4-Day Backpack Gear List - any advice on cutting weight?

[mtwarden]

It's in the Sierra Nevadas. Temps are low 30s at night and low 60s to 70s during the day. Rain is very rare.

If you can find one (they've been discontinued, but see them on eBay occasionally) the Sitka Flash could serve as both wind layer and a pretty decent rain layer (if it's pouring for hours- no, short bursts or light rain- yes). It weighs under 8 oz. Early season and when the weather is favorable- it's my go to for wind/precip.

 

[S.Clancy]

You could cut weight on....

1. Power bank. I don't bring one on trips that short.
2. Wind jacket + puffy should be less than your wind jacket
3. Tent + sleeping bag. My setup for the temps you describe is ~2 lbs, yours is 5.5 lbs.
4. I would only take 10 rds total, but you are shooting small caliber so 20 rds isn't that heavy.

 

[fngTony]

Looks like you edited your list, I was going to make a suggestion with your layers. Leave the red kettle, storm front and frog toggs. Bring your Patagonia rain jacket for wind and rain. For pants I recommend getting something with full leg zips because taking boots off is way more sucky than shoes to slide your legs through. While the stormfront has that it’s also heavy so I would look for a pair of marmot precip pants (or similar) as they weigh about 10oz and legs zips are an option.

 

[PaulDogs]

I would do the following for such a short trip:

Is the sharpie for the tag? Ditch otherwise.

Yep, sharpie is for the tag.

Microfiber clothe can be nice to wipe tent condensation. I use a small slice of foam though at 0.1 oz. Not needed for cleaning the cooking kit. Use grass/leaves etc if needed.

The actually reason I added this was because my fuel makes noise when i put it in the toaks pot and the cloth keeps it from clanking around. It also is useful when the pot handles are too hot.

I could probably figure something else out tho.

I think as you do more trips you’ll get your system dialed in and figure out what you like to carry and what you don’t like to carry.

Thanks for the advice! Last year I went lighter than this (foam sleeping pad, no pillow) but I found I didn't sleep very well. Plus, it was so cold I didn't want to get out of my sleeping bag in the morning.

This year I'm adding a better sleep pad and pillow, but I removed the beanie, dry bag, and spare socks (I know everyone recommends them, and I would pack them if there was a chance of rain)

 

[PaulDogs]

Thanks for checking out the list!

1. One trekking pole. I still carry one but I realized I almost always just used one, to keep one hand free, and that saved a pound.

I use the trekking poles as shooting sticks, so I kind of need to have two.

I also carry two 1gal ziploc bags. They're great for packing out trash (especially after cleaning an elk) and I can also use them to grab another gallon of water to filter at camp later. And MUCh lighter than the Osprey bladders although you do have to be careful with them.

This is a great tip on backup camp water. Never thought of using the ziplocs for water, and I carry my daily food in them.

Ditch the dry bag and use a trash bag. If you want to avoid deodorizer scents, get "compost" bags, they have no chemicals. I carry these anyway for field dressing as pack liners, and they work great. I store my sleeping bag in one and my cold weather gear in another.

Definitely leaving the dry bag behind. I got some trash compactor bags that work well.

10. YMMV but while you're saving weight, I would personally carry an extra pair of socks. Man, wet feet SUCK to hike in, and it's really bad for your feet. I have this on my list under "emergency gear". If your boots get soaked, in a pinch you can use trash bags as liners, you just have to walk slower.

I will always pack extra socks if there's any snow or rain in the forecast. Luckily, its very very rare to get either of those where I hunt.

 

[PaulDogs]

Looks like you edited your list, I was going to make a suggestion with your layers. Leave the red kettle, storm front and frog toggs. Bring your Patagonia rain jacket for wind and rain. For pants I recommend getting something with full leg zips because taking boots off is way more sucky than shoes to slide your legs through. While the stormfront has that it’s also heavy so I would look for a pair of marmot precip pants (or similar) as they weigh about 10oz and legs zips are an option.

Gonna leave the red kettle behind. I'll save it for day hunts.

 

[BroccoliRob]

3. Tent + sleeping bag. My setup for the temps you describe is ~2 lbs, yours is 5.5 lbs.

I'd love to hear more about your setup, 2 lbs for everything is impressive. I have pretty lightweight gear, but I think the lightest I could get my entire sleep system down to would still be at least 3-3.5 lbs.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

I backpacked and hunted the sierras starting in the early 90s. I would say that a spotter is not needed to find deer at all. Good binos on a lightweight tripod is all you need if you want to attempt spot and stalk style hunting in the CA sierras.

Depending on the hunt, and if early snow pack comes, it completely changes the strategy on how to hunt these deer. If you want to kill a deer or two every year in California I’d recommend adjusting from strict “spot and stalk” hunting.

 

[S.Clancy]

I'd love to hear more about your setup, 2 lbs for everything is impressive. I have pretty lightweight gear, but I think the lightest I could get my entire sleep system down to would still be at least 3-3.5 lbs.

Shelter + sleeping bag for warm weather stuff, as said above, 2 lbs. Tarp plus 40F quilt is around 1.5 lbs. That's what I would be using in the conditions he describes. Add 18 oz for a sleeping pad, so 2.5-3 lbs is about as light as you could get the whole setup

 

[mtwarden]

Mine is in that 3 lb range for early season- about as realistically low as you can get it. Shelter weighs just a couple of ounces over one pound (TT Aeon Li); bag weighs a couple of ounces over a pound as well; pad weighs a couple of ounces under a pound and an inflatable pillow a couple of ounces.

If I go w/ a bivy over the Aeon Li is shaves ~ 6 oz- not much— the reason I bring a full shelter

 

[CMF]

Fizan Compact 3 trekking poles would save about 5 oz(untested, but on my list to try)
DD Xmid 2 tent would save about 10oz, and the dcf would save 24 oz.
20 degree budget quilt would save about 15oz, premium would save another 8oz or more
Houdini rain jacket is only 3.5oz(just read about earlier in this forum)
I have enough cord, pack straps, belt that I'm not backpacking a tourniquet

Here is a potential sleep system I'm looking at trying(this currently untested) I'm usually hunting with my wife or a kid, so I haven't really put together a good solo kit yet. My current setup is an economy quilt, DD xmid 2, ether lite xt pad.

 

[CMF]

I've never put gun weights on my lighterpack cause I'm usually bow hunting, but my first thought is that seems like a lot of weight for a .223. But I haven't spent any time going down the gun weight rabbit hole either, so I don't know....

 

[cr406]

Agree with everyone else's suggestions - good starting place but there's still plenty to trim.

Practicing how to range by size calculation of your target means you could replace a piece of gear with a piece of knowledge, which is the most UL practice of all.

Definitely halve the power bank if not ditch it entirely. It's not exactly apples to apples, but I have eaked out 9 days from a single iphone charge when working on trail crew in the Selway - plugged in and charging until the moment you start hiking, then turned off except when needed for the occasional photo, map check, or music on headphones at the end of the day. Always turned to airplane mode when powered on, screen brightness set as low as possible. Always kept in my sleeping bag to prevent the chill at night from sapping the battery.

Are the buis necessary? With your tripod/glass/arca adapters/buble level etc, it seems like you're mostly looking for long range shots, even the 4x on the nightforce should be useable if something bumps into you at close range.

Next two items are based on buying different gear which I realize might not be in the cards but here goes:

Too much stuff in your water system, ditch the bladder/sleeves entirely and switch to smart water store bought bottles rather than nalgene. Steripens are also heavy, require recharging and I personally find it annoying to sit there swirling it around for 60 seconds or whatever, especially when it's hot and I'm thirsty. Throw a sawyer squeeze on the smart water bottle or get a kataydn befree and you're golden. Alternatively, switch to aquamira a and b treatments kits if you're worried about filter failure, and put just enough of each in tiny squeeze bottles. All lighter options then the steripen.

There are much lighter tent options out there, my tent for work in wet/buggy conditions is a Nemo hornet elite Osmo 2p, sub 2lb trail weight (I dont bring stuff sack or footprint) that is very spacious for one person and has 2 vestibules for all your gear. Plenty of other options, I'm just willing to mention them because they replaced this exact tent for free with the updated model after wild horses trampled my old one while I was out working on a fire assignment. As Taskswap mentioned, tarps are also an option and in the Sierra Nevadas in fall are probably a great idea (few bugs, little moisture). Even a non-dcf tarp model will get you sub 1lb for around 100$. If you know the soils in your area will work with them swap out whatever stakes you have for titanium shepards hook stakes. If you use a tarp, bring two msr groundhog style stakes for the trekking pole tieoffs and use the shepards hooks for the long edges.

Sleeping bag seems both too warm and too heavy for this trip, if it's the 15 degree model i see when searching the name. Move to a 20 or even a 30 (and sleep in some of your layers) and you should be able to cut about a pound. WM ultralight or FF tanager to name two options. I slept in a tanager in montana in mid october under a dcf tarp while hunting and was perfectly comfortable. xtherm with its 7.3 r-value also seems like overkill for the conditions - the similar xlite NXT would get the job done and get rid of ~ half a pound depending on size.

Good luck!

 

[PaulDogs]

Always turned to airplane mode when powered on, screen brightness set as low as possible. Always kept in my sleeping bag to prevent the chill at night from sapping the battery.

Good tips on saving battery.

Are the buis necessary?

BUIS will definitely go. Thanks for the tips that don't require buying new gear. It's tough to calculate how much to spend per ounces of weight savings. Could I buy a platypus and save 5 oz in weight? Of course. But why not save that $50 and spend it on gas to go hunting.

There are much lighter tent options out there, my tent for work in wet/buggy conditions is a Nemo hornet elite Osmo 2p, sub 2lb trail weight (I dont bring stuff sack or footprint) that is very spacious for one person and has 2 vestibules for all your gear.

The Tiger Wall is pretty close to the Nemo Osmo, if I don't take the stuff sack or footprint. I'll do that. Have you run into problems with stuff poking through the bottom of your tent without the footprint?

 

[cr406]

Good tips on saving battery.

BUIS will definitely go. Thanks for the tips that don't require buying new gear. It's tough to calculate how much to spend per ounces of weight savings. Could I buy a platypus and save 5 oz in weight? Of course. But why not save that $50 and spend it on gas to go hunting.

The Tiger Wall is pretty close to the Nemo Osmo, if I don't take the stuff sack or footprint. I'll do that. Have you run into problems with stuff poking through the bottom of your tent without the footprint?

Make sure you’re comparing it to hornet elite, that’s the ul version. Like a lot of companies they’re pretty bad at naming their products for clarity. I remember looking at a couple BA tents at the time but for the weight having 2 doors was the clincher. One gear vestibule, one piss door. So far haven’t mixed them up!

As to your question, it has never been an issue. The first tent was used 2019-2023, had some dings but no serious issues until the horse catastrophe. I always sweep away obvious sticks/pinecones/rocks, then once I’ve pitched the tent lightly run my hands across the top of the floor to search for anything I missed and get out from under the tent.

 

[PaulDogs]

Make sure you’re comparing it to hornet elite, that’s the ul version.

Wow. Just double checked and it is about half a pound lighter than the BA. Regardless, I’ll probably stick with the Tiger Wall until I need to replace it.

 

[Trevor_Luescher]

That’s a cool website. Can you input multiple setups?

 

[PaulDogs]

That’s a cool website. Can you input multiple setups?

Yeah! It's pretty useful.