Hunting day pack customization

I have been changing my hunting day pack over the years as I evolved my hunting strategies. All of my forest hunting involved either a tree stand or a turkey chair. I needed to be able to carry as jacket, extra clothes layers, a knife, gloves, lunch water, turkey chair, bib coveralls, blanket boots, chair pad and anything else I might think I needed. I also need to be able to carry it a long ways.

I did by a cheap pack off Amazon that had molle straps, which was a requirements for me to be able to carry all this extra stuff. It didn’t last the second year as the shoulder straps stared tearing the stitching. The farm that we hunt there are areas you have to walk 3/4 of a mile to get back to the far point on the creek. Those deer like being way back there also!! So I needed to carry everything with me and I wanted a pack that was small, but could carry everything. I finally settled on the CamelBak HAWG 3L as my small day pack. It is mainly one medium sized pack with one small organizer pack and lots of Mole straps in one strong pack. The 3L stands for 3 Liter and is the size of the Hydration pack that comes with it. I normally keep it out, but its nice to have.

What you see above is the mount for the arrow/bolt quiver. I hate carrying or using the crossbow with a quiver on it and this was also a main reason for me choosing this pack. The side has these lower molle straps I am assuming for a med pack or similar. I was able to slide a small piece of 1/2″ conduit in there and drill two holes with one wire tie and secure it. Then drill and mount the base for my quiver. This quiver is one I bought 30 years ago, but would be similar to the Kwikee Quiver. I like this setup because I just pop the tab and slide it off the bottom during rifle, black powder or fishing season. Then I carry lures in this wading in the same creek next to where I hunt.

Above is the side of the pack with the quiver installed.

Above is the pack with the quiver from the back. This shows the molle setup and why I like it so much. The bottom straps were added and are to hold my bib coveralls. The top straps are used for my jacket. I hike in a long ways to hunt. The typical hike can be a 1/2 mile, but over 3/4 a mile is not unheard off. That doesn’t seem bad, but you can’t wear your warm clothes when doing that. The terrain is hilly and a bit of work to move through. I hike in lightly dressed and once to my spot I setup and cool down. Once cooled down I can put the bibs and jacket on, if needed, and then add my gator and beenie if I want it on.

I wear fatigue pants with polartec fleece base layers on the bottom. I also use military surplus fleece when its really cold and found that they work best for men. I got a pair for a daughter and quickly learned girls have to half undress to pee with these on and she was not happy that cold day. 😀  My upper clothing is a tee shirt, a 3/4 fleece pull over and then a fatigue shirt. Many times when its cold this is all I wear hiking in during a morning in the 20’s or teens. Knit hat and neck gator in my six pockets while hiking in. The knit hat goes over my ball cap and covers my ears. The gator goes around my neck and seals the top of my shirt to keep warmth in.

The straps are 1″ webbing and the clips are 1″ YKK plastic buckles that are plenty strong enough. These might be plastic buckles, but I have carried that 6# turkey chair plenty and dropping my pack on the ground in cold winter morning temps and I have yet to break a single one.

Above shows the webbing added for my Turkey chair. It straps on to the bottom of the bag when I want to ground hunt with the crossbow or a gun. This was another reason I selected this back as it has the heavy molle straps on the bottom.

Here is a picture with the turkey chair attached. These chairs have really changed how I hunt any more and is one of the best investments I have made for hunting. They are so comfortable I find myself sitting in one in the garage to have a beer and relax with the dog. I have sat in ambush in hedgerows and even in tall grass for deer and turkey with this chair. I can sit easily without moving for 4 hours. It is like a beach chair made into a really comfortable lounger. My buddy Kevin and I have even talked about making a tree stand with a copy of this or a flat platform with rails you can rest one of these on. It couldn’t be better unless it had a head rest, but then I would be sleeping and not hunting.

Now here is the pack setup with my bibs

Here with the jacket strapped on and how it looks for the hike in.

From the left side

The view from you getting ready to put it on.

 

Enjoy.