Daypack weight

[BigNate]

For me 1 to 3 miles is pretty close so I would probably drop most of the just-in-case type stuff from my pack. It's close enough that I would probably not carry extra clothes, food, shelter, etc.

I used to just use a fanny pack, with water, folding saw, fire kit, some cord, and snack stuff. Didn't have a bino harness, range finders weren't a thing yet. I was young.

I am no longer young, live where it's quite steep, 6 to 8 miles is common, weather changes quickly, and grizzly encounters are becoming increasingly common. I carry a pack, and a few things to stay comfortable if I get hung up and spend the night. I carry a tiny pot and stove or jetboil a lot, usually have an extra meal along, and carry less water. Started using a Grayl filter instead. Early season may be different if it's a dry year.

Each person has to decide what's appropriate for the area they're in, their ability to make do when things don't go as planned, and their tolerance for discomfort.

 

[Zackmesser]

I started packing a sandwich and chips lunch this year to save weight on cooking and just not having to deal with for day hunts, besides that I just cut down on layering gear depending on the weather.

 

[ZAK13]

I usually just use a medium sized fanny pack for a day hunt. Small first aid kit, a sandwich and some snacks for the day, extra water, a few extra rounds, some paracord, a knife, fire starter kit, and weather dependent either a rain jacket or a puffy. On the cold days a 16oz. thermos with hot coffee comes with me as well.

 

[butcherboy]

I bet you are closer than you think!

say my day pack weight is exactly 30lbs.

Extra stuff I would take to spike out - 1lbs for a pad, 2lbs bag, 3lbs tent, 1.5lbs stove + fuel, 1lbs for batteries. That is only 38.5lbs. That means I can carry 3lbs/day (5k calories) food for 7 days and be right around 60lbs total pack weight.

There is a huge difference between a day hunt and taking stuff for a spike out. I’m not taking a pad, tent, stove, fuel, batteries, food, sleeping bag for a simple day hunt away from my truck or camp.

 

[teamwhitebelly]

A jetboil is defintely a luxury item...

I like to leave camp pretty quickly in the morning. I'm in too big of a rush to make coffee. And I'm certainly in too big of a rush to enjoy a cup of coffee.

After the morning rush, there isn't much to do between 10 am and 3pm. I like to have a cup of coffee at 10am. Drinking that coffee while looking out at the mountains is a highlight of my day. I also plan the rest of the day while drinking the coffee.

And I like to have a meal around 3pm. That lets me use the "idle" time a bit better. And I'm in less of a hurry to get back to camp if I've already sorta had dinner.

pre make your coffee and put it in a small insulated bottle. It would be the same as carrying a jetboil,fuel, coffee, and water.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

Lots of cherry picking as to what counts at “pack weight” and “day hunt” on this thread,

Exactly. Skin out weight or it's not with using a number. Water counts too.

 

[Poser]

For me personally, there is no perceivable performance impact of carrying a pack up to around 35 lbs. I carry packs year around backcountry skiing, peak bagging (often throw a tripod and spotter in my pack just to be heavier), summer backpacking and hunting. With that in mind, I carry the gear I need and like to have and don’t worry about it. I’ve ended up in some hell holes on days hunts I expected to be easy to moderate and have also been out all night. If a thermos of coffee, spotting scope, or a pair of heated socks, or a cold cheeseburger and sweet potato are going to keep me out there/make the day more comfortable, more effective…. enjoyable even in harsh conditions, nobody cares what my pack weighs but me and 30-40 lbs just isn’t a issue, whether it’s 500 feet of elevation gain or 5,000.

On day hunts, I seldom stop to filter water. I’ll just carry the water I need and can always dump excess before heading out. Fact of the matter is, for a day hunt, unless it’s something extremely ambitious, I just don’t care about pack weight. For extremely ambitious backcountry skiing days or peak bagging/mountaineering, my pack weight actually increases as I carry more survival gear. And, really, why should I care what it weigh for one day? Now, a multi day trip where back weighs get into the 40,50,60+ lbs range, I’m absolutely paying attention. This is a weird topic to obsess over. Get stronger/more fit as it will just benefit you anyway AND you can have more enjoyable days out.