Best Hunting Pack
Gill Black Voyager Duffel Bag, 30L
This 30-liter, roll-top duffel is a convenient size to use as a boat bag to carry your daily essentials onto a boat for a day’s hunting or fishing, but it’s heavy duty enough to use on float trips, and waterproof enough to keep your gear dry in any weather conditions. It’s made of a PVC tarpaulin material, with welded seams. The opening is as wide as the bag for ease of loading and has a full-length Velcro closure. D-rings (6) allow it to be tied down to a raft to keep it secure. It has grab handles on each end, and dual handles on top, plus a removable, padded shoulder strap. Dimensions are 18” high x 19” wide x 12” deep. It comes in black and sulphur (kind of chartreuse) colors. This is a high-quality, waterproof duffel.
Stone Glacier Sky Guide 7900
We asked avid hunter and Hunt Alaska contributor, Eric Hershey, to provide some insights from his last hunting season. He shared, “After many years of hunting exclusively with a traditional external-frame pack, I finally transitioned to an internal frame – the Stone Glacier Sky Guide 7900. This heavy-duty pack is light for its size, at only 5 lbs 13 oz, and the extreme capacity allows space for any gear or supplies you would need on a two-week mountain hunt. It’s very comfortable and even suitable for day trips, as it cinches down to almost nothing in bivy-mode. The large beaver-tail pocket provides easy access to gear at the bottom of the bag, and the comprehensive strapping system can secure even the most awkward load. After putting it through the wringer this past sheep-hunting season, its durability has so far lived up to the hype.”
Stone Glacier Approach 2800 + Xcurve Frame
This pack is the reimagined and improved Approach 1800 but with more capacity (2,800 cubic inches), and the main compartment has a horseshoe-shaped zipper that provides a huge opening to access everything in the pack. It fits on either the Xcurve or Krux frames, both of which are capable of hauling 150+ pounds. Padded belts are available in small, medium and large. A large, external spotting-scope pocket can hold spotters with objectives as large as 115 mm. The expandable load shelf provides 2,500+ cubic inches of space. This load shelf means you don’t have to put meat inside the pack bag. It has a tripod foot pocket, and a larger open pocket on the lower left side. There are 2,200-cubic-inch internal pockets for organization.
The pack bag is made of Cordura 500 and X-Pac fabric—tough stuff. The fasteners are heavy-duty zippers and 1” Duraflex military-approved buckles and webbing. All Stone Glacier pack bags and frames are interchangeable, so if you already have one of their frames, you can just buy the pack bag and put it on it. The pack (Xcurve frame and bag) only weighs 4 pounds, 5.3 ounces. This is an outstanding day pack, and for real minimalists during good weather conditions, could be used on short multi-day hunts. Editor George Krumm tested this pack and says they hit it out of the park with the Approach 2800.
Stone Glacier Skyline Bino System
The Skyline Bino System is low-profile, ultralight, durable, and provides excellent weather protection for your binos. Our tester commented that he hardly knew he had it on and that it provided snug fit and easy, one-handed access to his Leupold BX-4 Pro Guide HD 8x32mm binos and Vortex Razor HD 4000 rangefinder while spotting and stalking game. He also said it’s designed for use under a backpack and didn’t interfere with the pack he wore this fall (Stone Glacier Approach 2800). It comes in 2 sizes (regular and large) which are adjustable for a custom fit for your optics. The fabric is 3-layer HydraShield Waterproof Laminate. Optional accessories include the Skyline Rangefinder Pocket and Skyline Bear Spray Holster, both of which attach to the harness.
Stone Glacier Skyline Rangefinder Pocket
We attached this accessory to the Stone Glacier Skyline Bino System to keep a Vortex Razor HD rangefinder close at hand, dry, and protected. It’s made of Stone Glacier’s HydraShield waterproof textile and features an adjustable fit for a variety of different rangefinders. A rangefinder is no good if it’s not readily accessible, and adding the Skyline Rangefinder pocket to your bino system makes for speedy, one-handed retrieval of your rangefinder.
Sea to Summit Hydraulic Dry Pack
If you are considering a float trip down one of Alaska’s many great float-trip rivers, then you need bags to pack your gear in that are guaranteed to keep your stuff dry. Plus, it helps if the bags also have straps or handles so that you can easily carry the bag, especially when fully loaded. This is especially true if you are doing any amount of hiking or portaging. Enter the Sea to Summit Hydraulic Dry Pack. It’s built to handle the Alaska backcountry. Formed from heavy-duty fabric with welded seams, it incorporates an EVA-foam and air-mesh harness in addition to a hip belt for ease in carrying, and it sports aluminum buckles that are robust. We used it to lug gear throughout the state; it was especially appreciated during really wet fall conditions.
