Stone Glacier Terminus review

Well just before leaving for my sheep hunt I got the opportunity to take this pack on the trip. I'll be honest I was a bit skeptical trying something new on a trip this big, especially with it being the thing that could make or break your body if it didn't fit or feel right loaded. My first impression was man this is light and can this thing really carry weight at all? I have MR packs but have only used their internal frame model sheep hunting and not the Nice frame with a 6500 which I was intending on using this trip. I was told that the 6500 with the Nice frame would be a huge improvement over the pack I had used in the past but I didn't end up using it.
Back to the Stone Glacier bag. The Terminus is a single compartment bag with the exception of the lid pocket. This took some getting used to as far as packing gear. Because camp was on your back you learned quick to keep things you needed to get out when stopping towards the top ( ie food, water filter, extra clothes). We went in with about 45-50 pounds loaded with a rifle. The padding on the shoulders and straps did feel different on my body than my Crew cab but it didn't take long to make it not noticeable. One thing I did like was the ease to adjust the shoulder straps via the Velcro hook and loop that they are attached with. I had no issues with this separating or anything else like some might imagine even with 70-80 pounds. I have to say that not until the last hour of the pack out did I ever have any shoulder pain or pinching. It honestly felt great. (No pack with that much weight will feel great after 4+ hours.) The hip belt feels different than a MR one and at times I felt like it wasn't holding the weight like it should but the crazy thing is that my shoulders weren't feeling the load so it must of just been the feel that I wasn't used to and that it really was doing it's job. Even to the end it felt different but it wasn't uncomfortable and worked so I give it credit.
I will say that when you first try the pack on empty it might feel a bit "rigid or flat" on your back but when loaded with weight and properly adjusted it felt great and that feeling was gone. It is a crazy light pack and you will notice that. I was dying to give the whole load shelf thing a try as this is the huge selling point for me with this pack. It was the last night of my hunt that I was lucky enough to have a ram present it's self and I got one. I will continue on another page.

You really hate us tenderfoot easterners, I'm on my way to bed and you start this thread. My work may suffer over this tomorrow...

Like I said I was lucky enough to get a sheep so I got my wish of trying out the load shelf. Man was that slick! I bought a dry bag to keep the meat in and to keep it from leaking all over the pack. It was easy to separate the bag and load the meat into the load sling. I reviewed the online videos multiple times before I left so that I felt comfortable taking the thing apart. They have put all the straps in well thought out places. The whole load was easy to cinch and compress back down. I loved not having the meat just sitting in a lump in the main compartment of the bag. I usually have run out of room in the bag because of all the gear you need to take and this whole set up allows you to do it all. Really slick for sure. Once it compressed and loaded, the meat just stayed nice and flat against my back the whole trip. The lid easily detaches and makes it so you can cinch down the horns or antlers on top.
The thing I didn't do was take a camel back and so I had to take the pack off each time I wanted water which was annoying but my fault. It has a place for the water tube and is set up for a camel back type bladder. There is no outside pocket for a water bottle so I would go the bladder route next time.
The thing I would do different If I had this pack would be buying the extra bag attachment they sell to hold your spotter and extra gear. This would of been icing on the cake for this setup. Kudos to Stone Glacier for already thinking of this and making it an option.
I can't give you a review on durability obviously. While I have no doubts it will hold up only time would tell this. The material is lighter weight than a MR pack but still felt plenty tough. They do have a different material for the bottom of the bag and load shelf area that seems to be of "tougher" material. I had no buckle issues as far as breaking or anything. I think because it has so many points of compression that it really takes the stress off of any one buckle. Again well thought out.
I guess in the end if you haven't already gotten a MR or similar type pack I wouldn't hesitate to go this route. In fact as far as the Crew Cab versus the Stone Glacier Solo I would easily choose the Solo which has all the features I just described in this bag but with more zipper access to the bag. The Solo wouldn't have been near big enough for this hunt and I'm so glad I got to try this bag out. It is as good as it looks. It really is a minimalist bag so if your looking for pockets and zippers then this isn't your bag but if your looking for a lightweight load hauler this is the ticket. Here are some more picts of the pack in action.
Loading the load shelf with meat .

All loaded and down to the bottom

Another close up

That's pretty awesome, congrats on the ram! Looks like you are going to have to change your signature.

Very nice!

Oak said:

That's pretty awesome, congrats on the ram! Looks like you are going to have to change your signature.

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Not the reason!

Sweet ram, don't care about pack, hero shots please.

Dinkshooter said:

Sweet ram, don't care about pack, hero shots please.

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I've got to get writing the story. Patience young grasshopper

Congrats on a great ram and thanks for the writeup! I've been waiting for one on a SG bag.

Oak said:

Looks like you are going to have to change your signature.

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Holding true to my roots I used my Walmart trekking poles and nylon stuff sacks. I'm still legit

Congrats! Looking forward to the story!

Congrats on a great Ram! Good write up on the pack, I don't care what Dink says...

thanks!

Thanks for the SG "review" ! My buddy and I both bought the SG Solo for our first backpacking elk hunt in a month. We are hoping to get all of our gear for a 7 day hunt in them since we will be sharing a few items. Gonna be tight, I can tell already, but it will force us to minimize. We are planning to put our food in a bag on the load shelf for the trip in, and hopefully have meat on it on the way out. Looking forward to reading about your sheep hunt! Congrats on the ram!

Grats on the ram!

Congrats on the ram and thanks for the write-up!

Congrats on the sheep, and the pack review is nice. But come on quit playing around and show us some pics!

It looks like you might have used the Kifaru gunbearer instead of the SG sling? I'm curious how well the SG sling works.

Does everyone get a free pair of Crocs with it or just the special folks like yourself?

Great writeup! There sure are a plethora of good backpacks now on the market. 'Course any loaded with a sheep I shot would be SWEET! Congrats.

Oak said:

It looks like you might have used the Kifaru gunbearer instead of the SG sling? I'm curious how well the SG sling works.

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Oak this was my first time using a gunbearer and it worked well. It was so last minute with getting to borrow the pack that I didn't have a chance to round up anymore of the SG accessories. My gun took a beating in the gunbearer though. The problem is that anytime you want to rest which is mostly sitting on rocks up there the gun stock sits lower and you bang it up. To avoid this meant you had to take it off each time.

Mdunc I don't think the crocs come with the pack. I sure like having them to slip on once we are set to camp. Takes the heat off the feet and yet you still can walk around camp.

That is a load 'boy! Great stuff as always!
#jealous