Hunting Washington Forum

Equipment & Gear => All Other Gear => Topic started by: HillHound on June 10, 2023, 09:11:06 AM

Title: 15 day Moose float trip gun case, tent experiences and suggestions?
Post by: HillHound on June 10, 2023, 09:11:06 AM: I am doing a unguided float trip in Alaska(first of many gear questionnaire posts, and hopefully eventually a success story) and was wondering what you guys that have done it use for a gun case/protection while in the raft? Transporting strapped to the outside of the plane? I have a pelican case I will be bringing it up in but that will be staying in the plane hanger while we are out there. I was looking at these Nomar ones. Obviously would have to make sure we kept the insides of them dry or open them up and dry them out in the tent( also looking for any real life experiences and suggestions for a lightweight/durable/waterproof tent with a stove jack). I’m sure we wouldn’t have them in the case closed up while floating really anyways because we would want them at the ready. Maybe I’m overthinking it and I just need to get a light weight gun sock and bring lots of oil?
https://nomaralaska.com/products/waterproof-rifle-scabbard
Title: Re: 15 day Moose float trip gun case, tent experiences and suggestions?
Post by: pd on June 10, 2023, 09:17:36 AM: This should be a great thread!

First of all, please call the guides (?), the guys that run the flight or float service in Alaska, and ask them what the normal routine is. I would be very interested in their answers.

That waterproof scabbard is a great idea.
Title: Re: 15 day Moose float trip gun case, tent experiences and suggestions?
Post by: Platensek-po on June 10, 2023, 09:22:02 AM: Just get a dry bag and a gun sock. Pretty sure voodoo tactical makes them. If you aren’t afraid of it getting super wet on the float you can leave the top of the dry bag open to leave it accessible.

https://www.amazon.com/VooDoo-Tactical-Waterproof-Rifle-Clear/dp/B00OJ66G5Y/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?adgrpid=57189158638&hvadid=589894497729&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9033553&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=643243327936506512&hvtargid=kwd-343711945365&hydadcr=9881_13553082&keywords=gun+dry+bag&qid=1686414094&sr=8-4
Title: Re: 15 day Moose float trip gun case, tent experiences and suggestions?
Post by: Cougartail on June 10, 2023, 05:02:33 PM: Stainless Steel firearms is what I'd bring regardless of type of case.
Title: Re: 15 day Moose float trip gun case, tent experiences and suggestions?
Post by: RB on June 10, 2023, 05:41:59 PM: Quote from: Cougartail on June 10, 2023, 05:02:33 PM
Stainless Steel firearms is what I'd bring regardless of type of case.

:yeah:

Dry bags are a necessity as well as an InReach, or similar device. This sounds like a cool trip!
Title: Re: 15 day Moose float trip gun case, tent experiences and suggestions?
Post by: fishngamereaper on June 10, 2023, 06:06:35 PM: Dry bags work ya...but a standard soft gun case will work... something that float's..
Your gun is going to be wet regardless...last thing u want is to stash it in a non breathable dry bag...keep it oiled and you'll be fine..we brought ours in soft cases, smashed em in a pleican case for the commercial flight...took soft cases in the field. :twocents:
Title: Re: 15 day Moose float trip gun case, tent experiences and suggestions?
Post by: HillHound on June 16, 2023, 08:11:29 AM: Thanks.You are probably right really no way to keep it dry. But if I was to try, that voodotacktical one looks much lighter and would go right in the soft case I have. Maybe do that and stuff it in the hard case on the way up as suggested. We are bringing stainless guns as well as lots of oil, I think I’ve settled on my tikka 300wsm. I have two so if we decide we want to bring the same gun/caliber we can and have one less issue if ammo or clips are lost or otherwise compromised. Hunting partner is deciding between that or buying a new gun. We are definitely bringing enough dry bags to have everything in we aren’t fully prepared to have soaked. Bringing a in reach, thought about going with the mini to save some ounces, as they all count, but probably going with the regular size from reviews as our wives will want text updates and seems a bit harder on the minis. Any suggestions or real life comparisons on this?
We have talked to a couple services that line up flights,rentals,etc and to the guy who runs the hanger we are flying out of as well as the raft rental service we are going through. They had some suggestions for tents but said we probably didn’t need a stove as they “should” get us out before the weather turns to snow and ice. But I’m more concerned about drying cloths out. I know we could put all our layers on to sleep if necessary or bring a little buddy and a few propane canisters to take the chill off in the morning but that’s not going to dry clothes every day if necessary. We are bringing kuiu rain gear but when it’s blowing sideways water just finds a way in. How do you manage your wet gear on extended back country trips? Stove to dry it? Hope for a sunny day and stretch it out?
Title: Re: 15 day Moose float trip gun case, tent experiences and suggestions?
Post by: fishngamereaper on June 16, 2023, 08:33:34 AM: Inreach explorer is the way to go imo... mini's are limited. Lots of communication becomes necessary and the explorer makes that easy..

As for staying dry.
Propane creates to much condensation and becomes a hassle.
We just rely on good gear and a bomb proof tent. Don't hesitate to bring some lightweight grundens bibs for being on the river... we've had success with just good kuiu rain gear, quality gators and quality boots..

Raft trips are allot of work and camp needs to be simple because of how much you move...
Title: Re: 15 day Moose float trip gun case, tent experiences and suggestions?
Post by: Karl Blanchard on June 16, 2023, 08:43:36 AM: :yeah: good rule of thumb is nothing will ever dry out. You can cook off wet clothes if you have a synthetic bag (mandatory imo) but other things are just gonna get wet and stay wet. A stove would allow you to dry things much easier if there is available wood. Honestly on the gun thing if you're not on the salt it's not as big of an issue as guys make it out to be. Clean dry stainless rifle will be just fine, just make sure to thoroughly clean and oil after the hunt. I've only done 3 Alaska hunts but all were real soakers and I've never had any firearm issues :twocents:

I'm excited for you! This will be a trip of epic adventure!
Title: Re: 15 day Moose float trip gun case, tent experiences and suggestions?
Post by: salmosalar on June 16, 2023, 08:59:26 AM: I can't help answer the question but I can say that this trip sounds awesome. Good for you for getting it done!
Title: Re: 15 day Moose float trip gun case, tent experiences and suggestions?
Post by: Platensek-po on June 16, 2023, 09:20:23 AM: Quote from: fishngamereaper on June 10, 2023, 06:06:35 PM
Dry bags work ya...but a standard soft gun case will work... something that float's..
Your gun is going to be wet regardless...last thing u want is to stash it in a non breathable dry bag...keep it oiled and you'll be fine..we brought ours in soft cases, smashed em in a pleican case for the commercial flight...took soft cases in the field. :twocents:

I carry mine in a soft case in the dry bag. I can still leave it open and access the firearm very quickly. I wouldn’t do any form of extended storage that way but for while you are on the boat it’s great.
Title: Re: 15 day Moose float trip gun case, tent experiences and suggestions?
Post by: Rugsnfeathers on June 27, 2023, 11:14:01 PM: I envy you on your moose hunt. My buddy and I went on an unguided caribou hunt back in 2015, and we both punched in our tags. The tent we used was the Cabelas Alaskan guide tent that you see a lot being used by outfitters or do-it-yourselfers. We did not float hunt, but rather was dropped off southwest of the Denali national park in a high alpine range. We were hunting for resident herd. We both brought stainless steel barrel rifles, mine was a Tikka T3 Superlite, and my buddy's was a Sako, both in 300 WM. Weather wise, we experienced it all, from very hot, to hurricane winds, to two feet of snow from days 8 to 10. As for coms, I rented a satellite phone from Blue Cosmo in Seattle. My buddy had the urge to call his worried wife daily which she appreciated. We didn't bring any hard case, nor soft case. I had mine in a solo hunter rifle cover. My buddy didn't care to cover his rifle. We didn't bring any hip waiders cause we know we were going to hunt in the high alpine areas. With regard to weight limit, we were very meticulous in not going over 50 lbs (if my memory serves me right), so what we did was before boarding the DeHavilland Beaver float plane, we wore our hunt jackets that had the most pockets and stuffed more stuff in our person. They don't care about the hunter's body weight. I'm only 150 lbs, and by the time I loaded all the pockets with everything I can stuff in, I probably weighed close to 170 lbs. My buddy weighed about 170, by the time he stuffed his jacket and pants, he probably weight close to 190. Anyway, we were surprised because we took time to weight our luggage, but the pilot didn't even care. Needless to say, there was no need for us to pack our jackets and pants looking like the Michellin man or the Pillsbury dough boys. Lastly, we used a buddy heater for warmth. We didn't care about the condensation. It was plenty warm and dried up our wet clothes too. If I may add one more thing, do not forget your bug spray and/or bug head cover. You will need it. That's all I can think of right now. Wish you luck on your hunt.

PS. We used Glenn's Wild processing in Anchorage to process our meat and they shipped it to Seattle for us to pick up. As for our trophy, we used Atcheson Taxidermy based in Butte, Montana. The owners have a family member based in Anchorage and we just called him up and he picked the rugs and antlers. After the hunt season, they transport all the cape and antlers via long haul refrigerated/freezer container vans to the lower 48. Less than six months later, we picked up the shoulder mounts in Butte, Montana. Talk about fast service. Funny story, as we arrived back in Anchorage after the hunt, I called a cab to pick us up so that we can take our meat to the meat processor. Guess what car picked us up. A freakin Toyota prius. You can imagine how packed the Prius was with our gear and rifles, plus two full caribou meat. :yike:
Title: Re: 15 day Moose float trip gun case, tent experiences and suggestions?
Post by: Skyvalhunter on June 28, 2023, 05:39:12 AM: I have always done well with one of the floating soft case that you slide your gun into and it rolls up on the end. definitely a good thing to have for protection. One of the guys in another raft lost his out of the raft and I was able to pick it up as it floated down.
I would see if you need to make reservations with a meat processor to have your moose cut up if you harvest one. The last year we did a float up there we were asked if we had reservations which we didnt. After going to several places in town one place felt sorry for us and was able to sneak us in at the last moment. But the was a good moose harvest year overall
Title: Re: 15 day Moose float trip gun case, tent experiences and suggestions?
Post by: actionshooter on June 28, 2023, 10:29:48 PM: I use the Normar rifle case... works perfect. You can pull the foam out of the Pelican case and put the gun in the Normar and ship it up, leaves more room for crap in the hardcase.
I keep it on my right side of the tucked between a bag and the raft for easy access while rowing.

For tents, I have used Cabelas 4 man guide model, it works well. Used 2 man REI tents (one for each guy), those work OK, but if you get weathered in for a long stretch, it's pretty confined. Used a Kifaru Tipi on a 3 week float and sucked big time... my buddy didn't bring the floor or nest and everytime we fired the stove up... it rained on the inside. Can't blame the tent, but I don't believe in floor less shelter in AK.
Use a synthetic or treated down, thats another lesson learned the hard way.

In the planning stages for my 6th Alaska trip for 2024 right now.

Ask away if you have any questions.... there is nothing like an Alaska float trip.
Title: Re: 15 day Moose float trip gun case, tent experiences and suggestions?
Post by: HillHound on June 28, 2023, 10:53:39 PM: Thanks for all the replies and detailed info. I will definitely have many more questions between now and then. Still 15 months away but I am still thinking about it daily
Title: Re: 15 day Moose float trip gun case, tent experiences and suggestions?
Post by: Skyvalhunter on June 29, 2023, 05:50:11 AM: Quote from: actionshooter on June 28, 2023, 10:29:48 PM

Ask away if you have any questions.... there is nothing like an Alaska float trip.
Except an Alaska Sheep hunt :tup: :tup:
Title: Re: 15 day Moose float trip gun case, tent experiences and suggestions?
Post by: andersonjk4 on June 29, 2023, 06:46:09 AM: Nothing to add, but tagging as that is a bucket list trip for me. Sounds awesome. Good luck!
Title: Re: 15 day Moose float trip gun case, tent experiences and suggestions?
Post by: HillHound on July 06, 2023, 05:55:23 PM: I have a Mountain hardware conduit SL sleeping bag that is rated for much colder than it should be while we are there. It is a nylon shell and lining but has Goosedown in it. Should I find one with a synthetic filling that will dry out easier? Any suggestions on brands. The one I have in the dry bag is about 5 pounds so I’m trying to stay close to
that
Title: Re: 15 day Moose float trip gun case, tent experiences and suggestions?
Post by: HillHound on September 11, 2023, 07:46:04 PM: Does anyone have first hand experience and suggestions for a inflatable sleeping pad? Comfort is obviously important but it also needs to be light and compact for the flights in and out. I’ve never used one but being out there for over two weeks and possibly freezing temps I think it’s going to be a requirement for this trip.
Title: Re: 15 day Moose float trip gun case, tent experiences and suggestions?
Post by: Katmai Guy on September 11, 2023, 08:15:54 PM: When I was doing float trips up there we used Thermarest self inflating pads. Closed cell foam inside and you're able inflate to your liking. Even if they had a leak they insulated you from the ground, usually a gravel bar.