I really thought my knees were going to explode under the weight of my pack. It was October 2022 and my close friend; DJ and I were struggling to help each other stand up to begin the multi-mile pack to the truck. Under the final hour of daylight, I had been fortunate to arrow a gross Boone and Crocket sized mule deer. DJ is a fisheries and wildlife biologist and estimated the weight of the animal to be north of 350 pounds. Since it was just the two of us, we had split the meat in half and I had the cape and antlers, plus gear testing the limits of the pack. We estimate the weight of each pack to exceed 80lbs. I’ve had elk hind quarters in my pack which are supposed to be the epitome of “heavy” for us lower 48 guys, and this mule deer made those elk packs feel easy. We would shuffle a few feet and have to stop, over and over again for about two hours to make it a few miles. I loved every single step of that hike out of that little basin. It was just like every daydream come true. Last fall, I killed a bull that required hiking up 700 vertical feet. It took multiple trips and after two seasons of hunting with the Spika Dover Hauler pack, it hasn’t flinched when things get tough. As someone who is tough on gear I have been entirely pleased with this pack.
The brand Spika is an Australian company through which DJ, and I had purchased our packs from a few years ago. I’ve been so impressed with it; I’ve been an evangelist amongst my circle of hunting buddies. The pack is comparable to many of the brands we have here, but it fits a great price point for the value and toughness.
https://amzn.to/4cGevTaThe Dover Hauler Pack:
It comes with two sizes of packs on the hauler frame. It’s a metric so bear with me. It comes in 40L and 80L packs. The 80L pack is equivalent to about 4,800 cubic inches. The fabric is durable 500 denier DWR treated nylon body and reinforced base. Essentially a soft and quiet body, but moisture resistant material. It held up really well throughout my adventures. There is a quick detach rain cover built into the bottom pocket of the pack. Last elk season I got caught in a rain storm and hid under the pack to stay as dry as possible. One element I really like is the expandable capacity for the top of the main bag. It makes things easy to organize. In fact, there have been situations where I have placed entire meat backs in garbage bags directly into the main compartment of the bag. It will fit an entire quarter of an elk.
Biarri Camouflage is a pattern specific to the company and while I am not the foremost expert on camo patterns. I’ll say, I like it and find no problems here.
There are two compartments on the front of the bag. One zipper allows you to access your main bag and the other is a secondary compartment for smaller items. The outside of the back has external tie down points. Make sure to keep extra twine with you. I could have benefited from this when packing up the big mule deer. The bag includes a removable top. The top compartment is handy for small items. I stored most of my knives in this area. However, I hope they find a way to increase the zipper opening just a touch if possible. That is my only critique. Hydration bladder compatible, and I use a carabiner to attach to the clips inside the pack.
Zippers are a huge point for me. The zipper themselves have not given me any issues after two seasons. However, the zipper ties I have had to reinforce myself.
The pack comes with a stockholder for rifles. As a bowhunter I have been able to use this to secure my bow for long hikes. The frame is rock solid. It hasn’t flinched under the weight of heavy animals. The hip belt system is really comfortable because of the amount of padding. Between that and the lumbar support I have full faith in the structural integrity of this pack. The hip belt also includes dual pockets that I’ve used for holding calls and other odd items. Adjusting the frame to the pack for my 5’10 height was super easy unlike other packs I’ve seen in the past. I would pay attention to this brand as they grow into the US market. They have products available on Amazon,and you can follow them on Instagram @Spika.team
