This is a no holds barred, honest review. I am not getting paid to talk about this hunting pack. So, with that out of the way, if you are considering buying the ALPS OutdoorZ Pursuit, read along. I am going to give you my honest opinion, the good, the bad, and what has stood out for me. (by the way…I am an amazon affiliate so I can earn $$ on qualified purchases, but other than that I have nothing on the line here).
I have 5 hunting/camping packs in my collection. From a small waist pack, a few “day” packs, to a full monster expedition pack. In the past few years I have been hunting and fishing in the mountains more and more frequently. I am not a super backcountry guru….I don’t live in Alaska or Montana. I don’t hunt on foot into the wilderness for days at a time. But……I don’t drive my truck to a tree and sit in a stand either. I would say I am a cross between hunting within easy access and exploring…I guess you could call it “day long hiking and hunting trips”. So, I needed a pack that was bigger than my waist pack (with shoulder straps) but not too big that it could be considered an overnight bag. I had a few things that I wanted/needed in my pack:
- Mid-size, big enough for a full day of hiking. Think… rain gear, change of clothes, first aid, hunting gear, small stove, food, tripod, camera, and maybe a handgun.
- Sound. I primarily hunt Whitetail deer and turkey. So a noisy pack is not an option.
- Rifle/gun/bow storage.
- Waterproof…if possible.
- Durability (I tend to tear up gear over time).
- Cool stuff.
From Field and Stream to Bass Pro to Amazon and about every comparison article I could find….I read EVERYTHING. Pros and Cons of each pack, hundreds (yes really) hundreds of product reviews, and dozens of You Tube videos. I firmly believe that there is nothing more that I can do to be knowledgeable about hunting day packs. With all that said. I bought the ALPS OutdoorZ Pursuit pack. I have used this pack now for 8 months and am heading full speed into a new deer season. All in all, I love the pack. There are a few things that I really don’t like, but the good outweighs the bad for me (and my low points may not bother you at all). So here are my findings, I hope this helps with your purchase, and if you have any advice for us…please leave a comment or photo below (also check out our YouTube video to see my set up and how I gear up).
- Size: Coming in at 2700 cubic inches I would say that this is a mid-sized pack. Lots of people asked if this can be used for an overnight trip or for packing out meat. My answer is……kind of……if you pack light, weather is good, and you make efficient use of space….I would say that you can use it for an overnight trip. Going 2 or three days in inclement weather with this pack wouldn’t be the smartest thing you’ve done…but if you think you can….go for it. As far as packing meat, yes you can. It does not have a “meat shelf” like other larger packs. But it has good size in the main compartment. I have packed out birds and even a butchered white tail. You will need some game bags, (I use these inexpensive bags). The other thing, when you pack out meat, you will need to find a place for anything that was in the bag. So, I tend to lash everything that was inside to the outside. The Pursuit is not really made to carry meat, but you sure can. Side note…cleaning the inside of the pack after hauling meat is semi-easy. Warm soap and water, hand dry with an old towel, and hang upside down in a dry ventilated space. As I said earlier, it is not made for packing out meat…but if you de-bone, quarter, and put your meat in game bags, you can make it work. If hauling out an elk or a big deer for long distances is your thing, I would suggest moving up to a larger pack. Lastly, I often wear a climbing harness while hunting. This pack works perfect with my harness and will also work with a more traditional tree safety harness (check out our article and video on why I use a climbing harness here).
- Sound: I was a bit surprised here when I got to use the ALPS OutdoorZ Pursuit Pack in the woods. From what I read; the bag seemed quiet. When I actually got out and started moving around…it was really quiet. The pack is made from polyester but it feels a bit like felt. Against my body and rubbing on trees, the bag was really quiet. I can hear my water inside the pack (inside the bladder) over the pack noise…so I consider that pretty quiet. Good marks form me on noise.
- Rifle and Bow Storage: This is a feature that was a “must have” for me. I do a lot of hiking and hunting from what are “car camping spots”. Drive into the mountains, find a camp spot on a forest service road, and leave early in the morning to hike and hunt all day. Not having to carry my gun for miles at a time was important. With my other packs, I have to rig up a janky system with straps that kind of does the job. So, I wanted a pack that had a designated system for carrying my gun. The Pursuit has it. The gun/bow holder is great. The gun stays secure, it doesn’t mount too high to catch on limbs, not too low that it hits my legs, and it is totally secure. High marks on this aspect as well. Also, when not carrying my gun, this part of the pack is perfect for my tripod and some other longer gear (although there is a side section that can carry my tripod when my gun is attached as well…so for the record you can carry both at the same time). Also…last point, the side attachments are made to carry arrow quivers…so there’s that too.
- Waterproof: Is this bag waterproof? NO. Is it water resistant, yes. I would say that the Pursuit is pretty water resistant even without the included rain cover. I did not find another bag that had a rain fly included let alone attached to the bag. On the bottom of the pack is a small pocket stuffed with a blaze orange rain fly. Some folks don’t like the color of the rain fly….I get it, when I am turkey hunting the fly is un-usable. But it is cool to have and has kept my gear dry a few times. As I said, the Pursuit bag is relatively water resistant even without the cover in place. I sat in a tree stand with this pack hanging next to me for 3 hours (uncovered) in some pretty good rain. While the bag was 100% soaked, my gear inside was dry. I hung the bag for a day, wide open, and it dried completely, no smell. I give this bag high marks on its ability to handle weather, it is not a “dry bag” by any means….but it handles pretty damn well. Rumor has it that you can Scotch-Guard the pack for better water proofing. I have not done this yet…..
- Cool Stuff: Now the fun part. Let’s talk about the little things that make this bag worthwhile (and one thing that I can’t stand). The ALPS OutdoorZ Pursuit Pack has tons of pockets, lashings, molly attachments, and all that stuff that let’s you customize your set up. A few things that really stand out to me are:
- The Drop Shelf: This is a zipper compartment on the front of the pack that unzips and folds down like a “shelf”. This section is about 8” x 14” and has adjustable strap supports on each side so it will not “over open” when you are up in a tree or in a tight situation. This little compartment is pretty awesome, it is my most used feature by far. Tons of pockets for ammo, thermacell fuel, wallet…lanyard for your car keys so you don’t have to dig for them, zipper compartments for hunting tags, snacks, etc. You get it. I open this shelf when I get in my tree stand and it is like a little area for all my important items.
- Hydration Bladder Pocket: This is a must have these days, or it seems so because I did not find a single day pack without this option. Anyway, I have a 2-liter bladder that fits perfect. Some reviews suggest a 3 liter would be fine too. Either way, you have to buy the bladder separate, so I would get what feels appropriate to your style of hunting. There is also a “hole” or “port” for the drinking tube and an attachment on the shoulder strap to secure the tube.
- Cons: Ok, so I don’t have too many cons to write about. The weight of the bag is a little much, but…..I feel the weight is 100% acceptable due to its size and features. I think if a different/lighter material was used it would impact the quietness of the bag. Take some features away to reduce weight and you have a less functional bag. So while I am discussing the weight, I think it is ok. My MAIN PROBLEM with this bag has to do with the waist belt. I love a waist belt on my bags, it is necessary to have a stable pack….my problem is that this bag has two zipper pockets on both sides of your hips (on the belt). To me…they are bulky and get in the way of my hands/arms when I am hiking. I…for the record…DO NOT LIKE THIS…. So I called ALPS…and they answered right away (awesome) and I talked to a very knowledgeable lady and explained my trouble. While she said they were not removable (sucks)….BUT…the whole waist belt is removable….(ok)…….so my next question was if I could buy another waist belt that did not have the pockets……and…NO….they did not offer it at this time (sucks again). To be honest, she was very nice, she understood my pain, she said that they may have an alternative waist belt in next years model that I could purchase. So, I have used the bag now for 8 months and I still don’t like the pockets. I have not cut them off with scissors yet (although some folks on line have done so). For all the positive aspects of this bag, this one negative is ok with me. I guess I will need to design my own bag in order to have all my wishes come true.
So, thanks for reading my review of the ALPS OutdoorZ Pursuit pack. I do really like this bag; I hope this helps you make a decision on how to spend your hard-earned money. Please take a look below at some of the attributes that I did not get to discuss and check out our video showing our review and how I set up my pack. Leave a comment if you can, we would love to hear from you.
ALPS Outdoor Z Pursuit
- Price: Around $155.00.
- Drop down rifle/bow holder pocket, hydration pocket for 2 liter but a 3 liter will probably work? With port for drinking tube, quiver holders, padded waist belt with two pockets (don’t like), belt is removable, but no other is available. Belt has reinforced webbing to accommodate clip-style hand gun holsters.
- 4 lbs 1 oz, 2700 cubic inches. 44 liters. 21” high x 15” wide at bottom, 12” wide at top .
- Has D clip between shoulder strap to hang from trees.
- Center aluminum stay for structure, this is removable.
- I got extra waist clips on amazon …you should have for all packs (check here…cheap but lifesaving…).
- Also looked at
- Lifetime warranty…. I have not tried this out yet…but it feels good to know they stand up for their product.
