In our second season hunting we decided that we needed a hunting pack that we could pack meat out with, as our Red Head packs did not have any frame structure. Due to local availability and price we decided that the Eberlestock packs were a good choice. I ended up buying a J107 Dragonfly online (found a sale) for $275. The new version of this pack the Dragonfly II has an MSRP of $429 USD.
The J107 Dragonfly uses Eberlestock’s NT-1 micro fleece water resistant fabric, expands from 2900 cu-in to 4500 cu-in, and has an integrated gun scabbard. The pack utilizes and internal frame with aluminum stays. It also has a top lid that can be removed and converted to a lumbar daypack.
The pack is toted to be a very quiet, extremely durable and a good pack for carrying heavy loads. I agree with the first two however I was not happy with the placement of the load lifting straps and found the aluminum stays were not stiff enough.
In terms of price, Eberlestock bags would be a mid to high range pack, with Badlands and Red Head being the entry level and Mystery Ranch, Kuiu, Stone Glacier and Kifaru being the high end.
Pros of the Eberlestock J107 Dragonfly
- Good mid level pack price. It has the features of high price packs at an affordable price.
- Built in scabbard is quite convenient on pack ins and outs.
- Convertibility of the detachable lid. Was great to run as a hip pack during the day while game bird hunting.
- Very quiet fabric made very little noise moving through the bush.
Cons of the Eberlestock J107 Dragonfly
- Placement of the load lifting straps did little to reduce impacts of a heavy load.
- Overall weight, the pack is 9lbs 8oz empty. I find this to be quite heavy with no gear if you plan on using it in the backcountry.
- Aluminum stays are not stiff enough under heavy loads.
- Comfort of pack under heavy loads.
- Meat must be packed with gear for pack outs.
While the Eberlestock J107 Dragonfly was a great pack, after a few backpacking trips with 40-50 lbs pack weight we noticed that the load lifters did little to improve the load feel. The Aluminum stays are designed to be able to be “molded” to each user, which sounds great, however they are quite flexible because of this and do a poor job of keeping the load stiff. Having to pack out meat in the same compartment as your gear is a pain as keeping your gear blood free is very difficult and any measure to prevent blood from leaching into your gear will prevent the meat from breathing and cooling adequately.
Due to the discomfort of carrying the heavy loads and they overall weight of the pack we transitioned to the Stone Glacier Sky 5900 pack and so far love it.
It uses a pre-molded frame, has a load shelf so you can separate meat from gear and is extremely light. A full review will come soon!
As always if you have any questions for me let me know!
-R
