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Author Topic: Wilderness Hunt Gear  (Read 1865 times)

Offline J.Brower

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Wilderness Hunt Gear
« on: October 18, 2018, 08:38:57 PM »
I am going to attempt an archery alpine blacktail hunt next year. I haven’t done much more than the public land day hunt stuff, and it’s been a few years since I’ve done much backpacking. With that said I am looking for some advise on gear that I will need to pick up before next September.
The things that I have consists of; frame pack, day pack(not sure if that should go with or not), decent sleeping bag, thermals, backpacking stove/mess kit, 10 essentials, decent boots (might upgrade those), wool socks, gps, head lamp, flashlights, basically the basic backpacking stuff.
The things I know I will need; good light tent, lightweight tarp(s), water filtration, better hiking clothes for the hike in.
Time for the questions, what else needs to be added to my “need” list, and what are your guys’ suggestions for those items? Anything on the “have” list that should be re-thought?
You guys are a wealth of knowledge, figured no better place to ask!


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Offline X-Force

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Re: Wilderness Hunt Gear
« Reply #1 on: October 18, 2018, 09:05:29 PM »
I’d PM 3nails or ShaneVG they would be able to point you in the right direction.


Personally

Synthetic Bag
Good sleeping pad
High quality rain gear
Fleece bottoms and hoodie
Comfortable boots
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Offline Taco280AI

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Re: Wilderness Hunt Gear
« Reply #2 on: October 18, 2018, 09:42:14 PM »
What is the stuff you have now? Brands. How far back are you going? I just got into back country camping this year and weight is a major player in this game.

Some of my things are

Exo 3500 pack
Alps Lynx 1 tent
Sawyer for water
Jetboil for cooking

The Alps tent is pretty inexpensive, but good! Proved itself to me on a mountain at 7400 feet. Got rained on during the night, but I stayed completely dry. A buddy was in his band new Kuiu tent, at several times the price, and got wet. Funny thing is his old tent was the Alps, but he's always chasing weight and gave the Kuiu a try. Now he's back to the Alps.

Offline J.Brower

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Re: Wilderness Hunt Gear
« Reply #3 on: October 19, 2018, 08:21:19 AM »
The stuff I have is all good enough quality to use for at least one year, and was all bought for backpacking so weight should be about right. I do know weight is the biggest player as far as comfort goes on the pack in and out. I’m thinking we will do 8-10 miles in, and hunt from there. That will all depend on what we find when we get in. If this is something I’m going to repeat, I will upgrade gear as time goes on, I believe my bag is a 10degree bag and I’ve got a good thermarest sleeping pad. The fleece is a good call. I definitely need to upgrade my rain jacket, and is high on my list and I will definitely look into the alps tents as well. Thanks guys, keep em coming!

Offline Stein

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Re: Wilderness Hunt Gear
« Reply #4 on: October 19, 2018, 08:33:28 AM »
Look at the new Katadyn BeFree filters, they are super sweet and I wouldn't go back to Sawyer.

Offline opdinkslayer

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Re: Wilderness Hunt Gear
« Reply #5 on: October 19, 2018, 09:01:04 AM »
I highly recommend a pair of the kuiu zip off bottoms,either the peloton 130 or ultra merino 145s under a good pair of pants of your choice. I have both kuiu attacks & the new pro pants and the combo is all you need in the high country that time of the year. Being able to drop your pants & take the bottoms off when it warms up is a stroke of genius. A good light puffy coat is another piece that is worth it’s weight in gold. :twocents:

Offline WapitiTalk1

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Re: Wilderness Hunt Gear
« Reply #6 on: October 19, 2018, 09:09:54 AM »
Just a few thoughts brother. 
1.  An all in one pack is "huge". Yes, its' an expense but is a piece of gear that you'll use for many years for all your hunting needs. Your backcountry pack is arguably the most important piece of gear for these adventures.  Exo Mountain Gear K2 3500 is golden (my choice of pack) and my buddy used a new Stone Glacier this year on our backcountry ID trip (really liked it).  A 3500 size is kind of the minimum for a 5 day pack in hunt IMO.
2.  Tent.  Well, a two man tent translates to a one man tent...period.  Find the best two man tent you can swing price wise and get it.  I've used a lot of brands but have settled on a Nemo Hornet II.  That said, if it's gonna be you and a buddy packing in, consider getting a tipi of some type, and, a titanium backpacking stove and splitting the costs and pack in weight.  We used a Luxe Outdoors Tipi this year (heavier than some of the other name brands but bombproof), and, a Lite Outdoors stove... Money I tell ya, money.  It was in the teens every night of our late SEP Idaho hunt and that little stove and tipi were solid. 
2.  Bag/pad.  Sounds like you've got that covered.  I will say to ensure you have an insulated pad (important), and, a "good" sleeping bag (even consider getting/using a quilt... VIAM Outdoors and Enlightened Equipment both made good lightweight backpacking quilts).  Remember to offset bag/quilt ratings by 10 degrees as a rule of thumb (a 10 degree bag is usually good down to 20 degrees).  A lightweight pillow is nice to take although some just roll up a jacket for a pillow.     
3.  Hydration.  Use a bladder in your all in one pack.  Katadyn Hiker Pro is the standard most other pumps are measured by; the Katadyn Base Camp filter is also nice as you can fill it, hang it from a tree, and filter the water into your bladder "or" a dromedary bag.  Yep, bring a 10 liter drom bag with you. 
4.  Cooking, err, heating water.  The Jetboil Flash is a very good stove.  Take small instant packs of coffee for the morning, and, don't forget to bring a titanium cup for coffee and a "long" spork for your freeze dried meals. 
5.  Clothes/Boots.  Soloman GTX Quest boots are really nice, lightweight, boots that won't break the bank.  I have several pairs of boots ranging from Soloman's to Zamberlans.  They all have their place :)  Socks, ensure you have a couple pairs of Merino Wool socks, accept no substitute.  Clothing should consist of good quality pieces.  Look at First Lite, Sitka, Kuiu, etc.  You really only need a base layer, a mid layer, a light puffy jacket, good pants (don't forget a lightweight pair of long underwear for chilly mornings and to sleep in at night), two pairs of synthetic drawers, and good rain gear top/bottom. Good gloves are a must also.  Edit:  Ensure you bring a lightweight beanie (nice to wear on chilly hikes, glassing, and at night in the fart sack).   
6.  Kill kit.  Tags, lightweight synthetic game bags (VIAM Outdoors has a great kit),  one replaceable blade knife (I like Outdoor Edge), one fixed blade knife, paracord, flagging ribbon, peroxide in small spray bottle, chili powder, two plastic sacks, rubber gloves. 
7.  Other items carried into the great beyond.  Binos, GPS, maps/compass, headlamps, xtra batteries (lithium) for all electronics, small camera (I like the Canon Elph), Clipshot (cool little item that holds your camera or phone; its like a mini/very lightweight tripod), rangefinder, TP, small plastic shovel, fuel for jet boil, MH meals, food hanging kit, toiletries, pitch sticks for starting fires, trekking poles (if desired), camp shoes (crocs), xtra arrows/bullets, facemask, multi tool, watch.
OK, that's enough :).  If interested, send me a an email (rory@wapititalk.com) and I'll send you the spreadsheet I use for my backcountry jaunts (it calculates weight as you plug items in).  It may give you some more ideas of possible items you should look at getting/carrying in for your future backcountry hunting adventures. 

Hope this helped a bit.  RJ   
« Last Edit: October 19, 2018, 09:27:02 AM by WapitiTalk1 »
Darton Archery Maverick II
Traditions Vortek StrikeFire Smoke Pole
Weatherby VG-2 Boomstick
"Poking at a campfire with a stick is one of life's great satisfactions." Patrick F. McManus

Offline yakimanoob

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Re: Wilderness Hunt Gear
« Reply #7 on: October 19, 2018, 09:56:31 AM »
It sounds like you've got the gist of it.  The single best thing you can do at this point is to get out there and test your setup, and make changes as you like.  Don't forget how easy it is to do yard testing.  Throw weight in your pack and "hike" around the neighborhood.  Don your rain gear and stand in the sprinklers.  etc etc.  You can learn a lot in an hour doing stuff like that. 

FWIW, I listed my full setup below.  Good luck and have a blast!  :tup:



Pack and poles:
- Osprey Aether 60
- Leki Makalu Ultralight Ti trekking poles

Findin' and Killin':
- Savage Lightweight Hunter, 7mm-08 with Nikon Prostaff 5 2.5-10x40mm scope and Quake Claw sling
- 4 rounds in the mag + 4 extra rounds of Nosler e-Tip factory ammo
- Leupold BX-4 10x42mm binos, with soft case and tripod adapter
- Vanguard Veo 2 carbon tripod (unbelieveable value/$ btw).
- Thermarest Z-Lite Seat
- Nikon ED50 13-30x50mm spotting scope
- Sig Kilo 1250 Rangefinder
- Dead Down wind checker

Misc tools and Kill kit:
- Pocket knife - Kershaw OSO Sweet
- Gerber Vitals knife, with extra scalpel blades
- electrical tape (currently about 1/5 of a "full" roll)
- tags and license
- 3 Allen Game Bags
- 2 pair nitrile gloves

Toiletries:
- Duece of Spades trowel
- moist wipes
- contact solution and case
- glasses and case
- eye drops
- toothbrush and toothpaste
- floss

Light and electronics:
- Black Diamond Storm headlamp, plus 1 set of extra AAA batteries (or possibly my extra headlamp instead, if I can find it)
- iPhone 7 in UAG case
- Anker PowerCore 13000 portable charger (I realize this is a luxury, but I use my mapping systems on my phone extensively during the hunt and my phone's battery is not in great shape). 
- 2' iphone charger cable
- Garmin InReach SE+
- apple headphones and adapter

Shelter and sleep system:
- Hennessy Expedition Ultralight hammock
- Mtn Hardwear 20° down sleeping bag
- Sea2Summit Ultralight Insulated sleeping pad, large -or- Thermarest Prolite 3/4 pad if the weather's warm
- **3x9' Tyvek (in case I need to use the hammock like a tent in very cold weather; may double as a ground sheet for processing meat)
- two MSR groundhog stakes

First Aid/Emergency:
- 1 roll 2" Coban
- moleskin
- 2 non-stick gauze pads
- various band-aids
- antiseptic ointment
- alcohol wipes
- ibuprofen
- antihistamine
- anti-diarrheal
- space blanket
- lighter

Apparel (everything is synthetic or wool):
- Sunglasses
- OR boonie hat
- Prana Stretch Zion pants
- Darn Tough hiking socks
- lightweight socks to sleep in
- Ex Officio Undies
- long sleeve t-shirt
- Marmot Variant jacket
- **Mtn Hardwear Phantom puffy jacket
- OR Foray Rain Jacket
- **Cabelas spacerain pants
- **Smartwool 250-wt long undies
- Scarpa Zodiak Plus boots
- OR Verglas gaiters
- **OR overdrive convertible gloves -or- OR Guide gloves, depending on weather
- **Mtn Hardwear beanie
- **Scarf

Water:
- MSR Hyperflow water filter
- 2.5L Osprey Hydraulics hydration pack (filled to the minimum point I think I need at any given fill-up spot)
- 1L Platypus collapsible water bottle (used almost exclusively in camp)

Cookware/Kitchen:
- JetBoil Sol Titanium stove
- small JetBoil fuel can
- Sea2Summit Titanium cup
- MSR Mugmate coffee filter -or- Dark Timber packs -or- whatever I feel like carrying.  I'm a hopeless coffee nerd.   
- Sea2Summit long spoon

*Food:
- Mtn House dinners, portioned into foodsaver zipper bags
- oatmeal for breakfast
- lara bars
- trail mix
- deer summer sausage for good luck
- sometimes dark chocolate


*Obviously highly dependent on the length of trip, which varies from an overnight to 2night/3day.
**May be left at home depending on the weather forecast.
« Last Edit: October 19, 2018, 10:04:34 AM by yakimanoob »

Offline J.Brower

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Re: Wilderness Hunt Gear
« Reply #8 on: October 19, 2018, 07:43:08 PM »
Thanks for those last couple of lists guys! I am beginning to put together my need to buy list tonight. I’d say I’m about 1/2 way there with what I already have. Hoping to keep it budget friendly, at least for this trip to see if I will do it again the following year.

Offline opdinkslayer

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Re: Wilderness Hunt Gear
« Reply #9 on: October 20, 2018, 08:28:19 PM »
For budget gear you might want to keep an eye on camofire.com.

Offline Eric M

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Re: Wilderness Hunt Gear
« Reply #10 on: October 20, 2018, 10:15:45 PM »
Everyone is giving good advice. The only thing I would disagree with is the water bladder. If the bladder leaks u may have wet gear. There was a thread on here last year I think the guys hunt was over before it started. I like the Sawyer mini as my filter.
Do some short trips to work the bugs out of your gear. A lot of guys recommend trekking poles and I plan to buy a pair before my next backcountry trip. It might sound Nancy but after injuring myself 9 miles in, I wont go that deep without them again. :twocents:

Offline J.Brower

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Re: Wilderness Hunt Gear
« Reply #11 on: October 21, 2018, 10:12:18 AM »
The trekking poles are not going to be over looked for sure!


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