Long ride out and long drive home but I made it. As soon as I get some time, I'll edit some video of the trip, with some bucks, and get it up here.
Gear:
For my saddle horse, I run the lightweight Cordura Saddle. I did a gear review on it here:
http://www.rokslide.com/2012-01-09-05-12-00/horse-packin
I've also had Chad Phillips of CP Saddlery in Idaho Falls, Idaho build the britchens and breast collar. Just this winter, Jodi had him custom build me a great set of saddle bags designed to fit my Swaro spotting scope with oversized buckles for operation in cold weather with gloves on- I love them!
For my pack horses, I run a Decker pack saddle so I can go with a top pack (usually the tent) and not be 8 feet tall. I run a 90-year old sawbuck on the other horse which is great for throwing pannier over and keeping them in place. CP Saddlery also built all my britchens and breast collars for these saddles, too.
I use basket hitches. I gave up the diamond hitches as I'm just not tall enough to use them.
I’ve trained all my horses for picket stakes for feeding. I feed two horses at a time during day and leave my saddle horse out all night so he’s well fed and ready to go next morning. After late October, I usually pack in some hay pellets as there isn’t enough grass to keep horses going on hunts longer than 4 days which I do a lot of.
I bring a horse boot incase I throw a shoe. Looks like a ski boot for a horse and works wonderfully in a pinch. On extended hunts, I bring a few extra shoes and enough gear to reset a shoe.
In camp, I bring a 1 gallon propane bottle and an 8,000-14,000 BTU heater which heats the tent/dries gear down to about 10 degrees and good for about a 4 day hunt, longer in warmer weather. Ran heater at 8,000 BTU for this trip and came home with 10% of my fuel left. Later in the fall, I run a packable wood burning stove.
I use an MSR whisperlight stove, white gas, for cooking. A Coleman compact 209 lantern for light.
I use a light weight collapsible aluminum and nylon mesh cot with good old foam mattress.
This trip used an off brand 15 degree bag.
Later fall trips, I bring my Extreme Cold Military Mummy bag. Heavy, but you don’t get cold down to zero.
I cut two pieces of ¼” plywood the size of my inside pannier panel dimension that double as stiffeners for the panniers for odd-shaped/loose gear and tables once I get to camp. I cut several 14” stakes, bring a few wood screws and in 5 minutes have a table I can cook on without having to bend down constantly and keeps me from kicking over the kitchen as I go in and out of tent.
I bring a collapsible chair. This, my friends, has become almost indispensible for a guy who plays outfitter, wrangler, cook, and hunter. You got to be able to sit down and recharge, especially in cold weather.
Cooking gear is just a packable backpack set with two pots, coffee cup, salt & pepper, fork, spoon, small bowl, and strainer for coffee.
Tent, you saw the picture. This is an extreme cold military insulated tent. I don’t use a 60 year old tent because I’m poor, but because I haven’t found anything better for the money. Very roomy for one guy, still fine for two guys (hunted 10 days with a guy out of it and didn’t kill each other). The tent also sets up easily, with a pole I can cut once I get there and is very packable and lightweight, probably about 30 pounds.
These are the main items. With all this, I can still get enough grocery for 7-10 days and enough room to pack out a buck on the rare occasion that I get one.
. Thanks for posting the thread.
