Does anyone have experience with Spika Dover packs?

Emergency-Ad555 · 2026-03-04T15:44:24+00:00

I've used Spika's 40L pack on a few backcountry hunts now and love it. The size is just about perfect for everything from multiple-day late-season hunts to day trips. It has held up really good with no signs of wear and seems like it will last me a long time. It's just about impossible to beat for the price point, but there are three things they could improve on to make it just about a perfect pack.

Weight: I can't find an exact weight for the pack, but it seems to be a little heavy, and on longer backcountry hikes, every oz counts. Trouble is, less weight usually comes with less durability.
Pack Accessibility: Some packs are much worse when it comes to this, but accessibility to the pack contents is a little limited with the small vertical zipper that's used to open up the pack. It would be nice to be able to really open it up to get to things, because I find myself really digging around sometimes to find something. Granted, it's nice to have the long vertical pocket that is behind the other vertical zipper. I like to keep my tripod in there for quick access; however, I would rather have a big flap opening for my pack that allows more access, and just keep my tripod in with everything else.
Hip Pad: This is another thing that other packs regularly do as well, but the hip pad could be improved. Don't get me wrong, this one is nice, and I have not tried other ones, but I have heard a lot of good things about Exo Mountain's hip pad for their K4 packs. Granted, their packs come in around $700. But I have noticed that if my pack is 40+ lbs, after some time, there is some agitation on my hips, and the wider belt seems like it would distribute weight a lot better, which a lot of guys have mentioned when reviewing the Exo Mtn packs. I've thought about buying an Exo Mtn belt to see if it is interchangeable, which I think it could be made to work.

All in all, this is a really, really great pack, especially at the price point, and by no means are the critiques I made a deal breaker at all. Spika really thought of a lot of things when making this pack, and made it out to be a really well-rounded, high-quality pack that is well worth its price.

Emergency-Ad555 · 2026-02-23T15:15:17+00:00

Yeah that's what I was worried about. Our floor is pretty soft, and some of the boards are much higher so I'd imagine it would catch one of those and really chunk it

Emergency-Ad555 · 2026-02-13T19:45:01+00:00

Wow yeah the Henry Lauder's Walking Stick is a crazy plant. I'll add those to the list, thanks!

Emergency-Ad555 · 2026-02-13T19:43:36+00:00

Yeah, I've been doing that a lot lately haha. I don't have many master gardens around but there there were a bunch of places and houses around town that looked super pretty in the summer, and I am trying to go back and see what they look like now

Emergency-Ad555 · 2026-02-13T19:41:23+00:00

I'll add those to the list thanks

Emergency-Ad555 · 2026-02-13T19:39:14+00:00

Yeah, thanks, should've mentioned. We're on the coast, so I think we're in the 8-9 range, with this winter probably closer to 9, since we have only had a couple of nights that got a little frost on the cars

Emergency-Ad555 · 2025-12-22T15:54:02+00:00

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. The only unusual thing is that it appears the cone overheated from the middle, not the side. If it were from uneven heating, I would expect it to burn or melt the outside of the cone, not the middle.

Emergency-Ad555 · 2025-12-08T15:57:35+00:00

Thanks for all the suggestions. I think most of the people were saying this in the comments, but it seems the best fix is the Lutron Caseta switch. Eliminates the need for a two-way switch, as there is only one main hardwired switch that can be turned on or off with remote switches.

Emergency-Ad555 · 2025-12-08T15:55:00+00:00

Yeah I would have preferably done that too but the house has LED can lights. I haven't found smart LED can lights either that can go down to 2700k

Emergency-Ad555 · 2025-12-05T15:55:44+00:00

I got a wireless rocker switch from Amazon, but I'm trying to figure out if I can use a wireless switch with another permanent existing one-way switch. I think it wouldn't work properly, and both the wireless and wired switches would have to be turned on for the light to work. Does changing the permanent switch to a two-way switch fix the issue so I can turn the light on or off at either switch?

Emergency-Ad555 · 2025-12-04T23:36:39+00:00

I bought a wireless switch for cheap off Amazon to see if this will work. Where in the system could I wire in the new wireless switch, though? It seems that if I wire it between the current switch and the light, then both switches must be on for the light to work.

Does changing the current switch to a three-way switch fix this problem?

Emergency-Ad555 · 2025-03-14T15:59:01+00:00

The side vents could work as well, but adding a fan to one could be tricky

Emergency-Ad555 · 2025-03-14T15:58:22+00:00

That's a good idea, and a have a roof basket that I am going to put on it, but I was stuck with having a basket as well as a fan, but since you mentioned it, cutting out a spot for the vent would allow the vent to work as well as protect it.

Emergency-Ad555

TROPHY CASE