Backpack Hunting

[azcouesandelk]

After my last thread looking for a hunting partner it really has got me looking at alot of different gear and starting to do alot of research. So I started making a list of what I would like to pack and how much it weighs to the ounce.

 

Here is the list

 

Pack: Eberlestock J104 6 pounds 14 ounces

Rifle: Remington 700 mountain rifle w/ 3.5-10x50 ziess (also bipod and sling) 9 pounds 6 ounces

Tent: Undecided as of now but want to stay under 4 pounds

Bag: Undecided as of now but want to stay under 4 pounds

Tripod: Full size Bogen 8 pounds 4 ounces (am going to buy new tripod around 2 pounds)

Optics: 15x56 Swarovski and 20-60x80 Spotting Scope 6 pounds 8 ounces (not sure about scope yet)

Kitchen: Undecided but found Trek 700 Ti Combo with Stove and it weighs a wopping 8 ounces

Misc: Knife, sharpener, headlamp, camera, video camera, TP, and GPS approximately 3 pounds 12 ounces

Clothes: 1 jacket, 2 extra pair of socks and extra t-shirt 2 pounds 8 ounces

Food: 3 20 ounce mountain house meals, 3 power bars, 3 bags of jerky approximately 7 pounds 12 ounces

Water: 2 gallons 16 pounds 12 ounces

 

All together that came out to 70 pounds 4 ounces but if I do not know about the spotter yet and the lighter tripod will cut about 6 pounds off, also with out the video camera that would cut another pound and that would put me at 59 pounds 12 ounces. That is getting close to what I want but would still like to cut another 10 pounds or so.

 

Matt, Doug, Amanda and any others that have done pack trips please if you have the time would you post what you guys carry, what each item weighs and any reccomondations.

[SilentButDeadly]

I used to work on the back country fire crew at Saguaro NP, it was a 10 mile hike in every week to Manning Camp. One of the guys I worked with got me into the 'light hiking' style of packing, he had recently finished the Pacific Crest Trail (Mexico to Canada) in under 4 months (2,650 mi, over 20 miles day average).

 

My summer/fall camping pack is under 25 pounds now and it will stay that way for the rest of my life.

 

Go-lite frameless pack (<2lbs)

Moonstone sleeping bag (<2lbs)

therma-rest air matress (<1lb)

Tent - you don't need a tent this is Arizona - bring a nylon tarp if you think its going to rain (<1lb)

Titanium cook pot w/ pocketrocket stove (8oz)

Titanium cup (2oz)

lexan Spoon (<1oz)

 

Camelback (6-8lbs full)

 

MSR h20 filter (1lb) - camp near water, if you're out in October there will be springs/potholes

 

Food - depends on how long you're out, bring lots of carbs (5-15lbs)

 

+ tripod, binos, etc - can't help you there - go with the best (which usually means heaviest).

 

I would buy everything from an online retailer that gives deep discounts - local backpacking granola crunching companies over-charge out the ying (just like sportsman companies!)

 

Also, I hike in tennis shoes - another aspect of the light hiking style....

 

You can spend ALOT of money on this - hippies love their gear like hunters love their weapons, and you will have to pay for the good stuff....

 

Feel free to PM me if you're interested in more info.

 

Tyson

PS. Yes, that is a truck sun shade - excellent heat reflection for snow camping! ha!

[azcouesandelk]

Great input I will be sending you a PM when I have some more time but it is off to bed here I gotta go to work in the morning

 

Also love the pipe

[ac guy]

I pack similar to you, but decided to go with pills instead of a filter, and I am lucky to go to a place where the deer are within 100yds, so no need for a scope or tripod, which saves a good bit of weight, as does a small set of 8X binos. I also take light weight food, but hunt an apple orchard, which saves having to bring a ton of food, but can require extra mountain money

[DesertBull]

Check out Cameron Hanes book on backcountry hunting. Good stuff geared toward lightweight packing for the hunter.

[Red Rabbit]

You might consider a syl tarptent

http://www.tarptent.com/index.html

 

some info on the kifaru forums

http://forums.kifaru.net/ubbthreads.php?ubb=cfrm

 

The forums on backpacking light

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/ba...rums/index.html

 

Stoney-point stix would be lighter than a Harris bipod. or you can shoot off your pack or camera tripod and leave the bipod behind

I enjoyed my Velbon LUXi tripod and Manfrotto700RC2 fluid head this season. 3lb 3oz complete.

My older bones enjoy a thermarest pro-lite at night, but lighter is a z-rest

Petzl Tikka XP headlamp

light 1" nylon rifle sling instead of leather or cobra style sling to save afew oz.

Bore out the stock butt under the recoil pad

Leica duovids instead of separate 10 and 15 power Swaros (save a few pounds)

 

Try a light jacket or vest of Primaloft or Polarguard. Check out the gear guide on the backpacking light forums.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/ba...uide_index.html

 

What are you using for a camera?

[COUESAZ]

Red rabit i like your Idea about the buttstock on your gun. How do you go about that. I have a little 22 rifle that is my daughters now. It has a hallow stock. so in the hallow area i put a little survival kit. I wouold love to do this to my hunting rig. I am a survival nutt. not to much weight just some fire starting stuff and a emergency blanket for shelter. with o couple water treatment pills.

[Red Rabbit]

couesaz,

I would secure the rifle in a drill press and drill out the better part. A Dremel could be used for any high,rough spots left inside. This lightening would change the balance of the rifle forward. I would not want the survival gear rattling around inside the stock. Then there is the problem of making the recoil pad removeable to access the goodies.

 

Doug~RR

[mattys281]

My pack is an REI Mars pack which rings in at around 6 lbs. & holds over 5100 cu. in. of gear. It also has several lash points on the outside to tie bedrolls, tents, tripods, or whatever you don't want inside. Price is $200.

 

Sleeping bag is an REI Kilo 0 degree mummy bag that weighs in around 2.5 lbs. This is a very warm bag, priced at $290.

 

Tent is an REI Quarterdome, weighing in at about 3.5 lbs. & priced at $200. You could squeeze one person & all their gear into it, or 2 people (cramped) & the gear outside. I don't usually carry a tent, except in the winter. Getting out of the wind to do your cooking makes a big difference.

 

As for other stuff, don't buy anything that runs off of propane. The 70% butane 30% propane fuel bottles are a fraction of the weight, as are the appliances that run off of them.

 

You may have noticed a theme with my gear - it all begins with REI. Their stuff is very comparable to the top line gear & costs considerable less. Plus if you join thier co-op you get something like a 20% discount on one purchase once a year & they keep track of how much you spend during the year & give you a dividend at the end of the year that you can use to buy stuff. My $200 Mars pack cost me about $140 after tax by using my discount & divident on it. They'll also periodically do special sales where members only get discounts. They're located on the corner of Priest & Southern in Tempe, on the Southwest corner of the intersection.

 

As for weight, I'd encourage you to stay under 60 lbs. at just about any cost. The best way to do that is to contact the FS before striking out & locate reliable water sources. Water is the heaviest thing in your pack & you don't want to carry anymore of it than necessary. Your shoulders & back will thank you for that. I'm in pretty good shape, running several times a week (distances between 2.5 & 10 miles at a crack) & for me, personally 50 lbs. is about my max. A 50-55 pound pack I can carry all day, a 65 pound pack will kill me in less than 10 miles.

 

Good luck out there.

 

Matt S.

[Red Rabbit]

Here is an overloaded duo set for a backpack archery elk hunt into a wilderness in Colorado. Equipment has improved a smidge in the last 20 years.

 

[audsley]

Not sure where you're going or when, but I'd try to do this where there's stream water so you don't have to carry more than a quart. I use tablets instead of a filter. Tablets work for about everything except Giardia, and that one doesn't hit you until you're back home anyway. Takes a week or more in the body, I think, before it starts causing problems.

 

I also recommend a collapsible water bag to fill at the stream and hang in camp.

 

If the place you're going doesn't have water, consider packing some in the weekend before.

 

Lose the spotting scope. That's a luxury you really don't need if you have 15x56 Swarovskis. And definitely find a lighter tripod.

 

If you're hunting deer, you don't want to carry much more than 30 lbs unless you plan to eat the deer while you're in there. It's not that hard to get down to 30 lbs.

 

If you take a deer, have a plan for cutting it up to pack it out.

 

I believe in light tents because they add another 10 degrees when you need it most - at night.

[azcouesandelk]

I really appreciate all the help and the great information guys. It looks like if I were able to cut the tent and just use a tarp and only carry a quart of water and a filter I would be able to lighten the load down to the 52 to 54 pound range. I just need to reread everything and I am sure I will be able to ask more questions about each item individually. Once again thanks alot guys you ROCK!!!

[bvanetten]

Howdy folks,

 

Ben lurking for a couple of years, great site. This thread hits on a passion of mine, hunting off of your back. Don't get me wrong, I like the Toy Hauler, 4x4, quad, ice chests full of frosty beverages kinda hunting also but for me nothing beats getting further back like a backpack hunt. It does a real good job of distilling down what is really important and focusing you to the task at hand. Our first backpack trip years ago was 70+ lb packs... ouch! steel pots hinging off of the pack and all. We looked like the beverly hillbilly's! You learn real quick what is an essential, needed item and what isn't. The next trip was at 55 lbs and interestingly enough we didn't want for anything that the 70 lb pack trip offered. These days I average 40 to 45 lb packs for a 4 to 5 day trip. That doesn't include what I'm wearing or my rifle. I really don't grasp how some of you are able to trim down to 30 lbs or below but hats off to ya, I wish I could.

 

AC Guy,

 

It sounds like we hunt the same area or at least close. I hunted the apples last November and helped a buddy hunt north and west of there in December. We both got deer. This year I helped a buddy hunt in the same area for his November hunt and 4 of us went in for a December hunt. I wanted to bring my oldest boy along (he's 9) this year so we opted for hiring pack mules to bring in our gear. I didn't want to sour him to hunting because of the work it takes to pack in. But at the same time I new a December hunt back in the Supes would give me the opportunity to test him out and teach him to spot bucks. He did great and we had an fantastic time. It's time for hunter safety now, he wants to put in for everything!

 

One piece of gear I will not part with from now on is our new silnylon two pole tepee and stove. It's foot print is 15'x18' and has 7 1/2' ceilings. One of the guys I hunt with is 6'7" and he can stand up and walk around. The tent and stove weigh a total of 12 lbs. here are some pics...

 

 

A buddy of mine got his first deer, a real good eatin spiker (he was deer chili that night). One of his spikes broke off so we are calling him a unicorn! The attached epic is him and my boy. There are also some pics of the area and camp and the apples last year (they didn't drop this year, the fruit skips a year)

 

I'll update your gear thread with what I carry.

[DesertBull]

I take it you keep bear spray handy at all times in that place?

 

[ac guy]

If the apples are falling, you can't step foot in the orchard without stepping in or ovr scat. saw 4 bears in one day. Had one come in to our camp at 0 dark thirty, woke up to gunshots being fired.