First Look: Browning's New Lumbar Hunting Pack

by
posted on February 27, 2015
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
lumbarpack.jpg

At the 2015 SHOT Show, Signature Products Group (SPG)—an official licensee of products for Browning—introduced a number of hunting packs. The one that caught my eye: the Browning Billy 1700RT Lumbar Hunting Pack, which boasts 1,700 cubic inches of storage space, handles heavy loads with ease and weighs a mere 2.5 pounds. Here are four things you need to know.

1. This hunting pack has “runnin’ and gunnin’” written all over it.
The Billy 1700RT features an industry-first, a Hypo-Sonic closure in place of a traditional, noisy zipper. The closure really is quiet, too. The pack’s woven Baumshell fabric is rated as nearly twice the strength and half the weight of traditional knitted pack fabrics, and is water resistant. Reinforced stitching at all stress points, too.

2. It's decidedly comfortable.
The weight you carry sits low on your back—the “lumbar” in the product’s name—which has two advantages I can think of. One, the "Center of Gravity" lumbar design lets you carry heavier loads with less fatigue. The shoulder straps are padded with high-density foam and the webbing connecting the shoulder straps to the pack is attached to the rear of the pack. This results in a more “upright” load in the pack, held tighter to your body, which should make this more comfortable than other lumbar packs I’ve tried.

Second, as I write this my lower back is still sore from a week’s worth of deer and hog hunting in Mississippi, much of it done from the ground. Even with a pad beneath me, and sitting against a tree trunk, my lower back got all twisted and tweaked. What I needed was…the Lumbar Hunting Pack!

3. It's easy on the lower back.
The pack is built with a semi-flexible, padded insert that curves up against your lower back.  With the waist belt firmly strapped in place, plus the weight and bulk of whatever I am carrying in the pack, my lower back will get much needed support on the ground or even in the narrow, frequently painful seats many ladder stands subject me to.

4. The packs are due in the stores by mid-summer.
My lower back has told me: You will have one in time for our fall hunts.

Latest

44 Mag HST LEDE
44 Mag HST LEDE

New for 2025: Federal’s Personal Defense HST .44 Rem. Mag.

Federal Ammunition has recently added a new HST .44 Remington Magnum “Light Magnum” load featuring a specially designed hollow-point bullet, ideal for those seeking HST performance for self-defense with magnum revolvers.

Utah Wildlife Board Updates

The Utah Wildlife Board approved a few new and updated rules, some of which are necessary after recent legislative changes—including the wildlife management area license requirement for certain counties and the new process for regulating hunting guides and outfitters—along with a few other proposals during a public meeting Thursday.

Member's Hunt: A Tale of Two Moose

This month's Member's Hunt comes from John R. Bean of Tucson, Ariz.

Breeding Duck Numbers Decline Again in ND

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s 78th-annual spring breeding duck survey conducted in May showed an index of about 2.66-million birds, down from 2.9 million in 2024 and 3.4 million in 2023.

2025-26 Pennsylvania Migratory Game Bird Seasons Set

Pennsylvania’s 2025-26 migratory game bird seasons have been set. There are two significant changes to waterfowl seasons. The regular season daily bag limit for Canada geese in the Atlantic Population Zone has decreased from three to one, and for northern pintail, there will be a flat daily bag limit of three.

New for 2025: Christensen Arms Evoke in 450 Bushmaster

Christensen Arms has announced the release of the Evoke rifle chambered in powerful 450 Bushmaster.

Interests



Get the best of American Hunter delivered to your inbox.