Best Hunting Backpacks (2026): 7 Packs for Bow, Saddle and Elk

Best hunting backpack overall (and best for bowhunting)

Sportsman's Warehouse: $89.99 (was $119.99) · Capacity: 44 L · Weight: 4 lb 7 oz

The Pursuit is the pack most whitetail and bow hunters should look at first. It's a 44-liter day pack that carries your bow or rifle hands-free: a drop-down pocket at the bottom cradles the limbs or the stock, and front lashing straps lock the weapon against the pack. There's a quiver holder on each side, so a bow hunter can carry everything on their back during the walk in and the drag out.

What makes it a good stand pack is the small stuff. ALPS added a D-ring clip so you can hang it from a tree, an organizer shelf pocket so your calls, knife and release aren't buried, and a rain cover that stows in its own pocket at the bottom. The waist belt is padded and removable, there's a center aluminum stay for support, and it takes a hydration bladder. ALPS's listing says Outdoor Life voted it the best bowhunting backpack overall in 2024.

On October 5, 2026, Sportsman's had it for $89.99, down from $119.99. It can ship to your home or free to a Sportsman's store. It had no reviews on Sportsman's yet, so the case for it rests on specs and price: $2.05 per liter is the second-best value in this guide.

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Best rifle-hunting day pack with a frame

Sportsman's Warehouse: $329.00 · Capacity: 40 L · Weight: 5.5 lb · Rating: 4.8/5 (80 reviews)

The X2 is a compact pack with a real frame, and that combination is why it shows up so often with Western and big-woods hunters. Eberlestock built an internal Intex aluminum frame into a 40-liter bag, so the pack can carry more weight than its size suggests: oversized compression straps let you lash a quartered load, an extra layer or a bow to the outside.

The front zips open so you can reach gear without unpacking from the top, the lid floats so you can stuff a jacket under it, and MOLLE webbing on the main bag, sides and bottom works with Eberlestock's Bolt Action Scabbard if you want to carry a rifle on the pack. Sportsman's lists it at 5.5 lb, 24 x 17.5 x 8 inches, DWR-treated microsuede, with a lifetime warranty.

It's the best-reviewed pack in this guide: 4.8/5 (80 reviews) on Sportsman's. And it's actually available: on October 5, Eberlestock's own store showed both X2 colors as sold out, while Sportsman's had the Military Green version at the same $329.00 with home delivery or free ship-to-store.

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Best pack for elk and meat hauling

Sportsman's Warehouse: $429.97 (was $499.99) · Capacity: 66 L · Weight: 9 lb 3 oz · Rating: 4.4/5 (27 reviews)

If your season ends with a quartered elk or a boned-out mule deer on your back, you want a frame pack, and the Commander X is the most capable one Sportsman's had ready to ship. It's two packs in one: an internal-frame meat hauler plus a detachable 4,000-cubic-inch (66 L) bag. Pack in to spike camp with the bag zipped to the frame, then pull the bag off, lash the meat to the frame's shelf and wing system, and strap the bag back on over the load.

ALPS built it from 1680D ballistic and Robic nylon on an aluminum and ABS frame, with a torso range of 17 to 21 inches and a waist range of 31 to 53 inches. It has a spotting scope pocket, a rain cover and hip-belt pockets. At 9 lb 3 oz it's the heaviest pack here by a wide margin. That's the price of a frame that's meant to carry heavy loads, and it's why we wouldn't buy it for whitetail stand hunting.

Sportsman's had it on clearance for $429.97 on October 5 (down from $499.99), rated 4.4/5 (27 reviews). If you want a smaller version of the same idea, the ALPS Hybrid X 45 L freighter-frame pack was $399.99 at Sportsman's the same day.

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Best treestand and saddle-hunting pack

Sportsman's Warehouse: $149.97 (was $164.99) · Capacity: 36 L · Weight: 6.1 lb · Rating: 4.5/5 (6 reviews)

"Saddle hunting backpack" is the second most common related search for hunting backpacks right now, and the hard part about a saddle or a hang-on stand is reaching your gear once you're up the tree. Sportsman's doesn't list a dedicated saddle-only pack, so the closest match is a pack designed to hang next to you. The G3 Treestand is exactly that: Horn Hunter built it with a flip-top opening so that, hanging from a tree step or hook, you can still reach every compartment.

And there are a lot of compartments: 20 of them in about 2,200 cubic inches (36 L). Gear grippers hold a bow or rifle to the pack for the walk in, it accepts Horn Hunter's MAQ quiver, and it has a molded foam back and suspension. The trade-off is weight. At 6.1 lb it's heavy for its size, which matters less on a short walk to a stand than on a long hike.

Sportsman's had it for $149.97 on October 5 (down from $164.99), rated 4.5/5 (6 reviews). The photo on the listing shows a different camo pattern than the Realtree EDGE version that's on sale, so expect EDGE when it arrives.

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Best pack for carrying a crossbow

Sportsman's Warehouse: $93.74 (was $124.99) · Capacity: 44 L · Weight: 4 lb 8 oz · Rating: 4.3/5 (3 reviews)

Crossbows are awkward to carry: wide at the front, heavy, and easy to bang into trees. ALPS designed the Matrix around that problem. Two padded straps start in the middle of the pack, wrap around a crossbow, compound bow or rifle, and fasten to each side, and two zippered "wing pockets" on the front close over the weapon to protect it. If you're not carrying a weapon, the wing pockets just become more storage.

It's the same size class as the Pursuit (44 L, 2,700 cubic inches) and only an ounce heavier on paper at 4 lb 8 oz. You also get a drop-down pocket, a quiver holder on each side, a padded waist belt that accepts clip-style holsters, a center aluminum stay, a blaze orange rain cover and hydration compatibility. ALPS lists a lifetime warranty.

Price on October 5 was $93.74 (was $124.99), rated 4.3/5 (3 reviews) on Sportsman's from a small number of reviews. If you hunt with a vertical bow or a rifle, the Pursuit is the better buy; if you hunt with a crossbow, this is the one. See our best crossbows guide if you're still picking the bow.

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Best premium whitetail pack

Sportsman's Warehouse: $403.75 (was $475.00) · Capacity: about 32 L · Weight: 4 lb 9 oz

Kifaru is a small Colorado pack maker with a reputation for overbuilt gear, and the Shape Charge is its compact pack for whitetail hunters, everyday carry and tactical use. Kifaru describes it as a "go-to for whitetail hunters" who need efficient storage and quick access in the stand. It opens with a full-length zipper, and MOLLE webbing plus compression straps let you add pouches or strap on a tripod or weapon.

Sportsman's lists it at 32.12 liters and 4 lb 9 oz in 500D Cordura, Ranger Green. Kifaru rates the bag alone at 1,960 cubic inches, and you can add its belt pouch or Sherman Pocket for more room. It's the most expensive pack per liter in this guide ($12.57), because you're paying for construction, not capacity.

One thing to know before you buy: Kifaru says a limited number of internationally made Shape Charges were sold through its wholesale partners, and those aren't Berry compliant, while bags bought directly from Kifaru are made in the USA. We couldn't confirm which version Sportsman's is shipping, so ask if US manufacture matters to you. Price on October 5 was $403.75 (marked down from $475.00); Kifaru's own price was $400.00.

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Best budget and lightest pack

Sportsman's Warehouse: $59.99 · Capacity: 36 L · Weight: 2.68 lb

Not everyone needs a frame, a weapon carrier and 20 pockets. If you walk a few hundred yards to a stand or blind and want something quiet to carry snacks, a layer, a thermos and your calls, the Rustic Ridge 2200 does that for about $60. It's also the lightest pack here at 2.68 lb, and the cheapest per liter ($1.67).

Sportsman's lists the Stone Brown version as a 36-liter (2,200 cubic inch) frameless front-loader with six compartments in a tricot fabric, which is the soft, brushed material hunters pick because it doesn't scratch loudly against brush. The Realtree EDGE version of the same pack ($59.97, in-store pickup) lists padded straps with a sternum strap, a large front pocket with organization, side pockets with compression straps, a mesh stuff pocket and hydration compatibility.

There's no waist belt to speak of in the listing and no frame, so heavy loads will sit on your shoulders. On October 5 the Stone Brown version was $59.99 with free ship-to-store.

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