personally id dump the pistol, towel, radio (unless you got some one to talk too) and the first aid kit. other than that looks pretty good. youll figure out pretty quick what you need and dont need. and once you get a sleeping bag that isnt 2 1/2 pounds youll ask yourself why the hell you ever packed one that was
The pistol is definitely heavy and a questionable item for me. Not sure if it's going to make the final list. Gonna feel naked without it though. The towel is another optional item, but it's small and light and such a convenience that it seems worth it for me to keep. I'll be hunting with at least 2 others. We plan on splitting up to scout from time to time, so radios will make coordination so much easier, not to mention the access to NOAA weather stations. I would love to get a new sleeping bag, pack and bow. I could probably save 7 lbs with those 3 items alone, but it's not in the budget right now. I may end up with the Kuiu Ultra pack once it comes out, if it fits well and is comfortable. That'll save me 4 lbs with an outlay of $350 with that one change alone.
oh and the rain cover for your pack
Hmm... no rain cover. Hadn't considered that one. You don't thing the entire pack getting wet is a problem? I do plan on having the sleeping gear and extra clothes in drysacks and food split up into daily ziplocks. I guess the rest doesn't matter, it just seems weird not to cover it up when raining.
One thing i would recommend is check out the zpacks dry sack that allows you to turn it inside out and have a pillow. Pulls double duty!
I've seen the fleece lined stuff sacks that double as stuffable pillow cases. I have neck issues that stem from being a life long side sleeper. It's taken me half my life to finally figure out that if I don't have a decent pillow that elevates my head to the proper height with relation to my spine and shoulders, I end up waking up darn near paralyzed with nerve pain. The disk between C6 and C7 will swell pretty bad and even the slightest movement feels like someone is jabbing me between the shoulder blades with a 50,000 volt cattle prod. I've tried sleeping on piled up clothes/gear. It just doesn't work for me. The 3 oz x 5" deep pillow is a must for me!
Oh and I see you have 3 bladders. Id say to get one good main one. I too will probably pack a small one to add flavor to so i dont mess with all of my dehydrated meals but i think 3 is over kill.
I haven't thoroughly researched the unit/s we will be hunting, so I don't know with any certitude the availability of water. I've made the mistake before on a back packing trip of not bringing enough water volume storage and it was just a major pain in the butt. That item will be reconsidered once I get a feel for the amount of available water.
I would leave out the tp as well. Baby wipes for that purpose as well.
I'm a little torn on this one as well. Not to get too graphic, but there are times when I end up using a lot of TP and Mountain House meals can exacerbate that. Monkey butt would put a severe damper on my hiking capabilities. Not sure the 2 oz is worth the risk.
Last year it snowed on us the last weekend of the season. it was gone the next day but it is something to consider. Bugs weren't too bad of a problem last year. The year before they were a nightmare where we were hunting. I have never been attacked by mosquitoes like that before. And I've lived in Wisconsin and Florida during the summertime. It was ridiculous.
So, do you think a netted tent / tarp is essential? The Tarptent Notch has a netted insert that comes with it. I was thinking of leaving it if the bugs weren't too bad. Should I definitely get a tarp tent with netting and take the netting?
The Sawyer inline is cool if you have a water source you can submerge your water bladder in. If all you have is a shallow little spring it could be a pain in the ass.
I've seen similar complaints in my research regarding the inlines. That's why I chose the big zip versus a smaller opening type reservoir. I have a Katadyn Hiker Pro pump, but it weighs 13 oz. A 10 oz. weight savings is worth the time to dig out a small spring enough to where I can fill my bladder.
Any ideas on your food? That can add up quick.
Our hunt is going to be either 6 or 7 days. I have allotted 10 lbs total for food and 4 1/2 lbs (2L) for water in the list. Haven't gotten too far into the menu planning, but I'm tentatively planning on dinners being mostly Mountain House. Lunches will be jerky, nuts, dried fruit and maybe Mountain House. Breakfast will be coffee, Stinger Waffles, dried fruit and energy bars.
Dammit, didn't think about that! Don't really want to go heavier than I already am, but that one seems pretty important. I'll check and see if any of the other guys in my party has that covered.
I may have missed it but I would strongly recommend gaiters for keeping debris out of your boots and for keeping your socks/boots dry. Much more important than rain pants to me or even pants at all for that matter (I prefer OR Crocs for late season and OR Flex-tex for early season).
In all the hunting I've done, I've never worn gaiters (except snake proof gaiters). I do get a little debris in my boots, but I usually tuck my pants into my boot and it keeps the debris from getting down to my feet. My pants have gotten wet below the knees a bit from morning dew on the grass, but my feet stayed dry. I did have one incident on a backpacking trip in the Ventana Wilderness in Cali that you just reminded me of. It rained a good bit over night. I started my hike on a trail that wasn't maintained well. The privet, poison oak and chaparral were encroaching pretty hard onto the trail and I was basically pushing through the bushes to get down the trail. I ended up wet from the waist down with soaked feet after about 2 hours. Hmmm.... may have to rethink that one.
Also I like having a small closed cell foam pad to sit on if it is cold and wet.
That seems like a good idea, just not sure if I want to sacrifice the weight and space. I'll have a look around the garage and see what I can scrounge up and how light I can get it.
Synthetic game bags are very light and help keep bees and blow flys off of your meat.
I have game bags in my kill kit. I've been darn near swarmed with yellow jacket just trying to get the meat off the animal in near sub freezing temps here in Tennessee while quartering out a white tail. They drive me batty. Just wondering if I can expect the same in Colorado?
With a down bag and tarp I would consider a breathable waterproof sleeping bag cover...or get a full coverage as needed tarp shelter like the BPWD Luna 2-3 (can still raise it on the leeward side for ventilation).
I've thoroughly studied his site as well as TarpTent's options. I'm leaning towards the TT Notch today. But, that changes almost daily. It seems full coverage is the way to go with my down bag. Now I just need to decide on bug netting or not?
Make your own medical kit for about 3 ounces (e.g. Ziploc bag with Benadryl, ibuprofen, tweezers, tape, couple of bandages, etc.).
That's a damn fine idea! One of the guys in our party is an RN. I'm sure he will be able to give some valuable insight regarding the contents as well.
Consider another beanie (e.g. fleece or soft shell) to put over the light weight merino beanie as needed while hunting (hard to hunt with a puffy hood on).
I have no intentions of hunting with a puffy on. It's strictly for glassing, evenings and sleeping if necessary. I get hot very quickly. When hiking into my tree stand in sub freezing temps here in Tennessee, I wear a light long underwear base layer, hunting pants, a beanie and pair of gloves. The beanie and gloves find there way into my pockets after about five minutes of walking. If I have to put the beanie on, then I'm probably not moving and will need the puffy as well.
You can cut off the top of a 1 L platypus bag and then use this bag as a scoop to fill your Big Zip out of shallow puddles/streams of water; in fact, that is my preferred way of filling it unless I am filling out of a large clear stream.
That makes sense. I have a 2L that has a pin hole. Was trying to figure out if it can be patched. Don't see a lot of info online about patching Platy bottles. I may just have to re-purpose it.
Hey Robert welcome to Rokslide.
Thanks for the kind welcome. Much appreciated. I love this place. I've learned so much already just lurking.
Have you tried to fit all of this into your Longbow yet?
No not yet. Don't have it all yet. I'm not planning on being able to fit the sleeping gear inside. It's probably going to be strapped to the bottom of the pack. Other than that, I should be able to fit everything else inside....I hope. Definitely not ruling out a different, lighter, larger pack. Just have to see how the budget goes. Right now, it's a little higher than my wife cares for.
Also I dont see any Archery Tackle listed. You may want to consider a few lightweight essentials. And Id Highly recommend a backup release. unless the x2 means your bringing 2. Im not familiar with Carter releases.
My archery tackle consists of the bow, quiver and release. I may throw in a couple allen wrenches that fit my bow. But, over the 7 years I've had my bow, none of them have ever come loose. As a matter of fact, most of them are rusted on pretty tight. What other specific archery tackle should I consider? I had a back-up release on my list during the first draft, but I was pushing 70 lbs, so it got nixed. It may find it's way back on there now that I've shed a bunch of weight.
Thank y'all so much for the responses. It's been quite an education. Please keep them coming.
Robert
