Eberlestock J107 Dragonfly Hunting Pack review

Title: J107 Dragonfly Backpack Review

Editor: Tyson

Basic Description:
The J107 “Dragonfly” can expand from 2900 c.i. all the way up to 7900 c.i.
It is designed with a waterproof fabric and has an adjustable frame system.
Just the Facts:
Weight 8.5Lb.
Waterproof fabric
Dual Hydration Compatible
Padlock System
Removable top storage compartment converts into fanny pack

Story: I will start by telling you what I like about this pack:
– It is very comfortable,
– It can pack a lot of weight
– It has a gun scabbard that protects it from the terrain.
It did take me a few hikes to finally adjust the straps to where they are the most comfortable.
After about 6 or 8 day trips, I decided to take an overnight trip to set some trail cams to start my scouting season this year. I loaded up and with my pack weighing 77 Lbs. I set off up the mountain. I was told by a few people that when you get a heavy load on this pack that it tends to fill like it is sloshing around and fills un-secure. I didn’t seem to think it was that bad with the weight I had on. The area i was in I had to cut through the trees for about a half mile to were I tie into the trail. There was a bunch of under growth with all the moisture we received this year and one thing that did stand out is this pack expands wider not taller. This seemed to be a problem catching on the oak brush as I was going through it, which made that half mile pretty difficult. Once I got to the open trail it really wasn’t that big of an issue.

After hiking around 4 miles to where I set up camp I was sure impressed at how my shoulders felt. I was expecting to be fairly wore out and soar, but they never were. That’s one of the first packs that I’ve had that I didn’t feel that way after a good hike with that much weight.

One of the biggest issues I have with this pack is the pocket situation. Its designed with two long pockets. One of them is great to fit a spotting scope in. But the other one I’m not sure exactly what is for. It just a bit too long to put small stuff in, because to get to something in the bottom you would have to pull everything out above it to get to the bottom. I wish they would have cut one pocket in half and made two smaller pockets.

Overall there are some minor changes Id likes to see to this pack, but I think it is a good pack for what it is. Let’s go over the facts real quick. The weight isn’t bad at 8.5lbs it pretty comparable with other packs of this size. I’ve always had the opinion that durability isn’t always the lightest. The waterproof fabric, I’m usually skeptical whenever something says waterproof until I test if for myself. It seemed work pretty well. It keeps most everything dry with my hose test. I think the stuff that became damp was from water going through the zipper parts. Dual hydration compatible is pointless. The main pack has one place for a bladder and the removable fanny pack has a bladder compartment. The removable fanny pack is just it says, removed. It just takes up space and weighs a lot for how little it is. Finally the padlock system, it is a nice feature that enables you to add pockets onto the waste belt.

What they could do better:
Get rid of the fanny pack
More versatile and smaller pockets
Make the pack less wide and a bit taller