Buying gear for diy solo wilderness hunt

Shrek

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I am planning a hunt for 2013 in southern co. I'm working out already and need to get my pack so I can workout with it on. 8 to 10 days max without a break. I am looking at the Kifaru long hunter legacy and the sawtooth tent with a medium stove. I have not read anything bad about Kifaru. I am looking at the Big Agnes bags as I am a big guy and they seem to be cut large. With the stove in mind what temp bag should I look at? Am I on the right track? Mid October at 8000 to 9000 foot in southern Colorado.
 
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I usually take a 20degr bag that time of year at that elevation. Might take a look at the Slickbag too.
It also looks like you might save a bit of weight going with the standard Timberline....unless you are looking for the suspension.
 

luke moffat

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A sawtooth is HUGE for on person. You could save some weight (and money) and get a Megatarp/annex combo. Also depending on what you are hunting and how far from the road could make a difference in your pack. The DT1 or Timberline one would be what I'd use for a DIY 8-10 day hunt where I planned on hauling camp and deer out on my back in the same trip. If elk hunting then I'd go DT1 packbag/frame combo. As far as bags there are a lot of good ones. Big Anges makes bags with different cuts for sure, they make some good bags for sure.
 

dotman

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I am planning a hunt for 2013 in southern co. I'm working out already and need to get my pack so I can workout with it on. 8 to 10 days max without a break. I am looking at the Kifaru long hunter legacy and the sawtooth tent with a medium stove. I have not read anything bad about Kifaru. I am looking at the Big Agnes bags as I am a big guy and they seem to be cut large. With the stove in mind what temp bag should I look at? Am I on the right track? Mid October at 8000 to 9000 foot in southern Colorado.

Personally I think you are going to be carrying unneeded weight if you use a sawtooth/medium for a solo adventure. I would recommend the supertarp/small stove. Also another good pack to consider is Kifarus KU line. The biggest thing you want to consider is how much weight you can drop from your gear and buy the best you can, sounds like you have the budget. I would check out the Kifaru Slik Bag vs the BA.
 

cmeier117

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I have a Supertarp and love it but a Mega tarp would be more than enough. I would also look at a Montbell UL spiral down bag if you are already in that range. I would get either the DT1 or T1. I have the T2 and love it but would want more room for a 8 day hunt.
 

BuckSnort

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I hope I don't get shunned for this but I would recommend you maybe purchase the more expensive items like pack, shelter, etc.. as used items.. It sounds like (I could be wrong) that you are just getting into this type of hunting and my thought is that you could spend 1/4- 1/3 of the price getting outfitted with proper gear and if you decide this type of hunting is not for you then you're not taking a big hit on money spent...

Also I don't know the area you are looking at but in a lot of areas of the west it's hard to get more than a few miles or so from roads at the 8-9k' elevation... Meaning sometimes base camps from the truck are more practical as you can cover more ground being mobile while day hiking/hunting a few miles each day from you're vehicle..

Just something to consider..
 
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Shrek

Shrek

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Thanks for the input

I was looking at the maga tarp. It looked very good but I was leaning to the sawtooth for the heigth. I am a little bit clostrophobic and the high peak gets the roof out of my face. I am going to look at the tarp some more now. I was looking at the timberline but wanted to be safe on volume. I can compress an oversized bag but I havn't seen the pack strecher yet. They both use the duplex frame so if I hate the long hunter bag I can get a smaller bag for the future. I am looking for used equipment as Idon't have a big budget. That said , I would rather bleed turnip blood once rather than twice. I'm working now and have to cut it short but I will fill in the holes when I can.
 
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Daveinjax,

Don't plan on getting a less warm sleeping bag just because you have a stove in the shelter. Unless I'm wrong you will still need to get up during the night add more wood to it once what is in there when you went to sleep burns up, especially if you get a small stove. So, unless you like getting up a couple of times at night get a sleeping bag that will do the job without a stove being there.

Larry
 

kaboku68

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Get a part time job at a Cabelas or Sportsman's warehouse. Join 3.5 and then rock it until you have the right gear.

Sincerely,
Thomas
 
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Shrek

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Luke , I know the sawtooth is larger than I need but I hope to not be solo in the future. I plan on setting it up as a base camp to hunt out of. I don't plan to hunt with it on my back. Having a door ,bei
ng able to stand up to dress and bath is important to me. I may go with the small stove though. Bicksnort the area I plan to hunt is gmu 751 in colorado. Looking at several areas in the gmu. Along the los pinos river noth of granite lake , up around elk lake , and up vallecito cr at the junction of vallecito cr and rock creek. These are just general areas not the exact spots. I am hunting elk and plan to hire an outfitter to pack out anything I kill. I will be 45 and don't think I can do 5 days of heavy packing in a row. Way too much for my old arse. It will be all I can do to lug me and camp in and out. Larry , the 20* bag sounds about right. I'm not a cold sleeper. If it gets too cold for the bag I will tend the stove all night :( . Nothing I have said is set in stone. I know I want the duplex frame but not 100% about the bag to go on it. I measured my torso at 23" to 23 1/4" and I'm 6'4". Should I get the 26" frame. My head should clear it and I would be at max on a 24" frame.
 

Mike7

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You can carry a lot with the Timberline, especially with strapping things on to the pack like under and on top of the lid and inside the Grabit for instance. I'm just over 6 ft tall and glad I got the 26" stays. So with your height, I would definitely get those. You can adjust the lifter angle to whatever you want if you have the stay height to support it, but you can't make the stays any longer.

Over 40 yrs old is even more reason to go lighter and not have to cover the same ground over and over again from base camp. It sure is nice to have the option to bivy hunt when you're solo like can be done with the Megatarp, SL3, or other light tarp, even if you sometime in the future end up getting an additional larger tent for group hunts.

Agree with not depending upon the stove to keep you warm while you sleep. The stove is great in the evening for drying things out and in the morning for heating things up before getting out of your bag, but you can't depend upon it to keep you warm...you will want some uninterrupted sleep.
 

Ryan Avery

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There are tons of choices and options on gear. To me the most important items are my pack and my sleeping system. Buy the top of the line in those two categories and it will save you money in the long run. One other thing. This site will make you spend money you didn't even know you had:)
 
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Shrek

Shrek

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Mike7 , according to Kifaru's website the timberline does not support the gun bearer. I am going with the long hunter. I plan to arrive 10 to 14 days before season to adjust to altitude and scout. Plan is to camp at the truck for a few days then out to the area I plan to hunt and then come back to the truck about 4 days before season and get anything I missed and my rifle. I will leave the tent , stove ,food set up. I may get a day pack with a tarp and bivy to bring in to hunt with. The long hunter lid will not hold much and no place for water. A lot of details to work out. I have much to learn.
 
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Shrek

Shrek

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Aron , I agree that if I'm going to take a month off , drive across the country that trying to save a couple of bucks buying second rate gear is crazy! Boots are another thing I will not skimp on.I will study them next. I don't think my danners will cut it.
 
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Sounds like you have thought things thru a bit. Just so you know you can use a gun bearer with the Timberline (I do at least).
It might be easier to just use the Longhunter as your day pack, that way you will have a water holder all of your supplies and the ability to carry meat out with you. It does compress pretty small.
 
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Shrek

Shrek

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Mike7 and anybody else , do you think @ 20* bag is enough? The guy I have been talking to says to expect lows in the upper 20' or low 30's and highs up to the mid 60's. Of course weather could be anything from sub zero's to the 80's but all I can do is listen to the forcast and get out if it is going to get bad.
 
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Shrek

Shrek

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Mike7 , according to Kifaru's website the timberline does not support the gun bearer. I am going with the long hunter. I plan to arrive 10 to 14 days before season to adjust to altitude and scout. Plan is to camp at the truck for a few days then out to the area I plan to hunt and then come back to the truck about 4 days before season and get anything I missed and my rifle. I will leave the tent , stove ,food set up. I may get a day pack with a tarp and bivy to bring in to hunt with. The long hunter lid will not hold much and no place for water. A lot of details to work out. I have much to learn.
 

Ryan Avery

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I have use a 15 degree bag into early November the last two years and had no problems. If you have a quality 20 degree bag and are a semi warm sleeper you should be fine. You still have the option of sleeping in your close..... Plus if it gets super cold, light the stove!!
 
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