By Priya Anand, Backpacking Gear Research Writer · Published September 14, 2026, 6:03 PM ET · Updated September 29, 2026, 6:16 PM ET
Direct Answer
Most backcountry hunts call for a 65 to 105-liter pack with a frame built for the heaviest load you expect to haul, sized larger for multi-day elk or other big-game hunts and smaller for day or scouting trips. Load ratings vary by maker, so check the rating on the product page. The pack should also include a detachable or expandable meat shelf sized for a boned-out quarter or full game bag.
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In plain English
A hunting pack has two jobs. On the way in, it carries the same things any camping pack does: a shelter, a sleeping bag, food and water. On the way out, it may carry meat, which is far heavier for its size than camping gear. That's why hunters talk about how much weight a pack's frame can carry, not just how many liters it holds.
The frame is the stiff skeleton inside or outside the pack, and the hipbelt is the padded belt that wraps around your hips. Together they move weight off your shoulders and onto your legs, which are much stronger. A big bag with a weak frame is like a large grocery bag with thin handles: it holds plenty, but it hurts to carry once it's full. Match the frame to the heaviest load you expect to carry, and plan extra trips instead of overloading.
Backcountry hunting pack size depends on hunt length and expected pack-out weight, not just how many nights you'll spend in the field. A day or scouting hunt only needs 25 to 50 liters, while a multi-day backcountry hunt for elk or other big game needs 65 to 105 liters plus a frame rated well above your base kit weight to handle meat.
How pack size scales with hunt length and game size
A day hunt near a trailhead needs enough room for water, layers, a first-aid kit and calling or optics gear — typically 25 to 50 liters on an internal frame or frameless pack, similar to a standard day-hiking setup. A multi-day backcountry hunt needs room for a full overnight kit plus a meat shelf, which pushes most packs into the 65 to 105-liter range. Hunters planning multiple pack-out trips for a single animal, especially elk, often size up further to a dedicated meat-hauler or expedition frame at 105 liters or more.
Day/scouting hunt: 25–50L
Multi-day backcountry hunt: 65–105L, with a frame rated above your expected loaded weight
Meat-hauler/expedition setup: 105L+, a dedicated hunting frame with a load rating to match
Why frame capacity matters as much as liters
Two hunting packs with the same liter figure can have very different rated load capacities, since that number depends on frame material, hipbelt construction and whether the frame is internal, external or hybrid. A pack sized correctly in liters but under-rated for load can still be miserable to carry once it's loaded with a heavy haul of meat, because the frame and hipbelt — not the fabric volume — are what actually transfer that weight off the shoulders. Ordinary backpacking packs are rated far lower, roughly 25 to 45 pounds for the models documented in our research, so they are not built to haul a boned-out quarter of elk.
Torso fit follows the same rule as any backpacking pack: measure from the C7 vertebra to the iliac crest and match that figure to the pack's adjustment range, since a mis-sized frame concentrates extra weight on the shoulders instead of the hips exactly when the load is heaviest.
What load ratings mean and where the big numbers come from
A load rating is the maker's statement of how much weight its frame and hipbelt can carry comfortably. Among the backpacking packs documented in this site's research library, ratings are modest. Gossamer Gear gives its Mariposa 60 a 30 lb recommended comfort load and a 35 lb maximum.1 REI rates the tubular aluminum frame of its Traverse 60 for loads up to 45 lb.2 Granite Gear rates its Crown3 60 at 25 lb without the framesheet, 35 lb with it and 43 lb with the optional aluminum stay.3
Some hunting guides cite 80 to 150+ lb ratings for dedicated hunting and meat-hauling frames. None of those ratings are verified in this site's library, so treat any specific number as the maker's claim and check it on the product page. The practical point stands, though: a regular backpacking pack, even a large one, is not built for a boned-out quarter of an elk.
How heavy is too heavy? What the evidence says
There's no hunting-specific standard, so the best reference points come from load-carriage research. US Army doctrine says a properly conditioned soldier's fighting load should ideally be about 30% of body weight and an approach-march load about 45%, and that energy expenditure rises through the march once loads go above 30%.4 A review of backpack research puts the general ceiling for adults in military, hiking and mountaineering settings at about 40% of body mass.5 Those are ceilings for trained people, not targets.
Cost climbs with every pound. In one lab study, metabolic energy use rose roughly in a straight line with pack load, by about 7.6 watts per extra kilogram.6 A review of soldier load carriage adds that energy cost also rises with walking speed and grade, and links prolonged heavy carrying to blisters, stress fractures, back strains and knee pain.7 Water counts too: a liter weighs about a kilogram,8 so three liters for a long day adds roughly 6.6 lb before any meat goes on.
Load placement and visibility on a hunt
Dense loads ride best close to the spine. The Army notes that packing heavier items higher and closer to the body can cut marching energy cost by as much as 25% compared with low placement away from the body, and that compression straps keep the load from shifting.4 Knapik's review adds a nuance that fits backcountry hunting: low or mid-back placement may suit uneven terrain, while high placement may be best on even ground.7
Visibility rules vary by state. Colorado requires firearm big-game hunters to wear fluorescent orange or pink,9 and the Mark Twain National Forest advises covering your backpack with orange during hunting season.10 Where you can hunt varies too: hunting is authorized in 76 National Park Service units, and national preserves permit it while national parks proper do not.11
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