A good day hunting pack is all 99% of what whitetail deer hunters need to be able to comfortably carry all of their gear into and out of the woods. The Cabela’s Bow and RIfle Pack allows hunters to go hands-free into the woods while having all of their gear ready to go.
In the review of Cabela’s Bow and Rifle Pack, I will not tell you what you can go read on Cabela’s website. Rather, I will be explaining my personal experience with this pack and if I would choose it for myself (I got it as a gift).
What you can read on Cabela’s Website
I want to give you a few details that are important before we get started. Things like weight, size, number of side pockets, and all the information that is provided by Cabela’s and has nothing to do with my personal opinion of the backpack. However, it is important for you to know those details before we continue with this review.
Capacity: 2,500 cu. in. Weight: 4 lbs., 10 oz. Imported.
- Polyester and 600-denier polyester-oxford construction
- Secure attachment easily holds a firearm or bow
- Foam structure in pack creates a shooting platform
- Unique back panel with easy access to contents
- Channeled padding on back panel enhances comfort
- Attach a sidearm holster to the hip belt
- Integrated rain cover and blaze flag
))/3342984.json)
Why is it called the “Cabela’s Bow and Rifle Pack?”
First, it is Cabela’s backpack. That would explain the first word of the name LOL.
However, you can also attach a compound bow, traditional bow, recurve bow, rifle, or shotgun to the pack. This allows you to be hands-free walking into the woods or as you start your 1.5-mile hike into your honey hole.
I think that this feature is best and most used by mobile hunters because they are normally carrying in a lot of hunting gear such as a treestand along with all their gear. By being able to walk in and out of the woods without having to hold your bow or rifle, you are able to pack your mobile hunting setup.
For me, I use a Lone Wolf Custom Gear mobile setup and have been able to reduce the amount of extra work of properly strapping my tree climbing steps to the stand using the Cabela’s Bow and Rifle Pack to free my hands for the climbing stick rather than my bow.
Comfortability of the Cabela’s Bow and Rifle Pack
The comfort of Cabela’s Bow and Rifle Pack is top-notch for the price tag on the backpack. The back panel of the backpack has an extremely durable design for maximum comfort. However, the back panel has a break in the middle of the padding to ensure that air can circulate for the hotter hunts of the early bow season.
Learn More >>> Early Season Deer Hunting Tips
This padding that is on the back panel also runs along the shoulder straps and waist straps. That padding reduces the amount of stress on your shoulders particularly. If there is less stress on your shoulders coming from your shoulder straps, then you can scout longer and hunt harder than ever before.
The padded waist belt is a great size for me since I am not the biggest guy or able to haul 100 pounds of gear without my back starting to hurt after an hour or two of walking. I am able to pull the Cabela’s Bow and Rifle Pack nice and tight to keep that internal frame as close to my body as possible.
It truly does make a difference. Especially when all the straps are of such quality and durability.
Size of Cabela’s Bow and Rifle Pack
As stated on Cabela’s website, Cabela’s Bow and Rifle Packs are 2,500 Cubic Inches. I have never had a problem with packing all of the gear that I need for day trips into the woods for a hunt or scouting. In fact, I was able to pack my Vortex DiamondBack Binoculars, Rangefinder, linemen rope, and Black Rack all into just the main compartment without any issues.
Learn More >>> How to Rattle in Whitetail Bucks
Main Compartment
There is no debate that whitetail deer hunters have a lot of gear that they may or may not need to have a successful hunt. Yet, being prepared for anything is always better than being underprepared. With Cabela’s Bow and Rifle Pack, you will always have enough space to pack all your gear for your hunting trip.
The main compartment can hold almost anything that you need it to for the purposes of deer hunting. Inside the main pocket is a water bladder holder that can carry up to 2 Liters of water.
Although I do not use a water pouch for my daily whitetail deer hunts, I may start to carry a bladder of water given my desire to hunt more public land. (Note: The product does not come with a water bladder)
That is another reason that this back is a great hunting pack. It is versatile.
Secondary Compartment
Right under the main compartment, there is a second compartment that is a bit smaller. I have found this pocket to be a great place to store all of my cover scents, doe urine bottles, and wicks for that bottle. You have the ability to use this secondary compartment for any smaller items of hunting gear that you may need.
Learn More >>> 11 Best Cover Scents for Deer Hunting
Side Pockets
There are two side pockets on Cabela’s pack. Each one serves its own purpose though. The compartment on the left is designed to hold water bottles or a thermos of coffee.
This goes without saying but hunters need to stay hydrated and stay warm as they sometimes travel a mile or more to get into the woods, so this side pocket is extremely useful and practical.
The second side pocket is designed to carry a spotting scope. You may be thinking, “But I do not use a spotting scope for my whitetail deer hunts.” Perfect, neither do I.
I used this second pocket for a tripod while I was still somewhat attempting to film my hunts and bring my camera equipment on my scouting trips. While I never actually used my camera gear to film my hunts due to other issues that are beside the point of this article, that is how I used the side pocket on the right initially.
After I sold my camera gear, I started to use this new side pocket for my to-go coffee cup or anything else that I needed easy access to like my rangefinder.
Removal Pockets
Cabela’s designers are smarter than we may give them credit. The way that Cabela’s Bow and Rifle Pack allows hunters to be able to do quite literally anything with this pack was truly genius.
The right pack for a hunter has to be versatile because of the wide range of terrains that whitetail deer inhabit. There are lots of hunters who have different needs because of their style of hunting.
What did Cabela’s do? They added a removable pack that clips into the main frame of the pack. This removal compartment is a great place to put trail camera SD Cards, a Utility knife, face paint, grunt call, or any other smaller objects that you want quick access to on a day hunt.
Learn More >>> How to Communicate with Deer
The durability of Cabela’s Bow and Rifle Pack
The durability of a product can be tough to determine unless you feel and test the product. After using Cabela’s Bow and Rifle Pack for more than a year of hunting and scouting, I can attest to the fact that this pack is durable. It will be able to handle a heavy load.
When I say heavy loads, I mean a bucket of Big & J headrush, my gear, my bow, or other heavier loads.
Learn More >>> Best Whitetail Deer Attractants
The buckles are strong but still easy to use and can keep the heavy load strapped close to your body. I would be surprised if you could pack a realistic hunting setup that would break this backpack.
I have experienced a chest strap break a few times. That can cause hauling heavier loads much harder. However, I do not see my Cabela’s Bow and Rifle Pack breaking any time soon.
Additional Features of Cabela’s Bow and Rifle Pack
There are 3 additional features that I believe make this backpack one of the best hunting backpacks on the market for a day hunter.
First, it has a rain bag that is attached to the bottom of the pack. There is nothing more frustrating than having all your hunting gear get wet because of an unexpected storm. By having a rain bag, you can quickly cover your entire pack and keep your gear dry.
Second, there is a medium-sized hunter’s orange cloth that can be placed on the backpack to ensure that you are abiding by the law of wearing orange and staying safe while gun hunting. This is important to me because I never want to be the result of a tragic opening-day hunting story of another hunter shooting me because they thought I was a deer.
Learn More >>> How to Gun Hunt Opening Day of Deer Season
Thirdly, the cushion design of the main frame pack allows you to use the pack as a shooting rest as well. This would have been perfect for me as a youngster because my go-to gun-hunting spot as a child. I would sit on the ground and then have a hunting chair and my pack to act as my shooting rest.
Would I Purchase this Pack?
I will say that I was not looking at buying this pack before it was gifted to me. However, I did want to get a pack that was able to hold my bow on the backpack.
After using this pack, I believe that I would have spent more money and gotten less usage if I would have bought a different backpack. The versatility of this backpack is unbelievable and I would have spent more money buying a less versatile pack.
An added bonus is that it comes in my favorite form of camo. Trutimber Strata!
Learn More >>> Disappear with the Best Camo Patterns
Conclusion
Well, there you have Cabela’s Bow and Rifle Pack. Thank you to all of you who voted on the product of the month survey for February! I hope that you can see why I have chosen this pack to be my pack of choice for all of my whitetail hunting adventures.
If you would like to be able to vote on the Next Product of the Month Survey, make sure you sign up to Start Your New Journey Here! (Access to 3 EXCLUSIVE PDFs and the ability to vote for the Product of the Month Reviews)
Thank you for visiting The Whitetail Teacher! If you enjoyed this post, make sure to share it with a friend.
If you have any questions or recommendations for new blog posts, please use the contact form.
Learn, Plan, Execute,
The Whitetail Teacher
