Sitka Gear Turkey Tool Belt

Backpack weight??

That 500 dollar offer still stand?
Not for you… Definitely could name others.. in fact I may have struck a chord; in my observation, you are far more personable since that interaction!!

Might even give you a free lick if I ever seen ya… sorry for telling you not to be a azzhole!? THANKS For listening!?
 
Do you guys actually put your packs to a scale and actually weigh the pack with all your gear in it? Ive found on the fishing websites that fisherman think they caught a 30lb fish and they actually weigh it with a calibrated scale, it turns out to be 10lbs less. Just asking.
 
I weigh 155 pounds and carry between 55-58 pounds for a 5 day trip. I like to live comfortable and don't mind bringing in a few extras, especially food. Over nighters I can get away with about 10 pounds less.
KC gave some great tips, a back that fits is very important. A sloppy pack will feel several pounds heavier in a short amount of time.
Also, weight distribution in a pack once you get over 30 pounds can result in a nice, steady pack or one that slips side to side and pulls on one shoulder more than the other. You may not notice on a short hike on level ground but on uneven terrain and sidehills the weight distribution is very important.
 
Do you guys actually put your packs to a scale and actually weigh the pack with all your gear in it? Ive found on the fishing websites that fisherman think they caught a 30lb fish and they actually weigh it with a calibrated scale, it turns out to be 10lbs less. Just asking.
I weigh the pack during prep for the hunt. Most was 110 pound pack not counting bow nor two bottles of water on my hips. I weighed 205 pounds. Was expecting 3 miles to get to where would camp. Forest Service bulldozed a pile of dirt on the road so had to park 2 miles from trailhead then the 3 miles to camp on the trail was not counting switchbacks so I hiked in 9 miles that day. Realized I could not get an elk out from there without meat spoiling so for the next three days listened to bull elk bugling and glassed up elk, deer and black bear. Google Earth with better resolution would have been handy for seeing the switchbacks. I lost footing on the way out and stuck the edge of a rock into my calf. You go down fast with that much weight in a pack.
 
Do you guys actually put your packs to a scale and actually weigh the pack with all your gear in it? Ive found on the fishing websites that fisherman think they caught a 30lb fish and they actually weigh it with a calibrated scale, it turns out to be 10lbs less. Just asking.
Yes I have a digital scale and weight everything that goes in my pack ,everything and I know what the pack weigh is
so a bit of math and I know exact weight
 
I weigh everything on a kitchen scale then put it in the pack, and then do a final pack with the luggage scale.

It's interesting to look at what is weighing you down specifically.
Ive tried a regular scale with the pack on my back but get different #s everytime and im kinda anal
weighing things has helped me loose extra lbs on gear
 
Yes I have a digital scale and weight everything that goes in my pack ,everything and I know what the pack weigh is
so a bit of math and I know exact weight
Those digital scales can be off by quite a bit, say 5-8lbs. Yes, that much.
 
Those digital scales can be off by quite a bit, say 5-8lbs. Yes, that much.
I've not found this to be the case most I've used are accurate within .2 to .4 lbs. Usually I weigh everything with a kitchen scale item by item, then compare that to the packed weight with a luggage scale.

When traveling I give myself a 2lb buffer because airline scales are notoriously inaccurate.

Further 8lb off when weighing a 29lb pack would be glaringly obvious.
 
TK,

There is some rule of thumb, maybe Backpacker.com has it, but I think your pack should not exceed 30-35% of your body weight. Although there is no way in hell you would ever get an elk out with that rule, but for first trips, you should be fine, and then experiment up. But hell, if you are only going for 1-2 nights, how much crap do you need?

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So another good reason to avoid getting “mountain tough?” Heavy me gets to carry in more gear than trim me.
 
I've not had the opportunity to hunt for more than 5 days in a row, and my max pack weights fluctuate between 40-45lbs (that's measured gross weight including rifle, glass, water and food, everything) depending on weather conditions and whether I'm hunting solo or with a buddy.
 
Dry weight, no food, no water, not counting rifle, I’m 26.6 for 5 days. That won’t really change on a longer hunt either, but the food will increase. I’m pretty light, beginner gear will probably be closer to 35-40#.

Let me add, I’m basing this off second rifle in Co. Could be sunny, could be snow, but 20s for the lows.

When I was a teenager I carried 65# for a week fly fishing up in the Smokeys.
 
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My target is in the 40-50lb range. That would include everything, base gear, food, water, weapon. Weight will vary depending on time of year (extra clothes) and how much water you need to pack. My food is pretty consistent around 2-2.5 lbs per day.
 
Yes I have a digital scale and weight everything that goes in my pack ,everything and I know what the pack weigh is
so a bit of math and I know exact weight
Same. Winter pack for 5-7 day hunt averages right around 66-68 lbs not including what I "wear" (clothes, boots, outer layers, binos and harness). I weigh those too because I am a Type A.
 
I haven't weighed a pack in a while, but the last time I did, 8 days was around 62lbs, sans rifle, boots and such. I decided it hardly matters, I need everything that's in there and the only thing I can really change is the weight of my food bag, so instead of worrying about weight, I worry about squats, reverse lunges and taking the kettle bell for a walk up and down the river bluffs as much as possible.
 
A recent planned 8 day trip to Colorado was 56 pounds including bow with quiver, no water. I targeted 1.5 pounds of food/day between 2600 and 3000 calories. It turned out that was more food than I needed, so I could have saved some there, and a few more clothes would have made it more comfortable.
 
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