High Hunt in 2 years- rookie gear mistakes

[Vo2max]

Therma-rest neo air light pad is the way to go. I'm big at 6'3" and 220lbs... That pad in a size Large is as close to luxury as you'll find and light (not sure of exact weight however) as well as pack able down to a large soda can. You'll not regret it! Now, if I could only afford a carbon fiber frame pack from KUIU right now I'd be set

[JackOfAllTrades]

s
A 50 pound hunting pack for a week is not too bad I don't think.

Depending on your condition.. I'm a little guy, 43 pounds in my pack for a comfortable hunt. That's with a 2man 3-4season tent. Think about  snow and/or wind load for your tent. I used to use bivy's.. I like comfort as I get old.. er.  Start backpacking now.. Even before gen/rifle and after season until the weather hits. Short trips to find out what works for you. Test stuff in your back yard or somewhere near home totally exposed during a fall storm before you use it for real.

-Steve

[McCRIZZLEY]

s
A 50 pound hunting pack for a week is not too bad I don't think.

Depending on your condition.. I'm a little guy, 43 pounds in my pack for a comfortable hunt. That's with a 2man 3-4season tent. Think about  snow and/or wind load for your tent. I used to use bivy's.. I like comfort as I get old.. er.  Start backpacking now.. Even before gen/rifle and after season until the weather hits. Short trips to find out what works for you. Test stuff in your back yard or somewhere near home totally exposed during a fall storm before you use it for real.

-Steve

  number one piece of advice right there. You don't want to learn how your rain fly works in the middle of the night, trust me. give everything at least a couple short trips to shake it down, before you really trust your life with it.

[McCRIZZLEY]

OOH, another great one I learned the hard way. Make sure that not 100% of your food needs to be cooked(raw meat, rice, etc)... Sometimes *censored* hits the fan and your stove/camp fire options are no longer options.  Does not have to be good raw, just edible.

[crabcreekhunter]

I run a big Agnes fly creek ul 2 and 3 for shelter, simple fast and works.. Good boots, never really been an ounce counter cause I like to be comfortable! Good pad is a must for me, and I use a 20 degree bag and it keeps me plenty warm.  Another tip to save some money, you don't have to be running the latest and greatest camo patterns/gear etc that isn't what kills animals.  There is kickass backpacking gear that is basically same thing as all the new "fad" stuff just not in camo for half the price.

[BGLEMIN]

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.

[jackelope]

I got the BA pad recently. I had a decent enough pad before that but this one's a little better I guess. I have either a GoLite SL5 or a BA Fly Creek UL1 so I'm pretty good there. The bag will likely become a quilt soon. That will help a lot. I think the biggest problem I have is leaving stuff at home that I won't absolutely need.  Too much food, comfort items, etc.
I fill my 6k bag pretty much completely.

When I used to backpack, I'd get away with 50 or maybe up to 60 lbs. But I was a lot younger, and wasn't carrying a rifle, a spotting scope, and etc. for hunting. Sometimes we'd even carry CANS of food. ha ha

You gotta remember if you kill a buck, you'll have another 80-100 pounds to get out. A 60 pound pack will kill you without the venison and antlers.
If you're just backpacking, you don't have that concern. You'll only get lighter as time goes on, unless you collect rocks on your trip.

I like to take a big trashbag.  Just put the meat in the pack for haul out.  wrap all the gear in the trashbag and come back for it.  Some gear comes out with the meat, but stoves/sleeping bags/tent/etc are the weight trade off.

That's a great plan but I don't want to make multiple trips when my camp is 5 miles in. That's 10 extra miles of walking.

[BeWitty]

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

[jackelope]

Lots of folks bivy hunt. You sure can cover a lot more ground that way staying mobile if needed.

I'm not sure about the 2200 pack either, but I won't discount the benefits of bivy hunting.

[Eric M]

My Christmas wish list keeps getting longer with each post!

[BGLEMIN]

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.

[JimmyHoffa]

I got the BA pad recently. I had a decent enough pad before that but this one's a little better I guess. I have either a GoLite SL5 or a BA Fly Creek UL1 so I'm pretty good there. The bag will likely become a quilt soon. That will help a lot. I think the biggest problem I have is leaving stuff at home that I won't absolutely need.  Too much food, comfort items, etc.
I fill my 6k bag pretty much completely.

When I used to backpack, I'd get away with 50 or maybe up to 60 lbs. But I was a lot younger, and wasn't carrying a rifle, a spotting scope, and etc. for hunting. Sometimes we'd even carry CANS of food. ha ha

You gotta remember if you kill a buck, you'll have another 80-100 pounds to get out. A 60 pound pack will kill you without the venison and antlers.
If you're just backpacking, you don't have that concern. You'll only get lighter as time goes on, unless you collect rocks on your trip.

I like to take a big trashbag.  Just put the meat in the pack for haul out.  wrap all the gear in the trashbag and come back for it.  Some gear comes out with the meat, but stoves/sleeping bags/tent/etc are the weight trade off.

That's a great plan but I don't want to make multiple trips when my camp is 5 miles in. That's 10 extra miles of walking.

But the trip back in for the gear is empty pack so goes quickly enough. 

[Alpine Mojo]

3 days and 3 nights hiking out on day 4. Here's the goods...

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

Two 8oz canisters should last a group of 4 almost a week.  I can get 6 days out of one 4oz canister by myself, averaging 8g of fuel per burn, leaving 10-15g of fuel in case I go over due to heavy wind or other fudge factors.  I typically heat water twice a day.  Once in the morning for coffee and oatmeal.  Then again at night for a MH dinner. 

So I gotta ask, what are you cooking to use that much fuel?

[BGLEMIN]

3 days and 3 nights hiking out on day 4. Here's the goods...

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

Two 8oz canisters should last a group of 4 almost a week. 

So I gotta ask, what are you cooking to use that much fuel?

Haha the extra fuel is in case I gotta hang out awhile and eat the critter I shot too far from my truck!!

Kidding, I carry the extra fuel as an "in case", like in case the first one leaks or in all seriousness in case I get stranded. Heat sources are critical especially when injured, constrained by the weather, or just in case I don't feel like going back to work.

[haugenna]

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

 

I love these pack weight threads.  It typically follows a low pack weight with a + x. + y +z.

I can get my pack weight down to 20 lbs for a 4 day hunt 10 miles into the steepest nastiest country you could ever imagine.  I wear all of my clothes, put my food under my hat, carry my gun, forgo all safety measures, dehydrate myself to a point of exhaustion because I am not factoring in water.  Actually, I can get it lighter than that.  I just carry everything on my head like these people and everything I would ever need can be condensed into my 50 cubic inch fanny pack..