Let’s face it, most naturalists tote quite a bit of gear out into the field for a day of collecting, exploring, or simply enjoying the wonders of nature. Even the most ascetic bird watcher, once content to, like John Muir, take to the fields with nothing more than a flask of tea and a notebook, is now ever increasingly likely to be a practitioner of digiscoping and thus has a few extra bits of gear to bring along. Vests are all well and good (downright superb in some cases) but just as often as not some sort of pack is advantageous.
The trouble I have with many backpacks is that they provide a large space for holding just about everything, a couple small spaces for holding very little, and in warm weather do a splendid job of ensuring that your back stays liberally anointed with sweat. Add to this the fact that you almost always need to remove them to get whatever you are carrying inside them and you can quickly come to understand why it is not often that I am seen in the field carrying a backpack.
Then I found L.L. Bean’s new Hunter’s Lumbar Pack. Yes, it’s camouflage (Mossy Oak Break Up specifically). Yes, it’s designed and marketed to hunters (something many of my favorite birding and naturalist field items are). And yes, it’s one of the best designs for a great birding and general naturalist pack I’ve field tested in many, many years.
The overall structure of the Hunter’s Lumbar Pack is exactly that – a lumbar pack – rather than a back or shoulder focused pack. Many birders and naturalists, especially those who lead field trips, have already adopted standard lumbar packs as they free up the neck and shoulder area for carrying binoculars. However I have long found them problematic as they tend to sag when loaded or roll outward if the load is imbalanced. Thus the creators of the Hunter’s Lumbar Pack have designed it with a lightweight stabilizing bar that helps to lift the load and tilt it toward the body of the wearer.
From there, the Hunter’s Lumbar Pack adds a detachable yoke-style support harness for extra load bearing ability as well as load balancing. Upon the detachable yoke is a small detachable pack positioned for easy over-the-shoulder reach and perfectly suited for carrying a binocular (when not in use or as a spare when you are leading field trips) or trail snacks. As noted, this yoke is detachable but as it incorporates a built-in binocular harness that will rival any of the cross-back models on the market in both utility and comfort, I truly don’t know why anyone would want to be without it.
In terms of carrying capacity, the Hunter’s Lumbar Pack will easily hold everything you would need for a day afield. A capacious pocket at each hip (one waterproof, one not) as well as two small mesh pockets ideal for memory card cases area easy to reach quickly and quietly. Attached to the main pack itself is a water bottle pocket on one side and a larger pocket complete with pen and notebook holders (OK, they’re shell pockets designed for carrying bullets but they work for pens and notebooks just as well) on the other.
Topping the main compartment are a pair of straps for a jacket, coat, poncho, or even a tripod. Backing this same compartment is a medium sized pouch with multiple internal dividers that make it perfect for optic cleaning gear, collecting bottles, extra eyepieces, or whatever else you might want to store there.
Then there is the main compartment. Large enough for a dozen field guides or lunch for the whole gang yet remarkably unobstructive when worn. The flat-top lid closure with a perimeter zipper also contains within it two mesh packets and a large shallow space perfect for maps or quick-fold field guides. The main compartment itself also includes an elastic drawstring securable mesh pocket along the whole of the inside back surface.
Available from L.L. Bean in either regular or tall sizes, both for the astonishingly low price of $99.00, the Hunter’s Lumbar Pack would be a truly welcome gift under the tree of any bird watcher or naturalist just as much as it would be for any hunter.
Peace and good bird watching.
