Gear and Grab bag > Pack discussion > Badlands real world opinions

[HiZ]

Have you used a Badlands pack?

I have started the plan for a 2020 hunt this will be my first run out west for archery elk and my first run out west for big game. In the start of this have opted for the Badlands Summit and did some research to find not many are using it but also that what I was looking at were people that had a sponsorship backing and not a real world use. Honestly what had drawn me in was the price and the warranty options for these packs. Knowing there was not a meat shelf and looking for a gear based bag only.


Anyway, I know there is a ton of support for the main stream Mystery Ranch, Kirafu, and Stone Mountain.... These are all very appealing, but......


Who has used Badlands packs and what has your real time result shown you?


Thank you


All comments of other gear and ideas is welcom

 

[BuckyHunter13]

It somewhat depends on the type of hunt you have planned. Can you get by with a Badlands pack? Yes, probably. I've used a badland pack for 3 trips out west, but we also had hauling packs in the truck to get meat out. My chest strap somehow got ripped off on Day 3 or 4 of the last trip. That was a major bummer. We've always day tripped in from the road so the SuperDay was enough. This next season I'm doing a bit of camping and going solo so I upgraded to a Mystery Ranch Metcalf. And it definitely is an upgrade.


Mystery Ranch packs are considered heavy, but Badlands packs are *really* heavy for what they are. My Badlands pack is 4lbs, Mystery Ranch is 6. Considering that I've doubled the capacity and added a load shelf, along with what looks like improved comfort and support, the two packs are definitely on different tiers.


Still if you're not planning on using it to haul, yes you can get by with a Badlands pack. It's well-made, I think my strap issue was a fluke. Haven't bothered with the warranty yet but I will soon.

 

[ILbowhntr]

If this is truly your ?first? of many trips out west, do yourself a huge favor and look at a EXO or Mystery Ranch pack with load lifters.
Buy once, cry once has a lot of truth to it.
You?ll find there?s a lot of gear you can ?get by with?, but boots, packs and sleep are not places to go cheap.
If this is your only hunt, getting by may be OK.

 

[BuckyHunter13]

If this is truly your ?first? of many trips out west, do yourself a huge favor and look at a EXO or Mystery Ranch pack with load lifters.
Buy once, cry once has a lot of truth to it.
You?ll find there?s a lot of gear you can ?get by with?, but boots, packs and sleep are not places to go cheap.
If this is your only hunt, getting by may be OK.

If it wasn't clear, this is also what I was trying to say. The price difference between Badlands and the others is warranted and generally worth it.

 

[cohunter14]

Honestly a lot just depends on what and how you plan to hunt. Are you planning on taking camp in on your back or do you plan on camping at a base camp off a road? If you aren't planning on taking camp in on your back, that seems like an awfully large pack to buy.

The only Badlands pack I have experience with is the 2200. I've never personally used it, but one of my hunting partners has one. It seems like a very well built pack and is very similar to my Horn Hunter Full Curl except that the Full Curl also has the option of adding the large bag for overnight trips. If I had the choice between the two of those, I'd probably take the Horn Hunter, but that's for a couple of minor reasons and primarily just personal preference on a few things. For the most part they are similar in build quality and setup.

When it comes to packs, sure the Exo's, Kuiu's, Mystery Ranch's, etc are the cat's meow. But they certainly aren't necessary, especially if you aren't bringing in camp on your back. The tried and true method of just running a day pack and a separate frame pack can get the job done just fine. Like others mentioned, you should definitely take into consideration how often you plan on doing this. Is it a once in a lifetime deal or an every year deal?

In my experience, I ran a day pack and separate frame a number of times and after destroying my shoulders and back on pack-outs, I opted to give the Horn Hunter a try. It's definitely a night and day difference in packing out an elk, at least for me. I also love not having to go back to the truck or camp to get my frame pack, meaning I can take a full load on the first trip.

So basically you can go cheap (day pack and frame), mid range (Badlands, Full Curl) or high end (Exo, Kuiu, Mystery Ranch, etc). And they will all do the job, but until you buy the best they might leave you wanting more. My Horn Hunter has been great, but that doesn't mean I don't want an upgrade someday :wink:

Two final pieces of advice: look into the Horn Hunter Full Curl (you can do the Full Curl Combo for just the frame and pack or you can do the Full Curl System if you need the large bag for backpacking in). And be sure to check the classifieds here and other forums. There tends to be a lot of packs that show up. If I remember correct, there are a number of them on there now including Horn Hunter, Mystery Ranch, and there might even be a couple of Exo's.

 

[HiZ]

I can't thank you guys enough for the time you spent on the honest opinion of what and where you have seen work.

Now the next question

Boots. Before I go buy what should I look for.

 

[ILbowhntr]

I prefer a stiffer sole and a 10? or so tall lace up boot. Have a pair of Kenetrek Mountain Extreme 400 insulated, Danner Pronghorns and just picked up a pair of Irish Setter Elk Hunter. The Pronghorns are a good boot but they stop being waterproof in a few years. I?ve got around 20 miles on the Elk Hunters and so far I love them. I have a C width foot and the 9 1/2 D I bought fit very well.
The boots are more important than packs. They get you out of camp and up the mountains. Get them now and break them in.

 

[cohunter14]

The best suggestion I can give you on boots is to find somewhere that you can try a bunch of them on. Try as many pairs on as you can in the style you desire (lower top, higher top, thinsulate, etc). What works for one person may feel terrible for another person. If you are hunting archery, no thinsulate is needed in my opinion. Rifle seasons might have you considering it.

My other suggestion is, regardless of what boots you get, buy some of the cheap, spray on waterproofing and use it at least once a year, maybe more depending on how much you wear your boots. I've had 'waterproof' boots leak out of the box, but that spray on stuff works really well. A lot of times I end up bringing some to camp just in case.

 

[Elk Noob]

The Badlands 2200 was my first pack for hunting and it is a great day pack that can also be used for a weekend hunt etc. The longest I've been out with that pack is 4 days and I was able to fit all of my gear etc. on it while still having a meat shelf available in case I did get something.


My 2200 does have some rips etc. and I'll be using the warranty soon, but I haven't done it yet.

I would still be using this pack as my main pack, but I was gifted an Outdoorsmans pack from a friend of mine that gets them for free. Since the outdoorsmans is bigger and modular I mainly only use that pack. I still occasionally use the 2200 for day hunts though as it caries weight very well and is very comfortable for me.