Nine Day High Hunt Pack List

[Carolina joe]

I don't believe rain gear to be superfluous or madness at all. I have worked as a lineman for 24 years and have been in my share of rain. You certainly can sweat in it if you don't come out of some layers but it can also keep you from freezing to death too. Nope, I wouldn't compare my rain gear to a pop tart, my rain gear goes where I go.

 

[Shrek]

I was looking back over it and I don't see much I would cut but I'm glad I'm not sharing a tent with you for 9 days...UA long johns ! 4 day old UA funk is like when your dog rolls in something long dead. I can't imagine 9 day funk ! Thats the kind of stink when you can't be in an enclosed space with yourself.

 

[Travis1984]

Ha, I am debating on even taking them...I doubt I'll wear them. I'll be checking the weather ahead of time.

 

[TRIPLE]

My only comments would be to not carry in so much water, she's a real heavy bitch. I usually carry and replenish a 20 or 32 oz bottle at a time then fill up my bladder at the final ascent. You could probably ditch a fuel canister as well.

 

[Travis1984]

Water sources are not close.

 

[fillthefreezer]

first time in this country i went in with my standard 2L, boy was i getting nervous around 2pm when we still hadnt hit a water source

 

[Snyd]

Some of these guys need to suck it up. You're not too heavy. Especially when you consider that includes packing that much water. How much does your gear/rifle weigh, no food or water? That's what counts.

I don't get hung up on food and water weight because it goes away. Sometimes I'm only packing 1 or 2 liters of water but can pack 9 liters if needed.

I do see one problem though... You need more coffee! 1.25lbs of find ground deep, dark roast is perfect for 2 guys for a week Remember... this is supposed to be fun!

 

[Jager]

Justin I am not saying weight doesn't matter, merely pointing out that cutting straps etc out of a pack to 'lighten' a load and yet carrying 'pop tarts', rain gear or a sleeping mat doesn't add up. Point is, rather than concentrating on cutting toothbrush handles off to save weight, concentrate on things, that you really can get by without.

Water is the number 1 and first item that should be considered.

Travis, not having a go at the pop tarts, just using them as an example.

 

[Travis1984]

Justin I am not saying weight doesn't matter, merely pointing out that cutting straps etc out of a pack to 'lighten' a load and yet carrying 'pop tarts', rain gear or a sleeping mat doesn't add up. Point is, rather than concentrating on cutting toothbrush handles off to save weight, concentrate on things, that you really can get by without.

Water is the number 1 and first item that should be considered.

Travis, not having a go at the pop tarts, just using them as an example.

No big deal. They easily meet the calorie requirement, and I can eat them for days on end...oatmeal I can't.

 

[fillthefreezer]

I do see one problem though... You need more coffee! 1.25lbs of find ground deep, dark roast is perfect for 2 guys for a week Remember... this is supposed to be fun!

lol! i wont be pinching any of his coffee, i never touch the stuff.
you guys might bust a guy when i post my list next week and you see how much whisky is packed

 

[dirtytough]

You can say suck it up all you want but 150+ pound packs suck when you are in 10-15-20 miles from the truck. I will be hunting the high hunt also for about the same amount of time, and if I'm over 50 pounds it will be because I'm bringing my canon and an extra pair of binos to test out.

 

[Snyd]

You can say suck it up all you want but 150+ pound packs suck when you are in 10-15-20 miles from the truck....

Been there done that more than a few times. Isn't that what backpack hunters sign up for?? 60-65lbs going in is a pretty standard weight for a DIY sheep hunter which is where I'm coming from. More for a 12 day trip.

It cracks my up to read all these posts about 55-65lbs being TOO HEAVY for a backpack hunter. More so figuring that most of you guys moaning about too much weight are probably half my age to boot! 61lbs including a bunch of water and food for 9 days ain't squat. Suck it up, go kill something and don't cry when you're packing out 100-150 lb pack!! My partner and I did it last month 15 miles in and we're 52 and 53! Same hunt last year and we pulled out 2 rams so that doubled the mileage.

I think this day and age of ultralight, golite, go fast stuff is raising a new breed.... The UltraLightWeight Hunter.

Best of luck to you boys, I hope you're successful.

 

[Justin Crossley]

Why would you want to carry more weight if you don't have to Snyd? Everyone can do it however they want but I prefer to go in as light as possible for a couple reasons.

1. The weight of my pack when I start directly affects how far in and up I can hunt.

2. I would much rather take a single trip out instead of multiple if possible.

 

[Snyd]

Don't miss my point Justin. The OP is talking 61lbs INCLUDING 7lbs of water AND food for 9 days. To hear guys say it's too heavy tickles my funny bone and makes me shake my head and wonder how many 7-12 day backcountry hunts they've been on and if they'd hold up when comes time to pack out that ram or buck 10-20+ miles. Let alone 2 if 2 guys double up.

Believe me, I understand the purpose for packing only what you need and not packing extra, useless weight. I've trimmed my gear over the years to what I am willing, and want to carry. (About 38lbs on a 2 man hunt plus food and water, I end up between 55-65lbs depending, and we choose to pack a 8lb 4 season tent) But sheese.... there comes a time when a guy needs to suck it up, take what you need and what you have, throw on the pack and deal with it.... If 61lbs all up going in on a 9 day hunt is "too heavy" for a guy then he might as well stay home and surf the internet forums.

Travis... Throw in some extra food, you can handle another 2-3lbs. You won't always be packing 7lbs of water and after the first day the extra food will be down the hatch. Are you guys packing one or two spotters? With 2 guys 1 spotter, 1 ranger finder and 1 camera is a good place to save weight/bulk and reduce redundancy. Then you can pack more food.

 

[Jason Snyder]

Looking at his list I don't really see a lot of superfluous stuff that should be left home. Sometimes it is what it is. You can only leave behind so much stuff.

I agree, with food for 9 days and water I wouldn't worry about the weight a bit.

It's funny that guys will obsess about losing a few pounds out of their pack, when most of us can drop 5-10 off of our bodies if we would work at it.

 

[Jager]

You'll be good to go Travis, and will soon workout over the duration of your hunt what you could have left behind, the weight isn't too bad, as long a FTF doesn't sneak a few rocks into your pack when your not looking, always a good trick to pull on your mates.

The main aim is to enjoy yourself.

150 pounds seems to be the 'hardman' benchmark these days, I just wonder how many have actually carried a load like this any distance, fact is, it is HEAVY and extremely unmanageable. Forget this business of a big man can carry a big load, just doesn't work like that. Carrying 150# 15-20 miles, well, anyone that's attempted it will know what i'm talking about.

 

[HellsCanyon]

Given the choice I'd chose 2 lbs off my pack vs 5 on my body (even if I had an extra 5 which I don't).

Hauling 60 lbs in on relatively flat ground over 10-20 miles is WAY different than hauling 60 lbs in when you have a couple 1-3+ mile stretches of 1000'+ elevation gain/loss per mile. I'd take 12 miles on valley floors over 6 miles and 6k'+ any day of the week.

Mike

 

[Travis1984]

Been an interesting discussion. I wasn't really planning on dropping anything, just posting for general information.

My base equipment list minus food and water is 39.412 pounds. I will note when comparing to some other people pack lists here, that I "could" get my pack down extremely small if I didn't count my rifle...or my binos and bino harness (since it's not in my pack). But in my mind, that's not really giving a true indication of what your pack actually weighs coming in.

Another thing to think, by the time I get to camp, my pack will weigh approximately EIGHT pounds less as I should be close to out of water and eaten my breakfast and lunch allotment for that day.

So day 1 end of day I will be at 54 LBS, and it will drop approximately 1.8 lbs per day, eventually getting down to around 40 LBS by the trips end. I'm not taking two trips out with an animal.

Thanks again guys for the good discussion and happy hunting.

 

[scheffdawg]

Don't forget, I'll be replenishing the supplies with additional whiskey, box wine, and sausages on day 3 or 4. That, of course, assumes I don't consume it all before I make it to the top.

Oh, and there will be 3 of us to share the load of my buck on the way down....

 

[fillthefreezer]

all the whisky im packing will most likely be gone by the time you arrive, what other delish fair are you bringing?