TL;DR: For most elk hunters, our 5-piece 40D ripstop set at $70 covers a full elk and lands in your hands before opening day. Caribou Gear earns their reputation with a patented breathable system worth knowing about, especially for early-season warm-weather hunts. Argali builds excellent backcountry bags, but they sell out before late season almost every year. Below is an honest breakdown of what each brand gets right and who each set is for.
What Actually Matters in an Elk Game Bag
If you've never quartered an elk, the bag choices look overwhelming. They're not complicated once you understand a few basics. A full elk gives you four main quarters (two front shoulders, two hindquarters), two backstraps, and assorted neck and trim meat. You need bags that are big enough to hold bone-in quarters if that's how you're packing, breathable enough to cool meat without trapping moisture, and durable enough to haul weight over rough ground without tearing.
Reusability is the other split. Cheap cotton cheesecloth bags are single-use and common in grocery-store game departments. The bags worth comparing here are all reusable synthetic sets. You wash them and use them again next year. Over a few seasons, even the most expensive set pays for itself.
The three questions hunters ask most often: How many bags does an elk take? Will they hold bone-in quarters? And are they breathable enough for warm archery-season temperatures? We'll answer each as we go through the brands.
The Main Players: A Quick Look
| Brand / Set | Price | Material | Pieces | Style | Stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lone Trail 5-Piece | $70 | 40D diamond ripstop nylon | 4 quarter bags + bonus bag + pouch | Bone-in quarters | In stock |
| Argali High Country 5-Bag | $74.99 | Lightweight (9 oz total set) | 5 | Backcountry light | Frequently sells out |
| Argali M.O.B. Bone-In | $86.99 | Lightweight | Bone-in set | Bone-in | Variable |
| Argali Guide | $95.99 | Lightweight | Guide configuration | Mixed | Variable |
| Caribou Gear Wapiti | $84.79 – $105.99 | Patented breathable nylon | Elk quarter set | Bone-in quarters | Generally in stock |
| Caribou Gear Carnivore | $71.99 – $89.99 | Patented breathable nylon | Boned-out set | Boned-out | Generally in stock |
| TAG BOMB 6-Bag | ~$65 – $70 | Lightweight (10 oz total) | 6 | Boned-out only | Variable |
| BRO Zippered | $149.99 | Airwave ripstop | Zippered | Fly-proof | Variable |
Caribou Gear: The Established Name
Caribou Gear has been in the game-bag market long enough to have earned a genuine reputation. Their most notable claim is a patented breathable nylon system that allows airflow through the bag, helping quarters cool faster than with a standard woven synthetic. For archery hunters packing meat out in September heat, that's a meaningful advantage worth paying for.
Their Wapiti set, sized for elk bone-in quarters, runs $84.79 on sale and up to $105.99 at full price. Their Carnivore line is configured for hunters who bone out their meat before bagging, and runs $71.99 to $89.99. For hunters going after moose, their Magnum sets go up to $132.99 and $172.99, so the brand covers the full size spectrum.
You can also buy Caribou singles at $22 to $24 apiece if you want to build a custom set or replace a worn bag without buying a new full set. That flexibility is useful if you're hunting multiple species in a season.
The honest knock on Caribou is price. Their elk sets cost $15 to $36 more than ours for comparable pieces, and the patented breathable material is their primary justification. If cooling meat speed in warm conditions is your top concern, that premium is defensible. If you hunt in October or later when temperatures drop, the advantage narrows significantly.
Argali: The Backcountry Premium
Argali has built a strong following among deep-backcountry hunters, and their reputation is deserved. Their High Country 5-bag set weighs only 9 ounces for the complete set. That kind of weight matters when you're seven miles in and packing quarters on a frame. Hunters with 4.9 and 5.0 star averages across their line aren't getting there by accident.
The High Country 5-bag set runs $74.99, the M.O.B. bone-in set $86.99, and the Guide set $95.99. Their fabric is thinner than Caribou's by some accounts, which is how they achieve the weight savings. That's not necessarily a flaw for most use cases, but it's worth knowing if you're running through heavy brush or rocky country with sharp edges.
The biggest practical problem with Argali is availability. They sell out before late season with enough regularity that it's worth planning around. Hunters who don't order in late summer often can't get their preferred Argali set by October. If you've ordered well in advance and can get them in hand, they're excellent bags. If you're shopping in September, you may be out of luck.
Lone Trail: The Case We Make for Our Own Set
Our 5-piece game bag set is built from 40D diamond ripstop nylon, a durable woven construction that holds up to rough use and washes clean for the next season. At $70, it includes four quarter-sized bags sized for bone-in elk quarters, a bonus bag for backstraps or trim meat, and a carrying pouch so the whole set packs into one compact bundle.
The math against the competition is straightforward. We're $5 less than Argali's lightest 5-bag set and $15 to $36 less than Caribou's Wapiti for a comparable elk-specific kit. We're not claiming our material is patented like Caribou's or that we've stripped every ounce like Argali's High Country. What we do offer is a complete, practical set that handles a full elk, lands at the right price, and ships when you order it.
We're also backed by a lifetime warranty on all our gear. If a bag fails, we repair or replace it.
The bonus bag is worth mentioning separately. Most first-time elk hunters underestimate how much meat doesn't fit cleanly into four quarter bags. The backstraps, neck meat, and trim fill a bag on their own. A five-bag set without a proper fifth option leaves you improvising in the field. The bonus bag solves that problem before it starts.
The Rest of the Field
A few other sets worth knowing about, depending on your situation:
TAG BOMB (~$65-70, 6 bags, 10 oz) was designed by Aron Snyder and caters specifically to hunters who bone all their meat out before bagging. The lighter 6-bag set at 10 oz total is a reasonable ultralight option if you're fully committed to boned-out hunting. The downside is the white fabric, which shows blood prominently and can be harder to manage in bear country where a bloody-looking bag draws attention.
BRO ($149.99) makes the only zippered game bag in this category, which solves the fly problem definitively. If you're hunting warm, fly-heavy country where insects are a real concern, a zippered bag is the only complete answer. The trade-off is the highest price in the category and the added weight of the zipper system.
Black Ovis Ovis Sacks ($59.95-74.99) are a house brand with weaker brand equity than the others. They're worth comparing if price is the primary driver.
Which Set Should You Buy?
Buy Caribou Gear if: you're hunting early archery season in warm temperatures where cooling speed matters most, you trust their patented breathable system, or you need larger Magnum sets for moose or bison. Their reputation is real and their availability is reliable.
Buy Argali if: you can get them in stock well before your hunt, you're doing serious backcountry miles where 9-ounce total weight is meaningfully relevant, and you're willing to pay the premium for their proven build and top-tier reviews. Order by early August for fall hunts.
Buy Lone Trail if: you want a complete bone-in elk set at $70 that includes a bonus bag, ships now, and carries a lifetime warranty. We're not trying to out-spec Caribou's patented system or out-weigh Argali's featherlight backcountry bags. We're giving most elk hunters exactly what they need at a price that doesn't require justification.
Buy TAG BOMB if: you bone everything out and want a lightweight 6-bag set optimized for that specific workflow. Just go in knowing the white fabric draws attention from flies and scavengers.
Buy BRO if: flies are a genuine problem in your hunting area and you want the only zippered solution on the market. The price is the price.
Before You Head Out
One question we hear often from hunters planning their first elk hunt: how many bags do they actually need? It's a fair question, and the answer changes depending on whether you quarter bone-in or bone-out. We cover the full breakdown in our guide to how many game bags you need for an elk.
If you're ready to order, our 5-piece set is in stock and ships now. Elk season doesn't wait.