Every year, the load of gear I need to carry afield while hunting seems to increase. Hunting knives, elk calls, gloves, binoculars, snacks, camera gear, phone battery banks—all of it needs a place.

It’s showtime. You’ve done the work—prepared physically and mentally for the challenges that lie ahead. You’re seeing big bulls in your sleep and can hardly wait to point the 4×4 West. Yep, there’s no ...

Hunting is a gear-intensive sport whether you’re sitting in a blind for ducks or hiking deep into the backcountry for elk. Packs are essential equipment for transporting and easily accessing all that ...

There’s a special kind of misery that comes from using the wrong pack for the job. But if you have a hunting backpack that fits you and matches the task, you’ll hardly notice it’s on your back. The ...

Hunting is a gear-intensive sport whether you’re sitting in a blind for ducks or hiking deep into the backcountry for elk. Packs are essential equipment for transporting and easily accessing all that ...

Ken Klotzbach, Steve Lange and Joey Keillor backpack through the Black Elk Wilderness Area in South Dakota in June 2024.

I was feeling beaten and broken. With each step, my body screamed in pain, and my legs buckled under the load attached to my back. It wasn’t the pack’s fault. The 3,600-cubic-inch backpack was high ...

High in a basin above the treeline of the Snowcrest Mountains earlier this month, a small group of cow elk grazed and called to each other. Hidden in the basin were a group of teenagers from opposite ...