Peregrine Venture Bucket Pack Hunting Bucket Backpack Combo

I collect rocks. Lots of rocks. Like probably way more rocks than I need. But when I'm in the middle of a dig site and I find a nice specimen of agate, or obsidian, or petrified wood, and then another, and another, and another, it can get really hard to stop. I admit that I am powerless over my rock collecting!The challenge with rockhounding often isn't so much finding the material as it is getting it home. Collection sites are often hundreds of yards from where you parked your car, sometimes much farther, and lugging a bucket full of rocks, with the handle biting into your hands, is unergonomic at best, if not outright painful and exhausting. Fabric backpacks are often too small for the quantities of rocks I gather on a given outing, and they run the risk of being torn open by the sharp rocks placed in them.I recently went to an agate dig site with my gem club. The location was around a half-mile or so from the parking area, and other club members had recently found single agates weighing between 10 and 20 pounds, so I knew regular buckets and backpacks weren't going to work for me. I needed a combination of both, so I bought a Peregrine Venture Bucket Pack.OMG! It was just what the doctor ordered!When I left my car, I had two bottles of water in the pack's insulated pouches, most of my dig tools stashed in the 5-gallon bucket inserted in the pack, and a small crowbar strapped to the outside. Altogether, it weighed about ten pounds, and my gear alone was enough to fill a small knapsack.Hoisted on my shoulders, the Peregrine pack was barely noticeable, and I still had a LOT of capacity available for my agatey finds. Better still, because I didn't have to carry a bucket by hand, both of my hands were free, making it much easier to negotiate several extremely muddy portions of the trail in, as well as crossing a couple of small streams.When I arrived at the dig site, an extremely steep and rocky slope, I set the bucket pack down in a central location while I searched for a place to dig. While I was looking, another member of my club accidentally bumped my pack, sending it tumbling about 100' down the slope. When I recovered it, it was dirty, but otherwise completely undamaged.After several hours of digging, I collected around 45 pounds of agate and common opal, include one 7.5 pound black and red agate. Now for the real test.The total weight of the pack was now around 55 pounds. I'm not as buff as I once was, so I couldn't properly lift it over my head to get my arms through the straps. Instead, I set the pack on a largish boulder that let me put on the straps while already halfway standing. Straps on shoulders, I snapped the connecting clip between the shoulder straps together, and stood up.My first thought was, "Wow, this is surprisingly comfortable." With 55 pounds of rocks and equipment on my back, I had been concerned that the pack would dig into my spine. I needn't have worried. The pack was well padded and caused no discomfort. With a slight adjustment to the shoulder straps, the bucket settled comfortably on my mid-back, feeling very secure and well-balanced.The hike back out was slow going because another member ahead of me had young children, and when I finally reached my car, the pack still felt comfortable on both my back and shoulders.Honestly, I was a bit surprised that this worked out as well as it did. It was designed to carry game, not rocks, after all, but it turned out to be the perfect tool for hauling out large amounts of additions to my collection. The Peregrine Venture Bucket Pack has totally enabled my rockhounding addiction!One last thing: Although I didn't need to do it on this trip, I REALLY like that you can swap out the bucket in the pack for another one. That means I can take one load of rocks to my car, take out the full bucket and replace it with an empty one, then go back for another load, all without having to worry about straining my hands or shoulders through carrying buckets by their handles.This pack really makes hauling large amounts of rocks and minerals easy. It is a must-have for any serious rockhound!

Great quality. Great not only for dove hunting, but for all-round use on the job. As an arborist, it's great for toting tools around on foot from tree to tree, especially for tasks that involve work low around the tree base/trunk as it offers a handy place to sit. Mine stays in my truck most of the time.

I bought this for dove hunting and love it. The pockets are handy for carrying gear, and the insulated bucket is fantastic when combined with an ice pack for keeping drinks and doves cold. The back packing straps make this so easy to use and carry your things into the dove field.

I hike in alot to duck hunt and this bucket is the ticket. It is very well made and holds alot of gear. I wrap my carolina rigged decoys around it and clip them on. It has a plastic hook on each side that the decoy lines fit into that keeps them in place. It can hold alot of ammo, but i use the pockets for bottles, thermos, wing thing decoys. I do not use the cardboard box that ammo comes in because the material is not waterproof and the boxes get wet and fall apart. Which takes me to the only thing i don't like. The ammo box pockets need some type of snap or velcro tab to stay closed, it is designed to stay closed if it has a box in it. If you have loose ammo in the ammo pocket it has a tendency to fall out when you sling the bucket over your shoulder or take it off. Other than that, this thing is right on.

Very sturdy and spacious. Easy to carry and everyone notices the quality.

I have had this pack a few weeks now. I got it after reading another rock, Hounders review, it seemed like the perfect pack for me. I needed a better way for hauling rocks. Carrying my rocks in my 5 gallon buckets back to the car can be very difficult. But this backpack CHANGED MY LIFE! It makes carrying my rocks around such a breeze and my adventures that much more fun and enjoyable. It easily switches out buckets. Feels great on my back. the support and straps feel great walking around. And the swivel seat is perfect it’s my favorite seat in the garage when not out adventuring. Definitely will be ordering a second one.

I did make an upgrade to this bucket. I bought a styrofoam inside for 5 gallon buckets with is really a minnow bucket. Did this for those 90-100 degree days dove hunting. Help to hero drinks cold and ice chest to put doves in ASAP

This product was better built than I expected. The quality is good, seeing tight and pockets firm. Insulation better than I expected.Only improve would be that the bag sits higher around the bucket and the drawstring keeps it there. Maybe a bucket adjustment??Either way, this thing is awesome. I love it.