What's the longest you stayed out ?

[silvertip-co]

Originally Posted by phorwath

21 days on a fly-in sheep hunt in Alaska in 1979 during the first three weeks in September. Did a food drop 17 miles from our landing strip on the flight in. Didn't have a very great tent for mountain camping. The first night the wind blew our tent down on us. We never did find some of our tent stakes after that blow. It was a 4-person Eureka Timberland tent, if I recall correctly. We walked more than 100 mountain miles on this hunt, carrying back packs that weighed from 50 to 65 lbs. We ran into a guide and his client that told us he'd hunted that area for the prior 18 years and had never encountered another hunter... we were the first ones. The guide used horses to access that area. We walked in. Saw a dandy ram in that area but we were bowhunting at the time and never got close enough for a shot. Could have killed him easily with our rifle. I was 24 yrs old then and lost about 10 lbs during that hunt. The guy I went with was bigger than me and he lost closer to 15 lbs. When we took our first shower, we both initially concluded that our knees and ankles were swollen. Turns out they weren't swollen, we'd just burned away fat and muscle in the surrounding leg areas. First thing we ordered at the restaurant after we got out was a blueberry pie. We split it in half and finished it off.

No fancy hiking poles back then. I still use the same Trailwise backpack that I did on that hunt, but with an improved belt and shoulder harness from Barney's Sports Chalet in Anchorage, Alaska. Much better boots are available now than were available back then also. Good boots are critical if you're going to cover alot of ground. A good tent, sleeping bag, and rain gear are also mandatory.

I was only 24 at that time and had the energy and stamina of youth on my side. I wouldn't attempt the same type of hunt today. But I still backpack hunt on an annual basis now. My boots, socks, clothing, rain gear, and tent are all much improved from what I had in 79. LED flashlights and lighter cookstoves are other examples of improved gear.

We finally shot a calf caribou for food at the end of that hunt with a rifle. That fresh meat was a welcome relief to our diet. We saw a number of legal rams but never killed one with an arrow.

...ahhh the stuff of my dreams. I just WISH I had the health and stamina to do such a hunt.

[jmden]

Originally Posted by ol mike

Out of curiousity -what's the longest amount of time you stayed in the wilderness living out of a backpack ?
What season ?
And what equipment did you have with you ?

Myself only two nights -sure ain't much compared to some guys i've read about.

I've did two days/nights many times in the late spring summer early fall.
I have an eberlestock x-1 pack [2,100 cu.in.] -big agnes insulated inflatable pad -rei 40* down bag -equinox 8x10 ultralight tarp -titanium stove and cup -mountain house freeze dried meals plus jerky trail-mix -coffee.

I plan on doing some 3-4 nighters when i get more cold weather gear ,ultralight backpacking equipment sure isn't cheap.
I need -bigger pack -kifaru siwash -$444
western mountaineering versalite bag long $425
tent msr -twin sisters $159 thanks shortshooter.
lightweight hiing poles $100 --$1,130ish mounts up quick...

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8 days during elk season last year an eastern washington wilderness area about 5K feet elevation. Not much compared to some...

Tent-
Tents for backpacking...

Pack-Kifaru Long Hunter Hauler expandable to over 8000 cu. in.--some mods to it I sewed myself
Backpacks? --4th post down

Rifle-
Guns your packing in with?? third post down

Stove: Kifaru Parastove with custom 7' chimney to fit tent
STOVSPEX

Various freeze dried/dried foods, water filter (must keep from freezing), cans of chili (heavy, but so good), cheddar cheese, nuts, jerky,

Pan/Cup/Teakettle: MSR Titan Teakettle (titanium)--great little product

Sleeping bag: Feathered Friends -30 F rated, waterproof breathable shell, 800+ fill power down
Feathered Friends Sleeping Bags

Spotting Scope: ShopBushnell.com : Elite™ 15-45x60 Spotting Scope

Rangfinder: Leica 1200 Scan

PDA: Dell Axim X30 with Exbal

[RH300UM]

I have stayed out for 14 days at a time. Gear used was Mountain hardware tent, Moonstone sleeping bag with Moonstone bivy sack, therma rest air mat, a Dana Designs backpack, 6,000 cubic inches with accesory pockets, Mountain house freeze dried meals, Primus stove, Gortex rainwear, and lots of extra socks the most important thing when you are backpack hunting.

[ol mike]

I'm worn to a frazzle after a weekend trip -8 days and 14 days - is a long time.

I plan on doing some long trips -i'll have to remember to rest -i get out there and go from daylight to dark only stopping long enough to eat or predator call for 20 minutes.

Still working on getting more stuff for my outfit..

[foreign]

12 days. we carried all of our gear from the start to finish over some mountain passes here in nz. wasnt a hunting trip but part of the degree in outdoor recreation that i am doing. there were 20 of us. was a great trip. pack weighed 26kg. was a mint trip. in terms of hunting trips the longest so far has been 5 days in the middle of winter here in the southern alps tahr hunting. tenting it the whole time.

[Long Time Long Ranger]

Some three week combo hunts in Alaska backpacking from a plane drop point and many years of two week type trips into the rockies. After a few trips you get it down to a science and realize you just need the essentials. My packs are fairly light even for a long stay. I have spent 2-3 weeks in the Wyoming thoroughfare region several times which is 30-35 miles just to where I set up camp. Then pack around a bit while I'm in there. I have a masters in Ecology and can find something to eat about anywhere to supplement. Knowing the wilderness is critical to survival if you have trouble way back in.

[silvertip-co]

All that time spent packing in and noooo fotos. COme on guys...