Equipment for Backpack Hunting

[RockZ]

I am from Fl and am I love hunting the hills out west. This past year in Idaho I got a rude awakening. I am in great shape for FL, but found I needed to work on my legs alot more for walking up those steep mountains for a week. I also needed a better backpack for hauling out meat as well as better fitting boots.
I had a great hunt, and shot a nice 5x5 mulie at 350yds while he was bedded, but we hiked in and out every day and stayed in a hotel. We hunted walk-in only areas and walked many miles a day, mostly up and down .
Much of the walking was in and out of the areas to get away from the other hunters who were closer to the roads.

It would be great to be able to hike out and stay out for a while.

What equipment would you experienced backpack hunters recommend?

We may even need to start a separtate thread for different equipment. Backpacks, tents, sleepingbags,etc.

Thanks

 

[chain]

backpacking

I am not an expert but coming to Colorado from Michigan and hiking here, I have picked up a few things. Weight is everything and how it rides on your body is important also. Do you hike or jog with a pack on at home? If you don't have hills do stairs and lots of them and sand. When I got back into shape a couple years ago I point of working out when I was tired to stretch my stamina a bit. I would also shoot my bowand .22 after working out, concentrating on my form. Carry only what you need. Water will be the heaviest thing you will carry. I have an Alaska Pack from Cabelas. I am sure that there are better ones out there but it has served me well and it fits me. I am tall and some packs are just too short.

 

[ST42]

Here is a great start

RockZ,

Check these guys out.
KIFARU HUNTING & MILITARY GEAR
IMHO, this is the best gear for "High and Back". It's all made here in the U.S., and the customer service is excellent. Here is a picture of my camp this past fall,

Total weight is maybe 4 lbs. I can up it by two more pounds and have a heated shelter. But so far I haven't had the need for the stove.
I bought a book titled, " Public Land Mulies" by David Long. It is an excellent book on tactics and gear for the high country. Hope this helps you out.

Shawn

 

[devildoc]

As was already said, water is what costs you the most in weight. My solution is to carry coffee filters, a funnel, a collapsable water jug and micropure water purification tabs. This is by far the lightest and best purification method I have found, not to mention cheapest. Even the several hundred dollar water "purifiers" won't get rid of some casts, the micropure tabs kill EVERYTHING. And the whole package weighs less than most purifiers, I stuff all my water stuff inside my backpacking pots so it doesn't cost any room either. Carrying an extra camelback bladder is also a good Idea. With this system I can get to where I want to make camp on a single camelback and then purify enough water to last my stay and trip back once I set up camp. Just melt snow, find a creek etc., then let the water sit for 10-15mins to let the big sediment settle out, pour the water through the coffee filter/funnel into the collapsable water jug, then add the appropriate number of tabs for the volume of water. Only other important tip is: Keep your camp water jug in the tent, and not completely full at night so you don't split the jug if it freezes.

 

[RockZ]

Guys,
thanks for some great ideas.
i'm getting ready for next year.

 

[jmden]

You already found just about the best site for what you are thinking of doing: Kifaru.net. I did not like the fact that their tents didn't have floors and so I've made a couple of Tipi tents from scratch that do have floors. They have worked out great the past couple of seasons using the Kifaru parastove. Good luck.

 

[bigboyhunter]

I'm a fan of using a bivvy sack...cuts down on the weight and gives me enough shelter for what i do and its as easy as setting out your sleeping bag to set up or put away to stay mobile. Also platypus makes some large water packs that have a large ziplock closure that work great when you set up for camp or need to make a trip to get a good amount of water!

 

[Long Time Long Ranger]

Thanks for posting these websites. Maybe I can cut some more weight. My setup changes significantly from September weather to say mid October when the snow flies hard in the high country. In September I like a bivy sack with very minimal gear. Sometimes only a light down bag weighing 2 3/4 pounds placed under a thick spruce where limited moisture can hit me. When the snow flies I go to a 3 man tent weighing just over 5 pounds. It has plenty of room to set all my stuff out and dry my clothes. A comfy stay dry camp is critical this time of year. Lightweight down bags help tremendously but they must be kept dry therefore the nice tent.

 

[yotefever]

At least most of the new down bags have a gortex or similar wp outer layer.

 

[jmden]

Yep, my opinion is that down bags are the way to go if you want max comfort with min weight. Look for 700 fill power or better and a water resistant breathable shell. My elk hunting bag is a -30 rated Feathered Friends 800+ down fill power. Made to fit my body dimensions, it's got a bout 12" of loft and compresses down to the size of a volleyball. With it's nearly waterproof and breathable shell and at about 3 lbs, it's pretty hard to beat a comfortable, compressible, quality down bag.

 

[Hero_compleqs]

Lookin' to lighten your water purifier load? I just picked up one of these: http://www.rei.com/product/750366

So far I love it and no major drawbacks yet. They even make a solar charger for it.

 

[X-man]

Lookin' to lighten your water purifier load? I just picked up one of these: SteriPEN Adventurer Water Purifier from REI.com

So far I love it and no major drawbacks yet. They even make a solar charger for it.

That looks interesting!

I'm not too fond of those batteries though.

 

[jonoMT]

Good suggestions

I'll add a +1 to devildoc's suggestions on water. I've found I can easily go through 2-3 quarts/liters a day out in the high country. That's 5-6 lbs of extra weight. I cut that down to a liter or so in country in which I know I can find water so the net savings is only 2-3 lbs. but every bit counts. Using the tablets cuts down on weight too and water filters don't work anyway when frozen.

One thing I do with my pack is tamper with the contents as little as possible. I go through my checklist at the beginning of the season, pack it and never use it for anything else. I reserve one pocket for items that are continually replaced, like snack bars and other food and otherwise only replace things like flashlight and GPS batteries as needed. (I was out after dark 3X this year). I find that the overall weight isn't that much but it's amazing how many items you need to have - from the 2' of electrical tape wound round my bone saw to the tag zipped up inside my jacket pocket.

One thing I carry is an Otis flexible cleaning cable with a patch already on it. Coiled up, it takes up very little space and doesn't way that much. If you ever get snow or debris in the barrel that might be the end of your day in the woods.

Jon

 

[Guy M]

There's some good stuff here. Chain had it right on that first response - weight is everything. Weight and comfort.

A man can carry a heavy load - but why? It just slows a hunter down.

Down bag. A bivvy bag. Light & comfortable boots. A small efficient stove like the MSR Whisperlite... Depending on where you're hunting there may not be much need to carry a lot of water. A good filter or purification tablets helps a lot.

Strong second on Public Land Mulies by David Long. It covers all this and more. He's pretty sharp for a young pup! I've sure never shot a deer as big as his...

Regards, Guy