How to Pack an Elk Hunting Backpack | Load It Right

Packing an elk hunting backpack wrong turns a good hunt into a miserable, painful slog. The heaviest items need to sit tight against your back and around the middle of the pack, with lighter, bulky gear low and daily-use items within easy reach. Nail this order and you’ll move quieter, carry weight better, and keep your energy for the shot and the pack-out.

The Core Packing Order for Elk Gear

Work from the bottom of the pack upward, and think about what you need when, not just what fits. The goal is a stable column of weight that doesn’t shift as you walk.

• Bottom of the pack: sleeping bag, sleeping pad, and shelter components. These are bulky but light, so they form a stable base.
• Middle, tight to the frame: dense, heavy items like food, water, ammo, and camp stove fuel. This is the core mass that should sit close to your spine.
• Top and outside pockets: daily-use gear and emergency items like first aid, fire starters, GPS, headlamp, tags, license, and rain shell.

Keep heavy items centered vertically and close to the back panel. This keeps the pack’s balance point aligned with your body’s, reducing strain on your shoulders and lower back.

What Weighs What: The Elk Hunt Load

Your total pack weight matters as much as where it sits. Many backpack hunters head out with 35 to 50 pounds before meat is added. A good rule: pack weight should be no more than 25–30% of your body weight.

If you’re close to that limit before you add meat, you’re carrying too much. For a serious backcountry elk hunt, plan your gear list around a target weight, not just what you think you might need.

Stick to these pack-size ranges and you’ll have room for meat on the way out without carrying an oversized pack all week. If you’re still choosing between models, our roundup of the best elk hunting packs for backcountry hunts covers tested options for loads like these.

Packing Meat for the Hike Out

You’ll likely pack the pack differently the day you kill an elk. Place quarters and meat heavy side down on the frame, centered and close to your body. Use a load shelf or meat shelf when your pack has one — it keeps the weight low and stable where it belongs.

Before you shoulder the load, rebalance. Check that one side isn’t heavier than the other, and that the load doesn’t shift when you move. Tighten compression straps to keep everything snug, and secure any loose straps or dangling gear so nothing flaps or rattles on the walk out.

To put on a loaded pack, especially with meat, set it on a raised or uphill position so you can step into it without twisting your spine.

Common Packing Mistakes That Ruin a Hunt

Most pack problems come down to a few recurring errors. Fix these and you’re ahead of most hunters on the mountain.

• Putting heavy items away from the spine or frame, which throws off your center of balance.
• Letting the load shift or hang loosely — the “flappy pack” that saps energy with every step.
• Overloading one side of the pack, which twists your gait and wears out one hip.
• Burying valuables or emergency gear too deep to reach quickly when you need them.
• Hanging gear outside the pack, adding noise and snag risk to every quiet approach.

Keep metal tools wrapped or in pouches, and avoid loose exterior items that rattle. Silence is part of the hunt. Wrap the load like you plan to move quietly through timber, because you do. The MeatEater guide to backcountry packouts makes the same case for a centered, secure load, and the experts at the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation emphasize the same packing order for a reason.