Hill People Gear Packs

by
posted on March 18, 2015
pack-1.jpg

Throughout history, outdoorsmen have used a variety of methods—animal skins, mussette bags, web gear and backpacks—to transport essential gear, often with varying degrees of comfort and utility. Few designs have offered the ideal combination of light weight, unobtrusive contours and efficient use. undefined

Scott and Evan Hill, owners of Hill People Gear, have addressed the age-old problem by designing a high-quality, no-frills, super-efficient modular carriage system based on minimalist principles. Drawing on their own experiences as wilderness wanderers and shooters, the brothers have partnered with FirstSpear, a domestic maker of high-end tactical gear, and specified U.S.-made materials such as 500 and 1000 denier Cordura nylon and Hypalon to construct packs that are not only well-thought-out, but unusually effective.

The company’s 250-cu.-in, 1-lb. Original Kit Bag, a simple, chest-mounted pocket supported by a mesh-and-web harness, can be worn in conjunction with a backpack. It features a concealed, zippered compartment that offers quick and convenient access to a handgun while another pocket with dividers holds other small essentials within easy reach.

The 900-cu.-in., 1.5-lb. Tarahumara, coupled with the company’s weight-distributing Shoulder Harness, functions as a small, stand-alone backpack that is deceptively capacious given its trim profile. Its single vertical zipper and dual wand-style bottle pockets make for quick and easy access to the bags contents. Removing its horizontal compression straps and harness allows it to be attached to the back of HPG’s largest pack, the 3,400-cu.-in., 5.5-lb. Ute.

The single-compartment top-loader features a polymer frame sheet and twin aluminum stays, and comes with a size-specific Prairie Belt—a padded waistbelt with exterior PALS webbing that can also be used independently with the company’s Bottle Holsters and pockets as a lumbar pack. Altogether, the system competently handles up to 75 lbs. with remarkable control. Colors include Ranger Green, Coyote Brown and Foliage Grey. Prices: $105 (Original Kit Bag), $125 (Tarahumara), $400 (Ute). Contact: Hill People Gear, (888) 464-1875; hillpeoplegear.com.

 

 

Latest

 American Revolution painting
 American Revolution painting

The Shot Heard Round The World: The Arms & Events Of April 19, 1775

April 2025 marks 250 years since the momentous events at Lexington and Concord—the opening salvos of the American Revolution. Today, exhaustive research of primary accounts and surviving firearms and artifacts give us a clearer picture of what really happened.

Gun Of The Week: Browning Citori 825 Field

Learn about Browning's latest version of the famed Citori shotgun, the Citori 825 Field, in this week’s range video.

The Armed Citizen® April 18, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

"The Shot Heard Round The World:" 250 Years Later

On April 19, 1775, simmering tensions between Great Britain and her colonists erupted into warfare with the engagements at the Massachusetts towns of Lexington and Concord.

Watchtower Firearms Re-Organizing

Watchtower Firearms, a veteran-owned firm based in Texas filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection in late February 2025 to restructure and re-organize its financial structure.

The Road To Revolution: 250 Years Later

The militiamen who stood in defiance on Lexington Green are the first who fired upon the British regulars, but the road to revolution was paved long before gunfire erupted on that cold April morning in Massachusetts.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.