14 Day Stone Sheep Gear List - Resident DIY, Solo, Early August

[StopMakingSense]

@Wyobohunter I love the challenges and I'm going to start being a bit more set in my ways but you are making me really think and I love it.

I'll just address tarps and bivy's on this post as it's a common setup I see a lot of folks use or don't use. I'm definitely still on the side of bringing both but I'm not sold 100% one way or the other yet.

On shorter duration hunts I don't have a basecamp except for my car. I go out with a DCF tarp and every morning I pack up camp and hunt with camp on my back, these are usually 3-4 day stints. I set up camp wherever I may find myself as the sun is setting. I enjoy not having to worry about walking back to camp. With this style of hunt, I don't have an option unless I want to lug 14 days' worth of food with me in the AM.

I do agree with you on multiple uses completely. My tripod I use for glassing and shooting for instance. The carbon knife I use for everything from food, cutting objects from cord to random odds and ends, along with skinning. I have one knife but feel confident with a sharpener as I use it a ton.

Ok, I like the HotSac VBL a lot from WM, I actually have a crush on it, it does 4 purposes for me.
- The bivy for me is an emergency tool if I do get hurt, big if I'm solo especially. I've had to use it once in a group setting and I can't say it saved me for sure but I was immobile in snow.
- It acts as added warmth for my sleeping bag.
- It's an emergency shelter for the night if I want to camp on an animal.
- An odd one but it cuts my dry mouth tremendously at night. My skin is in a state of homeostasis when I sleep, it's not constantly moving moisture away. This then helps cut my water consumption at night.

At 3.8oz it's a sweet item I've come to love.

As far as the tarp goes. It does have more purposes for me than simply a shelter from the rain.
- Sun protection, which goes up all the time during mule deer hunts, helps alleviate dehydration.
- An emergency shelter if I bivy out for the night
- Wet weather protection
- A clean to process a kill solo. I don't have the luxury of folks holding legs, huge on elk hunts anyways when I have to let it just fall off. Being able to bone it out then on the tarp is great.
- ::EDIT:: Forgot to add the tarp also acts as a sleeping pad if the weather isn't inclement

 

[StopMakingSense]

I also don’t see a need for the puffy pants during the season you are going. That’s another pound. You have good underwear, good pants, a sit pad and stuff to keep your upper body warm. Maybe it’s just me but so long as I keep my upper body warm and my butt insulated from the ground my legs are fine. I adhere to that even when it’s down near 0° F.

Would you consider both the long johns and puffy pants not needed? I've never brought them on August/September elk and mule deer hunts before.

I totally agree with you on core warmth 110% ... it's everything

 

[Blockcaver]

Looked your gear list over carefully:

Sleep: Your sleeping pad is heavy. I sleep fine a 12 oz inflatable. I'd ditch the pillow and sleep on your game bags and spare clothes. I wouldn't take a tarp and a bivy. Just the tarp for me. Not sure why you list the bag in grams....if it is <1 ounce that is good.

Cook: You can save a bunch of weight with a 3 oz stove and still have enough fuel for 14 days with your 16 oz can. Or take the efficient stove and 8 ozs of fuel? Not sure it would be enough? I use about an ounce a day using an MSR pocket rocket and using Mt House containers and rocks for a heat shield.

Hydration: (Check spelling). I don't filter in N BC sheep country and haven't had an issue getting water near where it daylights. I just use gatoraid bottles to the tune of 3 about 80 - 100 ozs along in the morning.

Pack: I don't use a bino harness, just the stock Swaro EL neck strap with the eye piece cover only.

Optics: Great optics! But did not realize the ATX is so heavy....glad I have an old ATM HD. I'd ditch the 1.7X extender. Your phone adaptor is heavy??? So is your tripod. I use a <2# tripod and a much lighter phone adaptor for the old iPhone 7.

Clothes: I ditch the camp shoes. Just wear your boots with the laces loose. No neck gator for me, but like a mid or base layer to be hooded like you show. I don't like just wool gloves, much prefer a glove like the Kuiu Attack or Guide gloves. Better in the wind and dry very fast. I also add a second very light pair of short nap fleece type of glove (fabric like the old Cabela Microtex stuff).

Weapon: I'd shoot over the pack and drop the bipod....but I'm a bowhunter anyway and use to short shots.

Kill kit: Yours is lighter than mine with tag bags and a Havalon with a few blades.

Gear: I would drop the battery pack since you have a solar charger...or just take a battery pack and no charger but I only turn on the iPhone and InReach when I am using them.

Food: About right, but don't carry more water than you have to, which is difficult on the first trip into the area with a lot of unknowns.

Summary: You have an excellent well thought out list. I'd trim it down as noted above., based on 9 sheep trips up north (two successful between my buddy and I, plus one solo trip for sheep and a few others for caribou). Its' a heavy load to go in for 14 days solo!!! Hope you are young and tough! Add a sheep to the pack out and it will be two trips getting out. A lot of hiking heavy!

 

[Wyobohunter]

Would you consider both the long johns and puffy pants not needed? I've never brought them on August/September elk and mule deer hunts before.

I totally agree with you on core warmth 110% ... it's everything

Looks like you’ve got some very solid reasons for the bivvy and tarp.

I’d bring the long johns. Especially if they are lightweight. My long John bottoms are 7 ounces. Though, like you, I don’t wear them in September. But I am wearing them for the Wind River High Route this summer. Which is more like the conditions you’ll probably experience.

Something else. I see you list 100 ounces of water. If you have lots of crossings it seems like there is opportunity to carry less. Drink a liter and bring a liter as needed. Carry more if it’ll be 5 miles between creeks. That could save a significant amount of carried weight. Time it with snack breaks. Get to creek, take off boots, get a liter, eat a snack and drink that liter. Put on wading shoes, cross creek, filter a liter to bring with, put on boots and hike on. Carrying 1 liter should save you about 4 lbs. that’s huge.

Also, could you bring a lighter binocular since you have a kick ass spotting scope? Maybe an 8x32? It’d have roughly the same exit pupil as your 10x42 but would probably only weigh 16-18 ounces. Seems like the bino would be for finding them and the scope for counting rings. Maybe even a six or seven power in 30 or 32mm objective. Nice wide FOV and less weight. Plus, with a lighter bino you could ditch the bino pouch to save even more weight. Make a simple bino harness out of paracord and S-biners. If you are interested I could send pics of mine that I put together for my Maven 6x30mm.

Finally, could you go lighter on the tripod? Doesn’t seem like a full size tripod is needed, something you could use while sitting. I took a cheap Nikon and modified it. It weighs 17 ounces. See the thread “gear butchering… a sickness” for more on that.

Gear butchering… a sickness

My wife, friends and relatives have accused me of being a sadist. I don’t think that counts when I’m only damaging inanimate objects. I’m hoping to find some likeminded gear butchers so I don’t feel so alone. Today I took and older Nikon tripod and chopped off the lower 3rd leg section and...

www.rokslide.com

Pics are about 1/2 way down the first page. I doubt you’d want to commit such a heinous act on your expensive tripod. But a cheap one?

 

[MT_Wyatt]

Lots of really great input here. Shelter is a tough one……would certainly try and go lighter there.

I’ve seen tripod listed a few times but my big thing would be that va-5 head. It’s heavy. You could drop to a more ultralight panhead and save ~9oz.

 

[KHntr]

I do this hunt every year. Some years more than once, and these are my thoughts 12 (?) seasons in hunting Stones in August and September:
-Ditch the puffy pants and go with the long johns, and lose the heavy hoody. You don’t need two hoodies. However, a light merino t shirt will be appreciated if its +20, and keep the heavy hoody and lose the light one.
If it is pissing rain the long johns under your rain pants are going to be better than pants under your rain pants, or no long johns under there.
-Same with the neck gaiter. You already have the puffy top and rain jacket, it won’t ever be cold enough to need the gaiter in early August.
-Drop the tent. I know, I read your reasons for wanting it, drop the tent. Use the Silex, and take your bivy.
-Don’t leave the tarp! That goes everywhere.
-You could lose some weight on the bag, if you get a snow day wear your puffy jacket and long johns and a toque to bed. But I also understand sleep comfort, so you do you.
Last year the bugs were absolutely ******* horrendous, and I was wishing for a bivy in my Cimarron as it was also +35 during the day, (except when cloudbursts hit and it was 5*) and having to sleep in a -7* rated bag zipped up over my face to keep from being eaten alive all night weren’t a lot of fun.

-Use a phoneskope, and be careful with it. Be cognizant of what pocket you put your phone in.
-Learn to shoot over your pack, and leave the bipod and tripod adapter.
-Take the same fuel if you feel you need it, but split that into 2 cans. The rocks are SHARP, and if you drop your canister on one the first day that is a lot of cold meals.
-drop the battery bank, you’ll only get 1.5 charges on your phone with it if you are lucky, and if you are going solar panel anyway strap it to your pack and charge as you hike.
-lose 3 game bags, you only need one for meat. I didn’t see any salt listed? Less than a pound, ears/lips/eyes/nose. Flesh the rest of the cape clean and roll it up loose for the walk out. Put it in one of your dry bags.
-a havalon and 15 blades is pretty light…… just sayin’. (Although coming from me that is big talk as I also carry a Skeletool and have an Ingram B&T around my neck…)
-and the bear spray…. By all means, if you think you neeeeeeeed it to sleep at night, then whatever I guess, but for me bear spray is a bad idea in places where there are swirling winds and you don’t have anyone to deploy a rifle if you are blinded by spray AND being bitten (and again, SHARP rocks). Get used to using a Kifaru Gun Bearer, and keep your eyes open. If you are starting to feel your skin crawl, carry your rifle. Fresh tracks, carry your rifle. Step in a fresh killed moose, carry your rifle. (Yeah, it’s happened. Twice.)
-contacts… I wear them too, and carry fluid and a case, and my glasses. Hunting buddy wears them, but goes with 24 hour disposable lenses and changes every morning. 14 pairs of lenses is pretty light compared to fluid and glasses.
-drop the doubler. Your first trip you won’t be shooting on age, and if you have to try to convince yourself he’s legal counting rings, he ain’t.

Your biggest issue won’t be weight, it’ll be bulk. Try to cut bulky items wherever you can.

Take care of the ounces, and the pounds will take care of themselves.

 

[Wyobohunter]

I haven’t even thought about the bugs. A Sea to Summit head net is cheap, doesn’t leak, never runs out and only weighs one ounce. Last AK goat hunt we were using an old school Black Diamond Megamid tipi tarp. I had a head net and my buddy didn’t. He looked like Quasimodo… poor bastard. Mosquitos and White Sox were horrendous.

 

[StopMakingSense]

Fkn a, a lot of great content guys, I've updated the main page to reflect a lot of what's been going on in my head from the recommendations.

The neck gaiter is gone now!

I'm lost right now on gloves and what to bring. I saw Kuiu mentioned with a liner and synthetic to go on top. Just not sure what folks find to use. Nobody seems to like my rag wool gloves, hey?

Guide X Glove | Valo

Known for versatility, durability, and comfort the legendary Guide Glove just got upgraded. Redesigned for a cleaner fit, higher warmth, and enhanced overall performance, it's better than ever. The Guide X is ideal for cool-to-cold conditions when a full-insulated glove is too warm, and a...

www.kuiu.com

 

[B_Reynolds_AK]

Shelter: As security and comfort are paramount to you, but also cutting weight and bulk, I’d look into a DCF Mid with an inner. It will be very storm worthy, more so than your lightweight shelter, provide loads of interior space and have an inner that keeps the bugs out. I personally use a Mountain Laurel Designs DCF Duomid with a Solomid XL inner. It weighs about 1.5 lbs all in. This would greatly reduce your pack weight and volume that the Nallo would take up.

Optics: I find that the Kowa 1.6x extender is invaluable on my 77mm spotter when sheep hunting. There are always times of the day when it will work well. I’d say it’s time to invest in some 8 or 10x32 NL’s. The 6-8 oz you’ll save by going to 32 mm binos will more than cover the weight of the extender.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[KHntr]

Personally at that time of year when it comes to gloves, I wear a leather glove when in the rocks, one slip could be a trip-ender if you put your hand down in the nuggets.
I also take a pair of lightweight HH polypropylene glove liners as a “warm” glove.

 

[Blockcaver]

Great catch on the head net and repellent. I always take one along until it is cold....late Sept usually. Also a small container of liquid Muskol for anything exposed...wrists especially. Don't get it on plastics as it will eat it up, probably the finish on your rifle stock.

Do you have a some small cotton wipes (bore cleaning patches will work) wet down with gun oil, stored in the lighrest, smallest container possible? Unless you rifle is impervious to water its a good idea. Also a means to wipe the bore....bore snakes are a risk to break the pull cord unless you tie a piece of tail cord on them to pull them out backward in that event. Oil them lightly with Breakfree CLP or something like that. Also put electrical tape on the muzzle with some spare tape wrapped around the barrel. I would add a 6" piece of unwaxed dental floss dangling under the spare tape too...great wind indicator.

 

[StopMakingSense]

Shelter: As security and comfort are paramount to you, but also cutting weight and bulk, I’d look into a DCF Mid with an inner. It will be very storm worthy, more so than your lightweight shelter, provide loads of interior space and have an inner that keeps the bugs out. I personally use a Mountain Laurel Designs DCF Duomid with a Solomid XL inner. It weighs about 1.5 lbs all in. This would greatly reduce your pack weight and volume that the Nallo would take up.

Optics: I find that the Kowa 1.6x extender is invaluable on my 77mm spotter when sheep hunting. There are always times of the day when it will work well. I’d say it’s time to invest in some 8 or 10x32 NL’s. The 6-8 oz you’ll save by going to 32 mm binos will more than cover the weight of the extender.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm going with the Enan from Hilleberg now, got a hook up on one. Check the revised list. The Nallo 2 GT is gone along with others. We reduced the sleep setup by 7lbs already, feeling good!!

As far as NLs 8x32's, yes I'd love to have some so bad. They're on my want list but probably won't happen for a few years.

 

[StopMakingSense]

I've begrudgingly ordered a PhoneSkope, there's no doubt in my mind that the 12oz savings are worth it, thanks for the push everyone.

I added bug mitigation under gear. I normally always bring bug repellent but added the weight of a net and the weight and the repellent. Also going to use fabric treatment on the gear. I've never used it but worth a try https://www.sawyer.com/products/permethrin-fabric-treatment

 

[BC Alpine Hunter]

KHntr made great points. Plain and simple. This subject is fun to talk about which is why there is so much engagement on the subject because we are all obsessed about sheep hunting!

In my opinion there is no such thing as the “perfect kit.” Even when you think you have your kit dialed, it will change based on gear tech advancing, your age, body composition on a given year, personal priorities changing from year to year, length of trip, specific location and the way you will hunt it (from the top or camp lower), time of year, weather forecast and the distance you hike in.

I’m only saying this so you don’t worry too much about perfecing your kit. It looks like your gonna be as prepared as possible and have an awesome trip. I think the biggest factor in keeping you in the mountains for 14 days solo will be your mental state of mind.

In saying all that I love talking about anything stone sheep as I do this trip annually as well. Feel free to PM me if you ever want to chat.

 

[StopMakingSense]

KHntr made great points. Plain and simple. This subject is fun to talk about which is why there is so much engagement on the subject because we are all obsessed about sheep hunting!

Exactly! Everyone's contributions to this thread have been amazing. There are so many points of view on how to get to the same end goal. KHntr brought up awesome stuff as you said. All of it has definitely helped further define my kit that, as you pointed out, will always be evolving.

After just 2 days I feel in a much better spot and I hope this conversation of sheep fanatics helps others define what their kit needs to look like.

 

[tuffcity]

I'm lost right now on gloves and what to bring. I saw Kuiu mentioned with a liner and synthetic to go on top. Just not sure what folks find to use. Nobody seems to like my rag wool gloves, hey?

I think a better option is the Kuiu Attack glove instead of the Guide. I look at gloves as hand protection first, warmth second .... maybe I slip and fall down more than most. I wear the lighter gloves all day even in early August and I find they are warm enough until the mid Sept hunts.

 

[j33]

Not sure how you feel about dropping the DEET but you can grab “Ben’s Insect Repellant Wipes” on Amazon or Canadian tire incase you don’t like the risk of your deet spilling on your stuff, probably a bit lighter too.

Also Kiln 250 is pretty heavy, can drop 6oz by going to a Kuiu peloton 97. I have both and the Kiln is certainly comfy but can beat the lightweight and how fast the 97 dries, that kiln holds alot of moisture weight….

 

[Rkak]

I'm not sure if you already have the lighter weight STS pad or are in the market. But the new BA Rapide SL Insulated is a similar weight, much warmer, 3.5 inches thick (so almost as thick), 40 denier material (I emailed them) which would be a more durable construction. Might be worth checking out https://www.bigagnes.com/insulated-rapide-sl

 

[StopMakingSense]

Thanks for the heads up, ended up grabbing an S2S Ether Light XT Large that came in at 21.6oz ... incredibly comfortable and super-wide for my AlpinLite bag compared to my Neo-Air X-Therm Mummy Regular, albeit that weighs 15.6oz and has an R-Value of 6.9

 

[Jimbob]

Thanks for the heads up, ended up grabbing an S2S Ether Light XT Large that came in at 21.6oz ... incredibly comfortable and super-wide for my AlpinLite bag compared to my Neo-Air X-Therm Mummy Regular, albeit that weighs 15.6oz and has an R-Value of 6.9

Why the heavier pad? do you not sleep well on the xtherm?