Day Pack Weight- How much is too much?

[Jesse Jaymes]

I decided to weigh my day pack after an all day ramble last week. I was kinda shocked. For the hunting style I was doing at the time....my day load out was 36.9lbs. That DID NOT INCLUDE my bino harness and binos.

That went with me every step, much of it was off trail, no clue on how much vert I gained/lost..but it was enough to take a full 25 minutes with multiple stops to catch my wind and I STILL got sweaty. Was over 6 miles per my Garmin watch. Wasn't a Crippling ordeal. I hit it again the next day. But I am nearly 54 years old and after a few days that seems to beg for a couple orange pills.

I think I have some pretty cutting edge gear. And I don't think I over pack and am running on almost minimal stuff to dump a buck and cart him out a few miles on my back. But damn! That's for sure not an East Coast load out to bounce around the State game lands for a day.

Anyone actually weigh their day pack? Not tally and guess.....weigh it?

This did include my rifle and Nalgene. Pretty much everything I take aside from the clothes I wear in and my bino harness.

Caused me to swap rifles, which should provide a 2lb savings. But also cost me about 200 yards in confidence.

I will have to see what my new load out is. But is anyone close to that for a day hunt?

 

[PNWGATOR]

Know the feeling,,,damn!

On a quest for a 30# 3 day load out @mtwarden style for ‘25!

 

[fngTony]

Know the feeling,,,damn!

On a quest for a 30# 3 day load out @mtwarden style for ‘25!

That’s impossible because @mtwarden isn’t human, he’s a figment of Ryan’s imagination created to inspire everyone to be lighter and do all kinds of bad ass things in the mountains.

 

[fngTony]

Kinda depends on the hunt. I was 22.3lbs this year. That was mid September so not really cold but I did pack puffy and rain tops & bottoms, basic fak, kill kit, water and a sit pad, bow, electronics and snacks. No spotter, not counting binoculars or small items in my pockets. I can see getting up there with optics, glassing tarp, heavier pack, another liter of water.

 

[jtill2424]

I like to try and keep my weight ar 25lbs if possible

 

[Idaboy]

It doesnt matter what the number is..if it prevents you from doing what you want to do in the field, then it's probably too much

 

[ljalberta]

Chunky load for the day for sure. Especially if you’re outside of real late season when you’re packing the layers. I’m usually around the 20lb mark but that would change by a good few pounds in either direction depending on what I’m hunting, how I’m hunting and when/where I’m hunting.

 

[Marble]

I bet there are a lot of "fears" in that pack.

Sent from my SM-S918U using Tapatalk

 

[Koda_]

Anyone actually weigh their day pack? Not tally and guess.....weigh it?

I do. The packs weight itself is essential to know as most are wayy too heavy. Especially hunting packs, the hunting community is horribly behind the ultra light hiking community and most hunters still think they need strength over weight... you don't.

Its a little subjective based on how one hunts, but a daypack shouldn't weight over 3lbs max. Neither should an overnight backpacking pack.

One exception is for hunting packs with a meat hauling design, that will add another 2lbs due to the added strength needed to haul that much weight. A good meat hauling pack, that includes the bag, shouldn't weigh over 5lbs.

 

[mtnbound]

I decided to weigh my day pack after an all day ramble last week. I was kinda shocked. For the hunting style I was doing at the time....my day load out was 36.9lbs. That DID NOT INCLUDE my bino harness and binos.

That went with me every step, much of it was off trail, no clue on how much vert I gained/lost..but it was enough to take a full 25 minutes with multiple stops to catch my wind and I STILL got sweaty. Was over 6 miles per my Garmin watch. Wasn't a Crippling ordeal. I hit it again the next day. But I am nearly 54 years old and after a few days that seems to beg for a couple orange pills.

I think I have some pretty cutting edge gear. And I don't think I over pack and am running on almost minimal stuff to dump a buck and cart him out a few miles on my back. But damn! That's for sure not an East Coast load out to bounce around the State game lands for a day.

Anyone actually weigh their day pack? Not tally and guess.....weigh it?

This did include my rifle and Nalgene. Pretty much everything I take aside from the clothes I wear in and my bino harness.

Caused me to swap rifles, which should provide a 2lb savings. But also cost me about 200 yards in confidence.

I will have to see what my new load out is. But is anyone close to that for a day hunt?

My typical pack weighs about 29-33 lbs, depending on the time of year and what I'm doing, and that's not counting my weapon.

 

[Wrench]

Mine is never under 20 and typically mid 30's.