Buyer's Guide
Best Hunting Backpacks for Elk Hunting
Every elk pack question is really the same question: can this thing carry a quarter down a mountain? That is a frame-and-load-shelf question, not a capacity question - so these picks are compared on frame, meat-carrying method and published volume, in that order.
For most elk hunters the answer is the Badlands 2200: 2,750 cubic inches on an Allite Super Magnesium frame, with a built-in blaze-orange meat shelf, 5 pounds empty, and an unconditional lifetime warranty. It is the pick because it is the cheapest pack here that does the only thing an elk pack absolutely has to do — carry a quarter on a frame, outside the bag, without ruining your gear.
If you are going in for five to seven days and expect to haul the heaviest loads, the Mystery Ranch Metcalf is built for it. If budget is the constraint, the ALPS OutdoorZ Pursuit delivers 2,700 cubic inches and a fold-open gear shelf for a fraction of the money. And if you hunt from a truck or a base camp and accept multiple trips, the 2-pound-5-ounce Eberlestock Brute Scout is a more honest purchase than an expedition pack you carry empty all season.
The verdict
Elk packs get shopped on volume because volume is the number on the label. But the hunt where the pack matters is not the hike in with 25 pounds of gear — it is the trip out with a boned-out quarter, and that is decided by the frame and by where the meat rides.
So the hierarchy is: frame first, meat-carrying method second, capacity third, features last. A 4,000-cubic-inch bag on a soft frame is a worse elk pack than a 2,700-cubic-inch bag on a stiff one.
Why the frame is the whole purchase
| Internal frame sheet with an aluminum stay | The entry level, and fine for a day pack. It gives the bag structure and transfers some load to the hips. Under a quarter of elk it flexes, and the load starts riding on your shoulders. |
|---|---|
| Center aluminum stay | A step up and the common mid-price answer - the ALPS Pursuit uses one. Enough structure for a heavy day load and a partial pack-out. |
| Dedicated load-hauling frame | What Badlands' Allite Super Magnesium frame and Mystery Ranch's Guide Light MT frame are for. These are designed around the pack-out rather than around the bag, which is why they cost what they cost. |
| Load shelf or meat shelf | The feature that separates an elk pack from a hunting pack: a panel that opens between the frame and the bag so meat rides against the frame and your gear stays clean. Badlands builds it in; Mystery Ranch's OVERLOAD system does the same job; the ALPS Pursuit has a fold-open gear shelf. |
| Hip belt | Load transfer happens here or it does not happen. On a day pack a hip belt is a stabilizer; on a pack-out it is the entire suspension. Eberlestock sells the Cradle Hip Belt for the Brute Scout separately, which tells you what the stock configuration is for. |
The spec table
| Pack | Published capacity | Frame | Meat carry | Empty weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Badlands 2200 | 2,750 cu in | Allite Super Magnesium | Built-in blaze-orange meat shelf | 5 lb |
| Mystery Ranch Metcalf | 4,335 cu in (Guide Light MT generation); 2024 line 3,050 / 4,575 / 6,100 cu in | Guide Light MT / Ultralight MT | OVERLOAD system load shelf | About 4.9-6 lb by size |
| ALPS OutdoorZ Pursuit | 2,700 cu in | Center aluminum stay | Fold-open gear shelf | 4 lb 1 oz |
| Eberlestock Brute Scout | 1,800 cu in (30 L) | Internal frame sheet with aluminum stay | None - compression straps only | 2 lb 5 oz |
All figures are the makers’ published numbers. The Metcalf row carries two sets of figures on purpose: Mystery Ranch revised the line in 2024, so check which generation a listing is actually selling before you order.
How much capacity an elk hunt needs
| Day hunting from a truck or camp | 1,800 to 2,200 cubic inches. Water, layers, kill kit, food, optics. Anything larger is weight you carry every day for a load you carry once. |
|---|---|
| Long day hunts with a pack-out plan | 2,700 to 3,000 cubic inches on a real frame. This is the band the Badlands 2200 and ALPS Pursuit occupy, and it is where most elk hunters should be. |
| Spike camp, two to three nights | 3,500 to 4,500 cubic inches. You are now carrying shelter and a bag, and the frame has to handle camp in and meat out. |
| Five to seven days, backcountry | 4,500 cubic inches and up - the Metcalf 75 at 4,575 or the 100 at 6,100. Mystery Ranch positions the 100 for 5-7 day backpack hunts, and notes that efficient packing or using the load shelf for gear can stretch it to eight days or more. |
Best overall: Badlands 2200
Who it is for: the elk hunter who wants one pack for day hunts and pack-outs and does not want to think about it again.
2,750 cubic inches on an Allite Super Magnesium frame, with a built-in blaze-orange meat shelf, molded foam suspension, and 5 pounds empty. It carries a rifle or bow, has zippered back-panel access, an integrated spotting-scope pocket, hip-belt pouches and a hip-belt pistol holster, is hydration compatible up to 2 litres, and uses aramid bartacking at stress points.
The meat shelf being blaze orange is a small thing that matters in the field: a quarter on an orange panel reads as meat rather than as an animal to anyone glassing you on the way out.
Honest cons: 5 pounds empty is not light for a day pack, and the Large and Medium frames differ by only about 50 cubic inches, so pick on torso fit rather than expecting a volume jump. Badlands backs it with an unconditional lifetime warranty.
Heaviest loads: Mystery Ranch Metcalf
Who it is for: the hunter going in for multiple nights who expects to carry camp in and elk out on the same frame.
The Metcalf is built onto Mystery Ranch’s Guide Light MT frame (the 2024 line uses the Ultralight MT) with the OVERLOAD system, which opens a load shelf between frame and bag so meat rides against the frame and the bag contents stay clean. The Guide Light MT generation is published at 4,335 cubic inches; the 2024 line comes as the Metcalf 50 at 3,050 cubic inches and 4.93 pounds, the 75 at 4,575 cubic inches and 5.27 pounds, and the 100 at 6,100 cubic inches and 5.97 pounds.
Honest cons: it is the most expensive pack here, the generations are easy to confuse on third-party listings, and the smallest version is still a lot of pack for a day hunt.
Best value: ALPS OutdoorZ Pursuit
Who it is for: a first elk hunt, or anyone who wants the right capacity and a usable gear shelf without spending premium money.
2,700 cubic inches on a center aluminum stay at 4 pounds 1 ounce, with a fold-open gear shelf and a tree-hanging system, lower side pockets, large front and main pockets, two waist-belt pockets, webbing lash loops, a hydration pocket and port, and a blaze orange rain cover included.
It sits within 50 cubic inches of the Badlands 2200 at a fraction of the price, and lighter. The honest trade is the suspension: a center stay is not a load-hauling frame, so plan on more trips with lighter loads rather than one heroic carry.
Lightest: Eberlestock Brute Scout
Who it is for: the hunter who sleeps at a trailhead or a base camp, covers ground all day, and is willing to make two or three trips with a quarter.
1,800 cubic inches (30 litres) at 2 pounds 5 ounces, 20 inches tall by 9 wide by 6.5 deep, in industrial-grade 500D nylon, with an internal frame sheet and integrated aluminum stay, zippered top-pocket and main-compartment access, air-mesh shoulder harness and back panel, an adjustable chest strap, and front and side compression straps. The Cradle Hip Belt is sold separately and is what moves the load onto your hips when you are side-hilling.
The honest con is the obvious one: there is no meat shelf. This is a day pack that is excellent at being a day pack, and the right answer only if your pack-out plan is multiple trips or a buddy with a frame.
What a pack-out actually weighs
This is the arithmetic that decides whether you need a load-hauling frame or a second trip. A mature bull boned out yields a large amount of meat, and it does not come down the mountain in one load for almost anybody. Plan in quarters and plan in trips.
Two practical consequences. First, your pack’s empty weight is not the number that matters — its loaded carry comfort is, which is why a 5-pound Badlands beats a 2-pound-5-ounce day pack the moment there is meat involved. Second, a blaze-orange shelf, a set of game bags and a plan for where the truck is are worth more than another 500 cubic inches of bag.
If you are new to this, the most useful thing you can do before the season is load your pack to 60 or 70 pounds and walk a mile downhill. That walk tells you more about your frame than any spec sheet, including this one.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best hunting backpack for elk?
The Badlands 2200 for most hunters: 2,750 cubic inches on an Allite Super Magnesium frame with a built-in blaze-orange meat shelf, 5 pounds empty, and an unconditional lifetime warranty. It handles day hunts and pack-outs on one frame. For multi-day backcountry hunts with the heaviest loads, the Mystery Ranch Metcalf on the Guide Light MT frame with the OVERLOAD load shelf is the step up.
What size pack do I need for elk hunting?
Around 2,700 to 3,000 cubic inches for day hunting with a pack-out plan, which is the band the Badlands 2200 and ALPS OutdoorZ Pursuit occupy. 1,800 to 2,200 is enough if you hunt from a truck or camp and accept multiple trips. Spike camps want 3,500 to 4,500, and five-to-seven-day backcountry hunts want 4,500 and up - Mystery Ranch positions the 6,100 cubic inch Metcalf 100 for that range.
Do I need a frame pack for elk hunting?
You need one for the pack-out, not for the hike in. A quarter of elk riding on a soft bag transfers its weight to your shoulders, which is how people get hurt on a downhill carry. Either buy a pack with a real load-hauling frame and a meat shelf, or plan to make more trips with lighter loads on a lighter pack - both are legitimate, but one of them has to be true.
What is a meat shelf on a hunting pack?
A panel that opens between the frame and the bag so a quarter rides directly against the frame, outside your gear. Badlands builds a blaze-orange one into the 2200, Mystery Ranch's OVERLOAD system does the same job, and the ALPS OutdoorZ Pursuit has a fold-open gear shelf. It is the single feature that distinguishes an elk pack from a general hunting pack.
What is the best elk hunting backpack for the money?
The ALPS OutdoorZ Pursuit. At 2,700 cubic inches it is within 50 cubic inches of the Badlands 2200, weighs less at 4 pounds 1 ounce, includes a blaze orange rain cover and a fold-open gear shelf, and costs a fraction of the premium packs. The trade is its center aluminum stay rather than a dedicated load-hauling frame, so plan more trips with lighter loads.
How heavy is an elk pack-out?
Heavy enough that almost nobody does it in one load. A boned-out mature bull comes off the mountain in quarters and in multiple trips for most hunters, which is why the useful planning question is how many trips rather than how big a bag. Load your pack to 60 or 70 pounds and walk a mile downhill before the season - that single walk tells you more about whether your frame is adequate than any spec sheet.
Is a day pack enough for elk hunting?
Yes, if your pack-out plan is honest. The Eberlestock Brute Scout at 1,800 cubic inches and 2 pounds 5 ounces is an excellent day pack for hunters working out of a trailhead or base camp. It has no meat shelf, so it only works if you intend to make two or three trips with quarters, or you are hunting with someone who carries a frame.
Sources
- Badlands - 2200 published specifications: 2,750 cu in capacity, Allite Super Magnesium frame, built-in blaze-orange meat shelf, 5 lb empty, carries rifle or bow, zippered back-panel access, hip-belt pistol holster, integrated spotting scope pocket, molded foam suspension, aramid bartacking, hydration compatible up to 2L, unconditional lifetime warranty
- goHUNT - 2024 Mystery Ranch Metcalf hunting backpacks: Metcalf 50 at 4.93 lb / 3,050 cu in, Metcalf 75 at 5.27 lb / 4,575 cu in, Metcalf 100 at 5.97 lb / 6,100 cu in; built on the Guide Light MT / Ultralight MT frame with the OVERLOAD system; the 100 positioned for 5-7 day backpack hunts
- ALPS OutdoorZ - Pursuit published specifications: 2,700 cu in capacity, center aluminum stay, 4 lb 1 oz, fold-open gear shelf, tree hanging system, lower side pockets, two waist belt pockets, hydration pocket and port, blaze orange rain cover included
- Eberlestock - Brute Scout published specifications: 1,800 cu in / 30 L, 2 lb 5 oz, 20 in H x 9 in W x 6.5 in D, 500D nylon, internal frame sheet with integrated aluminum stay, air-mesh shoulder harness and back panel, front and side compression straps, optional Cradle Hip Belt
- Prices, product images and stock status via the Amazon price layer, refreshed daily
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