6 Most Durable Game Bags | Best Game Bags

Not all game bags are created equal, so we decided to test out some of the best game bags on the market to find the overall best game bags and most durable game bags, as well as the most breathable, game bags. Tag Bags and Argali Ultralight game bags use nylon and nylon blend material. VIAM Outdoors use a ripstop nylon and others like KUIU, Caribou Gear Bags and Ovis Sacks are a Taslan nylon. In this review we torture a handful of the best game bags on the market to find their failure point.

We also take a non-scientific look at how breathable each of the game bags are and as well as their overall value in several areas. (Download an in-depth spreadsheet when you become an Exclusive Backwoods Pursuit Member. It’s FREE!)

We wanted to test the limits of these bags so you could see the real life durability and value of each of these game bags. Make sure to check out our recent ultralight game bag review on a couple of these bags where we discuss cotton vs. synthetic and get into more of those details.

Best Game Bags | Most Durable Game Bags Test Scope

Best Game Bags: Breathability Test

Testing game bag breathability in a scientific manner would require equipment we just don’t have, so we’ll give you our opinion based on handling each of these bags. We’ve ranked each bag on a 1-10 scale based on filling the bag with air, closing the top, and squeezing the bag to evacuate the air. I know, this is far from scientific, but it’s the most realistic test we could come up with without buying some really expensive equipment.

Most Durable Game Bags: The Test

For the durability testing, we loaded each of the bags with increasing weight, then hung them by their own built in cord (or built in tabs designed for hanging the bag) to see just how much weight they could hold. If the bag didn’t fail, we added weight to see how much that particular bag could hold before failing or doing damage to the integrity of the bag. In some cases the bags were too small to get enough weight in there to make them fail, but we tried.

Best Game Bags: Dry time Test

Another part to consider when selecting which are the best game bags for your is dry time. We tested the dry time of each of these ultralight game bags, we soaked them all until dripping wet, rung them out and hung them over a line. The temperature was about 65 degrees outside, in the shade, and no breeze. The dry time listed under each bag is the time it took for the bag to become dry to the touch.

Best Game Bags: Overall Value

We put together and charted multiple value points for you to review, things like cost per square inch of each bag, where the bag is made, and what material the bag is made of, in this handy spreadsheet. Some of the info is below, but the full spreadsheet is downloadable by becoming a Backwoods Pursuit Exclusive Member. It’s totally FREE!

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Most Durable Game Bags: The Testing

T.A.G. Bags

Tag Bags -  most durable game bags, most breathable game bags

TAG Bags are well known synthetic game bags that are extremely breathable and ultralight, but are they some of the most durable game bags? TAG Bags are made of 100% nylon, made in Mexico, and come with a sewn in nylon cord. The TAG Bags were a bit slower to dry and came in fourth with a dry time of 100 minutes.

It’s interesting that TAG Bags use this type of cord when a majority of the competition has elected to use some type of paracord. The boned out TAG Bags weren’t big enough for us to get enough weight in them to fail. We weren’t able to get nearly as much weight in them as others due to the size, but they held every bit of weight we could get in them.

  • Breathability: 10/10
  • Dry time: 100 min
  • Weight held per ounce of material: Unknown(didn’t fail)
  • Failure Point: None: Held 90 lbs
  • Country of Origin: Mexico
  • Price: $9.00 each
Buy TAG Bags

Ovis Sacks

Ovis Sacks - most durable game bags, most breathable game bags

Ovis Sacks are sold by Black Ovis (sister company of Camofire). The Ovis Sacks surprised us and came in third in dry time at 91 minutes but didn’t quite perform as well in the durability department as other. Ovis Sacks are made of a Taslan Nylon material, have a handy reflective strip on the bag, and have a built in braided nylon cord. This cord proved to be the weak point in our weight test. The Ovis Sacks are not the most durable game bags in this test, but they more than did their job in holding weight to get the job done. Ovis Sacks are made in China.

  • Breathability: 8/10
  • Dry time: 91 min
  • Weight held per ounce of material: 40 lbs
  • Failure Point: 110 lbs
  • Country of Origin: China
  • Price: $15.99 each
Buy Ovis Sacks

Argali Ultralight Game Bags

Argali Game Bags - most durable game bags, most breathable game bags

The Argali Ultralight game bags (sold in both a boned out set, the Argali High Country Pack ,as well as the meat on bone – M.O.B Large Set) are made of a proprietary nylon blend designed by Argali Outdoors. Argali game bags came in second in our dry time testing at 65 min and were some of the most durable game bags we tested.

These Argali bags come with a reflective logo, paracord and hanging loops to help you find your meat at night. The loops sewn into the sides of the bags are designed to hold heavy loads. Our test proved that they did exactly that. While the paracord broke around 110lbs, the loops held strong all the way to an impressive 140 lbs. Even then, they would have held a bit more, but they were starting to tear when we hit the 140lb mark. In our opinion, these bags seemed to be the most breathable of the ones we tested (in our unscientific test) along with the TAG Bags.

The Argali Ultralight game bags are flat out impressive all the way around. These are some of the best game bags overall that we tested, as well as some of the most durable game bags we tested. They proved to hold the most weight before failure out of all the bags we tested. To top it off, the Argali Ultralight game bags are made in the USA.

  • Breathability: 10/10
  • Dry time: 65 min
  • Weight held per ounce of material: 97 lbs
  • Failure Point: 140 lbs
  • Country of Origin: USA
  • Price: $14.00 each
Buy Argali Ultralight Game Bags

VIAM Outdoors Game Bags

VIAM Game Bags - most durable game bags, most breathable game bags

The VIAM Outdoors ultralight game bags were some of the overall best game bags, performers and best values in our test. These bags held strong packing as much weight as we could get in them (110lbs) while being hung from the paracord. The material only started to fail and could have held more weight if we could have fit any more in the bag. However, there was absolutely no sign of failure where the paracord was sewn in.

The nice thing about ripstop nylon is that those punctures (if they do happen) won’t run, causing the hole to get bigger. I do believe these VIAM Outdoors game bags would have given the Argali Game Bags a run for the most durable game bags had we been able to fit more weight in them.

The VIAM Outdoors game bags are made of 1.35 oz ripstop nylon and super strong 550 paracord. The ripstop nylon didn’t appear to breathe quite as well as the material used by the Argali game bags or the TAG Bags, but not by much.

The VIAM Outdoors game bags were the fastest drying game bags we tested at just 60 minutes under our test conditions. With these bags you also have the option of building your own custom set of VIAM Game Bags. Pick the sizes that best fit your needs, add a G3 Gear Grab, and you are set! Best of all, the VIAM Outdoors game bags are made right here in the USA. All these factors made the VIAM Outdoors bags some of the overall best game bags, best value, and most durable game bags in our test.

  • Breathability: 9/10
  • Dry time: 60 min
  • Weight held per ounce of material: 100 lbs
  • Failure Point: N/A (Held all we could fit – 110 lbs)
  • Country of Origin: USA
  • Price: $12.00 each
Buy VIAM Outdoors Game Bags

KUIU Ultralight Game Bags

KUIU Game Bags - most durable game bags, most breathable game bags

The KUIU Ultralight game bags are unique in that they have a zipper and handles. Like none other in this test, these bags are larger for a boned out game bag. The KUIU game bags were the slowest to dry in our test, taking over 2 hours to dry (125 minutes). The KUIU game bags were also the most expensive and held the least amount of weight per ounce of the ones we tested.

The zipper is a nice feature that allows you to use these bags for other purposes if you so desired. Throw your kill kit, sleeping bag, sleeping pad etc. in this and it becomes a large gear storage bag. We all love multi-use pieces of gear, and this one excels in that department. The zipper, shape, and handles are odd for a meat bag, but you can see the many use possibilities this bag offers.

  • Breathability: 10/10
  • Dry time: 125 min
  • Weight held per ounce of material: 43 lbs
  • Failure Point: 110 lbs
  • Country of Origin: China
  • Price: $24.00 each

Caribou Gear Ultralight Game Bags

Caribou Gear Game Bags - most durable game bags, most breathable game bags

Caribou Gear bags are a long time staple in the game bag market. These bags have a reputation for being some of the strongest and most durable game bags out there. While certainly not the lightest bags in this test, they did hold up incredibly well.

We stuffed 135 lbs in this tiny bag, with no signs of any failure in the material. The Carabou Gear game bags came in second in the weight test. The paracord that we hung the bag from (sewn into the bag) finally pulled out from the seams when we tried to add more than 135 lbs. If the cord hadn’t failed, these Caribou Gear bags just might have won the most durable game bag test. Pretty impressive for such a small bag!

A downside to the Caribou Gear game bags is that they do not seem to breathe as well as others in this test. They also took longer to dry, taking almost 2 hours. The material is thicker than the others, which explains the dry time, as well as their durability. While they weren’t the best game bags in the drying time test, they performed very well in the durability test.

  • Breathability: 8/10
  • Dry time: 110 min
  • Weight held per ounce of material: 90 lbs
  • Failure Point: 135 lbs
  • Country of Origin: China
  • Price: $8.99 each
Buy Caribou Gear Bags

Conclusion

So there you have it. All of these game bags will get the job done for you in the field, but if you need something that can hang a heavy load, take into consideration the ones that performed the best in this test. We love to support the products made here in the USA when possible. Take a good look at the VIAM Outdoors or Argali Ultralight game bags if that’s a top priority for you. These are all great game bags and will protect your precious meat, but some just might last a bit longer than others.

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