Bcand Beyond — Page 6

Pack Review – Eberlestock J107 Dragonfly

February 26, 2013 By Bcand Beyond

Having spent years guiding & hunting in the mountains of BC and the NWT, as well as spending my off season working in outdoor pro-shops, I have had the opportunity to use many different brands of packs over the years. One of the packs I have had the chance to test recently is the Eberlestock J107 Dragonfly. I have used it extensively over the last few seasons with impressive results. Here’s a detailed review on why it has become one of my favorites.

I will break the review down into 4 categories:

– Durability

– Features

– Comfort, Frame, & Load Carrying Ability

– Warranty… How the manufacturer stands behind their product

Durability

I have put the J107 through the paces over the last 3 seasons without any failures. Eberlestock’s NT-7 fabric has held up extremely well, and while I believe the 500 denier cordura fabric used by companies like Mystery Ranch is a tougher over all choice, the NT-7 fabric is quieter and seems to be more water resistant. Also keep in mind that Eberlestock has the same J107 pack but with a 1000 d option! It’s called a J107m, the M being for Military. I haven’t had the opportunity to try one myself, but his pack would be bombproof. The zippers on the J107 packs are huge and tough as nails, and the buckles seemed to be equally as durable.

Features

The J107 has more features than any pack on the market today, hands down. This includes a compression strap system like no other, which uses 3 huge straps to allow you to compress heavy loads closer to your body and enables you to strap just about anything to the pack securely. Another unique feature is the ability to unzip the main compartment expanding the size of the pack from a 2900 c.i pack into a 5400 c.i pack. That will be large enough for most backpacking situations but if it’s not, there’s a slick spike camp duffel add-on that increases the capacity to a whopping 7875 c.i. Like it’s competitors it features a removable lid that convert into a fanny pack, hydration pockets for bladders, as well as a multitude of pouches and cases that can be added to the pack. The feature that really sets it apart from all the others is the built in rifle scabbard. This is the best carrying system out there for packing your rifle and it gives you quick and easy access to it when you need it.

Using the J107 to haul an outboard into a mountain lake.

Comfort, Frame & Load Carrying

The Eberlestock J107 utilizes a full frame sheet and 2 internal aluminum stays to give it the stability and strength to pack heavy. The advantages to this system is the ability to adjust the stays to contour an individuals body. Myself, I find that sharper angled stays on the lower portion work better for me than the factory configuration. The pack features heavy duty load straps and a comfortable waist belt that allows you to distribute the weight onto your hips and shoulders. By adjusting the two you can find that sweet spot needed to pack the heaviest of loads. It does however carry the weight on your shoulders a bit more than some other packs I have used.

Warranty… How the manufacturer stands behind their product

The J107 has a lifetime warranty. The crew at Eberlestock are the best in the business as far as standing by there product, and making sure their customers are happy. The first time I contacted Eberlestock with questions about their packs, I was forwarded to none other than Glen Eberle himself. He went over the pack with me in detail and answered all my questions. I thought that was pretty great. I ended up ordering one and I’m glad I did. I have since ordered a few packs from Eberlestock as well as a horde of accessories and add ons. Every time I have contacted them their service has been top notch.

Conclusion

Once August hits you will likely find the BC & B staff in the mountains of BC chasing Sheep & Goat. The pack I find myself reaching for lately is the Eberlestock J107 Dragonfly. The thing that sets the J107 apart from all the others is the ability to transform from a day pack, to a large meat hauler, to a huge multi-day backpack that has room for anything and everything. This makes the pack incredibly versatile. And then there’s the rifle scabbard….. it is worth it’s weight in gold when hiking long distances and also protects the rifle from the elements, brush, rocks, etc… Your rifle and shoulders will thank you. www.eberlestock.com

Sitka 90% Jacket: “90% of the time, it works every time”…

January 30, 2013 By Bcand Beyond

Back in the day, the go-to clothing system for mountain hunters and hikers was a synthetic base layer, followed by a fleece shirt for warmth, and then a hard shell waterproof jacket for protection from wind and rain. Here’s the problem with that setup: Hard shell waterproof jackets will keep you warm and dry while walking or stationary glassing, but they simply do not breath enough during high output hiking or climbing to keep you from sweating and becoming wet. They are also loud and stiff, making them uncomfortable to wear. The fleece shirt you used for insulation works well under the hard shell to keep you warm, but when you’re hiking hard or climbing you will over heat, forcing you to remove the hard shell outer. Now you’re cold because the fleece shirt by itself does nothing to block the wind and rain, and digging into your pack over and over again to pull out your hardshell can get old in a hurry.

Enter Soft Shell Technology…

The Sitka Gear 90% Soft shell jacket takes the wicking & insulating properties of the base layer / fleece shirt, and combines them with a stretch woven outer fabric treated with a water resistant finish (DWR). This creates the ultimate single clothing piece with the ability to wick moisture, breathe incredibly well, is highly wind resistant, and will keep you dry during light/medium rain storms. The material is also stretchy and quiet, making it very comfortable to wear and much more durable than the hard shell fabrics. Perfect right? Just about…, you will still want to pack a waterproof hard shell in case of a heavy rain, however for “90%” of the time this jacket will be all you need.

We use our 90% jacket’s all year round either as a single piece in the early season, or we add an additional fleece or wool layer under it for later when the temperature drops. We also use them in the winter as a layering piece under a insulated jacket or hard shell. For hunters looking for the ultimate do-everything jacket the Sitka Gear 90% Jacket is money well spent. Oh and if there’s any Sitka employees reading this…. please build me a hooded version!

Filed Under: Darren's Gear Reviews Tagged With: 90% Jacket, BC & B, bc and beyond, Sitka Gear, Sitka Gear 90%

Late Season Caribou Adventure

January 15, 2013 By Bcand Beyond

By the time the Caribou rut peaks in the mountains of BC, the landscape has become layered with snow, the high mountain lakes start to ice around the edges, and backpack hunters are freezing in there tents wishing they brought the -18 bag instead of the -7 degree bag that was perfect just 2 weeks earlier. This is also the time of year when the caribou herd into large groups and mature bulls start fighting over the right to breed. And just like many other ungulates this makes for some awesome hunting! That is also where BC & B Prostaff Daren Bell and Marty Loring found themselves once again.

2009MountainCaribouAdventure080 About a 3hr hike from our base camp we find a large group of caribou, including a couple that we agreed were mature shooter bulls. As we made our way through a patch of sub alpine timber we heard a group of caribou coming toward us in a hurry! A couple of cows just about run us over followed by a bull who was in hot pursuite, desperately trying to herd the escaped cows back to his harem. As he ran by us at only 25yrds we quickly I.D the bull as one of the 2 potential shooters and Marty fired, dropping the bull in it’s tracks. Knowing there was at least one more good bull in the group we took a quick look at Marty’s bull then grabed our gear and headed towards where we last seen the rest of the herd. When we broke into the open alpine we were surounded by caribou. We watched them for quite some time trying to find the other shooter. We looked over a few that were close, including one bull that was very impressive with huge tops to go with his double shovels. He was already a high scoring bull but was young, and in a couple of years would be Boone & Crockett worthy, so we decided to pass on him. We were just about to call it a hunt when Marty spotted a different bull that was making his way down the mountain and putting the run on the other bulls in the group. While not a good scoring bull he was clearly old and past his prime with a beautifull cape and impressive main beams. We watched him chase his cows around for a while and enjoyed the show so much it was almost a shame to end it. However, we didn’t get dressed up for nothin, so a couple of quick shots from the Ruger and my bull was down

WARNING! Above treeline in October can be miserable so good gear is a must. The cheap tent that might of worked just fine for Aug Sheep could very well be flattened under a snow load or torn to pieces from a wind storm in the middle of the night. Here is a list some of the essential gear we use on our later season mountain hunts:

Tents: For tents we use almost exclusively Mountain Hardwear. Not because we are sponsored by them in anyway, but because they have never let us down and their customer service is great. At base camp we will usually have a Trango 2, a bombproof 4 season expedition tent for sleeping in, as well as a Kiva pyramid tent to store our gear and cook inside. When spiking out we pack a Skyledge 2.1. This tent is under 4lbs and will handle a light snow load. www.mountainhardwear.ca

Stove: The MSR Reactor is our go to late season stove. We find that it out performs all others at high altitudes when the temperature drops below freezing. It’s only good for boiling water however so we usually will have a MSR Dragonfly at base camp as well so when we get sick of freeze dried food we can treat ourselves to steaks etc… www.cascadedesigns.com/msr

Clothing: Our base layers consisted of Sitka Core pants and l/s shirts, followed by Sitka Traverse shirts for added warmth. For insulation we both had Sitka 90% jackets. For our outerwear we rocked the Sitka 90% pants and Marty used the Sitka Coldfront jacket. I chose the Sitka Celcius jacket. And yes we are big fans of Sitka Gear. www.sitkagear.com

Packs: Eberlestock Dragonfly J107’s. IMO the most versatile multi-day internal frame pack on the market. www.eberlestock.com

*I will be doing full reviews on most of this gear in the near future

Filed Under: Darren's Gear Reviews, Hunt Reports Tagged With: bc and beyond, BC Caribou hunt, caribou hunting in british columbia, Darren Bell, Mountain Caribou, Mountain Caribou Hunting

Chris’s Curse

December 28, 2012 By Bcand Beyond

This past spring we had the pleasure of hunting with Col Chris Hastings from San Diego, CA. Chris was hoping to end a what he called “curse”, that had been plaguing him for years when it comes to hunting black bear. He was after a large mature bear and his guide Marty Loring was up for the challenge. Together they were able to rid him of his jinx on the 2nd day of his hunt.

Filed Under: Hunt Reports Tagged With: BC Black Bear Hunt, black bear, black bear outfitters in BC

The Gift Bull

December 24, 2012 By Bcand Beyond

I was sound asleep beside my spotting scope when fellow BC & B pro staffer Sheldon Souter woke me from my dream. “Caribou bull on the lake!” he half whispered, half shouted. I must be dreaming, after all we just returned from a grueling 2 day hike into a drainage that was known for giant mountain caribou and never laid eyes on a single bull. It would be just too good to be true to have one make its way down to the lake we had our base camp on. The bull was straight across the lake from us polishing up his rack on a pine tree. “Is he legal Darren?” Sheldon asked. In BC a legal Caribou bull must have at least six points up top, or 5 and a back sticker point. “Hells ya…” I replied…If by legal you mean 380+ inches of horn then ya, I thought to myself. Sheldon took a quick look through the spotter and I watched his eyes go wide. Only problem was he was 600 yards across the lake. I would love to have one of those 50lb, best of the west scud missile launcher style rifles right now instead of our short barrelled mountain rifles. What are the odds of us paddling our little aluminum boat all the way to the other side without him spooking off??? That was our only option so off we went on the longest, most stressful boat rides of our lives. It took forever but we finally made it. The bull was still too busy destroying trees on the edge of the lake to even notice us so Sheldon crawled up a small hill and found a rest, then patiently waited for the bull to turn broadside. The rest is in the books…. the record books.

Sheldon and his BC Mountain Caribou

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Filed Under: Hunt Reports Tagged With: bc and beyond, bc and beyond outdoor adventures, BC Caribou hunt, Mountain Caribou, Mountain Caribou Hunting

British Columbia Safari!

December 22, 2012 By Bcand Beyond

Our friend Mirek from Czech Republic joined us last fall for a late September hunt. Having tags for everything with fur or feathers, Mirek and his guide Marty Loring racked up an impressive amount of trophies in his ten day hunt. Mirek successfully harvested a bull moose, 2 bears- a black and a 2nd color phase bear, coyote, upland game birds, and had opportunities at wolf, and mule deer!

Filed Under: Hunt Reports Tagged With: bc and beyond, bc and beyond outdoor adventures, BC black bear hunting, bear hunting in british columbia, Black Bear hunt, Hunting in British Columbia, moose hunt in BC, Moose hunting, moose hunting in british columbia, moose hunting outfitters

Snake & Doc’s Excellent Adventure

December 21, 2012 By Bcand Beyond

Mike Jr & Mike Sr Passaglia (aka Doc & Snake) a father and son team from CA, joined us for a spring black bear hunt this past spring. They had three tags to fill, both wanting large mature black bears, and if possible, Doc had a 2nd bear tag and was hoping for a color phase. Doc started it of by harvesting a huge 7ft boar on day 1 and a 6ft + Chocolate on day 2. Snake, not wanting to be showed up by his old man, waited until the last day to harvest another BC giant that squared over 7ft. Both black bears will make the record books. Watch for an upcoming article on their hunt in GSCO superslam magazine. Guided by Sheldon Souter.

Filed Under: Hunt Reports Tagged With: bc and beyond, bc bear hunt, BC Black Bear, bear hunt, Black Bear hunting in bc, record book black bear

2 Hunters… 2 Days… 2 Giant Color Phase BC Bears

December 21, 2012 By Bcand Beyond

We first met Gary Chamberlain in 2010 when he joined us for a Black Bear hunt. After going home empty handed 3 previous years while hunting with other outfitters, Gary’s 4 year quest to harvest a large BC color phase bear was finally completed on the very first day. Gary has been back every year, and with his guide Rick Berreth, has taken multiple color phase with BC & B. Chase Dunn is another return customer and an accomplished trophy hunter from Utah. Chase has a passion for hunting big bears and has many record book entries to his credit. On day 2 of his hunt he added yet another book bear to his collection, a huge chocolate color phase boar.