My 2024 Dall Pack LIst

[colin_outdoors]

As others have noted, much of what you need will be based on what is provided by the guide, shared items, etc. My priorities on sheep trips usually revolve around cutting as much weight as possible, sacrificing some comfort in the process. This may not be as high of a priority for you given the nature of your trip, so take these suggestion with a heavy helping of sale.

Based on time of year, location, etc. I'd say you can...

Ditch the Following
-bivy
-one power bank, consider adding a 5w solar panel for the same or less weight than battery banks
-bino adapter, no need for sheep in my opinion
-backup headlamp
-swiss army knife
-mattress pump
-pillow, a pile of puffy clothes in a stuff sack work fine
-food warmer pouch, puffy layers work fine to keep food warm while rehydrating
-water filter
-wiggies
-glassing pad
-pee bag/bottle
-pack cover, use a garbage or trash compactor bag to house stuff that needs to stay dry inside pack
-puffy pants
-extra underwear
-one pair of gloves
-neck gaitor
-bug jacket
-head net
-one knife, keep the havalon
-1.75 boxes of ammo
-rifle and scope covers
-fire making kit

Some others thoughts.

I second the Reactor over the Pocket Rocket. The Windburner would be lighter still.

A 3/4 length sleeping pad is just fine for August. Put extra clothing layers under your legs and feet.

I go back and forth on the sil tarp. More often than not lately I bring an emergency blanket and leave the sil tarp at the trailhead on sheep trips.

Good luck!

You're ruthless, I love it! I wonder what all of the above weighs

 

[cbeard64]

Every trip I’ve been on has been with an outfitter because 1) I am from TX and 2) I ain’t in good enough shape to pack 60 lbs around for miles and miles and 100+ lbs on a pack out anyway. So I like to pack light gear and shave ounces precisely because I’m not a mountain warrior.

But I do have an honest question: if you are capable of packing a ram out on a walk-in backpack hunt, why is an extra 10-20 lbs going in such a concern for so many?

I presume it’s to conserve energy, etc. But if I were in as good a shape as many I know are I always assumed packing in a few extra pounds would be worth it. Just curious on your thoughts….

 

[mtwarden]

Well it's 10-20 lbs added to 40-50 lbs of pack/rifle/optics/camp weight and then add to it- x pounds of boned meat/head and cape, soooo... instead of lets say 100 lbs (which is a big time bitch regardless of your shape!)- it's now 110-120 lbs

If at all possible I try to keep my packs at/under a 100 lbs if at all possible- adding 10-20 lbs of extra stuff makes it almost impossible to do that when packing out meat- regardless of species.

 

[j3butch]

Every trip I’ve been on has been with an outfitter because 1) I am from TX and 2) I ain’t in good enough shape to pack 60 lbs around for miles and miles and 100+ lbs on a pack out anyway. So I like to pack light gear and shave ounces precisely because I’m not a mountain warrior.

But I do have an honest question: if you are capable of packing a ram out on a walk-in backpack hunt, why is an extra 10-20 lbs going in such a concern for so many?

I presume it’s to conserve energy, etc. But if I were in as good a shape as many I know are I always assumed packing in a few extra pounds would be worth it. Just curious on your thoughts….

I'm not an expert or will ever be in as good a shape as I'd like to be but from my experience hunting my home state of CO I do shave as much weight as possible while still enjoying some key comfort items for me personally. I'm the kind of guy that will spend the money to shave a pound or two IF it is a better piece of kit. 10-20 pounds extra is a huge difference to 5 extra pounds IMO but I guess it is all relative. If I can shave 2 pounds in one place that opens the option to bring the spotter when otherwise I might be on the fence.
Luckily for me I should not have to hike in a full pack or hike out camp plus meat on this hunt.

 

[j3butch]

Well it's 10-20 lbs added to 40-50 lbs of pack/rifle/optics/camp weight and then add to it- x pounds of boned meat/head and cape, soooo... instead of lets say 100 lbs (which is a big time bitch regardless of your shape!)- it's now 110-120 lbs

If at all possible I try to keep my packs at/under a 100 lbs if at all possible- adding 10-20 lbs of extra stuff makes it almost impossible to do that when packing out meat- regardless of species.

85 pounds seems to be my tipping point. I could do more but I try to avoid it at all costs.

 

[MT_Wyatt]

^ Ahhhh

Exo said on past podcast around 4oz gain or so in absorbed weight from water, I guess Steve tested it? I would have guessed a lot more, but hate pack covers so when I read that, started using a "nyloflume" pack liner instead.

 

[Murtfree]

I’m not sure if your outfitter gave you a list of what to bring but if this is a chopper hunt in the NWT I would think they would be supplying a lot of what you are bringing and they will ask you to leave a lot at base camp to save on weight and space in the chopper, so why even take it in the first place. I’ll be going on my 3rd hunt this September and my list keeps getting smaller each time; but my list for my first trip looked similar to yours. I was on a Chopper hunt possibly with the same outfitter as you and they only wanted us to bring a spork and cup as far as cook/food gear. I didn’t need any of my own food although I did take a few snack items for in between, but even that was honestly unnecessary. After my first hunt I gave up on the spotter, tripod and digiscope setup, I found very little to no use for it. Most all viewing was done by Bino’s and on the occasion when a spotter was necessary it was only for a brief view to see if a stalk was necessary for some borderline animal which was seldom; let the guide pack the extra 5 pounds. For my upcoming hunt I am cutting back farther and taking little to no snacks and thinning down on the clothing. I will take a set of good rain gear and a puffy set which became necessary when we got pinned down for over 5 hours by the ram we were stalking. With a Helo hunt you probably won’t even have to pack out your animal. They set the chopper down within 20 yards of where my ram dropped and picked up moose and caribou for others by cable slung under the chopper. I have a Canon pocket sized camera with 40X zoom for pictures plus cell phone and I’ll never travel without a piss bottle. But I found a new one for this years hunt that collapses down to nothing when not in use but opens up and is semi rigid like a Nalgene bottle when open. I think a ziplock bag could lead to disaster in a tent.

My chopper hunt was a well oiled machine so check with your outfitter on what you will actually need.

 

[ColeyG]

You're ruthless, I love it! I wonder what all of the above weighs

No, I am just soft and weak and hate humping heavy packs over mountains

For me, the difference between 50lbs and 60lbs is the difference between being able to go all day up and down the hill at a relatively good pace, and getting smoked and having to quit early.

Carrying half a sheep and camp for any distance and/or elevation gain is brutal work. Carrying 100lbs in technical/no fall terrain just doesn't work.

Ounces equal pounds and pounds equal pain...

 

[Giles19]

A roll of Copenhagen for your guide, gotta take a mortgage out now to be able to afford it in Canada

 

[j3butch]

A roll of Copenhagen for your guide, gotta take a mortgage out now to be able to afford it in Canada

Yup

 

[Fishn4eyes]

Very organized list, nice job.

I tend to pack like you. Take too much and it's tough for me to shed weight and leave stuff behind. I'd rather carry a couple extra pounds personally and don't notice it much after the first day.

Sure you can get by with one less pair of socks and a set of clean undies.

But damn, I like to switch socks out and a clean pair of undies every 4 days sure is nice!

Overall, I think your list is pretty damn good. No reason to not take it all into base camp and whittle it down there if your guide advises.

Lots of good advice on this thread from some very experienced guys.

 

[j3butch]

Updated list. Still not 100% dialed in though. The items that have a gold star are those that will be in my Day Hunting pack. The rest will be at the tent and choppered in. Thanks for the feedback
https://lighterpack.com/r/iaoz9l

 

[fngTony]

Updated list. Still not 100% dialed in though. The items that have a gold star are those that will be in my Day Hunting pack. The rest will be at the tent and choppered in. Thanks for the feedback
https://lighterpack.com/r/iaoz9l

You have several items missing their weight such as your boots. You have three base layer shirts, are you still deciding between them?

 

[j3butch]

Updated list. Still not 100% dialed in though. The items that have a gold star are those that will be in my Day Hunting pack. The rest will be at the tent and choppered in. Thanks for the feedback
https://lighterpack.com/r/iaoz9l

Sorry, this one is updated. https://lighterpack.com/r/iaoz9l

 

[j3butch]

You have several items missing their weight such as your boots. You have three base layer shirts, are you still deciding between them?

Yea, boots are going and wearing them so didn't weigh them. Correct on the base layers, the arcteryx won't be going. Missed that one on the list.

 

[fngTony]

Personal preference but I can’t do a loaded up bino harness, too bulky and hot. You might find yourself moving some items to your pack and eventually getting a smaller lighter weight harness. For right now go with it as you need to try it to know what works.

On a general note about weight I still weigh everything because I’m a dork. Worn weight doesn’t matter as much as carried weight except for boots but they have to fit and perform for the environment. So don’t get lighter boots just to cut weight but pants and anything else that you will wear all the time not as big of a deal (weight restriction fly in hunts might be an exception).

 

[bluemaroon]

A roll of Copenhagen for your guide, gotta take a mortgage out now to be able to afford it in Canada

Critical piece of gear to bring anytime you’re heading to Canada for hunting or work.

 

[MT_Wyatt]

Apart from the multiple baselayers tops(looks like core LW, kuiu 145 merino and the dead bird quarter zip) I’d say the really light gloves (Mirkas and the other pair) could be redundant, but (camp) might equal leaving on tent? I’d only take what you’re willing to carry.

Most of the rest of that list looked fairly standard to me, you’re to the point you are just cutting redundancy and trimming weight on things you have. Those insulated mugs are nice but you could shave an ounce or two going with a silicone collapsible version, for example.

 

[mtwarden]

What are you bringing for water capacity? It says 16 oz, probably a misprint. You’ll definitely want a minimum of couple of liter capacity- might not be using all of it, but there are definitely times when water will be hard to get.

It doesn’t happen a lot (but it did on my hunt ), but might want to think about a contingency if you get stuck on the side of a mountain for the night. Be sure you’re guide has an adequate sized tarp for two - for glassing or a night out. Your glassing pad and puffies will go a long ways in that scenario. The two guides (guide and packer) didn’t have a pad and I don’t think they had puffy bottoms either. They suffered; the guide actually used my sheep cape for some insulation from the ground

 

[j3butch]

What are you bringing for water capacity? It says 16 oz, probably a misprint. You’ll definitely want a minimum of couple of liter capacity- might not be using all of it, but there are definitely times when water will be hard to get.

It doesn’t happen a lot (but it did on my hunt ), but might want to think about a contingency if you get stuck on the side of a mountain for the night. Be sure you’re guide has an adequate sized tarp for two - for glassing or a night out. Your glassing pad and puffies will go a long ways in that scenario. The two guides (guide and packer) didn’t have a pad and I don’t think they had puffy bottoms either. They suffered; the guide actually used my sheep cape for some insulation from the ground

I’ll have a 3L platypus and an ultra light Nalgene. I thought about packing my Bora Bivy but cut it out as I’ll have the 3/4 length z pad and puffy top and bottom with me always.