By Charlie Benton
If you’ve paid even slight attention to our social media recently you’re aware I spent the better part of Georgia’s rifle season hunting an ever-elusive black bear I’ve named Sammy. How’d it go? The season ended this past Sunday and Sammy and I are both still alive. By all available metrics he’s not very big—but he’s in my spot so he’s the Chosen One, despite generous offers to hunt much larger bears in neighboring states.
After pouring over books and forums, contacting and questioning authors, listening to podcasts, and watching hours of videos, I had a pretty solid idea of the gear necessary to both hunt Sammy and efficiently tote him out the Blue Ridge Mountains. I now have it on good authority from a mulleted mountain man that a proper bear bag includes rope, at least two pieces of broom handle, and a saw capable of cutting through bear bone. It was quickly apparent that I’d need an upgraded hunting pack. This realization was followed by research which resulted in me ordering Eberlestock’s X1 Euro Pack.
A primary draw for choosing this internal frame pack is the ability to remove the division between the upper and lower main compartments creating a one large central compartment to accommodate for larger items. The pack can be loaded either from the top or front—allowing easy access to gear when the bag is partitioned. There’s an additional external zippered pocket on top as well as two more on the bottom and three compression straps to cinch it all down.
The X1 Euro has a roomy built-in rifle scabbard, the bottom of which folds up and tucks out of the way when not in use. Eberlestock also included a designated compartment for a hydration bladder with an opening for the hydration tube. Not counting the scabbard, the X1 Euro boasts 2100 cubic inches of storage capacity.
Hunters buy high-quality gear because it stands up to harsh use. I toted my X1 Euro for miles in sticky Georgia heat, pouring rain, and late season snow. I pushed, pulled, and twisted it between rocks, through densely packed mountain laurel and rhododendron, and used it as a seat, a shooting rest, and a pillow on stone, mud, and hard-packed red clay. The highly water-resistant NT7 microfleece material is super quiet and appears no worse for wear after my abuse.
Engineers and designers no doubt get frustrated when writers and consumers fail to mention certain details they likely spent months developing. There are some features that are so seamless when perfected that they are easy to overlook. However, if these features are done incorrectly, everyone bitches. To this end, I’d be remiss to not mention the insanely comfortable suspension system on the X1 Euro that allows you to easily carry much heavier loads for longer periods of time than other packs. Well done, Eberlestock.
All my time spent trekking around and familiarizing myself with the ridges and valleys of the North Georgia mountains this year has me feeling pretty confident for 2025’s bear season. While I’m not sure which rifle I’ll be toting this fall when I finally put Sammy on the ground, I know what pack I’ll have on my back.
Cost: $269
Pros: Versatile without being complicated, fabric is quiet and rugged, plenty of storage, incredibly comfortable even with heavy loads, very reasonably priced
Cons: None
