ALPS OutdoorZ Backpacks
ALPS OutdoorZ has 7 backpacks on PackRanker, priced from $140 to $549.99. Compare the full lineup below.
Price is the point at ALPS OutdoorZ. It is the hunting arm of ALPS Brands, which Dennis Brune, a former Kelty designer, founded in Missouri in 1993 to make gear that outperforms its price. The hunting brand followed in 2007, and the family-owned company now runs from a 100,000 sq ft facility in New Haven, Missouri. These are the packs hunters buy when a carbon-frame system from a western maker is out of reach.
Frame design splits the lineup more than price does. The Commander + Pack Bag at $270 is the classic aluminum freighter, an external frame with a fold-out shelf, and the Commander Lite + Pack at $229.99 is its smaller, lighter sibling. The Traverse EPS at $229.99 puts an expanding bag on a tubular aluminum H frame, so a day load can grow to take meat. The X line is the newer, heavier tier: the Commander X + Pack is the flagship freighter and the most expensive ALPS pack, and the Hybrid X at $399.99 is its 45 L middle pack on the same ABS frame with dual aluminum stays. The Elite Frame + Pack Bag at $450 pairs a composite frame with a 63 L bag, and that frame takes other Elite bag sizes. The Pursuit at $140 is the day pack, with a single aluminum stay, a drop-down bow and rifle pocket and a blaze-orange rain cover in the box.
Owners consistently describe the original Commander as the budget pack-out tool, lashing 100+ lb loads to the frame over several seasons, though its clevis pins and rings jingle until they are taped. The Pursuit draws the opposite report: owners like the bow boot, and a rain cover comes in the box, but they say the harness collapses under real meat weight, so it is a day pack only. Elite owners note that its 3800 bag is a long-weekend size, not a week.
ALPS warrants its packs against defects for the life of the product, but only for the original purchaser with proof of purchase from an authorized dealer, so a used pack is not covered. Fit is the other thing to check before ordering a frame. The Commander's torso adjusts from 17 to 23 inches, while the Elite yoke reaches down to 14 inches for shorter and youth hunters but its standard belt starts at 31 inches, so slim hunters need the separately sold small belt.
Sources: alpsbrands.com, alpsbrands.com, alpsoutdoorz.com, alpsoutdoorz.com, alpsoutdoorz.com
ALPS OutdoorZ
ALPS OutdoorZ Commander + Pack Bag
The Commander + Pack Bag pairs ALPS OutdoorZ's aluminum freighter frame with a detachable 5,250 ci (86 L) ripstop bag, giving budget hunters a true meat-hauling system for a $269.99 list price. Strip the bag off and the frame's lashing system and fold-out shelf carry quarters solo. The torso adjusts from 17 to 23 inches, making it a popular loaner and first elk pack.
Weight
7.94 lbs
Capacity
86 L
Frame
External Frame
ALPS OutdoorZ
ALPS OutdoorZ Pursuit
The ALPS OutdoorZ Pursuit is one of the best-selling budget hunting day packs in America: 2,700 ci (44 L) of quiet brushed-tricot storage on a light aluminum frame, with a drop-down bow/rifle boot and an included blaze-orange raincover for $139.99. It's a fixture in Midwest treestand and spot-and-stalk deer hunting, though the suspension isn't built for packing quarters.
Weight
4.44 lbs
Capacity
44 L
Frame
Internal Frame
ALPS OutdoorZ
ALPS OutdoorZ Elite Frame + Pack Bag
The Elite system pairs ALPS OutdoorZ's 2023 NRA Golden Bullseye-winning composite frame ($249.99) with the 3,800 ci (63 L) Elite pack bag ($199.99) for $449.99 as a set. The frame carries a permanently attached load panel, removable MOLLE hip pockets and a 6-position adjustable yoke, and the bag hooks on with g-hooks rather than threaded webbing so it strips off in seconds for a meat haul. Minimum system weight is 5 lbs 13 oz in 500D PU-coated CORDURA.
Weight
5.8 lbs
Capacity
63 L
Frame
External Frame
Also in 30 L / 95 L
ALPS OutdoorZ
ALPS OutdoorZ Commander Lite + Pack
Lighter than ALPS OutdoorZ's Commander freighter, the Commander Lite + Pack is its smaller sibling: a 47 L (2,850 ci) bag on a lightweight aluminum frame, 6 lb 11 oz complete, for $229.99. Three extension straps form a lashing system for meat, and a drop-down gun boot carries a rifle.
Weight
6.7 lbs
Capacity
47 L
Frame
External Frame
ALPS OutdoorZ
ALPS OutdoorZ Commander X + Pack
ALPS OutdoorZ's new flagship freighter in the Extreme line is the Commander X. Compression wings and a lower shelf hold meat, and a rifle or bow rides in a drop-down pocket.
Weight
9.2 lbs
Capacity
66 L
Frame
External Frame
ALPS OutdoorZ
ALPS OutdoorZ Hybrid X
Sitting between the Pursuit and the Commander X, the Hybrid X is the 45 L (2,750 ci) middle pack of ALPS OutdoorZ's X line. It uses the same dual-aluminum-stay ABS frame as the Commander X, weighs 6 lb 12 oz (2 lb bag, 4 lb 12 oz frame) and sells complete for $399.99. A meat shelf, raincover and two hydration ports are standard.
Weight
6.8 lbs
Capacity
45 L
Frame
External Frame
ALPS OutdoorZ
ALPS OutdoorZ Traverse EPS
Meat hunters get an expanding bag in the Traverse EPS from ALPS OutdoorZ: 54 L (3,300 ci) day to day, and 74 L (4,500 ci) once its expandable section opens to take meat. It rides on a tubular aluminum H frame, weighs 7 lb 12 oz and costs $229.99. A raincover, hydration sleeve, hipbelt pockets and a weapon carry are standard.
Weight
7.8 lbs
Capacity
74 L
Frame
Internal Frame
ALPS OutdoorZ backpacks: common questions
Can the ALPS Pursuit carry out a deer?▾
Owners say no. The Pursuit has a single aluminum stay, no meat shelf and no load sling, and its harness collapses under real meat weight. It works well as a bow or rifle day pack, but a pack-out needs one of the frame packs.
Does the ALPS warranty transfer if I buy a used pack?▾
No. ALPS Brands covers defects in materials and workmanship for the life of the product, but only for the original purchaser with proof of purchase from an authorized dealer. Used items and purchases from unauthorized third-party sellers are excluded, as are wear and tear and accidental damage.
Is the Commander X worth twice the Commander's price?▾
Only if weight and fit matter more than budget. The Commander + Pack Bag at $270 is the long-running aluminum freighter frame with a detachable 86 L bag. The Commander X + Pack is the newer flagship, with a channeled ABS frame, dual aluminum stays and compression wings with a lower shelf for meat.