If you are a hunter, you understand the difficulty of bringing everything you need into the field so you are as prepared as possible. Even if you’re only a couple hundred yards from your truck, that can feel like miles when you have a downed deer in the dark. So, if possible, it is preferred to have all of your precious gear with you. The next enigma that appears is having a hunting pack that is actually designed, built, and developed for hunters and huntresses. There are hundreds of tactical backpacks, range bags, and uninspiring children’s school bags everywhere you look, but we – as hunters – want a hunting pack made for us and our needs. That is where Badlands Gear comes into the picture. They have crafted an actual hunting pack to take us to the finish line. So, today we are going to take a look at the Badlands ATX 16 Hunting Pack (All-Terrain Xtreme) to see how it performs out in the field. Let’s dive in!
Badlands Coverage on AllOutdoor
- Badlands Announces the Launch of NEW Rise Pro Fleece Hunting Apparel
- NEW Badlands Gear UV Hoodie: Hot-Weather Adventure Ready
- Badlands Gear Ultralight Packable Jacket & Vest plus ATX Pack Colors
- Badlands All-Terrain Xtreme ATX Hunting Packs – Cargo Convenience
Specifications – Badlands ATX 16 Hunting Pack (All-Terrain Xtreme)
The Badlands ATX 16 Hunting Pack (All-Terrain Xtreme) has an MSRP of $179.99 placing it in a comfortable territory of being not too expensive yet being pricey enough that it will afford you quality. The Badlands ATX 16 Hunting Pack (All-Terrain Xtreme) specific pack we will be looking at today is in their Mud colorway, but they also have this pack available in Approach GT (Ground & Timber) and Approach OG (Original Green) which are their in-house camouflage patterns.
- Dimensions: 10″ x 13″ x 21″
- Weight: 2.8 Lb
- Volume: 1,600 Cubic Inches
- Lightweight
- Durable 2-Layer Fabric
- Internal HD Frame Sheet for Structure
- C0 Water-Repellent Finish
- Side and Front Compression Straps
A Word from Badlands about their ATX 16 Hunting Pack (All-Terrain Xtreme)
Badlands is pretty excited to bring their ATX 16 Hunting Pack (All-Terrain Xtreme) to market with even more colorways available for hunters to suit it exactly to the environment they live and/or intend to hunt. They elaborate on the hunting pack and some of their excitement via their press release statement below:
The ATX 16 hunting pack is the mid-size option from our All-Terrain Xtreme (ATX) pack lineup, and features our first ever removable waistbelt for greater versatility on a wide variety of hunts and situations. Hauling more weight than expected? Use the waistbelt to redistribute that weight to your hips. Just a quick lightweight trip? Remove the waistbelt for an easy and streamlined carry. Tailor this pack to the needs of your hunt with multiple customizable features. It’s also compatible with Badlands hydration reservoirs, our SWAP accessory system and Bino Connect bino harnesses.
The Support that You Need – Unconditional Lifetime Warranty
One nice element about the ATX 16 Hunting Pack (All-Terrain Xtreme) before we deep-dive into this review is the fact that Badlands stands behind their product with an Unconditional Lifetime Warranty. That basically tells you from the outset that you will probably never need to use the warranty – simply because it exists – plus, Badlands cares enough about their customers and their products to support you for the entire tenure of you owning the product. They expand on that below:
We’re not into fine print, so our Unconditional Lifetime Warranty is simple. If you’re not satisfied with a piece of gear, we’ll refund or exchange it. If you break it, we’ll fix or replace it. Doesn’t matter what it is, how it happened, or whether or not your brother-in-law was involved. You’re covered for life.
What’s the Upsell? What’s the Elevator Pitch?
The Badlands ATX 16 Hunting Pack (All-Terrain Xtreme) is mindfully crafted with storage pockets and a construction that hunters will appreciate, but that – in and of itself – isn’t “the hook” for this hunting pack. The sales pitch or 30-second elevator pitch comes in through the modularity of this hunting pack where you can add a hydration reservoir, it features a removeable waistbelt, and Badlands’ SWAP System. All traits that you can tailor so this hunting pack fits and serves you better out in the field.
- Hydration Reservoir Compatible
- SWAP System Compatible
- Removable Waistbelt
Field Use – Badlands ATX 16 Hunting Pack (All-Terrain Xtreme)
So, how did the Badlands ATX 16 Hunting Pack (All-Terrain Xtreme) perform out in the field? I brought this hunting pack with me while I was baiting and hunting black bear in Minnesota throughout August and September. The months of August and September can be extremely squirrelly in my home state of Minnesota because you could experience balmy heat of 80 degrees during the day and lows potentially in the 30s at night and everything in between. So, I had in this hunting pack a neck gaiter to combat mosquitoes, extra snacks, gutting gloves, knives, screw-in tree climbing pegs, and lots more. The pack was weighted-down and heavy, but with the waistbelt, I could displace the weight from my back and shoulders and let it ride on my pelvic girdle.
I appreciated how spacious it was on the inside because I could not only bring all of that aforementioned gear with me out in the field, but I also could stow away an extra pair of hiking boots. So, if I needed heavy-duty boots for water and swampy terrain, I could don those. If I had easier terrain to cover, I could switch into some lighter boots for faster travel. This was very handy in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness of Northern Minnesota where I hunted.
While it is difficult to review or gauge the durability of a hunting pack over the course of only a couple months, I never saw any peculiar wear or break-down of the zippers, fabric, buckles, nothing. Other than the black bear hunting that I did (unfortunately, I never harvested one because I never saw one on stand), I also used this hunting pack to do whitetail deer scouting closer to home in central Minnesota. This entailed simple activities like hauling AA batteries out to trail cameras, tending cattle on my family’s ranch, and other farm chores. All of which were no challenge to the Badlands ATX 16 Hunting Pack (All-Terrain Xtreme). It passed all of my outdoor activities with flying colors.
Departing Thoughts
So, what are my final thoughts on the Badlands ATX 16 Hunting Pack (All-Terrain Xtreme) in its Mud colorway?… Did it sink?… Or, swim?… In all of my use and testing of this hunting pack, it passed with flying colors. It does everything I asked of it, is durable, and not overly expensive compared to other hunting packs on the market today. The only thing it couldn’t do is brew me my morning coffee (the search continues…).
In closing, I want to say thank you to Badlands for allowing AllOutdoor and myself the opportunity to try out their Badlands ATX 16 Hunting Pack (All-Terrain Xtreme). That is greatly appreciated. Also, we would like to know what all of you guys and gals think? Do you believe that the Badlands ATX 16 Hunting Pack (All-Terrain Xtreme) is something worth spending your money on? Would you deploy one on a hunt? Utilize it for scouting? Or, setting up hunting stands before season? As always, let us know all of your thoughts about Badlands and the ATX 16 Hunting Pack (All-Terrain Xtreme) in the Comments below! We always appreciate your feedback.
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