High Hunt in 2 years- rookie gear mistakes

[BeWitty]

Highmountaindan- again, I am not trolling. I simply question things that don't seem right. And you proved our point.....

You're only fooling yourself if you think that list is complete. And your 11.5 lb gun is on your shoulder so it doesn't count?! Why

I am not but I am  at you

[fillthefreezer]

dan, by my quick math, if i were calling a gear list weight, thats 41lbs. and still missing water, binos, stove, pad. maybe you dont use those, i dont know. either way, its somewhat misleading to claim a low pack weight, clearly creating lots of interest by others, to then realize it is infact, just items not counted..

[Highmountaindan]

I would love to see a full list for 6 days.

Here it is, my list.
Food) Mary Jane farms dehidrated quantity 6= 1lb 12 ounces,Trail mix= about 2lbs,jerky=1lb 8 ounces, Some candy=1 lb. oatmeal=1lb 8 ounces
Clothes) Cabelas polar Tec insulated base layer=9 ounces, 1extra wool socks 4 ounces,1 beanie 6 ounces, 1extra pair of undies=3 ounces, 2 long sleeve merino wool 20 ounces, 1rain pant 1 lb.1-set of gloves 8 ounces
Gear) Eberlestock f1 mainframe with dry bag= 4lbs 11ounces, Eberlestock transformer 4 Lbs, vortex rangefinder pocket knife havalon head lamp compass half roll of T P 4 rounds of ammo in small case=1 lb 8 ounces, Game bags= 12.5 ounces, PLB collapsible water bucket matches 20 ft para cord pen and map=13.25 ounces, 1 camel back and a small tarp=2 lbs ish. I pack my gun on my shoulder, binoculars strapped to my chest, rangefinder on my hip and compass in my pocket along with the pocket knife. Sleep bag =4 lbs
28lbs total. With the camelback filled it would be 30 lbs. the reason it was 33 on my high hunt was because of the loaf of bread, bottle of syrup, and grape jelly. Now the trolls are  and I am  at them

Also didn't see cool stove/fuel, whether you carry a filter or not, pad or bivy? Do you sleep under the tarp? Any first aid?

I sleep under the tarp and usually dont use a bivy, I cary a water filter sometimes, when I do it only weighs 6 ounces or so. also as far as first aid yes I bring a one man first aid kit that weighs no more than 6 ounces, my butane canister is included in the weight of my minimalist cook set ( it fits inside of the pot and is one unit) I just forgot to put that in the list. by the way what is the gear list for you guus. Since I am the one of yhe only ones that has put one up it would be noce to see a few others, I am sure there is something to learn from other peoples gear lists.


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[jackelope]

There's about a million gear lists posted in this board if you do a little searching. There's been multiple threads on the same topic over the years. All the gear lists have been posted, adjusted, criticized, picked apart, etc.

[Highmountaindan]

Im new to this site. Thanks for letting me know.

[fillthefreezer]

Maybe it's a long way out to plan, but I have a military school next September and probably won't hunt at all. Plan to start exploring some areas over the next two summers and buying the right gear. So 1st 3 or 4 season tent? I like the 3 season Big Agnes Seedhouse SL 1 Tent but I'm not sure but is 3 season "enough" tent. Also, suggestions on the right sleeping bag would be appreciated. If some of you veteran high hunters could share your rookie gear mistakes it would be appreciated. If I could not freeze to death...that would be great.

hoping to get back to the OP question here, i think some of it depends on your game plan and some on preference. alot of it has to come down with being honest with yourself as well. how much time do you actually plan to spend doing it may help to define the budget, as well as how much discomfort you can deal with. for a few weekends a year, its easy to suffer, 30-40 days, well maybe comfort becomes more important.
some questions i would ask would be camping above treeline? solo or with others? maximum loadout you could expect to carry?(not meant to be a pissing contest here either, some guys are older and may not want to pack huge loads, or even young guys that are smaller framed or flat dont want to pay that toll on the knees later in life). nights in the backcountry per year expected? only june-sept, or earlier/later trips?
as for the seedhouse, its mostly preference but i hate crawling up into a tent. much prefer a tent with side access.

[haugenna]

I am about 50 lbs for a 3-4 day hunt with 60 oz of water and gun. I know I have too many clothes and probably more food than I need. I hate being cold and forced to move around when I would rather sit and glass, and I hate being hungry. I could probably shave off 3-5 lbs and still be comfortable.

[Stickerbush]

There is no other way I like hunting more than with camp on my back. When I hunt this way, there is no camp to return to. Wherever I am at come dark-thirty, that's where I'll find a spot to hunker down. With my setup, I can hunt very comfortable for 3 days and 3 nights hiking out on day 4. Here's the goods...

Badlands 2200 backpack (6 lbs.)

Outdoor Research Aurora Bivy (1.5 lbs.)

Western Mountaineering Antelope GWS 5 deg. sleeping bag (2 lb 13 oz)

MSR MicroRocket stove plus 2 8oz fuel canisters (1 lb 2.6oz)

MSR Quick Solo 1.3 liter cook pot.

MSR Alpine tool spoon.

Katadyn Hiker Pro Microfilter (11 oz)

2 Platypus 1 liter collapsible water bottles (filled in the woods)

Badlands 96 oz water bladder.

Freeze dried breakfast & dinner for each day. Electrolyte replacement powder.

4 elk quarter sized cloth game bags.

3 knives. Skinner, boning, utility. Hand saw 12".

Headlamp. Rangefinder. Binos. Spotting scope (not always). GPS. Camera.

Several zip ties. Para cord. Sharpie. Flagging tape. TP. Black face paint.

Several cow calls & grunt tube. Windicator powder.

Basic first aid. Windproof lighter. Ponderosa pine sawdust mixed with Vaseline.

MTO50 Gore-Tex rain gear.
Sitka 90% jacket. Sitka Ascent pants. Sitka light & heavyweight layering tops. Sitka heavyweight bottoms. Smartwool socks. Danner Pronghorn 400 gram boots.  Hat & bandana. Lightweight gloves.

Mathews Drenalin bow plus 5 arrows. Release.

License & tag.

Packed this setup will weigh in around 40 lbs. plus clothing & bow.

I'd like to see a pic of all that in a Badlands 2200 without a bunch of stuff hanging off it. It doesn't make much sense (to me) to carry around your camp for 3 days when you could get to your 'camp spot' and set it up one time, then carry half the weight for 3 days.

Also, your certainly not carrying an animal out in the 2200 with all your gear. IMO

Even with a pic or two, you still might not believe it can be done. I most certainly fit all this inside my pack, don't even have to use the built in meat shelf as "extra space". By no means am I embellishing.

One thing that I did not state for the OP...I have been fine tuning my gear selection since I attempted my first solo wilderness elk hunt as a 16 year old. Spent 3 days, 2 nights in Heaven & Hell. Should've seen my Fieldline daypack, yes I had gear strapped everywhere. Had a bulky 3 person tent, Slumberjack 20 deg sleeping bag, 16 oz propane, Coleman one burner stove, single mantle lantern, full size flashlight, one knife, couple plastic spoons, calls, Dinty Moore stew in a can (you know the 24 oz), Quaker insta oats, half gallon jug of water, and my bow. Sound like some "rookie gear" or what?

Hands down the hunt that ignited my passion for backcountry!! Raining when I left town, rained the whole time I was out. Soaking wet, 3.5 miles from my truck, and smack in the middle of some of the most intense rutting I've ever witnessed. Crazy bulls had my adrenal glands maxed out. Went home without a harvest, never launched an arrow, but persisted on trying for the one 6x6 that seemed to own that turf.

So 15 years later you have my current go to inventory for my style of backcountry hunting. I have packed elk out with my gear, one quarter at a time. I have left all my gear laying in the woods, can pack half an elk then. I pack out in stages, go a distance and drop that load, turn around and go get another load, and if it takes another day well I've got camp.

Never liked the feeling of not going to that next ridge because I'd get too far from camp.

The gallon jug! Haha been there. FYI there are some great podcasts that take this stuff into account, gritty bowmen and backcountry hunter are a few

[Eric M]

This thread definitely has a life of its own. To maybe take it in a different direction for just a minute-the quest for the right sleeping bag.  A lot of guys are using quilts. Also there is the down vs. synthetic question. . My good (read warm) sleeping bag is pretty heavy. There are a lot of options out there.The high hunt in September at altitude, 5-7K feet. I'm more curious about ratings. I was looking at the Mountain Hardwear Hyper Lamina Spark at 1lb 10 oz synthetic at a cost of around $220. Frankly if I want to do this hunt in 2 years I'm not sure a lot of the down models are in my price range. What concerns me is it is listed at 35*F or 20*F if you wear a puffy and a beanie to bed. Is a 35^ sleeping bag warm enough in September at those altitudes? (I like to be warm). Thanks guys

[high country]

I bought my new with tags western mountaineering badger on ebay for $150.00.......I missed a bunch, but keep your eyes peeled. My wm bag SMOKES the Sierra designs one it replaced in every possible way.

Don't be afraid to think used, this type of gear gets little use by 99% of its owners.

[BeWitty]

I recently bought an EE Enigma 20* quilt w/ Downtek used for $190. I haven't put it to a 'real' test but at 21 ounces it's hard to beat the weight and compressibility! I plan on wearing merino wool top and bottoms and beanie when using this quilt.