Show me your Hunting Rig

[Elkhunterguy]

Im looking to see what some of you are using for your hunting rigs. Full size, mid size. Roof nest , sleep in rig? Sleep in back of truck? Do you have a Sweet set up that gets you deep in the woods to set up your tent? Im looking for ideas to build something. Pros and cons if you can think of any..

 

[Jimmy]

This one pretty much, I sleep in the bed. Works pretty good

 

[jcaud]

It doesn’t haul much but I’m usually pretty unsuccessful in the woods so I usually don’t have anything to take home. I did load out a turkey last spring with no problem. Pros are that it gets 50 mpg so I can hunt a lot for little cost. Cons are that it’s a Camry.

 

[IDVortex]

I have a 17 F250 Long Bed Crew Cab. I do not know a single positive of it for a hunting rig, and dont recommend it to anyone.

I am looking for hopefully a mid/late 90s Toyota, or a early 2000s Tacoma.

 

[survivalistd]

 

[LCguy]

2009 F-150. Has 4wd and that's about it. I'm far too tall to sleep in any truck but it gets me where I need to go.

 

[Tryin]

 

[khart_6882]

Wall tent and barrel stove and a 11 days worth of crap loaded.

 

[Skerhunter]

I have used full size diesels, half tons, and a mid size suv. For vehicles the fulls size diesels are obviously the worst for poor road/trail conditions. Mid sized SUV obviously fills up with gear the fastest, but will probably do best on poor road conditions.

I have used campers, enclosed trailer, large base camp tents (cabelas/wall tent), back packing tents (tipi and free standing) roof top tent, slept in back of SUV and slept in bed of truck with camper shell.

All of my hunts are out of state and typically 7-14 days in length. So if you are a weekend warrior what works for me might not be necessary for you. The biggest issue I have ran into is room for coolers + gear on elk hunts with multiple hunters, coolers take up a ton of space!

Camper/enclosed trailer make for the best camp set up. You get better sleep and can eat better (premade meals in microwave). This is important on long hunts. Obviously limited to where you can pull these.

Second best - sleeping in vehicle or roof top tent. This is great if you plan to bounce around to different areas every day. Only downside is having to load/unload gear every day.

 

[Cherokeeguide]

If you want to get as deep into the woods as you can get in something with four wheels and license plates, and are more concerned about that than what it rides like on a paved road, a CJ-2A is still the "gold standard." IMHO

You can re-gear the transfer case to get a lower low range, put a granny-gear four-speed in front of that, stuff a Vortec V6 under the hood, and locking differentials, and travel any open, legal route on Forest Service or BLM land with no fuss or drama.

 

[Cherokeeguide]

If you want to get deep in the woods, one of these is hard to beat, too.


My TJ below was 4 cylinder / 5 speed / AC / 4.11 ring and pinion gears, and limited-slip in the rear.

It was a 1998, bought in 2000. This photo taken the second day I had it. I got rid of the goofy looking wheels in short order.

I did the Rubicon Trail in this, as you see it except for changing the wheels and running 31 x 10.50 15 BFG MT tires.

This was almost as good as my CJ 2 A is on the trail but a hell of a lot more fun to live with on paved roads.

 

[SouthernCharm]

One of the better hunting rigs to take you till the end of the trail and bring you back. Down side, room is at a premium. Back in the day when I lived in Wyoming, had a 6.2 diesel 3/4 ton suburban. It was a tank and went everywhere, large fuel tank and decent fuel economy. Should have kept that.

 

[Coopsdaddy]

Tent camp the majority of the time but have a 4 inch mattress and tailgate screen for when I want a quick trip inside the camper.
Long bed is a must.I like to have nothing in bed so I use the full capacity and just use totes for gear.
Slide them out and sit under tailgate.
I have had different setups in the past and simple seems to fit my style better.
I have all my tools,but out bag,tow gear all tucked away in different nooks and crannies that don’t take away from any interior space.
Don’t like decked systems because it takes bed space,don’t like roof top tents because there a drag,top heavy and your vehicle is immobile if setup.

 

[Taudisio]

Space is limited. Places to go are not so much. 65ish mpg. I have soft luggage that carries my camping gear and an extra tank of gas. My other is a Nissan frontier. It won’t go as many places, but holds enough for 3 weeks in the woods, including the motorcycle if I want.

 

[Cherokeeguide]

My first car was a 69 VW Beetle. I lifted it, ran 235 / 15 BFG MT on the rear and 215 / 15 BFG MT on the front and built a 2.3 liter, 140 hp engine for it. Kept fenders and deck lid. It was like a SCORE Class 11 car. I could get a lot of places in it but I had to go too damn fast to do it.

I bought a new Suzuki Samurai in 1986. I should have NEVER parted with that.

Replaced the Samurai with a rare short-wheelbase Isuzu Trooper RS. It was a POS.

Replaced the Trooper RS with a '73 Ford Bronco.

I used the Bronco until it got demolished by a big-rig.

Ex-wife bought the TJ in my photos in this thread for my birthday. I was working a deal on a Land Rover Discovery when she called my cell and told me she had a surprise for me on our driveway.

Ran the TJ until it, too, got totaled while parked.

Ran a two-door XJ briefly. It didn't pass CA smog. Dealer refunded me.

Found a CJ-2A and have used my CJ 2 A for 20 years now.

I can get away with little short-wheelbase things like the Samurai, TJ, and CJ-2A because I bought an M-416 military cargo trailer after I bought my Samurai that I had and I still have that trailer, which will go everywhere the vehicle pullin it can.

 

[LongWayAround]

The Silverado Inn.

 

[LongWayAround]

This guy drives a Subaru Cabin, he's got the right idea.

 

[Dawg In Montana]

 

[Idaho4x4Bronco]

Replaced the Trooper RS with a '73 Ford Bronco.

I used the Bronco until it got demolished by a big-rig.

I'm very glad you're okay and made it through that, also that is a damn tragedy to lose a EB

 

[fmyth]

View attachment 1052661View attachment 1052660View attachment 1052657Space is limited. Places to go are not so much. 65ish mpg. I have soft luggage that carries my camping gear and an extra tank of gas. My other is a Nissan frontier. It won’t go as many places, but holds enough for 3 weeks in the woods, including the motorcycle if I want.

Waiting for a pic of the bear loaded on the bike.