Horn Hunter + Kifaru Longhunter combo

[mrbillbrown]

Wanted to share a few pics of a Horn Hunter Full Curl Frame and a Kifaru G1 Longhunter bag set up that SHTF and I put together.

I wanted a bigger sized pack than the HHFC Camp Bag (3000ci) could offer for a 10+ day backcountry hunt. After some consultation and advice from SHTF we were able to make it happen.

The G1 LH is approx 5200ci and the LH lid is another 1000ci. We added a pair of straps from a Kifaru lash kit to make the HHFC "

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grab it" work. We did this because the original top buckles for the grab it straps are covered by the wings of the HHFC frame when folded flat.

Now I have the full HHFC system and the option to run the HHFC frame and the Kifaru Longhunter bag for extended trips or taking extra stuff for the kids.

Big thanks to SHTF for his wisdom and patience. Great guy for sure!

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[mrbillbrown]

Couple of more pics

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[ElkNut1]

Looks like lots of work. Hope it works out well for you! I've been training with the Full Curl pack with 60# in it & it's one very comfortable pack with zero shoulder discomfort, it's tough to beat! You will like it. k
ElKNut1

[mrbillbrown]

Actually much easier than you first described. The Longhunter slips perfectly over the FC frame. It's a great fit. The only "issue" was what to do about the top buckles for the HH grab it because they were covered by the LH bag. But, the LH bag uses a triangle for the upper attachment of their grab it straps. Adding that one single strap to the LH bag is the only modification needed to make the bag and frame a perfect match.

As a "new backcountry hunter", this larger bag gives me room for all the stuff I think I "need" to carry with me on my first trip. I'm sure I'll reduce the amount of stuff I carry but it's a great option for now.

I've also been training with 67# in my Full Curl and 50# in my MainBeam XL. Both packs are incredibly comfortable with the weight and feel almost non-existent on my back.

[ElkNut1]

Bill, all sounds awesome! What weight are you hoping to have once loaded for your 10 day hunt? By the way I loaded aprox 95# in both my Kifaru & Full Curl packs & the Full Curl pack carries the wt much better & much easier to load up. Both are good packs but the the Full Curl is setup & designed better for a hunter in my opinion. You'll see that Full Curl is a very tough pack at a reasonable price. I have two more packs coming in to test out here in the near future! Have fun with your setup, looks very good!

ElkNut1

[mrbillbrown]

That's great news to hear how well the Full Curl handles the heavier weight. I'm really excited about putting a heavy load in there and giving it a workout. Just taking my time working up to it.

I'm not 100% squared away on all my supplies for the 10day hunt so I don't have an approximate weight yet. Being "new"...I'm sure I can cut lots of weight after my first trip. I've also bought a lot of gear and will probably start replacing things after that first time. Been trying to balance price, weight, and function without having my wife too upset with me has been the goal thus far.

[mrbillbrown]

Just in the past couple of days I received news my hunting partner's wife drew a moose tag and it may severely alter my late Sept Idaho elk trip. I truly understand the need to change our plans for his wife's once in a lifetime draw but disappointed nonetheless. Just going to have to reconsider/reevaluate a few options.

[SHTF]

Thats ok hes still going out with me in the Fall. This should be the best of both worlds for Bill. Great suspension of the Full Curl and great Bag from Kifaru. Should be a nice setup for him. Happy to help put it together with you. Elknut is a big supporter of the Horn Hunter system. It is a nice pack for a great price. Myself I couldnt keep the belt up with my Gut. Just goes to show you that not even a high end pack can be for everyone. Paul I sent you a PM on AT. looking for a Boundry. THought I saw you where now carrying the line? shoot me a PM my friend.

James

[ElkNut1]

Hey James, I'll check out the PM, not sure what a "boundry" is though, thanks!

As far as a supporter of any one pack, I really am not. What I look for is a pack that is very good for hunting & packing, not just one or the other. I feel there are several that fit that criteria, some better than others at varying costs! The issue I have with so many of even the popular packs of today is their design! They are not hunting packs, they are back packing packs. A good hunting pack needs to have dual functions, packing meat & belongings & hunting with pack on your back if an all day hunter! This pack needs to be in the 5lb range empty, it must have a function that can carry your daily needs & items that are most used during ones trek & these items need to be accessed without pack removal. Such items as camera, gps, compass, headlight, water & the such or whatever is important to the hunter that can be easily reached on waist belt. It should also serve as a reasonable meat hauler that can handle a total wt of 100# & stays solid to ones torso no matter the terrain & have functioning load lifters, these load lifters should be well within reach to pull wt up or relieve pressure easily once back to the rig. This pack should be able to load & secure either boned meat or meat left on the bone such as front shoulders or hindquarters, hunters should not be forced to bone out meat because that's the only way the pack can carry it! Meat should be able to be secured to a pack quickly, this means within 90 seconds with bagged meat & off you go with no lashing with bungees or rope, pack should have all needed compression straps already attached. This pack should also have a min 2 outside pockets on the main bag/pack that can hold misc items as first aid kit, food for the day & other small necessities that can be easily accessed without rooting through ones large bag pack.

This pack also needs to have two cylinder pockets, one on each side for spotter/saw & tripod. This pack needs to have a canvas flexible seat for packing meat on outside of pack or other function as the Exo Pack with its accordion design has. There's a couple ways to address this feature successfully. Also 2-3 compression straps on back of pack for various reasons that will also secure your bow on your back if one so desires, it does not need a bow bucket to accomplish this.

All in all you look at all these doable features & you have a well rounded pack that will serve any purpose & is a pleasure to wear & give you the confidence that you are ready to hunt or pack meat right from the crime scene. The pack should be of reasonably quiet yet tough durable materials. This is the pack I want on my back!

The issue today with many big named packs is they lack many of these features, yes they are good well built packs & have a few of these various features but they heavily cater to the Back Packer not the serious hunter. And the pack need not break the bank! These features should be all on the pack not added on as accessories where the next thing you know you're paying 800.00 for a bag that doesn't even have 4 tires & a motor! (grin) 300.00 to 500.00 is an affordable price range for most blue collar workers which most of us here are!

No need to mention pack names, just look at your present pack or one you're considering & see if these features are all there. If they are not, keep searching, there are ones out there that will serve the dual purpose of hunting & backpacking & take the frustration out of fighting to make it work where it wasn't designed to do so!

ElkNut1

[mrbillbrown]

^^^ Well put brother. Sounds like a reasonable guy with years of experience under his belt. ;^)

[SHTF]

Elknut you are the true master in the field and you have my utmost respect with the experience you have in the field. This is why I like you so darn much you put it straight and not afraid to speak your mind and give people your carefully thought out experienced advice. Everything you said is absolutely agreeable. I come from a strong backpacking career more then the hunting career so my experience dwarfs yours in mirroring the 2 hobbies together. But Im learning and doing that by hearing exactly what you have said in your post, I completely agree with you on all of it. Couldnt of said it better myself.
I am a one big bag kind of guy myself. Ive tried out many of the packs out there with a minimum of 40# sometimes much more But again coming from the backpacking side of the tracks Ive grown accustomed to what works for me. Im all about the smaller pockets on the outside of the pack, I myself dont see the need for the longer sleeve pockets. I had that with the T2 I ran last year and found them to be more of a pain to manage when I didnt need to put anything in them. But thats just me. I am able to throw my tripod in the Main bag easily with it hanging out a bit so its easy to get to without pulling a bunch of stuff out. I also strap it to the outside and have some good success with that. But thats just me. I run 2 Medium pockets on any pack I use so that covers the smaller pockets for the easy to get to stuff. When it comes to shopping for packs it boils down to what suites that person in the field and the accessories you find work best for you as the user.

For me I like a pack with multiple access points. Top Front Bottom. This is why I love my Xing. Nothing worse then getting to camp and having to pull all your gear out of the pack to get to what you want. With a front panel access I can clamshell it open leaving the contents completely organized still and be able to get to what I want without having to reload the pack.



The Xing for me is more situational EDC type bag. I love it for overnight or 2 to 3 day scouting missions. It fits my needs perfectly. But also I have my Kit down solid and know how compact I can get it for that.

Right now Im experimenting with a Duplex/Highcamp 4800 and so far I like it alot. The bag is not as accessible as Id like it to be but it still has the top access and the lower access which is nice if something is in the bottom Im after. Also I like a Pack that is capable of being cinched down for day hunt use. I took it out yesterday with 35# in it and I really enjoyed the feel. I stopped at the top of the Mountain to enjoy a snack and was able to get to anything I needed when it was cinched down.



Enough of my rambling here. I guess moral to the story and my pack research evolution is Buying a pack is a good mix of features, comfort, and ability. If you can find your niche with what works best for you then go with it. Learn and use it as much as you can so you know how things work and wasnt doesnt work. Through this evolution youll learn what you and your pack are capable of doing and its limitations.

Good discussion for sure.

When bill told me what he was doing by using the Horn Hunter suspension and wanting to throw on a Kifaru Bag, We quickly got the measurements and on paper it looked great. Once he got it after a few coaching lessons on how to marry the 2 together I think He got himself a solid setup. I also kept in mind that Bill hasnt done a lot of western backpack hunting trips. So I knew he was probably looking for a larger capable pack that could cinch down. So this really looked good on paper and what he was wanting to accomplish. I told Bill before I sold him the pack bag, that I didnt want to just get a sale on the deal but make sure this was something that was going to work for him and fit what he was trying to do. It was a great setup and Bill actually taught me that this can work.

Good stuff.

Thanks agian Bill for letting me be a part of putting that setup together and Paul as always you are a true outdoorsman and someone I am aspiring to one day be as educated and experienced as.

James

[SHTF]

For the record one of my requirements for a good pack for me is Powerpull system to cinch down the Belt. if the HH had come with that Id of kept that pack. It was a pretty well thought out system that I really liked. But the belt with no power pulls and my size just didnt work for carrying any weight. But its also worth noting I dont use the Kifaru belt either. Ive found much success in the Hill People Gear Belt on the Duplex and really like it alot.

[ElkNut1]

James, thanks for the kind words! Looks like you have a system that works well for you there! With an elk down several miles back are you now removing your inside gear & replace with boned out meat in bags & then lashing your gear to the outside?

I will say this, my absolute # 1 thing I look for in a pack is its ease of loading & carrying meat off the mtn much more so than where my gear goes. Gear is light & doesn't drag ones down like a solid lump of meat can if in the bottom of the main bag. Personally I do not care for bloody bags on the inside of pack on top of my gear, if possible in my purchase I look for packs that keep the two separated yet has a place where the meat is carried as high up as possible & close to ones back. My motto is all packs feel just fine with 50# or less in them & many still are acceptable with that wt minus load lifters! Again, I look for a pack that is designed for both packing meat & hunting in & try not to force one to do both that was not intended to do so. I believe this where certain packs can get a bad name, hunters try to force them to do things they were not designed for, I've been guilty of this myself & have payed the price dearly! (grin)

ElkNut1