Need advice on gear!

[blackveltbowhunter]

You will have a great time!!

   Have you back pack hunted before? Is the group staying together or will you be solo often? Are you planning to repeat this every year?

Since its always the hot topic, Heres my break down on packs....A few will break under a load, a few will break after some tuff trips, and put enough weight in them and they will all break you. Last year I had significant amount of weight in a badlands pack for 2 miles ( downhill  ) I didn't break, but the pack did. Nothing major but some straps and buckles. I had packed a 10 pound pack around to have failure when I needed it most. Was it worth it. Absolutley. Earlier on in the year I had the choice, out of state tags, or new pack. Killing that bull and breaking the pack was worth a hundred times more than sitting in my living room looking at a new one. That said I purchased a Kifaru this year as it was in the budget, and can say it is all they are cracked up to be. I have tried several others as well. Not extensivley but enough to make an informed decision.

   My point is Kifaru is having your cake and eating it to. Tuff, pretty light, very durable, well thought out, and IMO the most comfortable with max weights. whether its 55 or 155, YOUR max weight will feel best in a kifaru. But ANY of the packs will get the job done. My priority is durability and comfort with what is heavy weight to me. That may not be yours. My hunting partner prefers to run as light of pack as he can, he likes the kuiu Ultra. I know guys that never hunt solo or are always in a group, splitting an elk 5 or 6 ways or having the weather to facilitate multiple trips makes carrying all that weight in one trip seem pointless.

   A good night sleep. IMO the most important thing on a trip lasting more than three days. I have slept through high wind, rain, snow, and a thunderstorm rolled over last night I wouldnt have even known about if my partner hadnt mentioned it. But if I wake up cold, im done sleeping. This is subjective, but this is one area I will not skimp weight. If I had to pack ten pound bag to get a good night sleep I would. I would be thinking Marmot helium, Plasma 15, Western mOuntaneering Badger, feathered friends etc.... For top of the line bags that are low weight and close to holding a comfort temp rating. Personally I would do a zero degree bag.

Quality Pad: So many options, I would look for around a pound, and r value of 3 or better. Thermarest, Exped, Big agnes, etc.

Also consider a sleep aid, whiskey, melatonin, or tylenol PM.

Shelters: Im not much use here..... I run a marmot Aura 2 man tent or Black Diamond Bivy, I have been very satisified with both for the money spent. But Im in the market for upgrades and options are seemingling endless and mind boggling, and at this point Im just frustrated with the whole process.

Sorry for rambling good luck this fall!

 

[Karl Blanchard]

You're asking about pacs etc and getting good info, but, don't forget about 10 days worth of food and water too.

  I sent this in a pm but I figure I could just post it here too.  This is what IDO.  Not saying this is how anyone else should do it, but it works very well for me and keeps things from getting overly boring.


OK so food is always tough for me because I get bored eating the same stuff but on a backpack hunt, keeping things simple and consistent is key so I have a few core items that I pack but I change it up.  I divide food into daily rations and put them in labeled ziplock bags so I can just grab "tuesday" out of my big pullout I use for all my food and then move it to a more accessible spot in my pack.  This is usually the top lid to my pack.  These are my items I pull from.  This way your not eating the same thing every day.

breakfast
-granola/dried bluberries/protein powder (just add water, stir up in the ziplock you packed it in and BAM!  Granola and blueberry cereal with some added protein.)
-crap sandwich (refer to notes below)
-Pastry (the prepacked bearclaws or cinnamon rolls from the gas station)

Lunch
-Ramen noodles
-Tuna packet with olive oil and hot sauce
-Peanut butter and crackers
-hard salami, cheese, bagel sandwich (not my favorite)

snacks
-jerky
-nuts
-Go Goo (usually a couple)
-Fruit leather
-Protein bar

I pack all of these snacks for each day and consume them between meals.  I find that I don't get very hungry, especially late season, when I'm hunting but you are still burning calories so force yourself to eat a snack every few hours.

Dinner

This never changes.  Its always some flavor of Mountain house, I mix up a Wilderness Athlete Hydrate and Recover drink (little single packets) for a drink.  I used to use EmergenC but I think the Wilderness Athlete drink mix gives me more bang for my buck.  Then I I have a king size candy bar of some kind for desert.  

Drink lots of water

Ingredients in a crap sandwich
 Take a bagel, spread honey on one side, a TON of peanut butter on the other, and stack bacon high in between.  We call it a crap sandwich because after 3 or 4 days in your pack it looks like you *censored* in a bag!   They are out of this world good though!  I usually eat them for breakfast every morning until they are gone, as they are perishable, eventually.  I pre make them, then freeze them.  I usually pack 4 or 5.  Although, late season like that they would probably stay good for the full trip due to the cold temps.

I buy Extra virgin olive oil single packets off amazon and put them in all of my Mountain house and in my tuna pouches.  They contain essential fats and really boost the calories in your meals.  I also buy my peanutbutter singles off amazon.  One other thing I pack is Tapatio single packets.  I buy them off a local burger joint here in town but I bet you could find them on amazon if you like hot sauce and want to add some flavor to your food.

I'm sure I forgot a bunch of stuff as I can't seem to find my excel lists and am doing this all off the top of my head (wife cleaned up the computer ).  When I find them I will update anything I missed.

Make yourself a gear list you can print off, that way when you go to pack, you can check the items off as you go.  My core gear never changes, except for my shelter and sleeping bag changes with the seasons and the amount of food.  Whether I go out for a day or ten, the core items always go.

[Jonathan_S]

Mine is a 20° quilt and I've used it down to about 35° in CO a few weeks ago. I was plenty warm and very comfortable. It is super light as you've said, but high quality 800 fill down. I will have no hesitation using it at its rating.  I can see the light through the down just as you're saying, too.

Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk

  awesome!  Thank you!  Comfort wise, it is day and night to a traditional mummy, so I figure worst case, it doesn't perform to rating but I could still use it in September for elk and have a bag that only weights 20oz!  I was Def experiencing some buyers remorse when it showed up though

No remorse for me. I really like it. I move a lot and always end up twisted in my bag with the zipper wrapped under and over me. Not an issue at all with the quilt. In CO I was sleeping on a Big Agnes insulated air core, about 4.1 R rating.

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The only thing I am skeptical about with those is that there is no hood for when it's downright cold.  Beyond that they seem way more comfortable.

[blackveltbowhunter]

BLR, Off hand do you know the aproximate weight per daily bag of food? We have similar lists and tastes.   Although I tend to run prepped oatmeal instead of granola as I like to enjoy hot food and coffee in the am. Means I have to get up early...Oh well Love the olive oil single packet idea

[Karl Blanchard]

Oh man I forgot coffee on the list!!!!!  I usually wait till I'm in my glassing spot for coffee though.  If elk hunting I have it for breakfast.  You can also do the granola with hot water too.  Olive oil is beyond awesome!  I haven't weighted it as I don't cut weight in the food department but probably around 1.5lbs I'm thinking.

[blackveltbowhunter]

Thanks! I think your right on I am between 1.2 and 1.8 depending on how much variety I want. The bagel sandwhiches and trail mix add up! But so much better than larabars and jerky for every snack and lunch!

[Karl Blanchard]

Thanks! I think your right on I am between 1.2 and 1.8 depending on how much variety I want. The bagel sandwhiches and trail mix add up! But so much better than larabars and jerky for every snack and lunch!

totally agree!  I'd carry cans of chili and dinty  Moore stew again before I tried to micro manage weight from my food supply.

[mburrows]

Have you guys seen these? Just bought couple as an alternative to have to boil coffee.

https://www.getgrinds.com/

[Karl Blanchard]

Have you guys seen these? Just bought couple as an alternative to have to boil coffee.

https://www.getgrinds.com/

I haven't seen those before.  For me though,  coffee is more than just caffeine.  It's a warm tasty drink that kick starts my day.  Heck I drink coffee for lunch and dinner on the mountain sometimes.

[mburrows]

Have you guys seen these? Just bought couple as an alternative to have to boil coffee.

https://www.getgrinds.com/

I haven't seen those before.  For me though,  coffee is more than just caffeine.  It's a warm tasty drink that kick starts my day.  Heck I drink coffee for lunch and dinner on the mountain sometimes.

Gotcha. It is tough to beat a nice cup of coffee.

[Shawn Ryan]

From Jonathan:  "The only thing I am skeptical about with those is that there is no hood for when it's downright cold.  Beyond that they seem way more comfortable."


That could be absolutely correct. I don't have any experience to back this up with a quilt...but when I've been in my down mummy bag, I've found that a tight fit around my neck and a beenie is what I needed. I've tried putting my head under/inside the bag only to find that the condensation was terrible.  I read some guys buying quilts extra long with the intent of pulling them over their heads. I imagine the condensation would likewise be terrible.  I've read (from guys that say they have experience) that quilts don't work well much below 0 degrees F.  For the weight savings and versatility, I'd be willing to use the removable down hood from my parka or purchase a down hood, if I thought I needed it for a real cold trip.  I like multi-use gear, so using other gear to bump up the R value works for me. 

Sagewalker, I don't mean to hi-jack your thread. Hope the discussion helps you decide what might work for you.  Sounds like an awesome trip with family.  I've hunted and hiked the edges of the Church, but never taken the fly-in trip deep into the middle.  Hope you get gear that serves you well and the trip is all you dream it will be.

[Shawn Ryan]

As for bivy sacks, it depends on what your desire and needs are. I've used Titanium Goat's Omni Raven for about 6 years.  Very light (9 oz's with bug net hood) and keeps me dry. I have not slept in it outside the shelter in a downpour, though--and don't want to.  I did sleep in it in the Sept. '13 deluge in the Cascades, under a tarp, and it performed well.

[buckmaster_wa]

Take it from me. Don't skimp out on your sleeping bag. I was in the Church a few years ago with a 30 degree bag and even with all my clothes on, I still froze my butt off. But it was a good learning experience. I have much better gear now.   

Take seasonings to cook any animals you kill on the hill. Between my hunting partner and myself, we consumed both backstraps, tenderloins and some hind quarter before we hiked off the mountain. The only downside to doing this is, sometimes Fish and Game will actually fly in to landing strips and give out tickets if your game bags are too light.

Take your hygiene items. The hot springs are scattered around the landing strips and feel amazing after being on the mountain for days.

You will see a lot of foot traffic down by the landing strip but there are very few people that actually spike out beyond about 5 miles. The farthest I went in was 8 miles and that put me beyond anyone else that was there. However It seemed there were more deer down lower.

You will have a awesome trip for sure. And im sure your uncles will send you in a good direction. I cant wait to go in there again.

[buckmaster_wa]

Also the peanut butter bacon sammiches are amazing. I also like to make velveeta mac and cheese or instant mashed potatoes with fresh deer meat on the mountain. They are light weight and make a big batch of food.

[sagewalker]

Bags...down.  Keep 'em dry.  Pads...there are two things to consider, weight and R value.

Any recommendations on bags and pads?

ExPed makes some great pads with good R values. An R rating of 4+ would be good. You can get an R rating of 7 with some of ExPeds down mats.

Consider a down quilt in place of a bag. Enlightened Equipment makes great quilts and you customize your order. If you move much in your sleep, a quilt doesn't get tangled like a bag can. Less weight and less money than comparable bags.

Your trip sounds like a family trip a friend takes each year into the Church. Is one of your uncles named Don?

No Uncle Don here!