Moose Prep Tidbits

[cfdjay]

As I prep for my diy Alaskan Moose hunt, I thought I'd start a thread to drop "tidbits" of discoveries and/or advice that is aiding me along the way. One of these is spreadsheets. I'm 47 and couldn't make a spreadsheet if you paid me. I however realize the importance of one as I make gear lists and weigh each item. As most of you know, weight limits when flying a supercub is pretty restrictive, so having your gear list/weight dialed in is important.

I found basically a prefab spreadsheet under the "Numbers" tab on my mac. Column one is a "Yes/No" check box. Column 2 is the item name and the final column is the weight value. I can break all the pages down into categories such as "Sleep System" etc. As I check "yes" it adds the weight at the bottom.

So, Lets say you're over or underweight you can just click the "Yes/No" button to add or remove item and see how it affects your weight total. And... now you have that inventory forever.

Hope this helps anyone who may be in my shoes.

 

[PNWGATOR]

This might be a helpful tool:

LighterPack

lighterpack.com

 

[cfdjay]

This might be a helpful tool:

LighterPack

lighterpack.com

I like it. It will definitely have it's place for this trip. Thanks!

 

[Larry Bartlett]

If you want to criticize your own packing list, compartmentalize each item into groups like survival, gadgets and electronics, kill kit, clothing, sleep kit, tent, fuel, and food. From my experience hunters shave and shave to their critical minimum, except in one area---food kit. Food weight on average has been 2.5-lbs per person for about 20 years. That's grossly abundant, IMO.

If your weight allowance is 75-lbs for example, 30-33% of that is usually food weight.

You will shave the greatest weight from your packing list if you take a calculated approach to your nutrition plan and trust that you don't need any more food bulk than 2000-2300 calories each day with a target of 70-100g protein/day. When asked by clients how to create the lightest food kit, I suggest a target of 20 ounces of food bulk weight per day with a protein delivery goal of 0.8g/kg of body weight. So, 190-lb dude = 86kg dude needs at least 69g protein per day to sustain lean muscle mass. Calorie target is 2,000-2,300 cals per day, with fat rich food calories.

Today a common food kit for 10-12 days weighs around 15-lbs.

 

[Hypie36]

I recently found gopackapp.com and it does exactly what you are looking for. It doesn’t cost much (~29 bucks a year). You put in all of your equipment and weight of each, where you are going and it will generate a packing list for you. You can limit the weight of your pack and it will let you know, by category, what you are over or under. It also provides typical weather for the area you are going to hunt about a year out. I use it as well when I pack for the trip, as you just click the button when you physically pack it in the bag. They have a desktop and iOS version, I use both.

 

[Legion5430]

Nice to see someone using the app, I am the co-founder at gopack. The desktop version is completely updated and there is an iOS and Android update coming out in the next week. If any of you use the app and run into issues you can reach me here on the app. Would like to hear any feedback you may have.

Thanks

 

[MaraviaDave]

If you want to criticize your own packing list, compartmentalize each item into groups like survival, gadgets and electronics, kill kit, clothing, sleep kit, tent, fuel, and food. From my experience hunters shave and shave to their critical minimum, except in one area---food kit. Food weight on average has been 2.5-lbs per person for about 20 years. That's grossly abundant, IMO.

If your weight allowance is 75-lbs for example, 30-33% of that is usually food weight.

You will shave the greatest weight from your packing list if you take a calculated approach to your nutrition plan and trust that you don't need any more food bulk than 2000-2300 calories each day with a target of 70-100g protein/day. When asked by clients how to create the lightest food kit, I suggest a target of 20 ounces of food bulk weight per day with a protein delivery goal of 0.8g/kg of body weight. So, 190-lb dude = 86kg dude needs at least 69g protein per day to sustain lean muscle mass. Calorie target is 2,000-2,300 cals per day, with fat rich food calories.

Today a common food kit for 10-12 days weighs around 15-lbs.

Larry, as always, is right on target!!

Here's my food list for a 10-day moose hunt

As you can see... I'm getting 3,336 calories per day, with a weight penalty of 1.47 pounds per day. One guiding principle I've always used, is to not pack anything that is less than 100 calories per ounce.

The list above is my basic daily menu for sheep, moose and caribou hunts. On fly-in (non-backpack) hunts, I'll add camping gear and hunting equipment, then determine my total weight. If I'm below the allowable fly-in weight... I'll start adding nice-to-have foods, until I reach the max allowable weight.