Backpack list help

[Outdoor Junkie]

Hello all,

I have a backpack hunt planned for next September in the high country of Wyoming with my brother. My goal was to get my entire pack to 50-55 pounds, but I'm ending up at 65 pounds with everything included and I'm looking for advice (without spending another $500-$1,000). I found a spreadsheet at soleadventure.com, which was set up for a bow hunt. I used this as a basis to build my spreadsheet next to it, just so I can try to identify where I differ from an established list. In short, I have 18 pounds for rifle, ammo, range finder, binos, spotting scope and tripod; ~10 pounds for clothes, 8.4 pounds for my pack and water bladder; 7.5 pounds for sleeping bag, pad and tent; 11.2 pounds for food; and 5 pounds for 2 liters of water+ a fuel canister. That is basically 60 of the 65 pounds.

For the guys that have done this type of a hunt a lot, where do you typically end up (including all the optics, rifle, water, food....everything? We have the area identified and we know that we have about a 4.0 mile hike to our base camp and we are going to gain almost exactly 2,000 feet in elevation. The plan is to get to camp, get it set up 2 days before the hunt (September 13th). Then scout and drop down to fill up a 5 gallon collapsable container of water (each) from a water hole on the 14th and then hunt for 3-4 days. We figure that 10 gallons of water should last about 3-4 days. and it will allow us to stay up high. We will park at ~ 7,250 feet, camp at ~ 9,250 feet and hunt between 8,900- 9,700 feet.

My information is in column F through column I on the "pack gear list" tab. The forum won't allow me to attach a spreadsheet, so I had to put the spreadsheet into a zip file to attach it. For those not familiar with zip files, just open the file, then open the excel file.

Thanks in advance!
Chuck

 

[Outdoor Junkie]

Sorry duplicate post.

 

[TheJason]

I did a 9 day archery hunt in the Ruby Mountains of Nevada. I think my total pack weight, including my bow, optics, and water was about 60 pounds.

You're in the ball park. Looks like a different pack and tent could shave 5 pounds pretty quick, but you'll spend the $500-1000 to do it.

 

[Outdoor Junkie]

Thanks JLS! That makes sense. The rifle and ammo are probably going to be ~ 4 pounds heavier than the bow/ arrows ( just guessing), but you probably had ~ 3 pounds more food. Was 60 pounds pretty manageable? What ype of elevation gain and distance did you hike in? Thanks for the advice!

I did a 9 day archery hunt in the Ruby Mountains of Nevada. I think my total pack weight, including my bow, optics, and water was about 60 pounds.

You're in the ball park. Looks like a different pack and tent could shave 5 pounds pretty quick, but you'll spend the $500-1000 to do it.

 

[shoots-straight]

How about a horse? Lama? Dogs?

Make two trips take steak and beer?


4 Miles isn't so far for a base camp. Really you could take two trips if you had the time. 2,000 feet of vertical is a tough poke though.

 

[Outdoor Junkie]

Thanks Shooots-straight. I've thought about this, but we have no experieince with horses, goats or lamas. I'd prefer to not have to mess with animals if at all possible. Now, if this was an elk hunt, we'd definitely coordinate to get some sort of pack animal on the way out. This go around is for mule deer.

How about a horse? Lama? Dogs?

Make two trips take steak and beer?


4 Miles isn't so far for a base camp. Really you could take two trips if you had the time. 2,000 feet of vertical is a tough poke though.

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

I looked through your list, and didn't see anything way off base. Alot of this is trial and error, and figuring out what you need to maintain a minimum level of comfort, that will allow you to keep hunting. Here are a couple of items that I would look at as opportunities to cut wieght, but I this is just me.

1. Consider buying a base camp filter. It potentially allows you to get rid of the 5 gallon collapsable jug.

2. get rid of second set of "golf" pants and the polyester insulated bottoms.

3. replace a "midweight top" with a light puffy coat.

4. Are you both bringing a spotter? Depending on how you like to hunt, you probably only need one, in which case have your brother pack the tripod. that drops 3 lbs fast.

5. Take a look at your meals. consider replacing lunch with a couple of snacks. I ussually shoot for 1800-1900 calories per day, I can sustain that for quite a while.

 

[Outdoor Junkie]

Thanks Minnesota Hunter.

1. Consider buying a base camp filter. It potentially allows you to get rid of the 5 gallon collapsable jug. Our problem is that we are camping way above the closest water hole that I can identify on google earth. We need some way to get a large amount of water up to our camp site, so that we don't disturb the water holes. How big is the base camp filter? Would we eliminate the regular katadyn pump then?

2. get rid of second set of "golf" pants and the polyester insulated bottoms. My merino wool base layer is pretty thin, so I was concerned that i would get cold while sitting at the spotter in the morning. I agree on the second set of pants. This is likely coming off the list.

3. replace a "midweight top" with a light puffy coat. I was just at Cabella's yesterday and their Cabella's down vests and jackets are on clearance. Does anyone have a preference? Jacket or vest? Good advice!

4. Are you both bringing a spotter? Depending on how you like to hunt, you probably only need one, in which case have your brother pack the tripod. that drops 3 lbs fast. We are both planning on bringing a spotter. My brother spoke to the warden and he highly reccomended we both bring a spotter. I'd apprecaite any additional feedback as this would be an easy 3 pounds.

5. Take a look at your meals. consider replacing lunch with a couple of snacks. I ussually shoot for 1800-1900 calories per day, I can sustain that for quite a while. My meal plan is actually in another tab on the spreadsheet, with detailed calorie, protein, fat and carbs detail. I was planning on 3,000-3,500 calories per day. I think I could defintiely cut this to 2,500, but I'd be concerned about running out of gas if I was at 1,800-1,900 calories. I'm a pretty big guy (6'1" and 200 pounds). The goal is to get to 185-190 before the trip, but with my frame, I'd be very lean at that weight. Anyone else have feedback here?

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

The basecamp has a 2.5 gallon bag, but maybe given the situation you are in you might need the 5 gallon bag. I do use it in lieu of a pump.

I like a puffy coat (I have a Patagonia Nanopuff) I feel like for the extra oz or so, I might as well keep my arms warm.

I wouldn't presume to know better than the warden. Maybe someone on here with experience hunting these areas might better weigh in.

That is the menu I used during Randy11's mtn goat hunt this year, I had tweaked my previous menu, and it turned out perfect me, but that doesn't mean it will work for you. The food thing is again something where you need to know yourself, and how much you anticipate exerting yourself everyday. You may find that once you get up high, you aren't moving that much each day, or you may know you are going to have to cover alot of ground.

 

[Wrong Burgundy]

Lots of good advice from the crew on this one. Perhaps some duplicate advice, but here is my take on it:

The tent jumps out at me at 5.75 pounds; I would try and split that up between you two, or perhaps look at purchasing/borrowing a lighter option, something in the 3 pound range, if that is doable. Also, I would ditch the 11 ounce ground cloth; way too heavy. Pick up a piece of TyVek, or lighter yet, go with Polycro. A 40” x 96” piece weighs less than 2 ounces. That saves you about half a pound. Gossamer Gear sells them in two-packs for $10.

Next, I would look at your water situation in the area you are hunting. Where we typically hunt, I go in with about one liter (32 oz.) for the hike in (3 miles), knowing I will be more or less out of water by the time we reach the area we will set up camp. That one liter will add 2.2 pounds to my starting weight. There is a small water source nearby where we will filter water for the night, etc.
If you can go in with one liter of water, it will shave 2.2 pounds. With the ground cloth swapped out for something lighter, you will cut about 44 ounces or 2.76 pounds off your starting weight. You are down to 61 pounds, give or take.

Clothing is the next area to review – with unpredictable weather, etc. in the high country, this is an area that can easily get heavy quickly. It looks like you have about 50 ounces (3 pounds) tied up in base layer tops and bottoms. If you can pare it down to one bottom and two tops that will save some real weight. The other big item is your 38 ounce (2.4 pound) jacket. A down jacket will arguably be warmer, and will weigh in around 10-16 ounces, depending on which one you go with. Granted, you may not want to make the purchase, but they are great from a weight to warmth ratio. Something you may want to consider.

Ditch the pack towel. There’s 5 ounces you don’t have to haul.
Tripod and spotting scope – nearly 6 pounds right there. Split it up? That knocks 3 pounds off of your starting weight (but puts 3 more pounds in your brother’s pack…)

Take less food. Eat big on your start day, and have something stashed at the truck on your last day out so when you drag yourselves that last 100 yards with big bucks in your pack, you can eat a pizza or something you have in the cooler! You won't need to carry "dinner" for the hike out.

So, I think by splitting up the tent (or going lighter) and splitting the tripod/scope between you and your brother, as well as less water going in (and food overall), lighter ground cloth and reviewing your clothing options, you should be able to cut out about 10 pounds getting you closer to your goal pack in weight. Good luck!

 

[Deleted member 16014]

I did two backpack hunts in WY last year and one in MT. I was at 52-56 lbs. each time. My pack weighs about half what yours does and only have about 4 lbs. of clothing that's not on my body--that pretty well makes up the difference. I agree on the light puffy, essential for comfortable glassing, and glassing is job #1. If you could shave it down to 60# I'm not sure you could do a lot better without spending more money. If you're not set on bringing two tripods for binos or solo pictures, I'd leave one spotter/tripod package behind. I agree ditch the groundcloth; tyvek doubles as a great cutting/meat sorting area when deboning for the trip out.
You want a jacket not vest, hooded if possible and I wouldn't want to "spend" over about 1.5 lbs. for it on a September hunt. Lots of good post Christmas sales on outdoor gear right now.

 

[Outdoor Junkie]

Great advice Bozone!

The tent is a 3 person tent (ideal for 2 people). I've already taken half the weight away for the ground fly and the tent (subtracted at the very top of the spreadsheet), so essentially my half of the weight is 52 oz (3 lb 3 oz for the shelter). I know that a decent amount of this (probably 1lb or more is the stakes). I might look at not taking all of them or else getting some titanium stakes. Great advice on the polycro or tyvek. Didn't know this.

As far as the water, this is good feedfback. With the 2,000 foot elevation gain and 4 mile hike, we wanted to make sure we were good for the first day. We're going to be cutting up a valley bottom and the plan is to refill when it looks like we start running out of water in the valley. The problem is that there isn't very much gauranteed sources of water up high based on the historical images on google earth. There are some water pockets and snow drifts remaining certain years, but it's not close to being a gaurantee. The 2 liters is an insurance policy and I'm not comfortbale enough on the first go around to cut ourselves short on this one.

As far as clothes, I think you are right. I think the down Cabella's jacket is getting bought while it's on clearance and the other jacket is dropping off. I also think at least 1 of the shirts, the extra pair of pants and possibly the second layer of long johns will be dropped.

The pack towel and camera are also likely getting cut. My iphone6 takes pretty good pictures and this removes 1/2 pound.

Back to the tripod and spotting scope... almost 6 pounds. Have you done this type of hunt before? What does everyone think aboout using 1 spotting scope between 2 guys for a high country/ alpine basin type of hunt? We will both have binos. The warden reccomended that we both bring a spotting scope. I'd like to get as much feedback as possible on this.

I think you guys are right on the food. If I drop to ~2,500 calories per day from ~3,300 then I will cut ~2.5 pounds.

With 2.5 pounds of food, 3 pounds of spotting scope and ~ 2-3 pounds on tent stakes, ground fly and clothes I will start to get a lot closer to my goal of 55 pounds.

I'd love to hear more advice from everyone, especially the guys who have camped up high for extended periods and have glassed at or above treeline.

Thanks!
Chuck

 

[TheJason]

Thanks JLS! That makes sense. The rifle and ammo are probably going to be ~ 4 pounds heavier than the bow/ arrows ( just guessing), but you probably had ~ 3 pounds more food. Was 60 pounds pretty manageable? What ype of elevation gain and distance did you hike in? Thanks for the advice!

The weight was very manageable. I had a net gain of about 3200 feet and total distance of about 12-13 miles. I was also carrying 3 liters of water and drank it all on the first five miles (2500 feet in elevation)

Also, looking at your stuff again. I only take two pairs of socks and one pair of base layer (merino)/undies. Always a down coat and hooded if possible.

Water is completely dependent on the situation. I've hauled 3 liters before and drank it all before I was able to refill. I'd rather have a little extra water than run out and get dehydrated.

 

[HSi-ESi]

Very good advice above. If swapping out some of the items isn't possible (for newer / lighter) - 65 lbs up to base camp of 4 miles isn't too bad. I'm not trying to play devil's advocate - it would be good to take the advice. But if it's not possible - you aren't in a bad position.

When my brother and I go on extended pack trips, we only bring 1 spotter. We both have bino's - and usually don't split up too much when glassing. We'll split to make moves on elk sometimes if the need comes up - but not when glassing. Not to over-ride the warden's experience with that area, but that's my experience hunting with a partner for extended days.

One item I would note - I would be packing a bigger bag with a list of possibles. September is a long way away. You can go through weather forecasts when you get close. It might be possible to leave some of the base layers - or you might have to take some heavier winter clothes. I always have different boot options and clothing options in the truck. This way if the weather turns while I am up there - I could run down to the truck and re-gear some of the items.

 

[TheJason]

I'm not sure you both need a spotter. It's always nice to take a break from it, and you could alternate while the other guys uses binos.

I think you can do better than a Cabela's down coat in terms of quality and weight if you shop around.

http://www.rei.com/product/870609/sierra-designs-super-stratus-down-jacket-mens-2013-closeout

Calories is a tough call. Last year in the Rubies I packed for about 2500 per day, which is lower than I normally go. I found by the end of the trip I was having a hard time eating all of my food. During cold weather hunts I usually eat everything and am still starved.

Look at some MSR groundhog tent stakes. Great upgrade.

In Nevada I was damned glad I had an extra 3liter bladder, because water was not readily available. If you are unsure, err on the side of caution. I like Platypus bladders.

Edit: Absolutely imperative to have a survival kit w/ stuff that is tried, tested and proven. I've been really glad to have a fire before in September. You never know when you'll spend the night out because you killed an animal at last light and have to navigate cliffs back to camp.

 

[Outdoor Junkie]

Thanks JLS!

I have the platypus 3 liter hydration bag/ tube and I've put it through hell and back.... neve leaked once. I just bought the 1 liter collapable bottle yesterday and it looks to be equal quality.

Great advice on the spotter, down jacket and tent stakes.

Also, I have SOL emergency bivy, but I am going to go through my first aid kit and combine in some emergency fire starting items as well. That isn't added in yet, but was part of the remaining 1 pound of items not yet accounted for.

Any reccomendations on items to include in a survival kit? I will have a lighter and emergency bivy, but snything else you might reccomend? I've seen that emergency fire starter stuff that holds a flame even when wet? Anything else?

 

[Kaitum]

If you browse the forums looking at the gear list sheep hunters put together, you'll see some good ideas for shaving ounces and getting your pack weight down. I've never ran across a group of hunters willing to spend $1,000s to shave a few ounces like the ultra-light obsessed mountain sheep hunter crowd

Here's a thread from earlier that may be of help: http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/showthread.php?t=259886

I'd say if you both have decent binos that are comfortable for glassing, then you can get by with 1 spotting scope between two hunters. Start with fresh batteries in your head lamp / GPS / etc and leave the spares in your vehicle.

 

[Outdoor Junkie]

What about this jacket?

http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=1621728#BVRRWidgetID

Looks to have fairly good reviews, $100 which is very good for a down jacket? I tried this on yesterday at Cabellas and thought it felt like a real good quality jacket.

I've never owned a down jacket, so advice is welcome!

 

[TheJason]

It looks like an okay coat, but certainly not what I would look for in a backpacking coat. I'd try to find higher quality down (dry down if possible) and a lighter weight (water resistant if possible) outer shell.

If you are going to try and save weight, start doing it now with the gear you haven't yet purchased.

 

[putm2sleep]

Awesome list and feedback here, no need to add my cents. Also - a refreshing topic, fabulous insight and information for the DIY'ers, and just feels better than all the forum requests for units, spots and 'where to?'

Agree with a lot of what's above and have a blast man. And. Good Luck!
Fun is a given. Success is the trip!