Field Tested: Tenzing Hangtime Day Pack

The first thing I noticed about my new Tenzing Hangtime Day Pack when I pulled it out of the shipping box was a giant tag affixed to the front that proclaims, in all capital letters: “THE BEST DEER HUNTING PACK EVER MADE.”

Yeah, OK, I thought, half annoyed by the marketing schtick and half curious to see whether there might be some truth to such a bold claim. (Hint: There is.)

As the name implies, the Hangtime was designed as a dedicated whitetail pack especially suited for hanging out with you 20 feet up your favorite tree. The Hangtime isn’t the first “treestand” pack to hit the market, but as I began exploring its features, I quickly realized Tenzing studied previous offerings carefully and made a number of improvements. Chief among them is a rigid, EVA-molded shell that allows the Hangtime to hold its shape while hanging from a gear hook or sitting upright on the ground. This shell is firm but flexible and does a great job of keeping the Hangtime’s seven storage compartments and 15 organizational pockets accessible at all times, thus maximizing usability of the pack’s 1,600 cubic-inch overall capacity.

At the top of the Hangtime is zippered access to the 750 cubic-inch main compartment. The access flips open like a lid to provide easy, one-handed access to the inside, which is big enough to fit a surprising amount of stuff, from camera gear and a rain suit to an ozone unit and enough snacks to see you through an all-day sit.

While the main compartment is great, it is when you move on to the secondary compartments and pockets that the Hangtime really begins to shine. You’ll quickly notice there are dedicated pockets for just about every piece of essential gear a whitetail hunter needs — rangefinder, binoculars, cell phone, calls and even SD cards. Other features include quiver connection loops on both the left and right side of the pack (to accommodate left- and right-handed shooters), a removable waist belt with two zippered storage compartments, an integrated bow carrying system and a zippered stowaway pocket at the base of the pack that houses an included Plano utility organizer perfect for carrying extra broadheads, archery tools, spare batteries and more.

After thoroughly reviewing all the features, it became clear the Hangtime was created by a group of hardcore whitetail hunters who clearly thought of all the “little things” when bringing their design to market. They even thought about those who hunt on the ground or from elevated box blinds by allowing the pack to be laid down horizontally and accessed via a secondary main compartment access that flips open much like the lid on top.

Other aspects of the Hangtime worth noting include: an overall weight of 1.875 pounds; a premium, air-mesh suspension system for comfort; chest and hip compression straps; a built-in hydration port; two rigid, multi-purpose side compartments; side accessory straps and MOLLE loops for attaching extra gear; and a quiet fabric exterior finished in Mossy Oak Bottomland camo.

So, is the Hangtime really the best deer-hunting pack ever made? Well, that’s ultimately for you to decide. But at the very least, I don’t think you can fault the folks at Tenzing for making the claim. After all, as the old saying goes, “It ain’t bragging if you done it.” — Editor Christian Berg