Alright, I've been looking to complete my backcountry gear setup over the next couple years. In the next year and a half I'm looking to hunt public land archery season for mountain whitetails in East Tennessee and possibly also Western Virginia.
But the ultimate goal is to archery hunt elk on the North Slope of Utah's Uintas, August or September 2019 at the earliest.
To that end I want to be prepared to pack out meat, which means having a robust pack system. For budget reasons, I'm torn between buying a good pack frame (Eberlestock F1 Mainframe), and strapping an inexpensive daypack onto it, versus aiming for a "do-it-all" setup that's not in the price tier of a Stone Glacier, Kuiu, Mystery Ranch, or Kifaru, but still a pretty penny. I'm thinking that would be a Badlands 2200 or Tenzing 3000.
This
post suggests getting a serviceable-but-cheap packframe that's loud or cumbersome enough it needs to be ditched whenever the stalk begins (like a Cabela's Alaskan I) and a separate daypack (anything, really) for people in my position.
What sort of pack setup is the best for having the ability to pack out meat immediately after the kill, on a somewhat constrained budget? If the answer is "can't afford to buy cheap...say hello to $500-$600 pack," better I know now.
The other issue is clothing. I know I will be picking up some merino wool base layers at some point, probably closer to the eventual Western hunt (won't be in the field for a full week before then, so my current synthetic base layers will be fine, scent-wise). But in the meantime I'm still working on buying outer layers and insulation layers.
What type of jackets work best in a backcountry layering system? Should I get a packable down jacket for when I'm staying put (glassing, ambush, etc.) and then get a waterproof shell (for bad weather), both of which would go over the base layers and hybrid jacket I wear 99% of the time? Or should I pony up money for a 3-layer parka with a zip-out layer, like Browning's Hells Canyon? In a backcountry hunt, I'm obviously more concerned about not burning up.
I'm planning on checking my local Cabela's bargain cave this week to see if there's something left on the rack that's no longer in online clearance, but could be even lower-priced, now. I actually scored a pair of Cabela's 10-point waterproof, insulated pants over half off that way several weeks ago---what I love about them is there's side zippers all along the legs, which allows for venting when hot. But I want to decide in advance what model of gear setup I'm piecing together, so I'm not paralyzed by indecision even in the face of good deals, wondering if it's the "right" gear for my goals.