I recently made the mistake of asking a lady friend why she owned so many handbags. Without saying a word she went to my closet and shortly had before us no fewer than nine bags and packs of various shapes and sizes. The theme of this sudden trunk show was camouflage and a common owner that was clearly not she. Point taken.
One bag stands alone in this much maligned collection. For its functionality, durability and comfort the SITKA Day Pack is the standard bearer for hunting day packs.
The pack consists of a well-stitched polyester shell making for reliable weatherproofing. Thanks to an industrial polymer bottom the bag can easily be set down or sat on without concern for soaking your things or behind. I had this bag out in the four seasons of the northeastern deer and turkey seasons (rain, snow, sleet, misery) and could count on my dry goods staying dry.
I get lost easily. It’s a publicly known fact. Instead of coming to terms with my problem and seeking the necessary help I prepare for long periods of confused wandering with flagrant over packing.
I put the SITKA to task with my pack-stuffing proclivity and it answered the bell admirably. The inner-most pocket easily held my Jet Boil, two cans of gas, my back up stove, collapsible bowls, a spork, a back-up spork, emergency first aid kit, 13 Hershey bars, 10 hand warmers, one extra pair of gloves, a bobble head Les Stroud figurine, two pairs of socks, a novel, a leather bound journal full of serious and heavy thoughts, a drag kit, a variety of scents and un scents, a flashlight, a headlamp, a compass, a back up compass, a SPOT Messenger, a Garmin GPS, an iPhone and a random smattering of other hunting and survival potpourri including but certainly not limited to ammunition, under water matches, water purifier, topographical and geological data of the area dating back at least 200 years, one pound scent free wet wipes and a note from the girl with the handbag lesson saying something about Bambi and perhaps sparing Bambi’s poor daddy.
The bag is by no means huge. Standing no more than 15 inches at its tallest. With a separate compartment for a hydration bladder, padded waist straps and a unique tripod back-strap system there isn’t very much more a hunter could ask for from a daypack.
Even in the throws of my most advanced navigational/over-packing paranoia I was no match for this SITKA bag. With pockets and compartments galore and noticeable comfort even under the great weight of my preparedness I was in a pack rats’ heaven.
Note: With only this SITKA day pack and two left over Alka-Seltzer I single handedly packed out an entire camps’ worth of late season deer and potato chips at the same time managing to fit all of our ammunition in the roomy front pouch. By the looks of it you wouldn’t have thought we spent a shell or ate a thing.[wpg_thumb height=”200″ width=”180″]
