While it may fill a very specialized niche, the Stone Glacier Terminus 7000 backpack stands out from the crowd for more than its sheer size.
The Stone Glacier Terminus 7000 is an immense backpack. With a capacity of 7,000 cubic inches, it’s almost exactly twice the size of our top-rated backpack for hiking. It’s also a highly specialized backpack designed specifically for high alpine sheep and goat hunting.
So, why should you be interested? Because this monster gear hauler weighs in at a scant 3 pounds, 15 ounces, and is rated to carry more than 150 pounds of gear. When Stone Glacier approached me to test the pack, I admitted I had no sheep hunts on my horizon. But as a gear nerd, I was compelled to check it out anyway because this pack is simply in a league of its own.
In short: The Stone Glacier Terminus 7000 is a very large, durable, yet simple backpack. It is essentially a huge sack of ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene fabric divided vertically into two compartments.
That sack, plus a 500-cubic-inch lid, sits on a very comfortable, strong frame system capable of holding more than 150 pounds. If you need to haul huge loads inside a durable sack, this bag may be worth the $650 price tag.
Stone Glacier Terminus 7000 Review
Wait, did I just write $650? Yes, this is indeed a pricy backpack. And I want to get that taken care of early in the review. For those who scoff, keep in mind this pack has ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) blend fabric.
This material, a non-branded version of the widely touted Dyneema, is incredibly strong and durable. It will likely last longer than most hunters. So take that into account.
Beyond the fact that the pack will likely outlive most of us, it is also extremely comfortable.
Another tester and I both used the pack and agreed it carried light to midweight loads extremely well. I carried about 35 pounds in the pack on a few occasions to get a feel for the pack and then handed it to a tester for longer-term tests.
Our tester loaded it up with about 50 pounds for repeated training hikes in Summit County, Colorado. As it isn’t yet hunting season, he did this as training for an upcoming elk hunt.
His feedback is very positive. While we’ve had limited applicable testing during the summer as hunting seasons are still not open, the pack proved to be very comfortable. He loved the light weight of the pack, as well as its being “almost infinitely adjustable.”
I also found the pack adjusted very well. I have a somewhat short torso, and the pack adjusted down to fit my torso length very well.
“It did fit me really well,” he reported. “The frame is good. The waist belt is very comfortable.”
His only criticism was that the pack has a lot of straps and buckles. While these do allow vast adjustments to load carry, they also require the user to take a lot of time to learn the pack. This isn’t necessarily a negative, but something to consider. You want to get to know this pack well before taking it into the field for a big hunt.
We will update the review portion of this article upon further testing this fall.
Stone Glacier Terminus 7000: A Huge Pack for Big Hunts
The Terminus 7000 is unique in that it’s designed to carry both gear and meat inside the pack. Most big game hunting backpacks use a “meat shelf” that holds the meat load between the pack and the frame. But this pack gives hunters a large pocket inside the main compartment to load meat.
Stone Glacier intends this for goat and sheep hunting and designed the space with this purpose in mind. It gives the user a 2,200-cubic-inch collapsible internal load cell, which should hold the meat of these species once deboned.
That does make it a specialist pack. While we haven’t tried yet, it’s questionable whether or not you could fit a deboned elk quarter inside the compartment. You could certainly fit a quarter, plus backstraps and more, into the main compartment, but you’d likely have to make dedicated trips to haul your gear when moving game meat.
This pack would certainly be big enough to haul deboned deer meat, so that’s another possible use.
As a dedicated sheep and goat pack, it does seem about perfect.
Other Features
For those in the market, it’s worth noting that Stone Glacier gives you a minimalist pack that hits the key specs. You get an internal spotting scope pocket, belt attachments, and a 30-inch side zip access panel. A 500-cubic-inch “brain” tops the pack and offers a place to store important items and documents.
Beyond that, this is a simple, yet very advanced, pack. It claims to carry 150+ pounds. That means your gear, plus the meat of a medium-size game animal, in one trip. For those that need to haul a heavy, bulky load, this is one of the best hunting backpacks you can buy.
Conclusion
For the few (lucky) hunters with a once-in-a-lifetime tag, the Stone Glacier Terminus 7000 should be very high on the list. And while it does have specialized uses, the pack should flex well into other pursuits, as well as work as a very large, yet light, backpacking pack.
