Badlands Backpacks
Badlands has 5 backpacks on PackRanker, priced from $190 to $400. Compare the full lineup below.
A mountaineering pack painted green for a hunting trip is how Badlands became a hunting brand. The company started in 1992 in a Salt Lake City storage unit making mountaineering packs, an employee gave one that coat of paint, and by 1994 the company had launched the 2200, the day-and-a-half deer pack that carried the brand for three decades. Badlands says it has offered an unconditional lifetime warranty from the start, and that promise, plus quiet brushed fabrics for close-range bowhunting, is what the red bull skull logo is known for.
The lineup falls into a few families. The MRK 2 at $400 is the day-size meat hauler of the MRK series, on a magnesium internal frame with adjustable torso length. The ATX 25 at $260 heads the All-Terrain Xtreme line, with a built-in blaze-orange meat shelf on a lighter aluminum frame. The Vario 33 is a $180 bag in a modular system where the bag and frame are sold separately, and the number is cubic inches rather than liters, so the Vario 33 holds 54 L. The rest are specialists: the zipperless Rise at $200 for treestand and saddle hunters, the 3D at $250 for archery competition with arrow quivers on both sides, and the Monster at $190, a lumbar pack with a removable shoulder harness.
Headline volumes count every batwing and accessory pocket. The 2200's main bag is about 1,980 ci against a 2,750 ci total, and the Superday's 1,950 ci counts its many small pockets the same way. Fabric noise is the other split: owners call the Rise the quietest pack they have used, while ATX 25 reviewers find its weatherproof two-layer fabric crinkly at close range. MRK 2 reviewers report comfortable 50-70 lb meat loads, and elk guides describe Monsters lasting 10-12 years of hard use.
Two things to check before buying. The 2200, Superday, Diablo VT and the Vario frame no longer appear on Badlands' own store, so those are now retailer-stock purchases. And the warranty is broad but worded more carefully than its reputation: Badlands covers defects for the life of the product and says it will do its best to repair rips and tears from hunting, which is a promise to try rather than a guarantee for field damage. Owners report decade-old packs fixed or replaced free.
Sources: badlandsgear.com, badlandsgear.com, badlandsgear.com, badlandsgear.com, badlandsgear.com
Badlands
Badlands MRK 2
The MRK 2 is the day-size meat hauler in Badlands' MRK (Mountain Range Killer) series, built around a stiff, lightweight Allite Super Magnesium internal frame with the Strata suspension and an adjustable torso. A Quick-Deploy meat-hauling shelf, built-in bow/rifle carry, and MOLLE Connect webbing make it a load-ready western day pack at 2,400 cubic inches.
Weight
5 lb 8 oz
Capacity
39 L (2,400 cu in)
Frame
Internal Frame
Also in MRK 4 (65 L)
Badlands
Badlands ATX 25
The ATX 25 tops Badlands' All-Terrain Xtreme lineup with 2,500 cubic inches, a lightweight internal T-6 aluminum frame, molded foam suspension, and a built-in blaze-orange meat shelf. At 3.85 lb it is one of the lighter framed haulers Badlands makes, and it stays compatible with the brand's SWAP accessory system, Bino Connect harnesses, and hydration reservoirs.
Weight
3.85 lb
Capacity
41 L (2,500 cu in)
Frame
Internal Frame
Also in ATX 12 (20 L) / ATX 16 (26 L)
Badlands
Badlands 3D
A 1,400 ci pack born from 3D archery competition, with quick-access arrow quivers on both sides, a bow boot with external straps for hands-free bow carry, and contoured extra-padded shoulder straps shaped to stay out of your shooting motion. Note: despite sometimes being pitched as a turkey/timber pack, Badlands designed and markets it for 3D archery events - and it doubles as an archery day pack.
Weight
3.2 lb
Capacity
23 L (1,400 ci)
Frame
Internal Frame
Badlands
Badlands Rise
A whitetail treestand and saddle-hunting daypack built around the zipperless Swiftlatch opening system with quiet Fidlock magnetic fasteners. The 900 ci semi-rigid bag holds its shape so you can find gear one-handed at height, and a reinforced hanging loop plus magnetic front panel keep the main door open in the tree. Includes one modular SWAP grid for customizing interior storage.
Weight
2.3 lb
Capacity
15 L (900 ci)
Frame
Internal Frame
Badlands
Badlands Monster
A 1,100 ci lumbar/backpack hybrid that carries its load on the hips via a Delron Flex Frame and molded foam suspension, with a removable adjustable shoulder harness for backpack-style carry. Seven pockets, KXO-32 fabric with aramid bartacking, and 1L hydration compatibility round out a hip pack Badlands insists is more than a fanny pack.
Weight
2 lb 12 oz
Capacity
18 L (1,100 ci)
Frame
Internal Frame
Badlands
Badlands 2200
The Badlands 2200 is arguably the best-known whitetail and mule deer pack in America, a 2,750 ci (45 L) day-and-a-half bag built around a blaze-orange meat shelf and a lightweight Allite Super Magnesium frame. It pairs batwing-style organization and a rifle/bow carry system with Badlands' famous unconditional lifetime warranty. It excels as a loaded day pack, though the western backcountry crowd taps out well before triple-digit loads.
Weight
5.6 lbs
Capacity
45 L
Frame
Internal Frame
Badlands
Badlands Vario 33
The Vario 33 is the do-it-all 3,300-cubic-inch bag in Badlands' modular Vario frame system, made from lightweight waterproof KXO-50 fabric with a wide-mouth opening and side-access zippers. Note the pricing: the bag alone is $179.99 and has no harness, and the Vario Pro Frame it needs is no longer listed on badlandsgear.com, so a complete system means finding a frame at a retailer or secondhand.
Weight
2 lb 4 oz (bag only, frame sold separately)
Capacity
54 L (3,300 cu in)
Frame
External Frame
Also in Vario Day (33 L) / Vario 22 (44 L) / Vario 50 (82 L)
Badlands
Badlands Diablo VT
The successor to the popular Diablo Dos, redesigned with Badlands' Strata Suspension System, a ventilated Hypervent back panel, and a MOLLE Connect accessory attachment system. The 2,100 ci bag includes a stowable rifle/bow boot, a reverse-tightening waistbelt, and hydration compatibility up to 3L. Bino Connect compatible with the optional kit.
Weight
4 lb 6 oz
Capacity
34 L (2,100 ci)
Frame
Internal Frame
Badlands
Badlands Superday
The Superday is Badlands' iconic hunting day pack, carried by hunters worldwide for over a decade and backed by one of the biggest review bases in the category. Its contoured hip belt lets the 1,950-cubic-inch pack carry like a frame pack, with molded memory-foam suspension, a built-in rifle/bow boot, and a hip-belt pistol holster.
Weight
3 lb 12 oz
Capacity
32 L (1,950 cu in)
Frame
Internal Frame
Badlands backpacks: common questions
Does the Badlands warranty cover damage from hunting?▾
Badlands calls it an unconditional lifetime warranty and covers defects in materials and workmanship for the life of the product. For rips and tears from field use it says it will do its absolute best to repair the pack, and owners report even decade-old packs repaired or replaced free.
Why is the Vario 33 bigger than 33 liters?▾
Badlands names its Vario bags in cubic inches, so the Vario 33 holds 3,300 cubic inches, about 54 liters. The bag has no harness of its own and rides on a separately sold Vario frame, which Badlands no longer lists on its own store, so confirm you can source one before ordering the bag.
Which Badlands pack can carry out a deer?▾
The MRK 2 and ATX 25 have built-in meat-hauling, and the Vario bags ride on a frame. The Rise, 3D and Monster are day and treestand packs with no meat shelf, so a successful hunt means a second trip or a different pack.