MULEPACKHUNTER Report post Posted June 4, 2015 You have a good start there. You will be good with your list and a little add ons from suggestions. I have been doing hard diy solo backpacking and also packing my mules solo and after a few years I can say I would rather have some company, me and my buddy hunt sometimes together and we break off solo but hook up evenings and its great. I always find myself talking to myself or my mules when I'm solo and when things get interesting there's no one to turn to and say holy cow did you see that? I still go solo but prefer company. Have fun and be safe, solo is an eye opening endevure. 4 days and you will look at things and life different. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesPursuit Report post Posted June 4, 2015 BACKPACK GEAR LIST 2015.pdf 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AZ_SAWBUCK Report post Posted June 4, 2015 Thanks for all the input. Clint your list is pretty detailed. I like the 1st aid kit. I am thinking of the October hunt, in the past it has been a little warm in the afternoons but still sweatshirt weather in the mornings and evenings. I like all the suggestions so far. My thinking is I want to stay as light as possible. I remember cleaning out my pack last fall after my elk hunt and thinking why am I carrying half this crap? Do I really need my GPS, a full roll of electrical tape, extra batteries, extra flash light, thick gloves that I'm only going to use for 30 minutes, flagging, all the little stuff adds up. I know the old phrase "its better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it", but when you have to carry it all day I disagree. Id rather take the absolute necessities and leave the questionable stuff at the truck. I can really tell a difference when I cut weight especially when I'm hiking all day with a pack on. Plus once you take a deer you have to have some room in your pack for the animal. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MULEPACKHUNTER Report post Posted June 4, 2015 OK one more thing I learnt the hard way, put 100 lbs in your pack and go for a walk. Me and my buddy always dreamed of tagging a big mulie in backpack set ups but you will not be able to haul a mule deer and gear out even with 2 guys. Solo no way. A coues boned out you will be OK but be ready for it. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Str8Shot Report post Posted June 4, 2015 I like the list ... Some suggestions from the few I have done in the past... A good water filter and knowing what sources you have in the area makes for more versatility in what you can pack out. Hiking in some water caches prior to hunt is also beneficial.. as water is always your most weight. We always had a base camp a few miles away - usually because there were always a couple guys in group that did not want to hike in so far... By doing this we were able to have more food options from.. vacuum sealed meals easy to boil up and eat versus dehydrated... we ate well only doing one trip back half way through on day 4 ... things I would add to the list ... A good steel to keep blades sharp, zip ties (4 small and 4 medium) can come in as handy as that duct tape, some game bags, my fist aid is a bit more extensive and has full survival kit as well I keep it as a separate as possible and can be put on any of my packs ( http://www.amazon.com/Condor-Rip-Away-EMT-Pouch-Black/dp/B003TPNG5E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1433434887&sr=8-1&keywords=Condor+Rip-Away+EMT+Pouch ) ... I would not trade my GPS for anything .. I use a rino 655 ... no need for additional watch, or camera plus most of our group uses rinos for easy polling and locations... that being said still keep a reliable compass in the first aid/ survival kit... at the end of the day it is figuring out what works best for you ... a lot of making your pack lighter will also make your wallet lighter in the process but IMO it is worth it. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Str8Shot Report post Posted June 4, 2015 OK one more thing I learnt the hard way, put 100 lbs in your pack and go for a walk. Me and my buddy always dreamed of tagging a big mulie in backpack set ups but you will not be able to haul a mule deer and gear out even with 2 guys. Solo no way. A coues boned out you will be OK but be ready for it. 100% agree .. better be ready to make a couple trips .. maybe bring the Mule back with you on the last one... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MULEPACKHUNTER Report post Posted June 4, 2015 BACKPACK GEAR LIST 2015.pdf Hey so what do you usually end up at total on your back? My 5 day set up is usually 38 lbs with optics and tripod water and all. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AZMThunter Report post Posted June 4, 2015 BACKPACK GEAR LIST 2015.pdf Hey so what do you usually end up at total on your back? My 5 day set up is usually 38 lbs with optics and tripod water and all. (5) day weight for me - assuming there is water available - is around 29 lbs. If I was hunting, that would go up with the tripod, glass, game bags, Havalon knife, and camo clothes that are heavier than my regular BP gear. Water is always the variable - 3L per day is my minimum so over six pounds per day. That is always the stressful part for me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Weston Report post Posted June 4, 2015 I have backpacked (about half the time solo) for all of my coues hunts the last 5 or so years. I can't imagine doing it any other way now, I used to get up very early (like 0200 or 0300) in order to be at the bowl or hillside I wanted before light. Now I can sleep until the grey light starts to come up and hike over a small ridge and be where I want, not to mention make a lot less noise getting there. The biggest advantage backpacking for me is the ability to literally hunt until the sun goes down. I know there are some hardcore guys who hike out by headlamp every night 3 or 4 miles. It only took me two good spills down a rocky canyon side to realize that method was not going to work for me. I usually set up a "spike" camp, and then hunt a couple miles outside of it each day, I still go ultralight but once I'm set up I leave quite a bit a camp and actually carry less than I would on just day hikes, sometimes I'll just bring my optics, tripod, bow, and GPS if I'm less than a couple miles from camp. Which really makes for more efficient stalks. The hardest part about backpacking in AZ is water. I consistently clog pump filters because the water sources around where I hunt are muddy and or full of algae. I usually pack 2 gallons in and attempt to filter 2 more in the course of the 4 day hunts I typically do. Sometimes I worry about getting water especially when my filter starts clogging, I have bought a new filter to try this year, I always carry iodine tablets as well though, just in case. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Becker Report post Posted June 4, 2015 So what water filters are you guys using. I need to get a good one but haven't looked into them lately? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AZMThunter Report post Posted June 4, 2015 I like the micropur tablets much better than the iodine... And I have had so many mechanical failures with filters that I don't currently have one. I am hearing good things about the Sawyer filters, so I may check one of them out - It's on my wish list. I am pretty convinced that backpacking gear is like a heroin addiction... You know you shouldn't buy more, you know you don't need it, you know the money is all gone and your wife is gonna be ticked - but just one more.... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Str8Shot Report post Posted June 4, 2015 I have not had any issues with the MSR sweetwater but am hearing good things about the Platypus Gravity Works and thinking of trying one Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MULEPACKHUNTER Report post Posted June 4, 2015 I hear good thing on sawyer as well but have not used one. I have destroyed several and now use the mse sweetwater with a prefilter. This keeps it from clogging as much but even then the sweetwater is easily cleaned if it clogs. All NY others blew up when cloged. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shawn Report post Posted June 5, 2015 I started using the sawyer in line filter last year and really like it. I put it on a bladder drink tube and gravity fill any water bags or other bladders I bring. I got sick of pumping water. It works great on clean water and weighs just a few ounces. I have not tried it on really dirty water yet. I always bring purifying tablets as a backup. I love backpack hunts! My last 4 rifle Coues hunts have all been backpack hunts and 2 have been solo. This year will be another solo as long as I get a tag. You have lots of time in the dark if its one of the later hunts so I bring my iPod. Nothing like listening to Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings and George Strait anticipating the next days hunt. Very rewarding but can be very rough. As long as I can do it, rifle hunts will all be backpack hunts. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hoghntr Report post Posted June 6, 2015 Like said above. Baby wipes are awesome to help clean up at night. UNSCENTED! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
