huntjunkie Report post Posted June 20, 2013 Can't do a bivy! I seem to encounter alot of bears and snakes in aug/sept. I like the false since of security that a tent offers. I'll pack the extra weight. My conflict is gear. I sold my 15's because they take up to much room and weigh to much. Looking for a good "one size fits all" for backpack hunting. Any suggestions? Lookin at some 12x50?? Seems like everything is a "necessity". Lol!! What's your favorite backpack (4-5) days? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AZ_SAWBUCK Report post Posted June 25, 2013 We usually just put our day packs and all our gear on the horses! Still have to watch the weight of the gear with all the beer and grain we pack...... :DSleep under the stars and use small semiinflatable pads. I could see how a small tent or bivy would be great for stormy weather. We still pack light.... Breakfast usually consists of a coffee and instant oatmeal and lunch of lightweight trail food, frozen or canned for dinner. Water purification system a must we use the pump kind. huntjunkie, I have the Vortex Viper 15x50 hd binos and are really pleased with them. Still have to use a tripod but they are the lightest and smallest 15's you can get. My buddies have 12x50 weaver's, they are awsome too and at a great price I think they got a deal for about $250. The nice thing about the 12's is you can still free hand them without getiing the shakey image and they are powerfull enough to pick part a hill side. Good luck out there! JS Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
huntjunkie Report post Posted June 25, 2013 Thanks for the info AZ_SAWBUCK Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesWhitetail Report post Posted June 26, 2013 My favorite backpack is my fathers old aluminum external frame pack that he had as a boyscout. Everyone laughs at me, but I love it! Most comfortable pack I have ever used. It's the green pack in that bivy photo I posted. The waistbelt has zero padding on it, it's just a canvas belt, but it's sooooo comfortable for some reason. And it's very lightweight. Just doesn't have a ton of room. My backpack tent is a Big Agnes Seedhouse SL2. It's a good tent, but it's tight for two people. Perfect for one. Fast setup, lightweight and freestanding. Love folding back the rainfly to watch the stars through the screen. my sleeping bag is a super lightweight 0 degree down bag by Montbell...the super stretch I think it's called. LOVE that bag! Very lightweight and packs small and very warm. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jcubed Report post Posted June 26, 2013 There look to be a couple good deals on a tipi stove combo on the kifaru classifieds fyi Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Weston Report post Posted June 26, 2013 Amanda, how does that montbell super spiral move with you? I thought the concept was intriguing however I wasnt sure if it was worth the extra half pound or so over the Western Mountaineering ones. Also, do you have the Standard 650 fill down or the ultralight with the 800 fill? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesWhitetail Report post Posted June 26, 2013 Amanda, how does that montbell super spiral move with you? I thought the concept was intriguing however I wasnt sure if it was worth the extra half pound or so over the Western Mountaineering ones. Also, do you have the Standard 650 fill down or the ultralight with the 800 fill? I bought mine years ago and it isn't the spiral that they have out now. The stitching is similar, just not in a spiral. But I love the way it stretches to let me sit up and cross my legs in the bag (say if I want to have a cup of coffee while sitting in the bag, or reading at night or something). The stretch stitching might not be worth is if you don't drink coffee or hot chocolate or tea while still in your bag. But I use the bag a lot even in cabins or other people's houses so they don't have to wash sheets or make the bed, so it's nice to have the ability to sit up cross legged in the bag. The stretch stiching also keep the bag a little tighter to your body while sleeping and moving around at night. Mine was called the super stretch hugger and I think it's been replaced with the super stretch spiral. I got the ultralight fill, zero degree, down sleeping bag. I just love it! I tend to get cold easy while sleeping and I am always warm in this bag. Took me several years to realize I need to get sleeping bags that are rated at least 20 degrees below where the temperature will be in order for me to stay warm. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JLW Report post Posted June 28, 2013 what's in your emergency/medical kit???? James Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesWhitetail Report post Posted June 28, 2013 what's in your emergency/medical kit???? James I carry a basic first aid kit, but am looking to upgrade it by adding some of those gel bandages that stop heavy bleeding. I have a Dr friend that is going to recommend some to me to start carrying during my fieldwork and for hunting. I used one of those gel bandages once when I was pulling an arrow out of an archery target and it jammed into my knee when it suddenly came free. Wow, that was fun.....but the gel bandage worked GREAT. The other medical safety gear I carry is my SPOT unit. It has a button you can hit if you need life saving emergency medical care. I highly recommend people carry those units or something like it to summon emergency help. If that guy in Utah that was pinned under a rock and then had to cut his arm off had one of these units, he might have gotten help soon enough to save his arm. And you just never know when you will slip and fall or have some medical emergency like a ruptured appendix or whatever. These units are lightweight and really worth the cost, even if you never use them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Weston Report post Posted June 29, 2013 My Emergency kit is quite simple, 1 havalon blade, duct tape wrapped around a nalgene as a pseudo roll ( about 15 feet) super glue, a few vicodins and 25 ft of 550 cord. I think most people add way to much to their first AID kits, before I was Wilderness First Responder certified I was guilty of it too, sure bandaids are nice, and mole skin is a luxury however, if I cant fix what I need to fix with duct tape and super glue, I doubt its something I can survive any ways. I'll hit the button on my SPOT unit and if that doesn't work well it was probably my time. I also carry a small bottle of Aqua Mira drops incase my filter breaks., almost everything else found in most medical kits can easily be adapted from other items (clothing instead of gauze, para cord and sticks to make a splint, tyvek ground cloth in case of a sucking chest wound. etc. The most important thing is your head and if you use you and have the drive to survive you should not need a large first AID kit at all. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gregaz Report post Posted June 30, 2013 For medical I would recommend at least two "cat-t" tourniquets. They are lightweight and compact. Also an "Israeli" style bandage can be used as sling or the gauze for blood stoppage. I carry a small IFAK, it may be a bit overkill but I rather have too much when it comes to medical supplies. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
