Arctic Red Sheep/Caribou Aug/Sept 2026

[robie]

I will be hunting with Tavis this fall on a 15 day sheep/caribou hunt (Aug 27 - Sep 12) and am beyond excited for the opportunity. I've been training and am down 12 pounds and feeling great. I've gone over his packing list many times to make sure I'm ready.

I had a few questions for those of you that have hunted up there.

Tent - Tavis provides a tent but am I better off bringing my own? Based on all my research it sounds like a Hilleberg Niak is the best bet but if I don't need to spend the money I'm ok using what he has.

Sleeping Pad - Looking through all the Rokslide threads it sounds like the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Xlite NXT and the NEMO Tensor All-Season Ultralight are my two best bets. Am I just splitting hairs or is one better for side sleepers?

Pack - Getting a new pack from EXO which I'm excited about for this adventure.

Anything major you came across I should include. Here is the rest of my list:

Gear		Clothing
Pack	Exo 7200	Base	3 Underwear
Gun	300WM	Base	1 Long Underwear	Kuiu Zip
Binos	Swar 10x42	Base	2 Outer Socks	Darn Tough
Sleeping Bag	WM Kodiak	Base	2 Liner Socks
Pad	???	Base	2 T-shirts	Kuiu Merino
Rain Gear	Cugach	Base	1 Long Sleeve wicking Shirt	Kuiu Hood Merino
Footwear	Kenetrek	Mid	1 Warm Shirt
Gaiters	Kuiu	Mid	1 Sweater/Vest	Peloton
Toothbrush/Paste		Outer	2 Hiking Pants	Kutana
Knife	Havalon	Outer	1 Jacket	Kenai
Headlamp		Outer	Ball Cap
Bug Dope		Outer	1 Toque
Sunscreen
Prescription Meds	Steroid, Antibiotic…
Trekking poles
River Cross Shoes	???
Glassing Pad
Book/Kindle
Nalgene
Water Bladder
Paracord
Battery Pack
Charging Cables
InReach

 

[chizelhead]

Good luck on the hunt. You might want to switch your pack organization to lighterpack.com. It's free and very well organized. It's also easy to edit and share. You can dial in weights so you know how much you are truly packing. I also add a section at the bottom for paperwork and miscellaneous items to help keep everything in one place.

• To your question: I've used the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Xlite NXT. I like it. You can't go wrong imo.
• You only need one pair of hiking pants. You can use a pair of light wt rain pants in place of the second pair.
• You may want to ask about bugs. Your dates look later and possibly ok. If a problem, a head net is lightwt and useful.

 

[robie]

Good luck on the hunt. You might want to switch your pack organization to lighterpack.com. It's free and very well organized. It's also easy to edit and share. You can dial in weights so you know how much you are truly packing. I also add a section at the bottom for paperwork and miscellaneous items to help keep everything in one place.

• To your question: I've used the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Xlite NXT. I like it. You can't go wrong imo.
• You only need one pair of hiking pants. You can use a pair of light wt rain pants in place of the second pair.
• You may want to ask about bugs. Your dates look later and possibly ok. If a problem, a head net is lightwt and useful.

Thank you for the notes. I'll check out lighterpacks.com.

Good point on the 2nd pants. They said we can leave a bag in camp of items we don't need unless something happens. Might leave those and some puffy's in there.

 

[ReddingArcher]

Good luck on the hunt and make sure to come back and let us all live vicariously through you! You’re gonna have a great time!
I used a therm-a-rest and it worked great. A second pair of pants isn’t necessary but I did end up getting my 1st pair soaked up to the knees one day and it was nice to have a second pair. Although I would have been fine without them and just used my rain pants. I hunted basically the same time frame and bugs were a non issue. But you never know year to year I guess.