game bags, Caribou Gear really worth it?

[TheSleepyHunter]

i'll be on my first muley backpacking hunt at the end of the month in UT. The places my friend and I have scouted are 4.5+miles in, no horses so we'll be packing out the meat if we're lucky enough to be successful. I've checked out Caribou Gear bags, I'm one that doesn't mind paying more money for better products. Are they really worth it? If so, which set would you recommend knowing we'll de-bone the meat?

 

[Elkhunter24]

TheSleepyHunter please let me know if you do buy some and how they work. I have been looking at buying them myself, but didn't know if they were worth it.

 

[beagle001]

I'm looking at getting the Kuiu bags myself. Figure if the direct-to-consumer bid is legit, then they're worth more than what I'm paying for them.

 

[wytex]

We bought some at a game show and they are good. Very lightweight. I would not hang the bags by their own ties or tabs, I tied a rope around the top of the bag or just use them for transport to my camp. Watch Camofire to see if they put some on sale. We have had and used ours for about 5 years now. Give them a cold water bleach wash before first use. We have the set with the large quarter bags and the smaller boned out meat bags. Pricey if bought at retail .

 

[LuketheDog]

I've had really good luck with the Allen game bags, they're similar to the Caribous but cost less.

 

[Wrong Burgundy]

I use the Caribou "Wapiti" set, and it has handled elk, deer and antelope with no problems. The fabric is pretty tough, and as mentioned earlier, I don't hang quarters, etc. from the bag itself, but a small loop of para-cord looped through the tendon or just girth-hitched around the top section takes the brunt of the weight. They wash up very quickly, and you can get nearly 100% of the blood, etc. out of them just with a good rinsing. I wash them with no scent soap to get them really clean and scent free. 18 oz. for the whole kit, which will handle an entire quartered elk. I throw in several sections of para-cord, some flagging and 2 pairs of latex gloves, and I am all set for any animal I am lucky enough to take.

 

[HighDesertSage]

Are they really worth it? If so, which set would you recommend knowing we'll de-bone the meat?

Yes, and Wapiti

 

[Bambistew]

I'm looking at getting the Kuiu bags myself. Figure if the direct-to-consumer bid is legit, then they're worth more than what I'm paying for them.

Are their prices for one bag?

I have a couple caribou bags, they work as advertised... they are not wolverine proof though.

I have about 20 TAG bags of varying size. The Allan Bags seem like a good buy.

Stay away from the "Alaskan Game Bag" that are basically stretchy cheese cloth. They are useless, blow flies can lay eggs through them, and they offer very little protection from much outside grass and large debris.

One thing about quality game bags is they last a really long time if you take care of them.

 

[npaden]

Several other folks have seen the market that Caribou and TAG brands have been getting and have jumped into the fray on these. Black Ovis (retail side of Camofire) has their own brand now and you can pick up a set of 4 or 5 bags on Camofire for $35 or $40 fairly regularly.

I have the Caribou brand bags and they are worth it, fabric is durable but breathable, very easy to clean and reuse, I really like the reflective tags on them to help find the bags in the dark, etc.

I ruined a couple bags and needed to buy some replacements and bought some of the Black Ovis bags to try them out. They look well made and very similar fabric but I haven't had them in the field to try them out yet.

My 2 cents. Nathan

 

[wolfpup]

Used my first Caribou Gear bag for my antelope hunt this weekend and I loved it. I used an elk size quarter for the entire antelope (quartered). For boned out meat I would get the small size! Super strong and kept the majority of blood off my pack. I am soaking them today and will be washing tonight. Definitely worth it.

 

[WapitiBob]

The caribou wapiti set are slightly smaller than the Allen back country lightweight bags if comparing weights. Both works fine and cleanup is impressive.

 

[sneakypete]

I have the moose set, they work great. I rinse them in a tub of water and they clean up amazingly. I bought Pristine Ventures bags, pretty much the same. Search them. I haven't been over to seen KUIU's yet but I like the zipper on the boned out bags.

 

[beagle001]

Are their prices for one bag?

Yes, I misunderstood when looking on their site. Seems like not quite as good of a deal now.

 

[Irrelevant]

I'm a huge believer in the Caribou bags, I'm loaded two elk and two deer in the same set, they clean and reuse great. Though I'm probably halfway through the expected life span of them. I haven't used the other higher end bags they me be equally as good.

 

[Cody_Frankum]

Caribou bags are really nice, the TAG bags are very good too! The Allen bags have a habit of falling apart and they still allow the flies to lay eggs on the meat. I have the Carnivore II bags and they work great, fit a boned out elk perfectly. They have redone the sizes and changed them to the Carnivore III, they are probably a better size for packing out meat. I used both caribou and tag bags last week on a moose and they both worked real good. The material is slightly different, the Tag bags feel more like a nylon slicker material and the caribou feels a little softer like cotton.

But if you are planning on using these to pack boned out meat get the TAG Bomb bags or the Caribou Carnivore III. I do not think there is another bag out there that is able to protect the meat as good, all other bags I have used lets dirt and and bugs on the meat.

 

[MThorseshoer]

After much debate I bought a set of TAG bags. Used them for the first time last sunday to put an antelope in. We quartered the antelope in camp, put 4 quarters in one bag with room to spare and carried it 25 yards to the cooler and then 25 yards from the cooler to my kitchen that evening. After that I discovered a TEAR in the bag. I am very disappointed and have tried to get in touch with them but have yet to hear back. I have heard nothing but good things about TAG bags and am hoping their customer service is just busy and working to get back to be. Either way I am not satisfied with TAG this go around!

 

[A-5_Guy]

I have the Caribou Game Bags set for a "moose" I believe. I used them to pack out 3 pronghorns on my recent trip. They performed great, as expected, and the clean up was easy as well. I rinsed them in some water and let them air dry and upon returning home washed them in the washing machine with a bit of oxyclean. They're white as white can be and have no blood stains or foul odor. I also liked that they came in a handy carrying bag with game tags and even a set of nitrile gloves.

 

[wytex]

We use our's only for packing, we have some canvas game bags that we use for everything thing other than a long pack out. They are really strong and keep the meat pretty clean. Most have draw string tops you can hang the bags by. 8-10 ounce canvas bags will last a long time.

 

[vanish]

Thrifted large pillow cases haven't failed me yet.

 

[Cody_Frankum]

There was a bad batch of bags that came out with some questionable quality and some seams were coming undone, Larry took care of those folks very quickly. I'm betting Larry is just busy hunting or something but he will get back to you soon. TAG bags are usually very bomb proof but they did have a bad batch that you may have gotten one of.

After much debate I bought a set of TAG bags. Used them for the first time last sunday to put an antelope in. We quartered the antelope in camp, put 4 quarters in one bag with room to spare and carried it 25 yards to the cooler and then 25 yards from the cooler to my kitchen that evening. After that I discovered a TEAR in the bag. I am very disappointed and have tried to get in touch with them but have yet to hear back. I have heard nothing but good things about TAG bags and am hoping their customer service is just busy and working to get back to be. Either way I am not satisfied with TAG this go around!