Help me with my pack weight

[gexpro]

53lbs/weight looks a bit on the heavy side. you need to really refine and go through and bring what you need.

also- over the years i learned a valuable lesson packing way to much food in, and not being able to eat it all.. over all creating a weight penalty meaning i carried useless weight in, and packing it out. i was able to get my pack weight down sub easily 40lbs for a 6 day hunt.

the back up battery is a nice option to have, but when its dead.. its useless. look into a good goal zero nomad solar charger, imo its a lot more sustainable and weighs less...

keep in mind, the lighter your pack is; the more efficient you will be on the mountain. i know its hard to compromise with some items, but trust me, its doable when you look at every single item and the options.

side note - if you are concerned about mosquitos; ditch the ground tarp and go with a borah DCF bivy with bug net. stay with the floorless shelter.


PM me if you want to compare lists i am more then glad help out.

 

[hereinaz]

Another member posted an awesome video. I am going to rework some food options. I agree on weapon, sleeping bag, and puffy. My weapon is what it is. CA Ridgeline in a Manners EH1 stock with nx8 and atlas bipod. Kinda hard to leave that behind.

The option of getting a single tent is for sure there. The silex or eolus would for sure save me weight My brother and I are going so having the Cimarron is a must for two people.

You don't need a bipod, IMO. Nice to have but not necessary. Give that a hard look.

 

[HoneyDew]

Couple guys have beat me to it but whenever I go floorless I use a borah bivy. Just keeps everything together, cleaner, and bug free. Can even add a little warmth.

 

[ytsheephnter]

Plus 1 for ditching the bipod. I keep giving them a try and am done dealing with them. They are only good in a handful of situations IMHO. Practice using your pack and walking sticks and be done.

Also highly recommend some good thin tipped tweezers for tick removal. Do thorough checks at least once a day. Depending on timing and weather, they will be lousy.

Good luck and be sure to share your experiences after the hunt!! Sure miss hunting Idaho!


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[hereinaz]

Plus 1 for ditching the bipod. I keep giving them a try and am done dealing with them. They are only good in a handful of situations IMHO. Practice using your pack and walking sticks and be done.

Also highly recommend some good thin tipped tweezers for tick removal. Do thorough checks at least once a day. Depending on timing and weather, they will be lousy.

Good luck and be sure to share your experiences after the hunt!! Sure miss hunting Idaho!


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I would add that the tripod is the most versatile tool of a long range shooter in the field. It made leaving my bipod at home a no brainer.

 

[archp625]

I would add that the tripod is the most versatile tool of a long range shooter in the field. It made leaving my bipod at home a no brainer.

I don't have an arca rail on my rifle. Maybe its time.

 

[hereinaz]

I don't have an arca rail on my rifle. Maybe its time.

Its time!

I was out practicing the other day.

 

[Moserkr]

Im going to second the pyrethrum spray. Tried it last year and Im sold. Used to run my cams and hunt without spray (like deet) cause the scent spooked deer. Would just get eaten alive and take it lol. Pyrethrum worked well and has no lingering odor, also did not harm any gear.

 

[mlgc20]

Very good list. Here is what stood out to me. Just picking nits.

• Nalgene bottle - Already mentioned, but replacing is an easy way to save a few ounces. Replace with a Smartwater bottle. Easier to drink out of and is compatible with your Sawyer squeeze if needed.
• First Aid Kit - 7 ounces seems excessive to me. Unless you are carrying for a large group or have some specific medical needs.
• Sitka Grey Puffy - Is the 29 ounces right? Obviously, it would cost some money, but seems like you could cut that weight in half.

Best of luck on your hunt.

 

[Marbles]

An HDPE Nalgene is cheap and will save you about 3 ounces if you want something more substantial than a Gatorade/smartwater bottle.

The other areas where I am lighter are expensive upgrades that may not be worth it. Pack (mine is 80 ounces), sleeping bag, and shelter (but for two people the Cimarron is better than the Silvertip). 29 ounces for a puffy is a lot, my down parka is only 27.9 and is suitable for -20. The puffy I normally use is 15 ounces. I find a good sleeping pad worth the weight (mine is 17 ounces), but you could shave 5-8 ounces there. Rifle has already been mentioned.

 

[archp625]

An HDPE Nalgene is cheap and will save you about 3 ounces if you want something more substantial than a Gatorade/smartwater bottle.

The other areas where I am lighter are expensive upgrades that may not be worth it. Pack (mine is 80 ounces), sleeping bag, and shelter (but for two people the Cimarron is better than the Silvertip). 29 ounces for a puffy is a lot, my down parka is only 27.9 and is suitable for -20. The puffy I normally use is 15 ounces. I find a good sleeping pad worth the weight (mine is 17 ounces), but you could shave 5-8 ounces there. Rifle has already been mentioned.

Thanks for the suggestions. Everyone keeps saying my puffy is super heavy. Turns out it is after doing some research. I bought this coat probably 5 years ago. Sitka doesn't sell it anymore. I couldn't even tell you what its called.

The sleep pad I have is the X Therm. I could probably save 4 oz and get a lighter one. But it will cost me at least $200.

 

[Moserkr]

Ive learned over the years that my upgrades from cheaper gear to the best gear cost $10-50 per ounce now to cut weight. If you can cut weight for closer to $10/oz do that first. Closer to $50 and I upgrade one item that price a year maybe. My last piece of gear to upgrade is my sleeping bag - current one is 42oz for a 20*. That said, my 4 day weight for early elk archery including bow, spotter, water, and even the clothes/boots I wear - is 45lbs. I could cut a few lbs but only for a high price now. You are the right track with your list.

 

[archp625]

My pack is down to 49.9 lbs total from suggestions on here. New puffy should be here at the end of the week. Took some pockets off my pack and other miscellaneous items helped me get there. I also we reworked my food. Once I get to where I am good I will repost my list. Thanks again everyone.

 

[Jonathan Hemlock]

Give this PDF your eyeballs: https://www.mediafire.com/file/vi338xhh4695f1b/Hiker_Food_Chart_%28Na%29.pdf/file


made by this youtuber:

I personally strive for 125 calories an ounce average. Any higher of an average and there's too much fat for my liking.

Carbs and protein are both 4 calories per gram. Fats 9 calories per gram.

Really informative video. I will definitely be referencing that on my next trip.
Years ago an old friend of mine tried to do a week long trip in the mountains with nothing but a nalgene full of olive oil. By the end of the second day she was shitting her pants uncontrollably and had to turn around. Moderation in everything, I guess...

 

[archp625]

Really informative video. I will definitely be referencing that on my next trip.
Years ago an old friend of mine tried to do a week long trip in the mountains with nothing but a nalgene full of olive oil. By the end of the second day she was shitting her pants uncontrollably and had to turn around. Moderation in everything, I guess...

That sounds absolutely horrible. I'm kind of blown away she thought that was a good job.

 

[mtwarden]

I think your list looks pretty good

Personally for 6 days I'd add one more pair of socks, you have to one dry pair- would be nice to alternate between the other two

the Sitka Flash I think is a great choice, doesn't breathe the best of the different wind shirts I've tried, but I like it lieu of a hardshell when I'm not expecting a lot of rain- it's really water resistant (almost waterproof)

29 oz for a puffy is quite a bit, but replacing it with something lighter is $, but you could easily have a very warm puffy for half that weight

ditto on the shelter

for a light spotter like the CS3, you might peek at Kramer Designs- it's going to be a little less stable than the Sirui, but it weighs well under a pound and have found it to work pretty well with both binos and light spotters

I was looking at the Sitka Blizzard mitts myself, but they list the weight as 18 oz- that seems crazy high to me; with you showing a weight of 4.1 oz for the shells, seems odd the liner gloves would weigh 14 oz- any chance you could weigh them for me?

 

[archp625]

I think your list looks pretty good

Personally for 6 days I'd add one more pair of socks, you have to one dry pair- would be nice to alternate between the other two

the Sitka Flash I think is a great choice, doesn't breathe the best of the different wind shirts I've tried, but I like it lieu of a hardshell when I'm not expecting a lot of rain- it's really water resistant (almost waterproof)

29 oz for a puffy is quite a bit, but replacing it with something lighter is $, but you could easily have a very warm puffy for half that weight

ditto on the shelter

for a light spotter like the CS3, you might peek at Kramer Designs- it's going to be a little less stable than the Sirui, but it weighs well under a pound and have found it to work pretty well with both binos and light spotters

I was looking at the Sitka Blizzard mitts myself, but they list the weight as 18 oz- that seems crazy high to me; with you showing a weight of 4.1 oz for the shells, seems odd the liner gloves would weigh 14 oz- any chance you could weigh them for me?

I got a new puffy from someone off here. Now I am down to a 14 oz puffy. Let me get the weight one them and Ill get with you in a bit.

 

[Jonathan Hemlock]

That sounds absolutely horrible. I'm kind of blown away she thought that was a good job.

Yeah, I think she’s glad she went solo on that trip. Although I believe she wrote about it on her blog...
At that time a bunch of us were doing “extended pushes” in the mountains with nothing but Gu and energy drinks (also pretty horrible). I think that’s where she was coming from.

 

[Jonathan Hemlock]

Arch, I hope you do a trip report and review of how your gear worked on this trip.

 

[archp625]

Arch, I hope you do a trip report and review of how your gear worked on this trip.

I can and will. My brother posted his pack breakdown as well. So we have quite a bit of gear to test out. He’s been backpacking for a long time so he really helped me on acquiring items. We camped a few days last year during our Montana trip so I was able to test some gear out. Some I still have some I sold and bought different.