A pack works as a rear rest when nothing else is handy, and a rear bag gives you a height you can change with one hand. The pack costs nothing and is already on your back.
Neither one is wrong. They solve different problems, and you can use both.
What a pack does well
A pack is free, it is already part of your kit, and it is big enough to hold a rifle up in almost any position. Over a log, a rock or the hood of a truck, a pack takes the weight of the rifle without any extra gear.
It also carries water, food and layers, so you were bringing it anyway. A rear bag is one more piece of kit. If you shoot twice a season from a stand, a pack may be all you need.
Where a pack gets awkward under the stock
Height is the problem. How high a pack sits depends on what is inside and how full it is. After a day of eating lunch and drinking water, the same pack is a different shape from the one you shot off in the morning.
Repeating the same position is harder too. Soft contents shift, zippers and straps catch the stock, and a pack usually has to come off your back before it can be used as a rest.
What a rear bag adds under the stock
A rear shooting rest bag that sits under the stock gives you a height you can change with one hand. It sits at the toe of the stock, and a squeeze with your support hand changes the height without moving anything else.
Our post on what a rear squeeze bag does covers the basics.
Bags that live on the pack
Some makers put a small bag on the pack. As listed on 4 November 2026, the LS Wild Pack Pillow is about 3.7 oz and $75, with sewn loops that take the pack's compression straps. The WieBad Buckle Rear Bag is $39 and 0.95 lb, filled or empty not stated, and it buckles to the pack so it stays there between shots.
Against a Sling Steady Pro at 9.5 oz and $89.99, the Pack Pillow is lighter; both cost less. If you want a bag that rides on the pack, they do that. Sling Steady works the other way round: it rides on your sling or attaches directly, so it stays with the rifle when the pack is on the ground.
In our testing, shots landed 28% closer to the bullseye with Sling Steady under the stock, and muzzle rise was about 75% lower. It also helps manage recoil.
Putting the two together
The pack and the bag are not rivals. You can use both: the pack under the fore-end and the bag under the stock. The pack holds the front up, and the bag takes the job of holding up the butt away from your hand.
If the pack is already on the ground in front of you, the bag is already on the rifle. Nothing has to be unslung or unzipped first.
Which one to start with
- Mostly stand or bench shooting, a few shots a day: a pack may be enough.
- Moving between positions, or shooting from the ground: a rear bag gives you a height you can change.
- Counting ounces: the Pro weighs 9.5 oz and the Sport 6.3 to 6.8 oz.
Every bag ships filled with SteadyFill, and hook-and-loop ports let you add or remove fill. The Pro 9" is for bolt-action, sport and hunting rifles. The Sport 7" is for AR-platform rifles. Made in the USA, $89.99. Sling Steady is a veteran-run company.
If you want a bag under the stock as well as the pack: Pro 9" · Sport 7"
Related reading: What is a rear squeeze bag? · Pro 9" or Sport 7" · Field positions for hunters
Sling Steady is Ready When You Are.