Eberlestock Backpacks

Glen Eberle skied biathlon for the US at the 1984 Winter Olympics and flew fighter jets in the Air Force before turning to gear, and the rifle is still at the center of what his Boise, Idaho company makes. Its first patented packs carried a rifle in a built-in scabbard, and according to Idaho Press roughly half of sales still go to military and law-enforcement users, half to hunters. The company dates its design work to 1985; the business itself was set up in Boise in 2002.

Eberlestock builds packs two ways. The X2 is a complete pack, 40 L on an integrated Intex aluminum frame with a fold-down seat, MOLLE on the body for the Bolt Action Scabbard and a quiet microsuede face for still-hunting. The Brooks 3500 and the Vapor 5000 are attachment bags only, with no harness or hipbelt, built to ride on the Mainframe II or the newer Modframe, which Eberlestock released in June 2025 with more harness padding, taller load lifters and a new torso adjustment. That is why the Brooks 3500 costs $189 while the Modframe + Vapor 5000 combination comes to $568: a frame-based system is a frame plus a bag, and pack-outs work by strapping meat between the two.

Owners describe the X2 moving elk quarters season after season but warn that its one-size harness and lack of load lifters suit short-to-average torsos, with the shoulders doing most of the work under heavy loads. Brooks owners say the bag rides well on the Mainframe but name the rigid tubular frame and one-size hipbelt as the line's weak points, and one owner measured its true volume short of the stated 3,500 cubic inches. Eberlestock's lifetime warranty covers defects in materials and workmanship, but buckles are guaranteed for only one year. Check stock on the X2 before planning a season around it: in October 2026 both versions showed as unavailable on Eberlestock's own store.