Shred it (My packing list)

[jacob_ski4]

With the Alaska draw results released, looks like I'll be putting off my goal of an archery mountain goat for '26 and sheep will be the primary focus. Drew an October archery tag and am looking for input from the experienced sheep guys to help dial in my kit from early season mountain goat to late season sheep where I can expect more miles and colder weather.

Some notes on the LighterPack list:
-If the weather is looking bad before heading out, I may end up adding semi-auto crampons/snowshoes. I figure a light pack does me no good if I can't safely access sheep country.
-I got super lucky and this tag is out my back door. I'll have time to scout up to the season start and will have a good idea of what access I'll be using to access drainages. I may or may not cut out the gaiters if I'm sticking to hard ground that's snow free.
-This tag is an any ram tag so I dont see a need to spend the coin on upgrading the spotter (as much as I may want to). I will however be upgrading binos to the 10x42 ELs (or similar) before this hunt in case I've got to find white sheep on white mountains.
-Rangefinder is getting upgraded to something else, mine is junk.
-My bow is a boat anchor and I wish it was lighter, but I cant reduce the weight with the amount of confidence I've got in this setup.

Please feel free to criticize my list. Tell me what could be lighter, where X item burned you in the past, or about items you wished you had on day 9. Thanks to all the previous members who've worked through gear list, they've all gone a long way in getting a 75lbs 10 day pack to where it is today.

https://lighterpack.com/r/8ubwjg

 

[jofes]

List looks really good, I'd say the only place to drop weight is in the pack itself. There are lighter options.
Not sure how big you are but I have a hard time eating all of my calories when busy hiking, glassing is another story.

Main thing is find a buddy to pack your spotter!
Good luck.

 

[MT_Wyatt]

Sleep system is always ripe - hopefully some of the Sheep guys will chime in. The tent is the place I see where you might be able to gain some ground perhaps, that I see, but wind is always a real consideration.

Pack sticks out as another place to save weight.

Tripod is another place you could save going to an Aziak or similar.

All three of those options suck b/c what you have is not bad at all. I'd look at what the potential difference is - maybe 2 lb savings on pack, another 1lb on shelter, 1/2lb on tripod? Gets you under 60lb but 3.5 lb isn't earth shattering.

 

[jacob_ski4]

List looks really good, I'd say the only place to drop weight is in the pack itself. There are lighter options.
Not sure how big you are but I have a hard time eating all of my calories when busy hiking, glassing is another story.

Main thing is find a buddy to pack your spotter!
Good luck.

5' 11", 170lbs. I've got the same problem as you with calories, way easier eating them stationary than on move. I used this food list last year on a 10 day slog of a goat hunt and felt fueled up until the last day, which in my mind was about perfect.

Debated on adding the note about the extra person before posting, but I guess its relevant. I'll likely have my dad with me on this trip who has always great about splitting weight where we can. So on shared items, I guess we could consider that weight cut 33%-50%.

 

[CHL]

I agree with @jofes on the pack. Definitely lighter (and better options IMO) ones to take with ya.

 

[jacob_ski4]

Sleep system is always ripe - hopefully some of the Sheep guys will chime in. The tent is the place I see where you might be able to gain some ground perhaps, that I see, but wind is always a real consideration.

Pack sticks out as another place to save weight.

Tripod is another place you could save going to an Aziak or similar.

All three of those options suck b/c what you have is not bad at all. I'd look at what the potential difference is - maybe 2 lb savings on pack, another 1lb on shelter, 1/2lb on tripod? Gets you under 60lb but 3.5 lb isn't earth shattering.

Shelter is what I've been looking hardest at, and depending on the day, I bounce back and forth between a Hilleberg, Ultamid 2p, or to just stick with what I've got. I havent weighed it yet, but if the weather is cold enough that bugs wont be bad and its not supposed to rain a lot, I guess I could leave the insert at home and save some oz there. Wind and snow load are at the top of my concerns right now. I'll be getting my tent out in the mountains with the next bout of bad weather we get and really stress testing it.

Waiting to see what Exo comes out with with their K4X next year as the K4 frame feels as good as Kifaru on me, but I think I'll probably deal with the weight penalty on the Kifaru until that K4X comes out.

 

[mtnbound]

With the Alaska draw results released, looks like I'll be putting off my goal of an archery mountain goat for '26 and sheep will be the primary focus. Drew an October archery tag and am looking for input from the experienced sheep guys to help dial in my kit from early season mountain goat to late season sheep where I can expect more miles and colder weather.

Some notes on the LighterPack list:
-If the weather is looking bad before heading out, I may end up adding semi-auto crampons/snowshoes. I figure a light pack does me no good if I can't safely access sheep country.
-I got super lucky and this tag is out my back door. I'll have time to scout up to the season start and will have a good idea of what access I'll be using to access drainages. I may or may not cut out the gaiters if I'm sticking to hard ground that's snow free.
-This tag is an any ram tag so I dont see a need to spend the coin on upgrading the spotter (as much as I may want to). I will however be upgrading binos to the 10x42 ELs (or similar) before this hunt in case I've got to find white sheep on white mountains.
-Rangefinder is getting upgraded to something else, mine is junk.
-My bow is a boat anchor and I wish it was lighter, but I cant reduce the weight with the amount of confidence I've got in this setup.

Please feel free to criticize my list. Tell me what could be lighter, where X item burned you in the past, or about items you wished you had on day 9. Thanks to all the previous members who've worked through gear list, they've all gone a long way in getting a 75lbs 10 day pack to where it is today.

https://lighterpack.com/r/8ubwjg

With the Alaska draw results released, looks like I'll be putting off my goal of an archery mountain goat for '26 and sheep will be the primary focus. Drew an October archery tag and am looking for input from the experienced sheep guys to help dial in my kit from early season mountain goat to late season sheep where I can expect more miles and colder weather.

Some notes on the LighterPack list:
-If the weather is looking bad before heading out, I may end up adding semi-auto crampons/snowshoes. I figure a light pack does me no good if I can't safely access sheep country.
-I got super lucky and this tag is out my back door. I'll have time to scout up to the season start and will have a good idea of what access I'll be using to access drainages. I may or may not cut out the gaiters if I'm sticking to hard ground that's snow free.
-This tag is an any ram tag so I dont see a need to spend the coin on upgrading the spotter (as much as I may want to). I will however be upgrading binos to the 10x42 ELs (or similar) before this hunt in case I've got to find white sheep on white mountains.
-Rangefinder is getting upgraded to something else, mine is junk.
-My bow is a boat anchor and I wish it was lighter, but I cant reduce the weight with the amount of confidence I've got in this setup.

Please feel free to criticize my list. Tell me what could be lighter, where X item burned you in the past, or about items you wished you had on day 9. Thanks to all the previous members who've worked through gear list, they've all gone a long way in getting a 75lbs 10 day pack to where it is today.

https://lighterpack.com/r/8ubwjg

I think you are pretty light as it is and lighter than me just in the food area by several pounds so you’re good there.

Yes you could save some weight with a different pack but it’s a lot of money to then turn around and buy another pack the next season so I get just using what you got.

You could look at a Durston XMid or similar tent.

With it being an any ram tag, you could drop the spotting scope and upgrade your binos to the 15x area and maybe save some weight by packing one optic.

 

[jacob_ski4]

I think you are pretty light as it is and lighter than me just in the food area by several pounds so you’re good there.

Yes you could save some weight with a different pack but it’s a lot of money to then turn around and buy another pack the next season so I get just using what you got.

You could look at a Durston XMid or similar tent.

With it being an any ram tag, you could drop the spotting scope and upgrade your binos to the 15x area and maybe save some weight by packing one optic.

You bring up a valid point on dropping the spotting scope. I guess this is the type of thing I’ll figure out during the summer, but how far are guys able to identify a ram vs ewe vs young male with say 10x42s? I was considering the spotting scope in case I ended up glassing across drainages, but maybe that’s not necessary.

 

[tipsntails7]

Tent is one spot to look, but if you like it I’d stick with what you know.

You already mentioned your food, but that seems pretty light per day to me.

Outside of that, it looks pretty dialed tbh.

 

[mtnbound]

You bring up a valid point on dropping the spotting scope. I guess this is the type of thing I’ll figure out during the summer, but how far are guys able to identify a ram vs ewe vs young male with say 10x42s? I was considering the spotting scope in case I ended up glassing across drainages, but maybe that’s not necessary.

If I were dropping the spotter, I would want binos of higher power than 10.

 

[Grassymike]

I have and use the Katedyn Befree filter Sheep hunting here in Alberta. One thing to keep in mind is you can't let it freeze. I tuck it in my bag at night ,and in a inside coat pocket if it is below freezing in the day. I think you are doing very well at 60 lbs. for ten days. My pack was 58 last year for 9 days including my rifle. Hope you have a great hunt.

 

[jacob_ski4]

If I were dropping the spotter, I would want binos of higher power than 10.

In that case I'll probably end up sticking with the bino/spotter combo. I end up using my binos in close too often to not be able to glass with one hand. Might end up going 8x32 or 10x32 and save some oz there, I'll see what deals pop up in the next couple of months.

I have and use the Katedyn Befree filter Sheep hunting here in Alberta. One thing to keep in mind is you can't let it freeze. I tuck it in my bag at night ,and in a inside coat pocket if it is below freezing in the day. I think you are doing very well at 60 lbs. for ten days. My pack was 58 last year for 9 days including my rifle. Hope you have a great hunt.

Absolutely. In colder temps the filter lives in the chest pocket of my lightweight hoody. However, that base layer has to go and get replaced. I wore it on a hike this weekend and remembered just how bad that thing gets to smelling. Going to have to keep that filter issue in mind when picking out something new. Love the steripen concept, but I've almost thrown that POS off the mountain one too many times.


Since this is a living list I'll note some changes. I added the sidearm to the list. Too many brownies in the area to depend on undeveloped sword skills with an arrow in hand. Looks like I have a lead on a lighter pack system, and worse case I'll borrow a buddies SG. So add 3 lbs for the pistol and cut 3 lbs for the pack, we're back to 60lbs. Another thing to upgrade is the pants to something with knee pads. I spent a good chunk of this years caribou hunts on my knees and oh lord what a difference those knee pads made. For archery hunts, I'll skip the baby wipes before stalking 400 yards on my knees without knee pads again.

Still on the hunt for the perfect boot. I've got wider feet and am trying to find an uninsulated/B2 boot. Love the idea of something lighter, but to this point I've had no luck with the toeboxes. I've got a pair of Meindl Glockners showing up next week, and if those dont work the next on the list is Zamberlan 2092s. Why crispi isnt putting heel welts on their stiffer boots is beyond me.

Appreciate the feedback from everyone to this point. I'll keep this thread updated as changes are made so it can hopefully be of use for someone in the future.

 

[Sneaker]

I hated my Kenetrek gators. Maybe your are a different model or something by mine were super lose and hated them. SG or Kuiu are solid and tighter.

I have had some bad luck with power banks lasting. I went with a 10k and a lightweight solar charger last year on my hunt and it was money, charged everything up a bunch with the solar charger, including all the guides stuff that he said he never runs out of juice he was very grateful to barrow it. Just leave it exposed to the sun outside the tent, run the cord into the tent to charge power banks during the day. Charge your stuff by power bank at night.

I don’t see any stuff for blisters, hopefully you are one of the lucky guys that never has issues. I pretape my issue spots at big toes and heals with Leuko tape, put KT tape over the top of that (so the tape glue doesn’t work its way through to the socks, this tape will stay for a few days for me), then I do toe socks on top of that, then darn tough on top of that. It’s a whole process but that’s the only thing that keeps me good to go day after day hiking all over the planet! Haha

 

[carsonkeys]

With the Alaska draw results released, looks like I'll be putting off my goal of an archery mountain goat for '26 and sheep will be the primary focus. Drew an October archery tag and am looking for input from the experienced sheep guys to help dial in my kit from early season mountain goat to late season sheep where I can expect more miles and colder weather.

Some notes on the LighterPack list:
-If the weather is looking bad before heading out, I may end up adding semi-auto crampons/snowshoes. I figure a light pack does me no good if I can't safely access sheep country.
-I got super lucky and this tag is out my back door. I'll have time to scout up to the season start and will have a good idea of what access I'll be using to access drainages. I may or may not cut out the gaiters if I'm sticking to hard ground that's snow free.
-This tag is an any ram tag so I dont see a need to spend the coin on upgrading the spotter (as much as I may want to). I will however be upgrading binos to the 10x42 ELs (or similar) before this hunt in case I've got to find white sheep on white mountains.
-Rangefinder is getting upgraded to something else, mine is junk.
-My bow is a boat anchor and I wish it was lighter, but I cant reduce the weight with the amount of confidence I've got in this setup.

Please feel free to criticize my list. Tell me what could be lighter, where X item burned you in the past, or about items you wished you had on day 9. Thanks to all the previous members who've worked through gear list, they've all gone a long way in getting a 75lbs 10 day pack to where it is today.

https://lighterpack.com/r/8ubwjg

Congrats on the sheep tag! I also drew a sheep tag I'm really excited about.

There's a guy on Youtube called Tundra to Tide that just released a video of the hunt I think you drew. I'd watch that video and consider running your list by him. He also has a few other sheep hunts on there, all of which are my favorite sheep hunting videos.

I have no affiliation with him, but he just comes off as a really genuine dude.

 

[BillNye]

Sounds like the chugach tag, I hunt the registration moose tag back there a lot and frequently see them on the east side of Ship Pass between Willawaw and Temptation. Would probably take Power line to the ramp then traverse the ridge north if time is limited

 

[cbeard64]

Looks like a good list all I could do is nitpick. The K4 is a great pack in every respect. Not everything comes down to weight alone.
I love my Hilleberg tent (Akto). That’s just me.
I would take an extra pair of socks.
Good luck!!

 

[jacob_ski4]

Sounds like the chugach tag, I hunt the registration moose tag back there a lot and frequently see them on the east side of Ship Pass between Willawaw and Temptation. Would probably take Power line to the ramp then traverse the ridge north if time is limited

PM sent

 

[jacob_ski4]

Congrats on the sheep tag! I also drew a sheep tag I'm really excited about.

There's a guy on Youtube called Tundra to Tide that just released a video of the hunt I think you drew. I'd watch that video and consider running your list by him. He also has a few other sheep hunts on there, all of which are my favorite sheep hunting videos.

I have no affiliation with him, but he just comes off as a really genuine dude.

I've watched some of his videos over the years, seems like a good dude and was happy to see he got that last ram!

 

[ColeyG]

Congrats on drawing that tag. I have a couple of buddies that have hunted it successfully and both have had pretty exceptional experiences. Can't say I am not a bit jealous. I have been applying for 15+ years and haven't touched a sheep tag yet...

After your get your mountain hunting kit pretty close to dialed, I figure that lightening your load by upgrading gear usually costs about $1k per pound. When trying to justify spending the money to shave ounces, I can't help but think that giving up beer for a month or two would cut more weight than a couple thousand bucks every would, but what fun would that be...

For the last handful of years, I've been doing a solo hunt for the opening week of sheep season and have been able to get my solo kit down to 50lbs all in. Still heavier than I would like, but manageable for high mileage approaches with significant elevation gain. More more than that on my back really increases the fatigue factor for me. I don't know why but the difference between 50 and even 55lb seems very significant to me.

When getting packed up for these trips, the load is always feeling and looking great until I add food. Damn I hate packing heavy ass food and water around.

Here are some quick thoughts looking at your list based on what I would consider taking on this hunt. As others have said, you list is pretty darn solid and you've got a lot of high quality, lighweight stuff in your kit as is.

-One knife is fine. Tuck it away someplace safe and be really careful not to lose it. The thought of getting an animal down 20+ miles from the trailhead without a knife to break it down has kept my awake at night more than once...

-Ditch the paracord, or if you must have it, take a shorter length or something lighter weight like braided fishing line, seine net repair twine, etc.

-Ditch the pillow, puffy layers in your sleeping bag compression sack works fine.

-Ditch the water filter. Above treeline in your zone any running water will be fine to drink. Keep an aqua tab or two in case you wind up in a water crisis at lower elevation, which would be highly unlikely.

-Gaiters. If for some reason you wind up with knee deep snow on your hunt they would be worth having, otherwise you can get by without them.

-Ditch the inreach mini. Your phone has sat texting which would cover your needs for comms, weather updates, etc. right?

-Smaller battery bank like the Goal Zero Flip 24 or 36 should be adequate unless you plan to spend a lot of time looking at your phone. I usuall use mine for a few photos, OnX checks, etc. otherwise keep it tucked away and/or turned off.

-Wipes. Several companies make dehydrated wipes that you add water too. Saves a little bit of water weight in the pack.

-Spotter and Tripod. I don't think I would be taking a spotter on this hunt if I was going to be happy with any ram and not try to pick out a big/old one. Based on terrain and likely proximity to sheep, your binos and context should be fine for finding rams. Ditching the spotter and tripod cuts out darn near 4lbs. If you want the spotter, consider a lighter tripod like an Aoka https://www.amazon.com/AOKA-Compact-Lightweight-Capacity-Travelling/dp/B07PK9Q627 that only weighs a pound. Swaro ATC or the Vortex Razor 13-39 would cut a pound off of your spotter weight.

-No need for a bino tripod adapter.

-Pistol. Could probably get by without one without losing too much sleep at that time of year. That having been said, I'd probably be taking mine on this hunt. Maybe try to borrow a smaller, lighter pistol and only carry 5-6 rounds. The GFI bino link holster will save you some weight and bulk and it works much better with your bino harness rather than layering two rigs on top of each other.

-Sleeping system. Upgrading to the lightest-in-class bag, pad, and tent appropriate for anticipated conditions could cut your weight here down to about 4lbs, but those are all pretty high dollar items.

-Puffy. The SG Grumman down jacket would save you 4-5oz.

-Possibles Pouch. Delete maps, firestarter. Put a few wraps of gorilla tape on your trekking poles.

Ditto on the spare socks!