Must have gear?

[7mag.]

August is bear season so you are going to need a rifle. Good boots and a good pack are  a must. A comfortable sleep system is also important. Here is a list of what I am taking  this year.

Pack- Kifaru Nomad on a Bikini frame
Shelter- (solo)Zpacks Hexamid Solo Plus
             (With a partner) Golite SL3
Sleep system-Enlightened Equipment Revelationx quilt, Big Agnes Insulated Air Core pad, MSR E-bivy
Cooking- GSI Soloist cook set, Brunton Raptor stove
Spotter- Vortex Razor HD, tripod to be determined
Water filter- Sawyer Squeeze Filter, Platypus 3 liter bladder
Rain gear- Kuiu Chugach
Clothing- Sitka Core base layers (1 set), Kuiu short sleeve merino t-shirt, Kuiu Superdown zip tee, Sitka 90% jacket or Kuiu Guide jacket, lightweight synthetic pants, 2 pair synthetic underwear, 2 pair Costco merino socks, beanie, gloves
Boots- Kenetrek or lightweight Danners
Kill kit- Havalon knife, TAG game bags, Kifaru meat bag, 3 trash compactor bags
Toiletries- T.P., unscented wet wipes, tooth brush, tooth paste, extra pair of contacts, small lightweight microfiber towel
Misc.- 2 small Bic lighters, fire starter, Leatherman, 2 headlamps, extra batteries, camera, GPS, compass, map
Rifle, ammo, binos, trekking poles, food

That's off the top of my head. If I think of anything else, I will add it.

Why the bicycle if you have a shelter? Seems like extra weight and space it's taking up to me. To alter your list some, I'd probably leave rain pants at home in August, chances are you won't need them if you check the weather.

Why the bivy? Because I have a floorless shelter and a down quilt, and  it weighs 9oz. My entire sleep system (shelter, quilt, pad, and bivy), weighs 4.65 pounds. The bivy helps keep my quilt and pad together, and stops me from rolling off my pad during the night.

As far as rain pants, they don't weigh much, and pack small. I do a lot of back pack hunting, and have been in many rain and snow storms, while it was sunny and hot in town. I have woken up to two inches of snow in late July, in the high country.

[kentrek]

There's a few "back country list threads" that should cut the learning curve

Never hike in pants during the summer...and a neck gator goes along ways 

[JLS]

Never hike in pants during the summer

Unless you have allergies and get hives from grasses.

[fair-chase]

Never hike in pants during the summer

Unless you have allergies and get hives from grasses.

Or ticks, or mosquitos, or torn up legs from brush...