Back Country

[throttlejocky20]

Me and a buddy are going to hunt mulies in the wilderness this year. I have been to the area and know there are some good bucks there. I was wondering if anyone else has done a simular trip (7000 feet, bow in hand, 10 miles in on foot, 6 days) and have any advice?

[matt345]

Make sure you can strap your bow to your pack, or buy a bow strap, packing your bow in hand the whole time gets pretty difficult after that many miles. Pack as light as you can, pack and repack, and repack until you get it down to 40 to 50 lbs if you can. That is my recommendation, went in last year on a similar trip and I had 60 lbs, it was a bitch and I am in good shape. If I would have gotten at a deer at that elevation would have been making multiple trips in and out even with a partner. I know there are many others on here with a ton of experience so hopefully they chime in.

[throttlejocky20]

Thanks. Last year I went in on a scouting trip with a 55 pound pack and I agree the lighter the better. But Im not sure if keeping a pack below 50 pounds for a 6 day trip is possible.

[romaknows]

It can be done,   i am at 35 lbs for a 5 day hunt in the early season.

[aer212]

It can be done,   i am at 35 lbs for a 5 day hunt in the early season.

Thats good packing! For our archery elk trip last year for a 7-10 day hunt we went in with 75lb packs. When we left a week later we weighed our packs at the pickup and they ranged from 50-60lbs. That was with some rain though, we got rained out. Do you happen to have your packing list handy?

[PlateauNDN]

It can be done.  If it's one thing my Drill Instructors' taught me when cramming stuff into my Alice Pack was break it down to the bare essentials and then it can be broken down even further than that.  With some practice and experience you'll figure out what you need and don't need.  Best of luck to you on your hunt.

[Skyvalhunter]

I suggest doing some back packing  to get ready. Besides the hunting stuff this will help you weed out the extra items you think you need but really didn't or didn't use. Plus get you in shape for packing the weight. Because if you get one that extra weight you will be packing out will be the test to see if you make one or two trips. might suggest foods where all you do is add hot water i.e. Mountain House, Oatmeal, etc.

[dreamingbig]

Getting light gets expensive in a hurry but over the years you should be able to lighten the load quite a bit. I have shaved a good 15 to 20 lbs off by buying lighter and more efficient gear.  The backcountry is a blast!

[Sunbkpk]

I have slowly dropped my pack weight down to 35 pounds for 5 days for early season with reasonable weather. If the weather forcast is for cold, wet and blowing, then I will add an extra 10-15lbs for extra comfort depending on my mood (4 season tent, warmer sleeping bag, extra clothes, fuel and food). I am hunting just East of Pacific Crest so most years I can go light. I spent 1 night with my light setup on 6" of snow, 20 degrees and blowing. It was doable but a cold night. Going heavier I could withstand a blizzard.

Practice with a light setup ahead of time to know what you can can tolerate. It took me a couple years to refine my setup.

If you are hunting together and can share some gear your weight can be cut some more. I have been hunting solo the last couple years. Going to break in 2 less experienced backpack hunters this year.

By the way I have been snowed on in all 12 months in the Cascades. Loved every time.

Backcountry from a pack is worth it for me but not everyone. I would say go for it, plan ahead, and enjoy every minute.

[romaknows]

dueter backpack----3.5 lbs

marmot helium  sleeping bag--2 lbs

tarptent rainbow tent-----2 lbs

jet boil + fuel------------1.5

z rest pad------------1 lb

big agness air core pad--1lb

food------------------10 lbs

kadine waterfilter-------1 lbs

This is what use and it all works great. the rest of  the weight is made up with raingear , a down jacket,extra socks and underware, long underware,one headlamp with extra batteries,one knife, 100 ft parachute cord,cotton pillow case for game bag,small first aid kit,. I am sure i am forgetting some things and the weights are off a little but trust me it can be done.Now that i think about it when i last weighed my pack was with my eberlystock just one that is quit a bit heavier than my current pack i have been using.I should add that i am not counting  my binoculars, gps ,or rangefinder and bow.If i get some time i will gather everything up and get a more current weight.I bet it will be about 32 lbs total.

     Lots of great lightweight gear can be bought used , as most gear junkies are always upgrading to to latest and greatest.

[throttlejocky20]

Thamk for the help guys I have started to put my pack together. So far I am at 26 pounds less bow, arrows, food, fuel, tent/bivy, and game bags. I have found a couple 1 man tents that are fairly light. but a 10 ounce bivy is alot lighter. Whats a better rout a ten or a bivy?

[dreamingbig]

Have you tried to get dressed inside of a bivy?  Have you slept inside of a bivy to experience the condensation?  You still have to carry a tarp to put over your head as well... that all adds up to a one or two man tent for me!

[throttlejocky20]

that is what I was thinking just wanted to get the opinion from you guys who have more experiance at this than i do

[JimmyHoffa]

Since you have a buddy going with you, I would look into the 'shared gear' method---1 stove, 1 water filter, 1 first aid kit, etc.  Also, I like to ditch all the little carry cases stuff comes in, sometimes they can weigh as much as the object.

[bradslam]

Go for the one-man tent over the bivy.  That is one area where I'll gladly pack a little more weight.