How many days....

[rhendrix]

....could I bivy out of a TZ 5000, I know the main compartment is 4100 ci's, so I'm thinking if I plan correctly I could do a 7 day trip outta one in CO during archery season. Just trying to really get some input here.

 

[Ryan Avery]

I got 7 days into a t2. You should be fine with the right gear.

 

[rhendrix]

How tight a fit was it? Not sure if the t2 expands or not, but I'm trying to avoid using the expansion compartment.

 

[Ryan Avery]

It was full. My plan was to use the grab-it to hold my gear. Then put the meat inside the pack.

 

[rhendrix]

I think if I can get everything into the pack without having to expand it I could take a load out, hang the meat, and come back later to get the rest sans gear.

 

[rhendrix]

Worse cast scenario everything gets stuffed in there and I'm stuck selling it and forking over coin for the 6000 after the trip and only hunt 4-5 days at a time.

 

[Rizzy]

For me the biggest difference between a 2 day trip and a 7 day trip is food. I have a 3700 and it fits all my gear for a 3 day hunt with a lot of room to spare, I would think a TZ 5000 should work.

 

[ScottR_EHJ]

If you pack well you will be able to do 7 days. Pack each days food in one baggie a piece and figure out how to make it work from there.

 

[rhendrix]

Thanks. I need to do more research on food that's 100 calories or more per ounce. Really been gear centric the past couple of months.

 

[Ryan Avery]

I will add, I traded up for a T1. The T2 had plenty of room, but I do a lot of late season backpack hunting, needed more room for clothing and stove.

Rizzy is right, food is the main space sucker as the days add up. I can only take so many days of the Freeze dried crap. So my food might take up more space than others. I couldn't get one more crumb in that pack on my rifle mule deer hunt!

 

[rhendrix]

I spent five years in the Marines, I understand. Trust me.

 

[gobbler1662]

As already stated you should be ablentoneasily do 7 days out of a tenzing 5000. I did 14 out of a G-11 which is a tad smaller

 

[Ryan Avery]

Gobbler, was that in the summer? How many calories did you take in a day?

 

[luke moffat]

As already stated you should be ablentoneasily do 7 days out of a tenzing 5000. I did 14 out of a G-11 which is a tad smaller

Impressive for sure!!! No way could I fit all my gear and 14 days worth of food in a 7000+ cu in pack and haul out a critter. I guess I over pack though or I don't like strapping all the gear to the outside of my pack either though so that would probably allow me to get by with a smaller pack.

 

[sk1]

I did 8 in a TZ6000 and came back with extra food, could have stayed another day and a half.

I was packed extremely full though.....stuff hanging off the outside of the pack as well..

Like others said food is a killer, and so is an 85mm spotter, there is just no way to make that sucker take up less space.

 

[Lawnboi]

The only real way to know is to pack it up.

I will say one thing, id rather have one big pack, most of the time. One that i wont have stuff flopping all over the place on the outside.

A few pockets is one thing. But when you get to the point where your bag, spotter, ect is hanging off your pack when your trying to bust through the woods its not going to be a good time.

I personally could fit into a 4000 ci pack for 7 days, but it would be full, real full. Food will be your killer. The first time i ever packed up 8 days of food i first layed it all on the table and couldnt believe the amount.

Your gear and how much stuff you want to bring will ultimately dictate wether your going to fit or not.

Id try to make it fit though, leaving half way into your trip just to get food has burned me before. Nothing sucks worse than when your out there where you want to be and you need to burn a day (and probably your legs) to go get food

Even if you did get the 6000, isnt that only like 500 more ci bigger? That isnt much at all.

 

[gobbler1662]

That was archery elk season here in Oregon. First off the only way I pulled that off was by being a freak about pack weight. I weigh everything and during the last couple of years I have streamlined my pack to reduce weights. Yeah you're right I was a little short on the caloric intake area I was at about 2300-2400 calories a day. I actually lost about twelve pounds during that period. So one of the things I am looking at in the off season is adding a few more hundred calories a day. The area we were hunting in was an eastern Oregon wilderness area. We had to be prepared for temps down to the teens.

 

[ScottR_EHJ]

My food for one day is about like this: granola mountain house for breakfast, 2 serving meal for dinner. 3 Starbucks vias for coffee needs. 1 Snickers protein bar, and usually a couple of other granola bars.

Not sure what the calorie count is, but i have energy which is important. I never start the hike in some place with full water. I bring enough to get to the last known spring, and then full up enough to make it through. Water takes up a lot of space in a pack so put a spare bladder on the outside and fill it up at the last known spot and it will save space for other things.

 

[gobbler1662]

I think my daily meals are similar. I do two packs instant oatmeal for breakfast. I allow 3 energy bars a day. Usually cliff, power bar or oddwalla. I eat half a mountain house meal for lunch and half for dinner. I have one via coffee a day and one hot chocolate. Like others have stated I split up each days food and place it in a gallon zip pick bag. I take the mountain house meals out of the original pouch and split them up at home into two portions and label the contents. I then place each portion into a zip lock sandwich bag. That saves a ton of room in it self, those mountain house meals dont pack down very small unless you do that. I take one mountain house pouch to re-constitute the meals in. I also use this pouch for my instant oat meal. I rinse the pouch out and resue it daily. I am looking at adding some jerky and maybe pepperroni sticks for some additional protein, but that will also add weight. My current daily weight is right at a pound but varies depending what kind of energy bars are thrown in.

 

[Rocky]

7 days if you pack carefully