Feedback on backcountry elk loadout

[GooseLR]

Hey guys,

Up to this point, my elk hunting experience has been limited to hunting out of a base camp but this year a buddy and I are planning on going deep off the road and carrying camp on our backs. I would love some feedback on my packing list, specifically concerning weight and items to add/remove. Thanks!


Backcountry hunting packing list

In pack: 491oz dry

• Pack: Exo K4 5000 93oz
• K4 quick release Rifle carrier 3oz
• Mystery ranch nalgene holder (I have at work) 4oz
• Nalgene (empty) 6oz
• Water bladder 8oz
• Tent - Argali Rincon 2P w/ half insert 40.4oz
• Sleeping pad- thermarest NeoAir XTherm NXT 16oz
• Sleeping bag - Big Agnes Anvil Horn 0 Degree 47oz
• Pillow, thermarest foam - 10oz
• Socks x 2 - 5oz per pair > 10oz
• Patagonia middle weight jacket 15oz
• puffy jacket 26oz
• Rain top 14oz
• Baselayer top 12oz
• Baselayer bottom 12oz
• Gloves 7oz
• Beanie 2oz
• Game bags (double as shooting bag) (argali five-bag set) 9oz
• Headlamp 4oz
• Spare batteries for all electronics 2oz
• Power bank w/ cord 18oz
• MSR stove 3oz
• Fuel canister (MSR 8oz) 13oz
• Titanium cook pot 5oz
• Fork 1oz
• One large waterproof bag 4oz
• Ground cushion/seat (cut up thermarest foam pad) 4oz
• Trekking poles - black Diamond carbon cork
• Katadyn BeFree 1L water filtration bag 2oz
• Vortex switchback tripod 74oz
• Paracord 100ft 7oz
• Sea to summit wet wipes 3.3oz
• Hygiene kit
• Assorted drugs: Tylenol, diphenhydramine, etc

Food and water: 254oz

• 1 day of food - 3 peak refuel meals (5oz per, total 15oz), 1 packet coffee, 2 packet electrolyte (drink packets are 0.6oz per) 1.5oz total. 1 cliff builder bar 290calories 2.4oz, 1 Hershey bar 210 calories. Food totals: weight - 20.5oz per day
• Water 4 cups for cooking per day (32oz)
• Total food: 123oz for 6 days
• Planning on 4L of water on person 140oz

Worn: 163oz (322oz counting rifle)

• Rifle: Defiance Anti X, Proof Sendero, XLR element chassis, Leupold MK V w/ Seekins rings, Atlas bipod 159oz
• Combat top x1 8oz
• Combat pants x1 28oz
• Underwear x 1 1oz
• Ballcap 2oz
• Boots: salomon quest 4d GTX 23oz per boot - 46oz
• Socks - darn tough high 5oz
• Belt - first lite Field Belt 3oz
• Bino harness: badlands X2 med 16oz
• binos/rangefinder: Vortex Fury 5000 AB 32oz
• knife - MKC Stonewall Skinner 5.5oz (8oz w/ sheath)
• license/tags
• IFAK (badlands bottom pocket pouch + tourniquet, compressed gauze x2, 3in ace warp) 12oz
• Cow call
• bic lighter
• extra rounds 4oz
• Compass (suunto wrist) 1oz

In truck:

• Puffy pants 20oz
• Rain bottom 12oz

Weights:

• Pack dry 491oz 30.7lbs
• Pack dry with rifle 651oz 40.57bs
• Pack, rifle, food x 6days, and 4L water 914oz 57lbs
• Chest rig 74oz 4.5lbs
• Full loadout plus chest rig 987oz 61.7lbs
• Full loadout plus all worn items 1,077oz 67lbs

 

[jmez]

1 pair extra socks. No need for a mid weight jacket if taking a puffy and rain jacket. What is the large waterproof bag for?

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[Ucsdryder]

How deep are you planning on going? Camp is a load, a decent bull is 2 heavy loads with 2 guys. If it’s down hill on a trail, easy! If it’s cross country with elevation gain and loss, and deadfall, miserable.

 

[sargent]

Your list looks pretty good. Things that stand out to me are:
Your water system. Ditch the Nalgene for a Deer Park one liter bottle (-5.3 oz) and the bladder for a lighter one (-6 oz).
10 ounces for a pillow seems pretty heavy. The Nemo Fillow Elite is pretty comfy and weighs 3 oz (-7 oz)
Sleeping bag and puffy coat both seem a little heavy. If it's not a really late season hunt you could probably lose 10-30 oz. on these items combined.
Take only one extra pair of socks (-5 oz)
Ditch the tripod or consider getting a lighter one (-74 oz)
50' of paracord is enough (-3.5)
You could definitely lose some weight on your rifle (-32-64 oz.)
Finally, you should try not to carry around 4 liters of water all the time. If the area you are hunting is well watered you should be able to fill up some time throughout each day and only carry two liters most of the time. (-64 oz.)
Total weight savings 258.8 oz (16.175 pounds!)
Good luck and have fun.

 

[TaperPin]

Nice list. If you haven’t hunted with the list yet, it would be worth while to make at least a weekend trip as long and steep as you expect during elk season - that always results in some changes. It’s also worth while to spend a week at home sleeping on that pad on a hard floor.

 

[Indian Summer]

Before you pack anything anywhere other than base camp go day hunt it from the truck and make sure you have a reason. If you pack in, set camp, take 2-3 days to find out the elk aren’t there, and another day to pack out your hunt is all but over. In other words confirm your hunt area before making such a time consuming effort. Good luck

 

[rambo2345]

A plan for water is crucial. Carrying more in and stashing or a filtering or pump system

 

[taskswap]

Agreed on ditching the Nalgene. I also ditched my bladder entirely. I don't drink while I'm walking anymore. I make it a point to stop every 30 mins for a 2-min break and I drink from my bottles then (I carry 2x 1-liter Smart Water bottles. In a pinch I can reach them while I walk, I just like having this routine now - I find with even a very short regular break I can pretty much walk all day.) For backup water storage and other purposes I carry 2x 1-gallon Ziploc freezer bags.

You didn't say where you're hunting, but for me, 14oz is a lot for rain protection. I personally carry either a 9oz poncho that's big enough to cover my pack, too, and also doubles as a spare rain-fly/ground cover (and I lay my meat bags on it while field dressing -I love multi-purpose items.) Lately I switched to the Zpacks groundsheet/poncho (https://zpacks.com/products/groundsheet-poncho-flat). This was a very expensive splurge item but saved another 3oz. I will say I don't personally recommend this product. It definitely is ultralight and pretty tough, but it's noisier and less flexible than my old one so it's not that comfortable IMO.

I did also add a Zpacks "Ultralight Top Side Pocket". This is well worth the 0.49oz and $28. It mounts to almost any backpack in the top left/right sides behind your shoulder and is great for quickly stuffing something you don't want to put in your bag, either because you're in a hurry, or it's wet (used rain poncho, to dry out). I also keep my InReach in there so it has less obstruction.

Say what you will about Youtubers, a few are pretty solid, and one I enjoy is Corporal's Corner. After seeing him use bank line instead of paracord for most things I made the switch and won't go back. It does all I need. I use my cord strictly for utility purposes. If I'm going somewhere i'll want a ridgeline, I have a 50' Amsteel one that I made (it's easy) that weighs almost nothing and makes sure I'm not standing there looking around for my cord while I'm hanging game bags, then remembering it's holding up my tent.

Your charger is very heavy and only you can say if you really need it. But bear in mind the weight is almost linearly related to its capacity. A 20,000mAh weighs about twice what a 10,000mAh one does, for instance (give or take). On day trips I bring just a small 5,000mAh pack with a short built-in cable and that saves a ton of weight. I used to carry a 20, but found I'd be bringing it back still 30-50% and that's just like carrying extra water. An easy place to save weight once you have some comfort/routine.

You can also switch all your spare batteries from alkalines to lithiums. They cost like 3x more but still a 4-8 pack can be $10ish, and they last 10 years of shelf life, but weigh half as much. I also saved more weight by replacing a few items (headlamp, flashlight, etc) with those that all take the same kind of battery, so I only care one spare set for everything.

That pillow is crazy heavy, but you do you - a good night's sleep is priceless on a hunt, IMO. But if you still want to knock a few more ounces out, there are a ton of options. I replaced my sleeping bag stuff-sack with an "ultralight medium-plus pillow" from Zpacks (https://zpacks.com/products/medium-plus-pillow). This is 1.7oz for $60 but it's dual-use. While hiking I keep my sleeping bag in it and it acts as a stuff sack. At night while it's empty, I put my puffy jacket and a few other soft items in there and it has felt on one side, so it makes a pretty comfy pillow. It's lumpy if you don't pack it well, lumpier than an inflatable, but also one of the lightest pillows I've ever used and MUCH wider than anything else - I toss and turn while I sleep so tiny pillows don't work for me.

 

[GooseLR]

1 pair extra socks. No need for a mid weight jacket if taking a puffy and rain jacket. What is the large waterproof bag for?

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Thanks! I guess the waterproof bag was to throw clothes/sleeping bag in if it rains heavily since I don’t have a pack cover

 

[GooseLR]

How deep are you planning on going? Camp is a load, a decent bull is 2 heavy loads with 2 guys. If it’s down hill on a trail, easy! If it’s cross country with elevation gain and loss, and deadfall, miserable.

We’re going about seven miles, there is some elevation gain in the first leg (about 1,000-1,500ft) but it levels off quite a bit after that

 

[GooseLR]

Your list looks pretty good. Things that stand out to me are:
Your water system. Ditch the Nalgene for a Deer Park one liter bottle (-5.3 oz) and the bladder for a lighter one (-6 oz).
10 ounces for a pillow seems pretty heavy. The Nemo Fillow Elite is pretty comfy and weighs 3 oz (-7 oz)
Sleeping bag and puffy coat both seem a little heavy. If it's not a really late season hunt you could probably lose 10-30 oz. on these items combined.
Take only one extra pair of socks (-5 oz)
Ditch the tripod or consider getting a lighter one (-74 oz)
50' of paracord is enough (-3.5)
You could definitely lose some weight on your rifle (-32-64 oz.)
Finally, you should try not to carry around 4 liters of water all the time. If the area you are hunting is well watered you should be able to fill up some time throughout each day and only carry two liters most of the time. (-64 oz.)
Total weight savings 258.8 oz (16.175 pounds!)
Good luck and have fun.

Ditching the nalgene definitely makes sense, thanks for that. The pillow is just one that I’ve had and used for a long time but I’d like to try out the fillow for sure. One of my worst qualities when it comes to the outdoors is that I am a bougie sleeper. Some of my friends can lay a tarp down, lean up against their pack and be good to go. I’m not that guy unfortunately . The puffer is again, just something I’ve got and I’m not quite ready to drop the money on a better one due to some other gear that is a bit more pressing in my mind. I’m definitely going to drop from 100 to 50ft of paradors (and gut it), that was a good catch. Also a fan of your recommendation to carry two instead of four liters, the area we’re in has plenty of water. Thanks, I appreciate your help!

 

[GooseLR]

Agreed on ditching the Nalgene. I also ditched my bladder entirely. I don't drink while I'm walking anymore. I make it a point to stop every 30 mins for a 2-min break and I drink from my bottles then (I carry 2x 1-liter Smart Water bottles. In a pinch I can reach them while I walk, I just like having this routine now - I find with even a very short regular break I can pretty much walk all day.) For backup water storage and other purposes I carry 2x 1-gallon Ziploc freezer bags.

You didn't say where you're hunting, but for me, 14oz is a lot for rain protection. I personally carry either a 9oz poncho that's big enough to cover my pack, too, and also doubles as a spare rain-fly/ground cover (and I lay my meat bags on it while field dressing -I love multi-purpose items.) Lately I switched to the Zpacks groundsheet/poncho (https://zpacks.com/products/groundsheet-poncho-flat). This was a very expensive splurge item but saved another 3oz. I will say I don't personally recommend this product. It definitely is ultralight and pretty tough, but it's noisier and less flexible than my old one so it's not that comfortable IMO.

I did also add a Zpacks "Ultralight Top Side Pocket". This is well worth the 0.49oz and $28. It mounts to almost any backpack in the top left/right sides behind your shoulder and is great for quickly stuffing something you don't want to put in your bag, either because you're in a hurry, or it's wet (used rain poncho, to dry out). I also keep my InReach in there so it has less obstruction.

Say what you will about Youtubers, a few are pretty solid, and one I enjoy is Corporal's Corner. After seeing him use bank line instead of paracord for most things I made the switch and won't go back. It does all I need. I use my cord strictly for utility purposes. If I'm going somewhere i'll want a ridgeline, I have a 50' Amsteel one that I made (it's easy) that weighs almost nothing and makes sure I'm not standing there looking around for my cord while I'm hanging game bags, then remembering it's holding up my tent.

Your charger is very heavy and only you can say if you really need it. But bear in mind the weight is almost linearly related to its capacity. A 20,000mAh weighs about twice what a 10,000mAh one does, for instance (give or take). On day trips I bring just a small 5,000mAh pack with a short built-in cable and that saves a ton of weight. I used to carry a 20, but found I'd be bringing it back still 30-50% and that's just like carrying extra water. An easy place to save weight once you have some comfort/routine.

You can also switch all your spare batteries from alkalines to lithiums. They cost like 3x more but still a 4-8 pack can be $10ish, and they last 10 years of shelf life, but weigh half as much. I also saved more weight by replacing a few items (headlamp, flashlight, etc) with those that all take the same kind of battery, so I only care one spare set for everything.

That pillow is crazy heavy, but you do you - a good night's sleep is priceless on a hunt, IMO. But if you still want to knock a few more ounces out, there are a ton of options. I replaced my sleeping bag stuff-sack with an "ultralight medium-plus pillow" from Zpacks (https://zpacks.com/products/medium-plus-pillow). This is 1.7oz for $60 but it's dual-use. While hiking I keep my sleeping bag in it and it acts as a stuff sack. At night while it's empty, I put my puffy jacket and a few other soft items in there and it has felt on one side, so it makes a pretty comfy pillow. It's lumpy if you don't pack it well, lumpier than an inflatable, but also one of the lightest pillows I've ever used and MUCH wider than anything else - I toss and turn while I sleep so tiny pillows don't work for me.

I hadn’t even considered losing the bladder and just carrying multiple smart water bottles instead, that’s really smart.

I’m also a big fan of multi-use items, I think I’m going to use your poncho idea!

Adjusting my cordage has been a theme within the replies, I’m definitely going to address that.

I used that same charger last year and it did last for almost a whole ten day hunt, so I probably am over-carrying in that regard but I think I’ll stick with it because I do utilize OnX a lot and I just don’t know if I’m ready to spend the money for a slightly smaller power bank.

Big fan of lithiums, and carrying items that you can crossload a single battery type with

I’m going to have to do something about that pillow, I like it a lot but that’s another thing everyone is keying in on. I like the Zpacks idea (hitting that dual purpose principle again ). Thanks for your help!

 

[Jethro]

A little variety in that menu might not be a bad thing. I know I wouldn’t want to eat 3 peak meals a day for 6 days. Maybe a couple breakfasts and for dinners. I wouldn’t eat them for lunch.

 

[CMF]

Before you pack anything anywhere other than base camp go day hunt it from the truck and make sure you have a reason. If you pack in, set camp, take 2-3 days to find out the elk aren’t there, and another day to pack out your hunt is all but over. In other words confirm your hunt area before making such a time consuming effort. Good luck

agree with this and what others mentioned with pillow, socks, etc.

Which season are you hunting or what is the avg weather for the area?

I did also add a Zpacks "Ultralight Top Side Pocket". This is well worth the 0.49oz and $28. It mounts to almost any backpack in the top left/right sides behind your shoulder and is great for quickly stuffing something you don't want to put in your bag, either because you're in a hurry, or it's wet (used rain poncho, to dry out). I also keep my InReach in there so it has less obstruction.

I think I might have to add one of these! I don't run a lid cause it isn't worth the weight, but this doesn't add much and it's nice to have another area that doesn't require unzipping and synching pack to get to.

 

[taskswap]

agree with this and what others mentioned with pillow, socks, etc.

Which season are you hunting or what is the avg weather for the area?


I think I might have to add one of these! I don't run a lid cause it isn't worth the weight, but this doesn't add much and it's nice to have another area that doesn't require unzipping and synching pack to get to.

I typically hunt muzzleloader and Rifle 1. The weather can vary a LOT. I've gone out literally two weeks apart and had 40F and -20F overnight lows just a few weeks apart, even in the same area. I used to pack and repack my bag before every trip but I stopped doing that. Now i carry all my gear in storage bins, in the truck, and I pack at the trailhead the night before I set out, packing based on the current weather.

IMO the best part of that add-on pocket is that it's made of mesh. It's strong enough to hold heavy items but its best use is for a rain- or blood-soaked poncho or ground sheet that you don't want to put in your pack. Also here in CO if it rains, where I go it's usually 5 minutes of rain, 10 minutes of sun, 30 minutes of rain, 10 minutes of sun, back and forth. I like my poncho enough to keep it, but not enough to wear it all day just because of a light drizzle and possibility of more. This way I can just stuff it in there and if it starts raining again I can reach over my shoulder and get it back out again.

 

[2-Stix]

I run a gortex 3-layer top and bottom. They save lives. They make a pillowcase to stuff clothes in for a pillow for a few ounes or used a ultra light sil bag. Take 2 headlamps. Firestarter and ferro rod, 2 forms to make a fire. 2 socks 2 undies total.

50# sucks. 60# sucks more unless it's only a few miles and you're adjusted to the elevation.

 

[Ross]

You have a good list but a lot of weight. My list was right at 50 pds for 3 days. Would do several dry runs to see if you can shave 10 pds. 7 miles packing an elk and that gear is a longgg ways. Good luck lots of time to refine and decide if that distance is appropriate.

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

You ever eaten multiple freeze dried meals a day? And for multiple days….. you might want to reevaluate, or at least do a trial run with that food.

 

[jmez]

Get a pack cover. They are cheap, light, and take up zero space.

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[Marble]

We’re going about seven miles, there is some elevation gain in the first leg (about 1,000-1,500ft) but it levels off quite a bit after that

7 miles is a long ways...

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