Final Gear List Review for 4th rifle Elk in Colorado

[colt1776]

Thanks for posting, the feedback is helping me cut some weight on my pack also. Only 1 game bag? What is your plan there?

Yeah I cut more weight every time I post a list it seems like lol I carry a contractor bag and my buddy carries a bag too last year we divided the deboned meat in half and carried it out once back at camp we put in coolers.

 

[colt1776]

My pack last year for 10 days sleeping in backcountry for 3rd rifle weighed about 70 lbs all in (includes rifle and 2 liters of water). This year i was well under 50 lbs all in for 8 days archery. Thats 8 days of 3,500 calories of food and a sleep system under your day pack weight. You can def cut that WAY down. Don’t pack your fears.


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What does your gear list look like for a day hunt in 3rd rifle?

 

[Dooms]

you have a ton of tourniquets. one with the name, one as a belt, a couple dozen in your paracord.......

I would suggest against planning to use an improvised TQ, especially paracord. That is bad mindset when you have high quality, light weight TQs readily available. First, you lose time in a bad, bad situation trying to make one. Second, there is a reason TQ straps are about an inch wide. Cranking down a line of paracord won't be as effective as a proper TQ. If you truly have no other options, then you can at least try, but that is some serious regret for skimping on the right tool.

Improvising a paracord TQ, or a belt TQ is a really bad plan A. Real TQs weigh very little and save lives.

 

[RO1459]

I hunt 3rd season in north Colorado every year. My day pack weighs around 12 pounds. That includes the pack, Tenzing TZ 2220, 2200 cu in, (5 pounds) I bring one heavyweight wool sweater, in pack, and the needed items to clean and store an elk, 1 ltr water with Bee Free water filter, some food and snacks. I don't count what I'm wearing, only what's on my back. I also carry a Garmin Inreach, just in case, and a head light.

Good luck on your hunt.

 

[moxford]

That is a whole lot of clothing, especially if you are moving. Puffy pants are for static glassing only. Same with puffy jackets. Wearing that many layers is too much bulk unless you are sitting still. And that is a lot of pairs of gloves.

This feels like a list from someone not used to snow, and overpacking. Do you snow ski? How much gear do you wear there? Even while sitting on the lift in the wind?

I get the fear of a storm or an unplanned overnight, but in both cases some shelter building and a fire, and some pushups, will go a very very long way.

If you are in the snow, take the stove and dump carrying so much water. Then you get your luxury as well as reduced weight.

I often run snow storm missions (SAR) and snow hunting with a LS merino base, sometimes a LS merino midlayer, primaloft thin vest, and a hardshell if windy or raining/snowing. Lower is a heavy merino and a hard/softshell. Gloves most of the time are either a liner and nothing else (no snow) or with a light glove on top. Boots are a heavy merino and a mountaineering boot, beacuse I hate cold feet. I do carry a lightweight puffy to layer with everything else above. I stopped carrying down pants and a big puffy ... just never got used, and if things get so bad I need that, shelter up with a fire. I spend a lot of time in just a thin LS and vest if I am moving, even down into the 30s. Sitting and glassing, layer up and put on the raingear over the top. Heavy puffy and puffy pants were just extra weight and bulk that never really got pulled out, had to be careful with, and just stayed in the pack due to the hassle.

Remember, we are not doing Everest. And you are only day-hunting. Leave your heavy layers at camp, and run light days. You can always come back if you absolutely have to, or change it up the next day. But going in that heavy every day is too much.

 

[ManyBullets]

Well if you're counting ounces, that rifle weighs a lot of ounces

 

[colt1776]

That is a whole lot of clothing, especially if you are moving. Puffy pants are for static glassing only. Same with puffy jackets. Wearing that many layers is too much bulk unless you are sitting still. And that is a lot of pairs of gloves.

This feels like a list from someone not used to snow, and overpacking. Do you snow ski? How much gear do you wear there? Even while sitting on the lift in the wind?

I get the fear of a storm or an unplanned overnight, but in both cases some shelter building and a fire, and some pushups, will go a very very long way.

If you are in the snow, take the stove and dump carrying so much water. Then you get your luxury as well as reduced weight.

I often run snow storm missions (SAR) and snow hunting with a LS merino base, sometimes a LS merino midlayer, primaloft thin vest, and a hardshell if windy or raining/snowing. Lower is a heavy merino and a hard/softshell. Gloves most of the time are either a liner and nothing else (no snow) or with a light glove on top. Boots are a heavy merino and a mountaineering boot, beacuse I hate cold feet. I do carry a lightweight puffy to layer with everything else above. I stopped carrying down pants and a big puffy ... just never got used, and if things get so bad I need that, shelter up with a fire. I spend a lot of time in just a thin LS and vest if I am moving, even down into the 30s. Sitting and glassing, layer up and put on the raingear over the top. Heavy puffy and puffy pants were just extra weight and bulk that never really got pulled out, had to be careful with, and just stayed in the pack due to the hassle.

Remember, we are not doing Everest. And you are only day-hunting. Leave your heavy layers at camp, and run light days. You can always come back if you absolutely have to, or change it up the next day. But going in that heavy every day is too much.

I get pretty cold just sitting and glassing is why I have the extra layers. The extra gloves were there for options depending on how cold it was.

Yes I have snow skied a bunch of times and my layering system works good for that since I am not sitting for long periods of time.

Yeah I like the idea of carrying a stove to do that and plus I can warm up some coffee when sitting. I drink a lot of water on the daily so would definitely be a good idea I think.

What type of vest do you run?

Ive lightened the list up by 4-5 lbs now even more if I only carry a liter of water

Thanks for all the input!

 

[moxford]

Sounds good. My vest is a thin Eddie Bauer Primaloft I picked up a very long time ago ... love that thing since it is light, layers well, unrestrictive, packs well (though it almost never comes off) and adds a surprising amount of warmth. Light merino LS top and that, and, hiking, I am good into the 30s/20s. Hardshell for wind and moisture. Same basic system with a heavy merino sweater on worked well for non-active activities up on Donner Pass (snow, 5F, nasty winds.) Had light/thin merino plus heavy merino on legs, then shell. Heavy merino socks, mountaineering boots, and long gaiters with crampons. Nasty weather, really, couldn't even keep road flares lit. Gusts would almost knock us over/off. Ice everywhere there wasn't snow - too mixed for snowshoes. Puffy gear would have been way too much, both in terms of bulk and warmth.

Sitting and glassing, puffy jackets/pants are nice, for sure, if you don't mind lugging them all over out and back. If it sucks once you are there, too easy to talk yourself off the mountain, so take what you need.

Cheers,
-mox

 

[Fitzwho]

I would rather make coffee at camp and carry a similar weight Yeti bottle/Thermos than to mess with a stove on the side of a mountain.

Lose the bladder and just take 3 - Smart Water Bottles and save yourself 4 ounces. The water in your drinking tube is going to freeze anyway.

Don't count your trekking poles in your pack weight, use them. Saves you a pound.

I don't see that you are bringing any optics, so why even carry the tripod? Other than a shooting platform... Just shoot off your pack frame or buy that little adapter for your trekking poles that turns them into shooting sticks. There's another 2.5 pounds.

I would have a full kill kit, to include game bags. It took 7 game bags to put up my elk (2 rears, 2 shoulders, 2 trim bags, 1 bag for the backstraps and tenderloins). On that topic I filled an 1100 cubic inch Kuiu Boned Out game bag (size Medium) with the backstraps and tenderloins from my Colorado 1st season bull. I couldn't have fit another ounce of meat in that bag... 3 1-gallon bags probably wouldn't hold 1 backstrap if you cut it into 3rds.

Otherwise, there's a few small things you most likely won't use. Just start dropping stuff after day one.

 

[Teets]

Take hand warmers and throw them in your gloves and boots when you stop to glass. You will be much happier.

 

[ManyBullets]

I'd pack a couple cans of chili with beans since you have a stove. Nothing like a hot can of chili during 4th season. I like a good apple late season for some fiber. Having some fiber from the beans and apples will help you drop some "dead weight" so the weight penalty of the apple is actually a net weight loss., especially after you use some wipes. In Colorado it's normal to just drop an old #2 on the trail and leave it uncovered, especially if you're near Denver or Boulder. Mark your territory and whatnot.

 

[Bodough]

Sure have been learning a ton reading all I can on this forum!

I am going on a 4th season rifle elk hunt in Colorado again this year and have been fine tuning my gear list over the last several months and figured a few more sets of eyes on it wouldn't hurt!

We are hunting the same unit this year and hauling a camper to stay in so just day hunts.

Is there anything you guys would change or not take?

Does this pack weight seem heavy or just how it goes being 4th season and having to pack the extra clothes?

View attachment 454037

View attachment 454035

Sure have been learning a ton reading all I can on this forum!

I am going on a 4th season rifle elk hunt in Colorado again this year and have been fine tuning my gear list over the last several months and figured a few more sets of eyes on it wouldn't hurt!

We are hunting the same unit this year and hauling a camper to stay in so just day hunts.

Is there anything you guys would change or not take?

Does this pack weight seem heavy or just how it goes being 4th season and having to pack the extra clothes?

View attachment 454037

View attachment 454035

Most of the gear seems very over kill for day hunting- extra batteries, bug spray in the winter, most of the extra clothes. I think you need way more water as well as a water filtering device to get more water if needed. If you eat good at camp and ensure you can make it back at a reasonable time every night, maybe add in a satellite phone for extra safety but most of that gear could be left behind.

 

[colt1776]

Sounds good. My vest is a thin Eddie Bauer Primaloft I picked up a very long time ago ... love that thing since it is light, layers well, unrestrictive, packs well (though it almost never comes off) and adds a surprising amount of warmth. Light merino LS top and that, and, hiking, I am good into the 30s/20s. Hardshell for wind and moisture. Same basic system with a heavy merino sweater on worked well for non-active activities up on Donner Pass (snow, 5F, nasty winds.) Had light/thin merino plus heavy merino on legs, then shell. Heavy merino socks, mountaineering boots, and long gaiters with crampons. Nasty weather, really, couldn't even keep road flares lit. Gusts would almost knock us over/off. Ice everywhere there wasn't snow - too mixed for snowshoes. Puffy gear would have been way too much, both in terms of bulk and warmth.

Sitting and glassing, puffy jackets/pants are nice, for sure, if you don't mind lugging them all over out and back. If it sucks once you are there, too easy to talk yourself off the mountain, so take what you need.

Cheers,
-mox

I've thought about getting some heavier weight base layers to maybe not have to bring extra clothes and to use if it gets really cold like the ones below

MEN'S MERINO 250 MIDWEIGHT HALF ZIP TOP

Own your style! This half zip merino garments is definitely your best choice. All natural and comfortable wool materials. Shop now at Meriwool Layers!

www.meriwoollayers.com

What heavy weight ones do you have?

What hardshell do you have?

 

[Behlftball]

How far are you planning on hiking? That is an incredibly heavy pack.

 

[moxford]

@colt1776 I have an older Orca Core Element Half Zip Merino Jersey. I think it's a touch heavier than that 250, maybe 300? It's physically pretty heavy, but a nice temperature balance (more than LS merino, but not quite as hot as a light-puffy jacket when under a shell.)

Hardshell is an Arc'teryx Alpha SV, but it is uninsulated so you can just use whatever. I prefer the Arc'teryx fit and quality, but I have a MH Snowpocalypse that I love and a HH that I am testing because it is orange (it is doing well so far!)


Also (no affiliation, just testing personally):
1) Not super stoked with the HH Lifa Merino Midnight Crew (medium merino content, picks up stink more like synthetic after a few days, but it's a very nice and comfortable piece otherwise.)
2) The HH Swift Midlayer is a solid full-zip gridfleece. Haven't used it a TON, but I like it so far
3) The Lifaloft Hooded Insulator Jacket is amazing. Well, I'm not a fan of the hood but the jacket has become one of my favorite pieces recently. They do make a non-hooded version as well, and if I had it to do over again I'd get it with no hood. That said, the hood is warm, just don't turn your head (and the upper part of the opening is too low on my face for my liking.)
4) The Verglas Polar Down Jacket is seriously warm. Like, stupid warm. I like it a lot. Minimal field testing so far, but first pass testing has been really good and on part with other gear.
5) The Seven J Rain Jacket is the hardshell I mentioned, above. No rain yet, but fit/finish are good and Helly's are pretty solid in "we know water" category, so we'll see.

All of the above I purchased in "300 Patrol Orange" and they're not all exactly the same tint, but I got tired of dealing with hunter orange vests, and now I have a very good full-orange layered set of gear for both hunting and SAR work. The Lifaloft stuff seems to work well ... I should try it in a vest .... hmmm..

Helly's always been a really good name for outdoors gear, so spending that much on testing was a calculated risk, but so far I'm very happy with all of it (except the hood and the not-100% merino, where I'm only "happy" and not "very happy.")



Cheers,
-mox

 

[ManyBullets]

Probably need to add this to the pack too:
https://venustasofficial.com/collections/men/products/mens-heated-jacket-7-4v

 

[Geewhiz]

My late season day pack looks like this:

MR guide lite + mule
headlamp + extra batteries
havalon + blades
inreach
water
oatmeal pies and honey buns
mittens
puffy jacket
rifle
rangefinder
hot hands

Wearing:
bino harness with extra ammo
long johns if its real cold
kuiu guide pants
long sleeve merino shirt
rain shell
arange
warm hat


Including a 13 lb rifle I dont think my pack is more than 25 lbs.


I suppose it wouldnt hurt to bring 10 lbs of "what if" gear but I'm taking my chances with bringing only the inreach for the "what ifs".

 

[KsRancher]

Everyone gets cold differently. But last year during Colorado 1st season it snowed 6in and was 16° opening morning. Walking in had a cotton t-shirt, cotton long sleeve and a under armor coat. Bottoms was thin long underwear and the regular wrangler carpenter jeans. And was sweating like crazy. Even when we stopped to glass I didn't cold except my hands. I only had uninsulated thin gloves.

It's good to have extra in case. But I bet you wear less clothes than you think you will. But I bring a new pair of socks for every day