I personally appreciate your approach to the wonderful adventure you’re going to have this fall. In that spirit, I offer a couple of other thoughts to share as you prepare...
What's your back-up plan for drinkable water? You'll head out there with a couple of collapsible 5 gal jugs of water from the transporter. What are you going to do if you run out, or one of the jugs leaks and you find out only after it is completely emptied over-night, or your hunting partner forgets to close the spout and puts the jug down on uneven ground so that it rolls over on its side and empties out over-night, or an animal chomps on it and it empties out, etc.? You'll be camped on a lake of some kind, so water will be there...you just need to make it drinkable...and if your back-up plan is to boil water to drink, then know how long you need to boil it, and will you have enough fuel to do that for a week or so? There are numerous water-filtering systems out there to consider. I'll admit that I'm a bit on the paranoid side when it comes to ensuring that I'm not going to get sick from inadequate water treatment...I had dysentery once in the Marines when in the war and giardia once up here back-packing. That said, I've had good luck on my hunts with the Katadyn base camp filter (bring an extra filter), and the Steripen Adventurer (bring extra batteries). I bring both but may only use one or the other. BTW, I boil water for 10 minutes.
WE ARE ON THE SAME PAGE. I HAVE A KATADYN BASE CAMP PRO AND SPARE FILTER BOUGHT ALREADY AND IN MY PACKING LIST. MY BACK-UP FILTRATION METHOD AND WHAT I'LL USE IF I RUN OUT DURING A DAY'S HUNT IS A STERIPEN WITH A RE-CHARGABLE BATTERY AND A SYNTHETIC BANDANA AND RUBBER BAND. I'LL USE THE BANDANA TO PRE-FILTER THE WATER INTO MY 32OZ STAINLESS NALGENE SIZE/SHAPE BOTTLE AND THEN USE THE STERIPEN TO PURIFY IT. LAST DITCH I HAVE A STAINLESS BOTTLE I CAN BOIL, AND ALSO HAVE A FEW PURFICATION TABLETS IN MY DSK (DAYPACK SURVIVAL KIT)
What's your communication system going to be with your transporter...loved ones? Cell phone coverage will be pretty much for sure unavailable…don’t count on it in the field at all. I use an Inreach...just make sure you have all the contact numbers for your transporter and synch it with your cell phone for ease of use. The Inreach takes a bit of practice, but it has never failed me. I've also rented a satellite phone in the past, but I've relied more on the inReach recently. The battery on mine is pretty darn good, but for that long of a trip you should have a back-up charging system, e.g., rechargeable power pack, solar charger, both, etc.
PLAN THERE IS TO RENT THE SAT PHONE FROM THE TRANSPORTER. I AM TAKING A RITE IN THE RAIN NOTBOOK AND PEN THAT I HAVE THE TRANSPORTERS CONTACT NUMBERS IN AND WILL ADD OTHER RELEVANT NUMBERS AS I GET THEM. I'M TAKING 2 DARK ENERGY POSEIDON BATTERY PACKS AND A GOAL ZERO VENTURE 70 BATTERY. I CAN TAKE A GOAL ZERO SOLAR PANEL, EITHER A NOMAD 20 OR NOMAD 7+ BUT I THINK AFTER TESTING THAT FOR THIS TRIP THE EXTRA BATTERY POWER IS BETTER FOR THE WEIGHT THAN THE SOLAR PANEL. I WILL HAVE A BLACK DIAMOND HEADLAMP, THE STERIPEN, AND MY I PHONE THAT WILL RELY ON THE BATTERY PACKS. I CHARGED MY I PHONE DURING NORMAL USE FOR 3 WEEKS ON THESE BATTERY PACKS ONLY. I WILL HAVE A BACK-UP HEADLAMP THAT RUNS ON AAA BATTERIES (AS WILL THE RE-CHARGABLE ONE) AND A DOZEN LITHIUM AAA BATTERIES. MY I PHONE WILL ONLY BE USED FOR READING DOWLOADED BOOKS AND AS A GPS ON AIRPLANE MODE WITH PRE-DOWNLOADED MAPS OF THE UNIT THROUGH ONX MAPS.
What are you going to bring for responsible meat care? Moose meat is the absolute BEST, and there will be lots of it!!! You'll need to keep it off the ground, dry, and allow air to circulate around it...all of which may be VERY challenging where you are going. Meat spoilage is unacceptable to all of us…wanton waste is a felony in Alaska. Several tarps for tenting, a crap-load of parachute cord, folding wood saw and numerous game bags are a must. Using the BIG game bags, it takes about seven for a moose (meat on the bone for the quarters, all the rest boned-out). BTW, you’ll likely notice that a 6”(+/-) section of the neck, about a hand width past the ears, the meat may have a musky smell from the glands located in that area. Cut that part separately and don’t bag it with the rest of the meat.
WE EACH HAVE A BIG 6 BAG SET OF LARRY BARTLETT'S TAG BAGS IN THE LARGEST SIZE, PLUS A 5 PACK OF THE SMALLER TAG BAGS WE WILL TAKE. THAT'S A BIG BAG FOR EACH QUARTER AND EACH RIB SLAB, PLUS THE 5 SMALLER ONES FOR THE OTHER CUTS AND TRIM MEAT. FOR MEAT CARE I WATCHED HIS VIDEOS ON MEAT CARE AND HAVE NOTES TAKEN ON THEM IN MY RITE IN THE RAIN NOTEBOOK I'LL TAKE IF I NEED A REFRESHER ON WHAT CUTS IN WHAT ORDER. I HAVE TWO KRYPTEK SATELLITE TARPS IN A 10.5 X 8.5FT SIZE FOR USE ON A MEAT CACHE. WHEN PROCESSING ONE CAN ALSO BE USED TO PUT QUARTERS ON TO KEEP THEM CLEAN. I HOPE TO BE ABLE TO TIE A LOG BETWEEN TREES TO HANG THE QUARTERS, OR AT THE LEAST BUILD A PLATFORM THAT ALLOWS AIRFLOW UNDER THEM. I HONESTLY DON'T KNOW HOW TO NOT RELY ON THE ENVIRONMENT FOR MATERIALS ON THIS ONE. THE TRANSPORTER WILL FLY IN AND TAKE OUT LOADS OF MEAT ONCE WE HAVE THEM TAKEN CARE OF AND PACKED TO WHERE HE CAN REACH THEM ALSO. HE WANTS A CALL WHEN WE KILL AND AGAIN WHEN WE ARE READY FOR HIM TO FLY IT OUT. MY PLAN IS TO BE PREPARED TO KEEP QUARTERS FOR THE WHOLE 10 DAYS, BUT TO GET THEM OUT AS QUICK AS POSSIBLE.
FOR TOOLS I HAVE A 18" WYOMING SAW, GRANSFERS BRUKS OUTDOOR AXE, PLUS A COUPLE GOOD KNIVES AND A SHARPENER. I ALSO HAVE 200FT OF PARACORD BETWEEN US. I DON'T HAVE A COME ALONG CURRENTLY IN THE PACKING LIST.
What are you going to pack in your “tool” bag, knowing that you're going to have to be mindful of weight restrictions? Mine has a multi-tool, a segmented full length cleaning rod, bore-snake, oil and patches, a dozen large zip-ties, some duct tape, tube of water-seal, Tenacious Tape, JB Weld (quick dry), Gore-Tex patches, flagging tape, a couple of glow sticks, space-blanket, head-net, more parachute cord, water-proof matches in water-tight container (back-up for the lighter), and a few other things…all of which fit into a reasonably sized zip-bag.
I COULDN'T FIGURE OUT HOW TO COPY THIS IN CAPS LOCK FROM MY EXCEL PACKING LIST, BUT THIS IS MY REPAIR KIT. THE HEAD NET, FIRE KIT, PARACORD, AND STRIPPED DOWN OTIS CLEANING KIT (BOTH OF US ARE SHOOTING 300 WIN MAGS, KIT HAS 30 CAL STUFF ONLY) ARE LISTED ELSEWHERE IN MY LIST. ELECTRICAL TAPE FOR MUZZLES I PUT IN THE OTIS KIT. MY DSK HAS ENOUGH TINDER TO BURN FOR ABOUT 45 MINUTES AND 2 WAYS TO LIGHT IT.
zip ties,tenacious tape,seam grip, wader field repair kit,2 lg safety pins,2 single use superglue tubes,8 lens wipe packets,3ft baling wire,( Leatherman included in group med),10 clothes pins, torx to fit scope rings and mounts
What are you going to bring in your first-aid kit? As you already know, this is not a trip where you can jump in your car and get to the ER. You’ll want to have a really good first-aid kit and hopefully not need it. Mine is pretty packed full and fits into a zippered bag that’s about 10” x 5” x 4”.
THIS IS OUR GROUP MEDICAL KIT. I'LL LIST MY PERSONAL MED KIT BELOW THE GROUP ONE
hemostat,quick clot,4 small gauze pads,2 large gauze pads,tape,4 bandages,neosporin,immodium,2 sutures,moleskin,superglue,vet wrap,Leatherman PST2 (israeli bandage in DSK)
THE VET WRAP IS HOT PINK IN COLOR AND I ALSO USE IT AS FLAGGING TAPE. I BUY A FRESH ROLL FOR EVERY HUNT. IT'S CHEAP AND AS ROLLS GET EXPOSED TO HEAT FOR EXTENDED TIMES THEY STICK TOGETHER PRETTY BAD.
PERSONAL MEDICAL KIT
lotriminx2, bodyglide anti-chafe stick,12 days BP meds, 20 aleve,10 tylenol PM, hikers goo foot gel
THE PERSONAL KIT IS MY PRESCRIPTION MEDS PLANNING FOR 2 EXTRA DAYS, PLUS PAIN RELIEVERS AND PAIN RELIEVERS WITH SLEEP AID IF THEY ARE NEEDED. THE LOTRIMIN IS IN CASE MY FEET STAY WET TO LONG AND HAVE ISSUES. THE HIKERS GOO IS TO GO ON BEFORE I PUT ON MY SLEEPING SOCKS TO PREVENT FOOT ISSUES. THE ANTI-CHAFE STICK I FIGURE IS SELF EXPLANATORY.
All the above is offered in supportive spirit and you may have already thought it all through. Pick and choose what works for you and the thoughts of others. I also realize that I remote hunt in Alaska multiple times a year, so I get my moneys worth on the investment, which may not at all be true for others. I sincerely want you to have a great and safe adventure.