hey everybody brandon mason here again with another gear lab gear tip video of course we
here at eastmans are gear junkies but before i continue make sure you subscribe to our youtube
channel mash that subscribe button turn on your notifications because we're constantly coming
out with new videos just like this so today we're taking a look at the new vapor series from eberlestock
you see three different bag configurations and sizes that all fit on the f1 mainframe let's
get to packing we've been using the f1 mainframe and various options that eberlestock offers for
years in fact the first year that we ever used it scott reekers and i were able to pack an entire
elk out between the two of us on our back six miles deep in the back country i'm not saying
it was fun and i wouldn't do it again but the point is the packs the main frame can handle it
eberlestock themselves has tested the mainframe to withstand up to 700 pounds before it failed
so needless to say no human being is going to put it through what a machine could and it can it can
handle anything you put up against it so let's get into the vapor series they call these packs
the vapor series because they're lightweight lightweight and tough all three sizes the the
vapor 25 the vapor 50 in the vapor 75 essentially the the numbers represent the cubic inches so
this is 2500 cubic inches this is 5 000 cubic inches and this one right here in the middle is
7 000 cubic inches now everybody's got their own preference when it comes to backpack size and use
personally i know that the more room i have in a pack i'm going to fill it i'm dangerous to my
own body if i'm not careful the vapor 50 is a phenomenal pack for multi-day use the vapor 25
is phenomenal for day use and so all three of them have zippers in on the back side that zip to the
main frame and you can use the main frame straps to secure them even tighter and compress them for
a more compressed daypack type feature when you're out in the field also once you have an animal down
or you're packing way more than maybe you should in the backcountry you don't have to actually
attach the bags to the mainframe with the zipper you can have your meat against the main frame
and then you can put your vapor series bag on top and then strap everything down we've done it a
lot and it works fantastic when eberlestock was coming out with a vapor series they sent us some
prototypes to test scott reeker's tested the 7000 i tested excuse me the 7500 i tested the 5 000
and so you'll notice on one of our high country mule deer hunts where we used llamas and backpacks
it depended on the day and what we were doing with them we have packs that resemble this
but they look just a little bit different so the color configuration was different and some of the
features on them were different now eberlestock is really close on their prototypes and
we were able to use these final prototypes to provide some in the field hardcore use
feedback so that they could finish the design along with other partners that they work with
and really come out with a dialed line of bags to go on the mainframe that can really fit any
hunting scenario i've used the vapor 25 from anything for big game day hunts to even turkey
hunting in the spring and then of course multi-day options here so as you'll notice there's a couple
different well there's different color options in the vapor series but even within the bags
themselves they have the different colors on the pockets on the front and on the sides
that really sets apart some of the features easily and internally in the bags they also have internal
pockets that are a little bit different color and it really helps you organize without being
too pocket heavy the last thing i want is a pack that has too many pockets so i have to
basically have a schematic just to remember where i put everything for those of you that
are minimalist similar to the way i am i want it lean and mean but just enough functionality
and organization to where i'm not losing some of the smaller things in my multi-day trips so specs
i said lightweight very lightweight very durable bags they have rip stop and they're coated with
water repellent finish and so unless you're in an all-out downpour for days they're going to
keep your gear dry now you'll notice a feature that the two larger bags have that the little
one doesn't is roll tops that allows you to really expand this top out to maximize the use
of your space that's why i gravitate towards a little bit smaller one for multi-day hunts
because you can fit a lot of stuff in there and between the bag itself and the mainframe
plus you can strap other gear to the sides of the vapor series packs all of them have side straps
you can utilize the side pockets for spotting scopes water bottles coffee mugs tripods
trekking poles if you're not using them really the possibilities are endless you can even if
you don't want to add a scabbard which eberlestock offers as a accessory for the mainframes
too you can even put the butt of your gun down in those pockets strap it down tight for the hike in
or the hike out and it'll be secure you won't have to worry about it falling off your pack at all and
you keep your hands free for more efficient hiking especially with trekking poles one of the things i
love when you have these bags especially the vapor 25 and the vapor 50 zipped on to the main frame is
they are elevated just a little bit off of this base part of the frame off of the shelf
and so it allows you let's just say you want to go true minimalist you're going to take the vapor
25 in on say a three to five day hunt well you better make your space count you have
your essentials that you want to keep either protected or dry or organized in your little pack
and then underneath there you can stuff your your tent you can stuff your sleeping bag or
your sleeping pad or whatever combination gear and extra jacket that's another thing that's nice even
when you have all of your camp and in your your gear for the week in one of these two larger packs
you still have space for say a jacket underneath here for
inclement weather moving in when you're on the hike you don't have to open up your pack and dig
out everything and mess everything up and repack it you can just reach back there grab your rain
jacket and you'll quickly take off your pack put on your jacket and you're off and running again
extremely extremely efficient system they also have molle webbing on the back of all three of
them towards the top for lashing extra gear to them i tend to use carabiners a lot both on the
loops of the main frame if i'm not using those with actual mainframe bags that go on them and
also on my pack bags themselves i strap sometimes my headlamp or sometimes my water bottle if i'm
not using a hydration bladder and so it just keeps everything accessible right there easy to find
this particular main frame you if you're familiar with the mainframe you may notice this one looks a
little bit taller than normal this is the tall mainframe i'm six foot two i weigh 210 pounds
roughly depends on how many donuts i've eaten at the maverick gas station in the last few weeks but
around 210 pounds six foot two and i really needed just a little bit extra shoulder lift and so
glenn eberle the owner and designer of the eberly stock packs he came out with a tall mainframe
that's three and a half inches taller than the standard mainframe and it just allows me to get
that a little bit more functional shoulder lift that i was looking for especially and sometimes
you may not have your pack loaded exactly right and and that really messes with your balance and
your comfort when you have your pack on but the taller mainframe allowed me to cheat a little
bit just in case i didn't have everything just right so there's a look at there's a snapshot
look at the vapor series packs from eberlestock that are new for 2021 and you've got to check
them out they are definitely worth it they are made to fit almost any person's hunting style
and usage and and even if you don't have enough gear on your like when i was using this on our
high country mule deer hunt once we are day hunting i didn't need all that space
well with the compression straps on the side and on the main frame itself i essentially could
compress that thing down to a really small daypack and using these compression straps
form essential compartments to keep my gear organized at different levels in my pack
for more information on these packs and a ton of other offerings that everly stock has including
clothing and sleep systems and shooting systems i mean the list goes on and on with the amount of
skus that they carry make sure you head over to eberlestock.com i guarantee you won't regret it