Cabelas Alaskan Outfitter Pack/Frame

[Hardcorehunter]

I am sure that many of you are familiar with this pack and frame, but many are not. I wanted to show you guys that don't know about it, how truly great this pack is, and those of you that do have one, I will show you some improvements I did to mine. I have had this pack and frame for 5 years and I have put it through abuse and it just performs flawlessly. It is a lot of bang for the buck, is very comfortable with heavy loads, and the pack can be removed from the frame and hidden shoulder straps can be deployed. Improvements I did FOR ME. 1st off, the gun/bow holder area is cinched shut with annoying straps with D rings that can not be quickly opened so that you can get your bow in or out quickly. I cut the D rings off and sewed in quick release buckles. Now two buckles are opened, and your bow is either loaded into the carry area or taken out, QUICKLY. It was a quick 10 minute fix. 2nd thing I did, was to cut the waist belt out of an old fieldline pack and sew the two sides into the daypack. It comes with no waist belt, and I like one. That way, if you want to use this as a daypack, you can. 3rd and last improvement I did, was to take some vaseline and smear a little wherever the suspension system of the pack, touches the frame. This pretty well makes the pack silent with loads on it. Other wise, you get a typical squeak that these external frames get when loaded. This pack is 5300 cubic inches with lots of pockets, and separate sleeping bag lower section that can be zipped to separate or left open all of the way to the bottom, the lid can be removed easily with three straps, and it has a hydration bladder area. I don't believ that you can hurt this pack or over load it. It will carry all you care to attempt. The pack is loaded with LOTS of cinch straps and if you don't like so many of them on your pack, they remove easily. The pack/frame combo claims to weigh on Cabelas' website at 12.5 lbs. I don't have a scale, but if I had to guess the weight, I would say it weighs less then my Badlands 2200, although I am sure they are right. The pack just doen't feel this heavy lol. Check them out if you are looking for a pack that can get you back in for a week with all of your gear, plus get your dead critter out. Also check out the reviews on Cabelas website. 47 reviews and a 4.7 out of 5 and nothing negative except for some noise when loaded. Vaseline or silicone will eliminate it for the most part.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...&indexId=cat20770&hasJS=true&_requestid=91004

Pack/frame combo

Pack by itself

Buckles I sewed in for bow holder

Raincover deployed. It is stowed in a hidden compartment

Cargo carrier deployed from hidden compartment

Backpack straps from hidden compartment for use without the frame

Waist belt I sewed in

Double cinch closures on top of bag to keep items dry and secure

Huge side pocket for tripod, trek poles, spotting scope

 

[Hardcorehunter]

The high pack load is a pain, but one of the necessary evils for a 7 day load on a hunt. If I lived out west and did this stuff all of the time, I would probably spring for the $600 Mystery Ranch Grizzly, but then once you get your gear to camp it is too big to want to drag out and hunt out of. It's lid comes off and you can use it as a fanny pack, but a 2200 size would fit the bill better. I like an external pack frame for hauling loads though. In reality, it would be nice to have my Badlands 2200 or similar pack carried in with me, this Cabelas rig or a MR Grizzly to carry all of my 7 day gear, then abandoned at my tipi and the 2200 used for hunting.

 

[DannyBoy]

You may have sold me HCH. I bought a Redhead brand external frame that was supposed to be "tough as nails" a few years ago. The first trip I took it on was a 5 day, 65 mile canoe trip in Quetico Provincial Park, including well over 20 portages. I think these trips tend to beat up gear in the worst way. Taking them in and out of canoes, unpacking/repacking at different campsites every night, etc. Well... I broke something on that pack the first time I went to put it on fully loaded. It was a perfectly loaded 75 lbs. if I were to guess and it snapped the buckle on the cinch strap that goes from the frame to the shoulder strap to keep the pack closer to your back. Several straps have ripped out of the backpack material. Zippers have failed. Zippers that work have ripped at the seams. Other seams have gotten loose. The list goes on. I'm done modifying it, as I can't trust it will endure another trip!

I never did try to take it back as I thought I could fix everything myself and be happy with it. Maybe I got a lemon but I highly doubt it. A good friend got the same pack and is starting to have issues with it as well. HCH, what's the price tag on that sucker?

 

[Hardcorehunter]

$230 new
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...&hasJS=true&_requestid=91004&_requestid=29796

Or here is a used one cheaper

http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=1203062

 

[tlambert]

I'll stick with my Kelty Cache Hauler. Just seems to be a bit more durable and has aluminum strap holding the meat shelf to the frame instead of the cloth strap. I've also heard some issues with the cabelas pack and their seams not holding up. Kelty can't even keep up with making the cache hauler's, so I take that as good comments!

 

[Hardcorehunter]

Those are nice too lambert.

I first used this near Durango with a 75-80 load and the pack can handle it all day(better then I can lol) The pack is quite comfortable actually. Since that 1st experience, I have learned that I would much rather just carry 40-50 Max for 5-7 day outing and just live with much fewer items. I also would rather take 3-4 trips to get my BONED out meat out, then 1-2 of some nasty heavy load with the BONE still in. Why guys like to carry leg bones is beyond me.

Ideally, I would like to use this pack to get all of my gear back to my camp, and then have a 2200 pack air dropped in to me for hunting. Anyway, I have been playing with different pack ideas, and I have been working on a system that allows me to use a 2200 with a full size stuff sack(full size of a 2200) cargo netted to the back. It gives me approx 4500-5000 and does it quite well. I want to hunt once my tipi is setup, with a 2200 day pack. I can always go back to the truck and get my bare Alaskan frame for hauling out the meat bags. I tried this idea with my GF's Badlands 2200, and it will definitely work fine from what I have tried. Pics to follow in another thread

Are you using their pack too, or putting your own on it? Or do you just use the frame for packing meat out and leave it back at your truck?