Upgrades , what are you changing out in your pack for next year ?

[littlebuf]

Ken, let me know if you wanna check out my rev X iin person before you buy. Going to be busy with deer season here in the near future but your welcome to come by anytime

 

[Brock A]

I am going to upgrade for sure my sleeping bag to a EE quilt. Hopefully new rifle & scope and if any funds are left over I want to upgrade my binos to the razor hd 10x42. Word on the street is Santa is bringing me down & Tiburon pants.

 

[Justin Crossley]

I sure hope you get a new rifle so I can help you get it dialed.

My brother and I are right now talking about his 6.5 build.

 

[Craig Van Arsdale]

Dave I think you should consider the -20 slick wide long.

X2 from how you say you sleep cold.

Aron is probably the best guy to talk to but I'm thinking your going to need more warmth. My buddy has a -20° slick bag and loves it for late hunts in fact he's sleeping in it next to me right now!

To me they are about 15° off and I sleep a little on the cold side. I've slept in my 20° slick down to the high teens but had to layer up and did not sleep that well.

 

[Shrek]

The real problem I have is that by the time I get the bag there will be no way to test it. I would have to have it in hand by January to catch a couple of cold days. I'm in Florida so I get a couple of freezes a year and thats it. I'm almost in Georgia but I still don't see much cold weather.

 

[Shrek]

Justin , what 6.5 is he going with. I've been lusting to build a 6.5 saum but there is always more pressing needs.

 

[Elkfitness]

I got one upgrade already. Sold my blue widow I used this year (Xmas present last year) and bought a kifaru duplex with dt2 bag and some accessories. I hunt solo and shot my bull pretty far back this year and it took me 36 hours of straight work to pack him out. The blue widow just didn't cut it for me. Too much sagging and I had to go to my kelty cache hauler for the rest of the loads ( besides last load which was camp and antlers). I did love the blue widow as a hunting pack. Actually shot my bull with the pack on((practiced with it over the summer) but it's not the pack for packing. My other upgrade for the next year will be a new sleeping bag and pad. I've been using a north face cats meow for the past 4-5 years along with a thermarest prolite pad. I hunt from sept thru November with this bag (archery elk to late season leftover rifle cow elk and mule deer). I backpack in however far I need to go and about froze my !! off this year. This year I was it was in the teens with blizzard like conditions in my rifle hunt. My copper spur did fine but I was cold! I actually hiked a couple miles back out to get my emergency quilt out of my truck and thru it on my bag. Even with that I had socks, long underwear, and a beanie on to stay somewhat comfortable. It paid off though, with a successful hunt! Anyhow, I know I would do well to get a tent where I could put in the stove. I live in south Denver metro and the golite store is 20 min from me. Kifaru is In town as well. I cant seem to talk myself into floor less though! Looking to see what new dridown bags come out. Will likely get a zero or 7-10 degree bag. I can always unzip it. I'll be searching for a thicker pad with better R value as well. All my other gear has been pretty dialed in for the last couple of years. I'm looking forward to the research on the bag and pad!

 

[jmez]

Bought a new bag, WM Alpinlite. Temp wise it will be on the warm side for me. I'm replacing a Eureka Silver City 30 degree bag. I've never been cold with it temps down into the 20's. As for the Alpinlite being roomy, depneds on your size and definition of roomy. I'm 6'0" and weigh right around 200. Not sure this bag is going to work for me, it is pretty close when I zip it all the way up. I'm thinking I'll only have it half zipped most all the time so we'll see.

Have a Timberline 1 on the way to replace a Blue Widow. Have some pretty serious reservations about buying a pack I couldn't try on or see but with the sale they had I figured it was worth a try.

Looking to upgrade my shelter. I have an Alps Mountaineering Zephyr II that has served me well. It is just a little on the heavy side. For $60 on ebay it has been a great investment . Going to buy a BA Scout. One in our party had one this year and it is a nice tent. Ton of room, light and packs down small. We were all impressed.

 

[Hoyts n Mulies]

Moving from a North Face Bag to a EE Rev X 20* (bought today). Changing from an old therm-a-rest to a new Neoair Xtherm. Changing from an REI 2 man tent to a MegaTarp. Also going to pick up a Jetboil SOL in place of my snow peak and jetboil pot (more for size in the pack than anything). Probably a new set of Merino base layers.

Likely will change a few more items through the winter. Quite a bit of my gear needed an overhaul as it's been quite a few years.

 

[actionshooter]

I'm looking at new boots in January, thinking about calling Lathrops.

Already have an Rbros rifle on order and will probably get a new bow this year, have no idea which one yet, probably stick with Hoyt. That should empty the bank account.

 

[Darren Best]

Shrek,

The pad is good enough, I was going to suggest an R rating of at least 5.5 or higher.

I honestly feel you will be disappointed in the 0 degree Slick.

Go with a -20 in long wide and get a Doobie to go over the top of you. You are better off with a two layer approach rather than one, easier to control temp rating.

Remember, overheating is bad or worse than being chilled.

I don't know of any other bags on the market that are as roomy as the Kifaru Slick bag. The WM Badger and Kodiak are considered large size and are only as big as the standard Slick.

I run a 0 degree Slick and when temps hit the teens I have to layer up and throw my Woobie over the top and I still get chilled. I have heard several other people report they are off on their temps ratings a little.

Also there is nothing wrong with wearing all of your clothes to bed, including your rain gear, I've done this numerous time when it gets really cold.

 

[jmez]

Could also look into a Z-Packs bag. They are not traditional mummy style bags so offer a lot of room.

 

[Rocky]

I need new boots. My Meindl's give me blisters on the heels and cause my big toes to be slightly numb after the season . I think the numbness is because they might be a touch too small and my toes jams into the end of the boots when going down a steep decline. As for the blisters i don't know the cause. I thought a pair of inserts from lathrops would help but it actually made it worse. So I'm going to try a whole new boot and hope for better results. On my wish list is a bino/rf combo but that might have to wait.

 

[Renoit24]

Looking to upgrade to a Bikini frame with cargo panel setup. Eberlestock J34 pack way too heavy to use as a day pack and not very comfortable with heavier loads. Still not sure whether I will go with an EE Enigma 10 deg or a zpacks bag. I was in the market for a travel trailer, but think a Cabela's Alaknak 13x27 wall tent and Five Dog Stove will fit the bill for a good base camp. Took advantage of the Kuiu sale and got me some merino shirts, gaitors and a superdown hoody.

 

[tttoadman]

I just got a Mountain Hardware -20 bag. That is what it takes for me to be comfy at about +20. I have a Marmot 0deg and it was just right for 7000ft in September, but I was cold when we went back in November. I need to get rain gear even if just the top end. I hope to get a spotting scope. I ended up going without this year. If everything really goes my way, I will ditch my Leupold scope for a new one. I have had my eye on the Nikon.

 

[7mag.]

Thanks Shrek, I'll check that tripod out.

Trevor, I will take you up on your offer. I'm not in a hurry, so, we can get together after your season is over. Pm me your new number, I saw some real nice bucks last week, and I'll tell you where at.

 

[weaver]

Only thing im upgrading is a stove. Had a parastove....not sure what im gonna get yet but leaning towards a seek outside uturn.

 

[aron]

I've already upgraded my kuiu super down pullover to the super down hoody with the sale. I'm also hoping to upgrade my bow and possibly get rid of my blue widow pack for something new.

 

[5MilesBack]

Wasn't planning on upgrading my rain jacket, but I couldn't help myself. Going from a Walls 10x jacket to the FL Stormtight. Both weigh about the same so no weight savings, but hoping that the Stormtight is quieter and less bulky.

Not really an upgrade, but a weight savings. Got a Katadyn Hiker Pro to replace the Katadyn Pocket which is pretty darn heavy at 26oz.

Other than that, not changing a thing.........for now.

 

[Outdoorsman3830]

Outdoorsman 3830 , that sounds really cool and satisfying. Are you going to buy a new machine or buy used. I've seen hundreds on Craigslist for cheap. If you know what you are looking for and how to tell if it is in good shape you could find a steal.

I'm going to look for a used one first. The main capabilities I need is the ability to sew nylon webbing to high density plastic securely and effectively without burning up the sewing machine. Also I'm going to use size 90 nylon thread for my pack frame, bags, and accessories. My bags are going to range from 1800 cubic inches to 5000 cubic inches. They would have higher capacities, except I'm not using a snow coller and will be utilizing an x-PAC load cell to add around 1500 cubic inches on top of the main bag for load hauling purposes. My daypack lid will also around 750 cubic inches. Then I will also have some optional long pockets for holding my 3-piece recurve bow and tripod/spotting scope.

Only my 1800 cubic inch bag will be designed specifically for hauling meat in the load sling. All of my bags will be capable of using the load sling, but my theories suggest that you would have to lean over far less when loading the meat between the shoulders and the ears. I also intend to perform a range of tests to prove my theory. As far as shoulder pull goes, the effects should be minimal when on the move. The only downside of loading the weight up high is the higher center of gravity, which will effect your ability to balance and control the load on rough terrain.

In the end, my theories and tests would support Kifaru's hanging meat bag design over the more recent and popular load sling design. However, I think the load sling concept is a solid addition to pack designs in certain situations. There is more to come on this topic, but it will be close to a year before I complete my study on this.