woman looking through binoculars on a hunt

Gear Breakdown: Best Hunting Day Packs

woman looking through binoculars on a hunt

Larger doesn’t always mean better.

Sometimes small is mighty, dependable and just what we need in a hunting day pack.

But a quality hunting day pack can also be the difference between a great day and a horrible hunt. If it’s too heavy and not versatile? Forget about it. You won’t find that here. All of Badlands’ hunting day packs have a minimalist stature, making them exactly what you’re looking for scouting trips, tree stand hunts and even short forays into the backcountry.

They keep the essentials close and everything organized.

Unsure which day pack is the right fit for your needs? Let’s break it down pack-by-pack:

BREAKING DOWN THE DAY PACK

male hunter sitting on tree stand

Small Day Pack for Whitetail Hunts: The Switch Pack is small, but mighty weighing only one pound and measuring 850 cubic inches. This hunting day pack has abrasion-resistant mesh, a laptop sleeve, and features the customizable Badlands SWAP™ System — making it the perfect companion for wherever the hunt takes you.

Day Pack for Whitetail Hunts: The Connect Pack is about 1,700 cubic inches and is designed to handle all the duties that a whitetail hunt demands. It’s durable, versatile and customizable. The integrated Badlands SWAP™ System allows you to add accessory pockets (sold separately) to the sides or front of the Connect Pack. And we can't forget to mention the top lid that converts into a gear shelf. The result is a pack that functions the way you always need it to.

Versatile Hunting Day Pack: The newest addition to the Badlands pack line-up is the ATX (All-Terrain Xtreme) series of day packs – all equally useful for treks to the tree stand, into the backcountry, or for everyday travel.

man wearing new ATX pack during a hunt

ATX packs have durable, two-layer fabric and compression straps on the front and sides, plus they’re SWAP™, Bino Connect™ and hydration system compatible. Both the smaller ATX 12 (1,200 cubic inches) and midsized ATX 16 (1,600 cubic inches) are unstructured day packs, making them comfortable to carry to the tree stand and easy to store when empty. The larger ATX 25 (2,500 cubic inches) has an adjustable waistbelt, load lifters and an internal T-6 aluminum frame for maximum strength and hauling heavier loads on front country day hunts.

The Workhorse: The Superday Pack is super popular. We understand why — the performance is impressive. It has a 1,950-cubic inch belly that allows it to perform like a frame pack. Our next-gen venting is paired with a molded, memory foam back suspension to make this one of the most comfortable packs you’ve ever strapped on.

The Buddy System: The Reactor Pack is one of our favorites to pair with a bigger pack when we go deep into the woods. At 1 pound, 12 ounces, it’s lightweight and takes up very little space (896 cubic inches) inside our larger packs, yet still accommodates a 3-liter hydration bladder. Once you settle in and get camp set up, leave the big dog at basecamp and use the lighter Reactor to tote the essentials as you pound the mountainsides all day. The Reactor is the ultimate team player of the pack world.

Comfort on the Move: The weight of a full 1,940 cubic inches of cargo space is evenly distributed in the Dash Pack via the built-in flex rods. This keeps even the densest of loads comfortable on your back, and we’re all about comfort. Plus, there are a ton of options built in, like the ability to attach a rifle or bow, a hip-belt pistol holster and expandable side pockets.

Bowhunting Day Pack: People love the Badlands 2200 Pack. We figured that must be the sweet spot size-wise, so we designed the 2,700-cubic inch Vario 22 Pack (frame sold separately) and the rest is magic. Internal MOLLE attachment points and a detachable (and included) bow/rifle boot make the Vario 22 far more useful than just a bag on your back.

closeup of female hunter wearing Badlands pack

Best Day Pack for Women: The Valkyrie Day Pack features contouring that’s specifically designed for women. It also includes our Strata Suspension System™, which means a great fit you can count on. Hunting can be a tough gig. You might as well be comfortable.

Best Day Pack for Minimalists: The Monster Pack is a 1,100-cubic inch beast of burden that features a Delron® Flex Frame, two fold-down workstation pockets, and adjustable (as well as removable) shoulder straps. You’re trendy and ready for anything the day brings you.

Here’s what it boils down to — Badlands hunting day packs offer maneuverability, flexibility and breathability. Just because they’re light, don’t think they aren’t tough. We wouldn’t cover them with our Unconditional Lifetime Warranty if we didn’t think they were hard as nails.

You can see for yourself that smaller may be better – check out our entire day pack collection.

man adding pouched to Badlands grid system