hey everybody Brandon Mason here with Eastman's hunting TV in Eastman's gear
lab today we're up in the high country western Wyoming for our second day of
the rifle season and we're looking at a couple new offerings that we're using on
this trip from eberlestock everybody knows we're big fans of Eberlestock
packs the things that he keeps coming out with I say he I mean Glen
Eberle is just game changes in the industry keeps adding new features
coming up new pack designs I'm taking a look at a couple of those today this is
the big top and this is the little big top now both are standalone packs but
the little big top can actually be used on the mainframe which is what i'm using
on this hunt itself and it zipper attaches to the side as well as using
the compression buckles if you so choose the mainframe comes with now you'll see
on a little big top there's a little bit of a gap the underneath the pack between
the pack and the frame foot and what that does is allows you to pack a jacket
or I personally keep my sleeping bag out there so I'll freeze up more room inside
my pack that I can use and organize my gear a little bit better a little more
efficiently and then I will use a waterproof pack cover to cover
everything during a rainstorm if that need arises not to my right we have the
big top as I mentioned now this is a standalone pack and what it utilizes for
a frame are the aluminum frame stays that you'll see in many eberlestock
packs you'll see it coming in the back of the pack right there and they're
fully moldable to fit the contour of the users back to get the best if possible
now both of these packs as you'll see have the ladder system that eberlestock
is used on many of their packs adjustable waist belts many features
that can suit the needs of almost any user now one of the features that we
really love about the little big top and the big top is where the packs actually
get their name from and that is from the roll-top feature that they have on the
top of the pack it buckles on each side to cinch it down and what it allows you
to do is to fully expand your gear load upwards and it really provides for a
much better balance load than a lot of the
packs you'll see on the market other features that they have are multiple
pockets on the inside to fully organize your gear or they're light enough to
where you can keep them inside your pack without having to worry about cutting
them out or anything if you want a true mental minimalist approach and you don't
have to utilize them at all and keep your gear as simple as possible so that
you don't forget which pockets you may or may not have put them in but if you
so choose the organization is definitely there there are 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
compartments plus 2 water bottle pockets on the outsides and then of course the
main compartment which you can get into through the roll top or through the
zippers in the middle
the big top has some of the same features as a little big top but with
some extras on it obviously it has a roll top that we talked about much more
organization internally it's a similar opening where you can access your gear
from this front panel or from the roll top it has a little mesh panel here with
straps to keep whatever gear or meat that you're hauling tightly against the
frame of the pack and also a sleeping bag compartment down on the bottom so
you can keep all your sleep sleeping pad your sleeping bag whatever you want to
for the evening secure and in a separate compartment down on the bottom now both
of these you can go on to eberlestock.com to find out more information and to
find out the most recent prices but they're both very reasonably priced and
super easy to use and this is the first major hunt that we're using them on this
year and we're loving them more and more by the day so there you have it the two
most recent offerings from our friends at Eberlestock don't forget to
subscribe to our youtube channel and to our e-newsletter at eastmans.com for
more helpful tips just like this to help you become a better backcountry hunter