My Buddy's DIY Backpacking 6x6

[Mad Mountain Mike]

Looks like it's all been said but it's worth saying again, great write up and photos (beautiful country), and congratulations on a nice elk.

 

[nflesher]

Looks like an awesome hunt! Not to derail your thread, but what camera did you use to take these photos?

 

[CrzyTrekker]

flesher, thanks!

I use a NEX-6. These pics were taken with the 15-60 kit lens. I shoot RAW and develop my pictures in Lightroom.

 

[ElkNut1]

Very nice, you will always remember your 1st girlfriend & your 1st elk! (grin) I enjoyed the story too!

ElkNut1

 

[arffdog875]

Congrats on a nice bull! Great story and photos!

 

[topher89]

Old thread but what is the orange jacket in picture 4? It looks like a Patagonia Nano Puff (which I am considering purchasing) but I can't tell

 

[CrzyTrekker]

topher - Yes, it's the older version of the Nano Puff. Not sure if it was actually called "Nano Puff." Might be able to find it on Craigslist or eBay.

Love it for September/October muzzleloader/rifle hunts. I also have the new Nano Puff Hoody. The older jacket is heavier and slightly warmer. I take the lighter Hoody jacket for summer trips in the Colorado high country and use the heavier orange jacket for backpacking trips in the fall. The orange jacket is bright enough that you might decide not to wear a blaze orange vest over it.

Cheers,

Eric

 

[CrzyTrekker]

I think it was called the "Micro Puff" jacket.

 

[topher89]

Do you feel like you could layer well with your Nano Puff Hoody? Maybe wear a fleece or merino zip top underneath? Or wear it underneath another jacket?

I am very interested in purchasing an orange hoody but am curious about how versatile it will be. I know I can wear it as a stand alone during the summer but I also want to be able to layer it for hunting.

 

[CrzyTrekker]

With the Nano Puff Hoody, I layer a Patagonia R2 jacket and lightweight Capilene base layer underneath if chilly. I find that I rarely need both the R2 and the Nano Puff Hoody at the same time unless it's early morning or late in the evening and chilly. This is my summer setup for backpacking. It would work for late fall trips if you used a heavier-weight base layer. I like the heavier Patagonia Capilene 3 zip pullover shirt as a base layer for October elk hunts when there is a chance of snow, sleet, or whatever. I sometimes carry a Patagonia Torrentshell Jacket in my pack to layer on top of the Nano Puff Hoody if it rains or snows, but I can count the number of times I've worn the Torrentshell Jacket on one hand - don't usually need it in Colorado. I usually prefer to just get a little wet and air dry.

In my personal opinion, the Nano Puff Hoody is an extremely versatile puffy jacket, and the orange color works well during muzzy/rifle seasons.

 

[Olydog09]

I am curious how the XT-85 did for meat packing?

 

[topher89]

Thanks! That is the answer I was looking for. Patagonia has an awesome color they call smoked green but the jacket and hoody do not come in that color. I will probably pick up the orange hood but wouldn't mind the jacket

Thanks for the answer and great report

 

[landmark]

The XT-85 worked just fine, but I was only packing one quarter at a time, so it wasn't really over burdened.

 

[Olydog09]

The XT-85 worked just fine, but I was only packing one quarter at a time, so it wasn't really over burdened.

That is great news. The quarters fit just fine in it I am assuming. I am not a He-man so around 65-80lbs is going to be max for me. I bought one recently and am making some upgrades. I took the load adjusting straps and added buckles to each end. Now it buckles at the sides like they all do but the tag ends come together in the middle of the pack with a buckle and I can adjust the straps at the middle. Kind of hard to explain. If anybody sees this and is interested pm me and I can send pics. I also just purchased a Kifaru Bikini waist belt and aluminum Kifaru stays to beef it up with.

 

[daved270]

Great read! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Buckman]

Just saw this, congrats to landmark, great bull. Amazing photos too. Don't know how you guys got it done without wearing camo duds? Can you tell me what your secret is?

 

[CrzyTrekker]

Don't know how you guys got it done without wearing camo duds? Can you tell me what your secret is?

I sacrifice a cat before each hunt.

 

[topher89]

I sacrifice a cat before each hunt.

Hahaha!

 

[landmark]

Just saw this, congrats to landmark, great bull. Amazing photos too. Don't know how you guys got it done without wearing camo duds? Can you tell me what your secret is?

I've never really seen the point of using camo on a rifle hunt. Besides, in Colorado you're required to wear 500 in^2 of blaze orange for deer and elk rifle hunts, and it can't be in a camo pattern, so why bother? Just a newbie's opinion.

 

[topher89]

Well I ended up getting a NWT Micro Puff jacket off of ebay for like $80!

Thanks for the recommendation Crzytrekker!