lonne Report post Posted June 18, 2018 Best Bivvy is the Outdoor Research Alpine Bivvy. It costs a pretty penny but there is great ventilation. Any of the other bivvies and you will deal with serious condensation. I've slept through heavy rain, snow and serious sleet storms in it. Always wondered what would happen if a cow or a bear accidentally walked on me. I suppose if it was a bear they can smell so good it wouldn't be an accident and it might be more like teeth. LOL. I have never been disappointed with the inflatable super light Thermarest. Still have not punched a hole in it, in many years. The MSR Dromedary 10 Liter has been awesome for putting some days in. None of this stuff is on a budget though, sorry! I once somehow thought I could get away with a $99 sleeping bag at 10,000 feet and I ended up nearly hypothermic and nearly frostbite. Learning the hard way is not fun but somewhat required or else its easy to make a dumb mistake. Definitely do not skimp on the sleeping bag, although it does make sense to get one rated for the temps you will be sleeping in. But don't trust the temp ratings unless there is a price tag to justify it on the bag. Have fun!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AZ RANGER Report post Posted June 18, 2018 I agree with others just take what you got and go for an over-nighter. I still laugh at the gear I took 20 years ago on some of my early trips. (Cans of Dinty Moore heavy weight military sleeping bags etc). Made some great memories In the backcountry though that wouldnt have happened otherwise. I still dont have the best gear but I take what I got and make it work. Ive taken my kids with me and thats a great experience too. Ive noticed they dont care about comfort near as much as I do, but they are always hungry. Bottom line is dont overthink it. You dont need the best of the best, however the lighter you are the farther you can go. I am raising some pack goats now so that will be a game changer for me. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AZDirtyTaco Report post Posted June 19, 2018 Numero uno recommendation would be to find out what your physical limits are when carrying weight and then work on gear from there. How many pounds are you comfortable to hump over ___ miles and ____ elevation gain, and then hunt? Are you packing in to a base camp or planning to stay mobile by moving camp each morning? I'm not sure how or why you guys put up with bivy's. Single person tents are within a few ounces without spending big money and are 100 times more comfortable, especially in bad weather. My favorite line of tents right now for 1/2/3 person are the REI Passage and are excellent for the money. It's such a large topic and everyone has their things they are or aren't willing to compromise on. You can save big if you're ok to sleep on the egg crate foam style pads that can be had for $10 or so. Take the money saved there and apply it to better quality packs. Need something with more cush... there's not a better dollar spent than on a Thermarest or comparable mattress. Kelty is never a bad option and you can pretty much outfit your family top to bottom with their gear and not have any major regrets. All around solid value and performance. The more weight you are willing to hump - the less money you'll have to spend. There's a very personal balance of what you're willing to leave behind whether it's comfort or safety related. As an example: many will say that if you have something in your pack that you don't use on 3-6 trips, leave it. Well... there goes your first-aide kit most likely. Mine is hefty as far as most go and I rarely go into it, but there's zero chance it will ever stay behind. Best bet Kev, is to connect with someone that has been backpacking for a few years and get them to do a bag dump with you. Bug them every time you have a question till they are annoyed. Anyone that's been doing it for a while will give you the pro's and con's of what they have in their kit. Ulta-light is a sufferfest and ultra-heavy is a sufferfest. But what's light to one person can easily be heavy for another and visa versa... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
208muley Report post Posted June 19, 2018 My 2 cents. Quality sleep is everything when on a backpack trip. I use a down quilt, a quality pad with a 5 r value and a one person tent. I don't like bugs buzzing my face at night and let's not talk about bugs that bite or sting. Scorpions suck! You can get a Enlightened equipment quilt for about $300 and you can customize it to your liking. My 20 degree weighs 19 oz. my big Agnes tent weighs just under 2 lbs. My pad is 14 oz. camp is set for under 5 lbs. Without weapon my pack for a 7 day trip weighs 42 lbs, give or take depending on season or animal,including clothes I'm wearing, boots, pack, glass, camp, food, cook gear, filter, 3 liter platypus, and misc equip I won't hunt without. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CatfishKev Report post Posted June 19, 2018 Numero uno recommendation would be to find out what your physical limits are when carrying weight and then work on gear from there. How many pounds are you comfortable to hump over ___ miles and ____ elevation gain, and then hunt? Are you packing in to a base camp or planning to stay mobile by moving camp each morning? I'm not sure how or why you guys put up with bivy's. Single person tents are within a few ounces without spending big money and are 100 times more comfortable, especially in bad weather. My favorite line of tents right now for 1/2/3 person are the REI Passage and are excellent for the money. It's such a large topic and everyone has their things they are or aren't willing to compromise on. You can save big if you're ok to sleep on the egg crate foam style pads that can be had for $10 or so. Take the money saved there and apply it to better quality packs. Need something with more cush... there's not a better dollar spent than on a Thermarest or comparable mattress. Kelty is never a bad option and you can pretty much outfit your family top to bottom with their gear and not have any major regrets. All around solid value and performance. The more weight you are willing to hump - the less money you'll have to spend. There's a very personal balance of what you're willing to leave behind whether it's comfort or safety related. As an example: many will say that if you have something in your pack that you don't use on 3-6 trips, leave it. Well... there goes your first-aide kit most likely. Mine is hefty as far as most go and I rarely go into it, but there's zero chance it will ever stay behind. Best bet Kev, is to connect with someone that has been backpacking for a few years and get them to do a bag dump with you. Bug them every time you have a question till they are annoyed. Anyone that's been doing it for a while will give you the pro's and con's of what they have in their kit. Ulta-light is a sufferfest and ultra-heavy is a sufferfest. But what's light to one person can easily be heavy for another and visa versa... Great post. Made me think to myself about distance. Right now I'm not on a trophy kick. It's about spending time with the kids with side benefits of hunting. I couldn't expect my initial distance to spike camp more than 3 miles (If that). I'm with you on first aid as well. If it was me I'd skimp a bit but I'm a worse case scenario thinker and only worse once my kids are in the mix. Given my relative short distance I think I could skimp a bit on tent as far as weight goes. I'm leaning away from bivys to 2 person tents. Joined rokslide but a bit overwhelmed with things out of my comfort zone but all i need is time. Thanks for the post. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CatfishKev Report post Posted June 19, 2018 My 2 cents. Quality sleep is everything when on a backpack trip. I use a down quilt, a quality pad with a 5 r value and a one person tent. I don't like bugs buzzing my face at night and let's not talk about bugs that bite or sting. Scorpions suck! You can get a Enlightened equipment quilt for about $300 and you can customize it to your liking. My 20 degree weighs 19 oz. my big Agnes tent weighs just under 2 lbs. My pad is 14 oz. camp is set for under 5 lbs. Without weapon my pack for a 7 day trip weighs 42 lbs, give or take depending on season or animal,including clothes I'm wearing, boots, pack, glass, camp, food, cook gear, filter, 3 liter platypus, and misc equip I won't hunt without. I suppose sleep is a big deal. Can't argue that. I also hate bugs so I'm with you there too. Butt... Please in your own words break down the quilt vs bag debate. $300 is a lot of scratch. What are you gaining? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MULEPACKHUNTER Report post Posted June 19, 2018 Quilt vs bag, basically you are gaining the warmth of the down you compress under your body. So you also gain the weight of the down or fabric that is now not under your body. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest akaspecials Report post Posted June 19, 2018 I disagree that it is expensive. You really don’t need much to get out into the woods, people have been doing it for millennia without all the fancy stuff a lot of us have. As others have stated, start with short overnights in good weather, add on to your gear as you fine tune what you need. Pack- Get yourself a used pack that fits, brand doesn’t really matter since your pack is the one item that you really need to spend money on later to upgrade. Figure out if you want an external or an internal, and make sure that it fits your torso properly, otherwise it won’t carry the weight properly on your hips. Expect to spend 300-500 for a decent pack when you want to upgrade. (I have not found any of the yuppie REI brands capable of holding up to Arizona hunting. Go with Eberlestock, Kuiu, etc. when you decide to finally drop the big money.) Sleeping bag- We live in AZ, and unless you are going out in the high country in January, you probably don’t need to worry about freezing to death. Anything will work within reason. I actually don’t carry a sleeping bag very often anymore. I am usually up at 4 am and need clothing to be able to sit still in the coldest predawn hours, so I just sleep in those. (Thermals, fleece, outer shell, parka if it’s too cold.) It's also not unusual for me to open up the fire ring and sleep next to the coals for a little added warmth on cold nights. Just make sure you don't roll in your sleep and that wind won't blow the coals. Pad- Lightweight foam. Should be around 10 dollars at Walmart or Bass pro. I've never seen a thermarest/inflatable pad that got actual use hold air longer than 4 or 5 years. Throw that foam pad on the ground or in the bottom of your hammock for some extra warmth at night. This also doubles as my pad to glass from. I build a sort of lounge chair using my backpack as my back rest and my foam pad for my butt. I adjust the tripod and can pretend I'm glassing from a lazy boy. Tent- Unless it will rain, tents are just extra weight. Learn to sleep on the ground if snakes aren’t an issue, or sleep in a hammock if they are. Throw a cheap tarp and some paracord in so you have protection from the elements if you need it. Cooking- Get a cheap lightweight pot that you can burn the bottom of and not worry. Build a small trapper/hunter fire and cook on that. Steal a few utensils from your wife’s kitchen if you even need them. (Don’t try to use cheap plastic silverware cause you’ll melt it right into your food.) Food- Bring food that doesn’t need a mess kit or a stove if you don’t have one. You’re out for a few days, you don’t need to eat like a king and you can probably pass on that hot coffee. Throw in a bag of almonds, some raisins, and some jerky. Maybe a few granola bars. Don’t make it complicated. Water- Purchase a decent pump if you will be out a lot because the water will taste much better than the tabs. Boiling water to purify or the iodine tabs are cheap ways to go about it on a budget though. Water Bottles- Use the 32 ounce Gatorade bottles for water if you are on a budget. When you upgrade, get hard 32 or 48 oz nalgene bottles. The flexible bladders will fail after years of use, and they don't float if you ever flip a canoe or raft on a river. Emergency Gear- Knife, compass, maps, medicine, large bandages, multiple sources of fire, emergency space blanket. You should already have all of these if you are out hunting. Boots- Buy good boots that fit your feet. Everyone wants something different in boots, but I would suggest something with decent ankle support. A lot of folks have moved to ultralight hiking shoes, but I think that’s silly for hunting in rough country. I also want a fighting chance against a snake bite, so I like high leather. Break in your boots before the hike. In general, most of your weight should be weapon, optics, and water. If you don't use something after a few trips, get rid of it. And finally, the best backpacking advice I was given, was BURN EVERYTHING YOU OWN THAT IS COTTON. Move to synthetic or wool as you upgrade. You will be thankful when you hit your first spell of really inclement weather on an multiday trip. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MULEPACKHUNTER Report post Posted June 19, 2018 Awsome, makes me want to head out right now Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Viper Report post Posted June 19, 2018 REI rents gear for pretty cheap. You can try before you buy. I surf several sites, almost daily to see what's available...Rokslide, camofire, CWT, Archery Talk, Kuiu Gear Only facebook page, craigslist.... Craigslist is a pretty good resource for lightly used basic gear. People buy the stuff, discover they don't like backpacking/camping, and put it up for sale...same for exercise equipment. I agree with previous comments stating, just get out there for overnighters with what you have and start refining. Upgrading is a continual endeavor. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MT_Sourdough Report post Posted June 19, 2018 If you live near a college, the classifieds/bulletins can be a treasure trove of great deals. Especially October-November. ColLidge kids spend all their parents money after a couple of months of weed and alcohol, they will sell a kayak or backpack for real cheap to have money for the weekend. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LifeFeedsOnLife Report post Posted June 19, 2018 I got the seek outside DST tarp a while back and I love it. There's tons of different ways to pitch it up and it's lighter than a tent. You can ride out some decent rain storms without getting wet if you have the proper pitch 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cjl2010 Report post Posted June 19, 2018 I wanna go floorless with a bivy bad but for some reason I think Im going to be sleeping next to rattlesnakes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Viper Report post Posted June 19, 2018 REI rental list: 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trphyhntr Report post Posted June 19, 2018 rent rei stuff and youll come back from the hunt smelling like patchouli oil with a hankering for soy. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
