Daypack gear lists

[mcseal2]

I have been going through my before and after daypack gear lists I've kept on my hunts over the last few years. As I began packing a heavier spotter and tripod I have been looking at ways to reduce weight in other areas. Most of my hunts have been to new areas as point creep has me searching for units I can draw on a more regular basis and learn better. I make a list each trip of what gear I pack in the first day of the hunt before I really know what conditions are going to be. I make a second list when I unpack my daypack after the end of the trip and mark what I actually used and what I didn't. Here are the items that seem to always still be there. Not all of them have made it on every trip as I've bought more gear over the years, but this is the closest I can come to an "every trip" list that goes from mountain elk hunts to desert antelope hunts.

I should add before starting that I still pack a fixed blade belt knife. I have used and like the Havalon and Outdoor edge knives, but haven't been able to convince myself not to carry a belt knife. I carry one every day on the ranch and I keep feeling like I forgot it if it isn't hanging there. As I lighten up stuff I lean toward taking out the replaceable blade knife since I'm going to pack the fixed blade anyway. I also carry my main binos, Leica Geovid HD-B's in a Kuiu harness so they aren't included in pack weight. I have earplugs and a cleaning cloth in with them. I wear clothes suited to being active in the weather conditions and rely on the other layers in the pack for warmth.

Clothing:
-Kuiu Kenai zip off bottoms
-Puffy jacket, which depends on weather. Kryptek Aquillo for warmer/drier, Core 4 synthetic for warmer/wet, Sitka waterfowl puffy for cold/wet. Sitka is a pound heavier.
-Kuiu glassing mittens
-Sitka Core lightweight liner gloves
-lightweight camo baklava
-blaze orange ear warmer band (have orange on with hood up)

2.25lbs total w/lighter puffy jacket

Optics:
Swaro STM 65 w/ Outdoorsmans adapter
Outdoorsmans compact medium tripod with pan head, shooting rest, Leica adapter

5.93lbs

GPS:
I phone 5 w/ Onx maps, maps for planned area downloaded
Yeti Venture 30 re-charger pack with cable

.94lbs

Lighting:
Black Diamond Storm headlamp (lock mode to prevent accidental turn on in pack)
Fenix 1 AAA flashlight (back-up)

.31lbs

Misc:
6 rds spare ammo (not counting 4 in gun)
Carmex lip balm
Sunglass hard case (wear sunglasses all the time at work, need them except in low light)
Ceramic knife sharpener steel

1lb

Survival kit, medical, repair
-2 types of tinder, 2 ways to light it, moleskin, bandages, gauze pads, Tenacious tape, trotline cord (makes boot laces or heavy cordage), fishing hooks/line, repair needle, water purifier pills, filter straw, emergency bivy, cotton bandana, map, compass

.93lbs

Game bags
-Alaska elk size bags
1.31lbs

Not counting appropriate food and water for the hunt that's pretty much it that goes full time and survives to the end of the trip. Sometimes I add a separate camera but the I phone handles that pretty good too. It gives me a total weight of 12.67lbs plus food, water, and the pack itself. The pack is 4.5lbs so that gets me to 17.17lbs. With food and water I end up at or a shade over 20lbs depending on how much of each I need. It does not include my rifle or ammo, that's another 7.5lbs but that's weight that's non-negotiable.

How similar is that to everyone else's lists? Thanks for any replies I'm always trying to tweak the list a little more.

I can tell it's the time of summer when I spend to many hours in the tractor haying and the catfish are hitting the spawning nests when I start reviewing all this stuff. To much time to think on stuff during the day and my mind is switching from fishing to hunting already!

 

[mike.adams.467]

Looks good. I carry a whistle and small whetstone, and a large contractor trash bag too.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Big Nasty]

Almost spot on to my list, but I always carry my MSR stove for Coffee and hot stuff.

 

[mcseal2]

Forgot to put my toilet paper on my list, I pack that too!

Thanks for the replies

 

[chas]

Add a seat cushion for glassing and your on with mine

 

[mcseal2]

I sometimes pack one of those also, a Kuiu version. I didn't put it in the always list but do pack it quite a bit. Less for antelope and elk, always for muleys. Also always if the ground is wet or snowy. Good thought to add.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

You have the emergency bivvy in the survival kit. I used to carry one of those, and swapped it for a heavy duty space blanket like this one: Amazon.com : SE EB5982OR Extra Heavy Duty Thermal Reflective Emergency Blanket (Orange) : Sports & Outdoors

I found that I never used the bivvy ever, saving it for an emergency, but the tarp/blanket linked above gets used all of the time. I use it for a dry place to sit, a tarp to get out of a quick storm, a clean spot to lay out meat, etc. It is a bit heavier, but it is weight that I use.

I also toss in some sunflower seeds and small Halloween type candy in addition to what I'm planning on eating that day. Some days I'm really thankful for the mental boost that salt and sugar offers me.

 

[ColoradoHunterHiker]

Here's what's in mine (video): Day Pack

 

[fngTony]

No rain jacket?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

 

[Rmauch20]

I don't want to hijack this thread but I have a "first timer" question about daypacks. Do most of you down load your main pack bag or do you use a separate bag all together? I'm using a slumberjack bounty 2.0 , I had planned on just using the accessory bag that came with it but at only 650 cubic inches I just don't think it's going to be big enough.

 

[Dameon]

I don't want to hijack this thread but I have a "first timer" question about daypacks. Do most of you down load your main pack bag or do you use a separate bag all together? I'm using a slumberjack bounty 2.0 , I had planned on just using the accessory bag that came with it but at only 650 cubic inches I just don't think it's going to be big enough.

That depends on if I'm purely day hunting, camping near the truck, or backpacking in. I have a MR Longbow for pure day hunting and truck camping. If I'm backpacking in, I use my Marshall bag and compress it down to a manageable size. I refuse to waste a trip to retrieve a meat hauling frame, so my packs are set up to haul meat at anytime.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Big Nasty]

I use my stone glacier sky talus 6900 for everything. Day pack use I just remove the lid and it compresses awesome. Just add sleeping pad/bag and tent and amount of food needed and now its a 5-10 backpack hunt. Clothes and all the essentials always stays the same.

 

[mcseal2]

No rain jacket?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

Not in my every trip list. It's an item I'll just add when the forecast makes it look necessary for day hunts. Longer trips I'm much more likely to pack one when I can't get as accurate a forecast. I have a little 1 AAA battery weather radio I always have in camp so I can check the day's general weather forecast even if I can't get the radar on the phone. I packed a Cabelas space rain around long enough to wear a hole in the sack it came in and only used it a couple times, decided it didn't need to go every trip. I do wear layers that will dry quick once the sun comes out if a storm does catch me where I can't hole up and ride it out.

 

[mcseal2]

I don't want to hijack this thread but I have a "first timer" question about daypacks. Do most of you down load your main pack bag or do you use a separate bag all together? I'm using a slumberjack bounty 2.0 , I had planned on just using the accessory bag that came with it but at only 650 cubic inches I just don't think it's going to be big enough.

I ordered an Exo 2000 a few days ago. For a daypack I've used everything from a small Camelback Stryker to several of the Eberlestock packs. When I started weighing everything it looked like the Exo could do what the others could at 4.5 instead of 7 or 8lbs. I will likely end up buying a 3500 bag for it also but wanted to see how much extra room I really needed past the 2000 first. I can always put a dry bag between the frame and bag if I need extra room, but I'd have to figure out what to do with the dry bag if I packed camp and meat at the same time. If I get the 3500 I'll use the same frame and match the bag to the hunt. Even before I started packing a spotter and tripod I found that I needed about 1800 cubic inches to fit my extra clothes and gear. That was with a heavier synthetic puffy taking up a lot of the room, really all my gear was bulkier back then. The Eberlestock X1A2 or Transformer rated at 2300 cubic inches fits my optics, tripod, and all my gear nicely without having to stuff everything in to tight to find what you want without unloading.

650 sounds small by the time you put water, food, and clothes in it. Looking at the pics of that pack I'd likely leave the accessory bag at home and just use the main pack for everything, drop the weight of it. With the outside pockets it looks to have plenty of organization without the accessory bag.

 

[mcseal2]

I split the weight out into categories further to see where the weight adds up at and included everything else I pack on my person instead of in the pack. I didn't include boots or clothes worn as that changes every trip. I also didn't add in my sunglass case or glassing pad, they don't add up to half a pound and I didn't know where they fit. Also I changed the list slightly after reading replies here and on another forum, but nothing major.

Anyway here is how the weight broke down:

Optics 8.75lbs (binos, chest harness, spotter, tripod, shooting rest, adapters)
Rifle 7.56lbs (rifle, scope, ammo, sling)
Pack 4.5lbs
Food/water 3.69lbs (figuring 40oz of water, 1lb food. It will vary greatly depending on the hunt, hard to pin down)
Clothing in pack 2.25lbs
Survival/fire/medical/misc kit 1.48lbs
Electronics 1.14lbs (Dark Energy battery pack, cord, I phone w/ Onx maps)
Meat bags & hygene .67lbs
Knives (2) .6lbs
Ammo .5lbs
Headlamp .25lbs

Total 31.76lbs (with glassing pad and sunglass case)

It made me realize how much I really pack around in optics, it really seems like a lot when I add in the binos and harness. Sometimes I I pack both the 10x and 15x binos and add another 2.75lbs. It's not a good place to skimp on weight though in my view. Optics can save a lot of walking to evaluate an animal and are what help you find the animal in the first place. Only place I could really drop much there is by going to my ED50 instead of the Swaro 65. I probably won't do that except when elk hunting.

I could go to a single Havalon or Outdoor Edge and drop some weight leaving out my fixed blade but I'm not there yet. My real knife is a comfort item to me I guess but I hate leaving it at home.

The food and water number I threw out is just a number but is probably close to what I pack a lot of the time. It depends so much on weather and plans it varies every hunt. I have water purification tablets and a filter straw in my survival kit so I can re-fill if it's needed.

A lighter rifle isn't in the cards either. I like the one I have and I shoot it well. It is just the right balance of light to carry but heavy enough I can shoot it well. It's a M70 action that is heavy compared to many but it's smooth, reliable, and what I've shot most of my life. The barrel is just heavy enough I can shoot it well offhand and it steadies up quick for other rushed shots. It reliably puts 3 shots around 3/4", but more importantly to me it puts the first round from a cold barrel in the same spot. I shot a 3 shot group over 3 days last winter that made a ragged hole, one shot each day. I pulled it out of the safe this summer and the first one on a 100 degree day would have landed right in that hole. I have confidence in the rifle.

Biggest thing I changed from my original post is I replaced the bivy in my survival kit with a Go Lite poncho/tarp I picked up. It was mentioned that the bivy would never get used by a member here and he's right, it's just rode in my pack for years. The poncho is a little heavier, like 7oz instead of 3.8oz, but it's multi-purpose. It can become shade, shelter, or raingear. I didn't always pack the puffy coat and pants like I do now, and I'm less likely to need the emergency bivy while packing them. I'll have to try the poncho out next time it rains and see how well it works. Reviews were good but I want to try it before I trust it. If it sucks I'll probably go to one of the space blankets like he mentioned. I have a few I've used fishing or in the vehicles but always hated how loud they were for hunting.