting pack is that a properly designed pack for backpack hunting will have a good way to store and access hunt-specific gear, such as a tripod, spotting scopes, and a bow or rifle.
On our K4 Packs, you will find full-length zippered side pockets, which are great for spotting scope storage and access, or other long/tall items, like tent poles.
We also have lower side stretch pockets, which work well to provide quick access to your tripod, trekking poles, or for smaller items like water bottles, headlamps, etc.
CREATING CONSISTENCY
One final principle to leave you with is consistency...
Know what gear you packed (here are some gear lists to help).
Know where your gear is at in your pack.
Know how to store or secure and access your gear efficiently.
As hunters, our goal is to have gear that performs so well, that it is an afterthought.
As pack designers, our goal is to ensure that our pack is an asset that allows you to focus on the hunt and is not something that creates a distraction as you figure out where you put your gear and how you can access the items you need.
We obsess over every detail of our packs, so you can focus on your hunt.
But for that to happen, you must create consistency with where you put each item you pack.