10 day hunt in back country

[fracguy]

So this is my first elk hunt in close to 20 years. I'm taking my wheeler back in about 7 miles and hunt from there unless I get on top of elk and go mobile at that point. Im doing MREs and misc snacks and all that. How does everyone go on these extended backpack hunts? My food takes up literally a bag almost to itself. Here is the list of stuff I'm taking. Trying to figure out how tall pack everything for days in a single bag when my food alone takes up a big pack. This trip will be a trial go and can add or take off what I don't need. The tarp is for quartering so I'll have a clean spot to bag quarters. Only thing I haven't gotten that I can think of is spare AA batteries for my small lantern and flashlights. Made sure everything takes the same batteries. Open to suggestions, what to take, not to take.

 

[Salmon River Solutions]

MRE's take up a ton of space and weight vs freeze dried meals. Are you going into a place with water and you can just filter?

Taking a 4 wheeler in is what I'm assuming you mean. You can take a ton of stuff on a 4 wheeler, but your meal plan looks like it would limit you spike camping from there. I can do 7 days in a 7800 ci pack with a lot of extra crap cause I'm an overpacker.

Just my quick thoughts...

Ken

 

[WeiserBucks]

MRE's are a terrible choice, look into repackaged Peak Refuel or similar meals.

 

[fracguy]

MRE's take up a ton of space and weight vs freeze dried meals. Are you going into a place with water and you can just filter?

Taking a 4 wheeler in is what I'm assuming you mean. You can take a ton of stuff on a 4 wheeler, but your meal plan looks like it would limit you spike camping from there. I can do 7 days in a 7800 ci pack with a lot of extra crap cause I'm an overpacker.

Just my quick thoughts...

Ken

Yeah there is a stream where I am going, loaded with brook trout so I can get water there and catch some trout if I get sick of what I'm bringing. If I get into elk I figure I could throw a couple days of food in day pack and go and just sleep under the stars which I haven't done since I was a teenager

 

[fracguy]

MRE's are a terrible choice, look into repackaged Peak Refuel or similar meals.

Yeah they are but they were way cheaper than those, I got 12 for 30 bucks vs 14 bucks for 1 meal. I ended up getting laid off and that wrecked all of my plans so this is a budget hunt, more less get me out and get the experience and have fun. Not too concerned if I don't get an elk, just want to go. Do things a bit differently next year when money isn't so tight. New pack and smaller tent, different sleeping bag. This year my finances SUCK from not working for 4 months.

 

[TaperPin]

I like some MRE’s, but 10 days of nothing but would kill me. If you’re hunting from camp carried by the 4 wheeler, I’d bring a bunch of heavy food along for breakfast and dinner.

 

[realunlucky]

Yeah they are but they were way cheaper than those, I got 12 for 30 bucks vs 14 bucks for 1 meal. I ended up getting laid off and that wrecked all of my plans so this is a budget hunt, more less get me out and get the experience and have fun. Not too concerned if I don't get an elk, just want to go. Do things a bit differently next year when money isn't so tight. New pack and smaller tent, different sleeping bag. This year my finances SUCK from not working for 4 months.

Strip your mre packages and throw out the junk you won't eat/use in them. Just changing to zip lock bags over the original packaging will save wieght and space

Sent from my SM-S926U using Tapatalk

 

[fracguy]

That's actually not a bad idea. My ORIGINAL plan was to backpack in about a mile or so and stay for the 10 days but after packing everything, there is no way I can. The stuff I have is like bare minimum to take as far as I can see and it's my day pack and a big pack. I thought about taking a small cooler with bacon and eggs and stuff but afraid it would go bad half way through without being able to keep it cool. When I was a kid and went with my dad, we stayed in a big wall tent with a heater, stove, cook box, cots and all that. This is my first trip doing anything like this, did a lot of backpack fishing when I was a teenager but I'm older and not as dumb as I was then.

Strip your mre packages and throw out the junk you won't eat/use in them. Just changing to zip lock bags over the original packaging will save wieght and space

Sent from my SM-S926U using Tapatalk

I Think I'm gonna do that, the drinks for most part I won't use and the snack that comes with I doubt I will eat.

I like some MRE’s, but 10 days of nothing but would kill me. If you’re hunting from camp carried by the 4 wheeler, I’d bring a bunch of heavy food along for breakfast and dinner

 

[Dos Perros]

MRE's are literally designed to boost morale. I think I'd much rather have those than all Peak Refuels or something similar.

 

[bozeman]

Have you ever camped for 10 nights before? That's a LONG time.....10 days of MRE's? Ouch. I'd take some real food and cook if you are going on a 4 wheeler. Just my .02

 

[fracguy]

Have you ever camped for 10 nights before? That's a LONG time.....10 days of MRE's? Ouch. I'd take some real food and cook if you are going on a 4 wheeler. Just my .02

Yeah I did a lot when I was a teenager and young idiot adult. Did a month long trip a few times as a teen and slept under stars and caught trout for food. We used to stay for 9 days when I was a kid elk hunting, but that was big tent, drove in and set camp up with truck there and not going on on a wheeler. I just worry about keeping food cold for that long. My small cooler will keep stuff cold for about 4 days in heat but not much longer than that. I don't know what I could take that wouldn't go bad after half my time. Ideas?

 

[fracguy]

MRE's are literally designed to boost morale. I think I'd much rather have those than all Peak Refuels or something similar.

The 2 that I had leftover weren't too bad, the hazelnut chocolate protein drink tho, that was the most disgusting burnt tasting crap I ever had. I got them because they were cheap honestly. I probably would have gotten the other if I wasn't broke assed.

 

[Dos Perros]

Hey if you're after economics you might consider (probably for next year at this point) looking into a dehydrator and just making your own meals. It's basically the cost of what you cook most every day, plus the cost of the dehydrator (cheap) and individual bags (cheap).

 

[fracguy]

Hey if you're after economics you might consider (probably for next year at this point) looking into a dehydrator and just making your own meals. It's basically the cost of what you cook most every day, plus the cost of the dehydrator (cheap) and individual bags (cheap).

That's a good idea, unfortunately for next year. Really that would be probably the best idea, cook what you want. Don't you add water like the peak meals when you do that?

 

[andr3wxmma]

A tip for mres is open up the bag by cutting top off with scissors and strip out all of the stuff you don't need or want then roll the bag and duct tape it sealed. Most of the meals you can get down cold too if you want to throw out the heaters.

10days is a longtime but if you can keep a dry bag by the wheeler(hang it away from critters) and only venture away for 2-3 days at a time the weight in your pack wont be that bad.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

We’ve done countless multi week trips backpacking and backpack hunting. Some great advice in this thread already.

Another thing to consider on very long trips is a food and water cache that you pack in and hang up ahead of time during scouting trips. We would do this for the 2-3 week trips. Another option is sending a guy or two back down to trail heads or a larger base camp to resupply.

For 10 days, switch to freeze dried meals depending on water availability and you’ll be fine. With a large pack you can get to around 15 days or so without needing to resupply or have a cache hang, so long as water is abundant.

 

[fracguy]

A tip for mres is open up the bag by cutting top off with scissors and strip out all of the stuff you don't need or want then roll the bag and duct tape it sealed. Most of the meals you can get down cold too if you want to throw out the heaters.

10days is a longtime but if you can keep a dry bag by the wheeler(hang it away from critters) and only venture away for 2-3 days at a time the weight in your pack wont be that bad.

That's exactly what I'm thinking at this point. Take a couple days of food at a time. This is everything I'm taking minus my bow. Total at 74lbs, I can pack it, but rather not. I been hauling 80lbs around a 3.5 mile trail every other day.

 

[fracguy]

We’ve done countless multi week trips backpacking and backpack hunting. Some great advice in this thread already.

Another thing to consider on very long trips is a food and water cache that you pack in and hang up ahead of time during scouting trips. We would do this for the 2-3 week trips. Another option is sending a guy or two back down to trail heads or a larger base camp to resupply.

For 10 days, switch to freeze dried meals depending on water availability and you’ll be fine. With a large pack you can get to around 15 days or so without needing to resupply or have a cache hang, so long as water is abundant.

I couldn't get anyone to go so this is all solo, had 3 guys that "oh yeah I'm going" now that it's crunch time, nobody can go. I like the idea of hanging food ahead of time. What do you do make a pole between trees? That way it is way high from critters?

 

[Dakota Dude]

If my atv was only 1 mile away from my camp, I would visit pretty often. I'd also have a cooler on it (or hidden adjacent in the trees in a shady cool spot) full of provisions-including steaks, eggs, bacon, sandwich stuff, and a few cold pops.

Half way through the trip I would head back down to the truck to go to the nearest town to refresh the cooler (get ice/food/drinks). I'd probably have one night in the local hotel to wash up too. I know finances are tight, but 10 days is a long time.

Good luck!

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

That's exactly what I'm thinking at this point. Take a couple days of food at a time. This is everything I'm taking minus my bow. Total at 74lbs, I can pack it, but rather not. I been hauling 80lbs around a 3.5 mile trail every other day.

How heavy is that tent and sleeping bag? My goodness.