Weight

[Wacko]

@Hussar I agree with you a bit. The 2 game bags seems like a good one. Sometimes I am solo, sometimes not, so I have just gotten used to being self sufficient.

I'll look into other ground sheets to use under the pad.

The SS water bottle weighs the same as a standard nalgene. It gives off more useable heat when used as a hot water bottle. Last year I got a bit wet in the rain. The hot water bottle not only warmed me up, but it helped move the moisture through my quilt and to the surface. I'm actually looking to maybe ditch the pot and just use the SS bottle. Especially if I go to strictly hydrating meals. However, then i might need a cup for coffee - 26 oz of coffee is a little much for me!

I have to agree on the puffy.

Thanks!!

 

[camelcluch]

34# with food and 3 liters of water to start. I could get a little lighter with a different sleep pad and some comfort items left out.

 

[Marble]

@Wacko

You have a bunch of great ideas and gear gathered up. You are well on your way to having a great hunt this fall!

There is plenty of time between now and go time, and with so many suggestions/questions and seeking so much advice, go with your gut on this stuff and just do some trial runs.

What works for you is not the same as someone else. Juat keep some notes on your phone while you are testing. When you return home, empty your pack and remove the stuff you don't need. Have separate totes you store stuff in to keep it organized.

You don't have to backpack in, just camp with what's in your backpack. Just find a local spot or campground and do your set up.

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[Drenalin]

Thank you @Hussar for your spreadsheet. It looks similar to mine. With some lighter weight stuff!

@Drenalin your spreadsheet requires permission to access. Looking at your days food it looks like you are just over 2000 cals a day? I have not seen the RX nut butters before, which is funny cause the regular RX bar is one of my regular food items.

I think my biggest area to start will be food. I want to be at a minimum of 3500 cals a day though. Water is next, but unless I find an area with accessible water it's gonna be there. Maybe I should go in a few days prior and cache some.

Also will be looking at everything else. I think i might have some stuff that is too redundant. I'm also considering making a blanket I can tie into a quilt at night. Then use it as an insulation layer during the day and leaving the puffy out.

I always use the CCF pad under the inflatable to keep it from popping. I also would still have a pad / insulation if it does leak, @mtwarden had this issue on his trip report. My hunting bud had the same issue. It looks like many don't do this. Maybe a lighter version like the SO matty mcMat face would work for me.

Good thing it's a bit before season!!!

I usually come in at 2400-2500 per day. I tried it at 3000-3200 and was packing food out. Like I pointed out earlier, that has a lot to do with my location.

The Rx nut butters are great - I personally like the texture and flavor better than the Justin’s nut butters.

I’ll try to get a LighterPack link up at some point. I haven’t updated my list there in a while.

ETA: Here's the LighterPack link: 5 Day Hunt

 

[Wyobohunter]

A couple suggestions if you're looking to lighten your load. Some may not be possible if hunting alone, but a couple thoughts:

• Carry 2 game bags instead of 4. Get your kill packed into those two and haul them out to the truck. Then, grab the other two bags at the truck and take them back in. If hunting with a partner, that would still give you 4 total if you each carried two.

I like this idea if hunting with a partner. Assuming you both take care of/pack out the animal if either person gets a kill. By myself I’ll need to think about it more. I think I really would rather put the quarters left behind in bags.

-protection from bugs
-easier to hang
-easier to identify from a distance
-easier to recognize from a distance if something has gotten to them (bear)

It’s an idea to kick around. It’d save me carrying 10 ounces as my current game bags for elk weigh 20 ounces. It’s a fairly lightweight package as it’s a combination of Argali and Black Ovis… But 10 ounces is 10 ounces.

 

[dphifer]

My backpack with 6 days food, 2L of water, and no bow is 42.5lbs. This was planned for 6 days of early OTC Elk in Colorado in 2021. I split carrying a tent with one guy, so that is lighter than normal. LighterPack Link

Moving forward, I'm hoping to be closer to 27lbs before food/water/bow.

Thanks for posting the LighterPack.com link. I haven’t seen that before and it seems really helpful.

 

[justinspicher]

I don’t understand how you guys eat so much food, Id make myself sick eating that much. I generally eat a single mountain house meal and maybe an epic bar per day.

 

[roosiebull]

I don’t understand how you guys eat so much food, Id make myself sick eating that much. I generally eat a single mountain house meal and maybe an epic bar per day.

i used to get by barely eating, but a few years ago (38 now) i started needing calories, where i really feel it is a bunch of hard days of hunting, then a tough pack out.... a couple times in a row of getting more whipped than i should have packing something out...

it's very likely we are burning over 3k calories per day hunting, likely much higher... if we burn 3k and consume 1k day after day, your energy goes down, and it's avoidable, and easy.

i still have a hard time eating enough.... even working, normal day stuff.... i try to force myself lately to take the time to eat, because you are not at your best in a calorie deficit... especially in the woods

 

[dphifer]

I don’t understand how you guys eat so much food, Id make myself sick eating that much. I generally eat a single mountain house meal and maybe an epic bar per day.

How much do you weigh? At 175 lbs a good estimate of your resting metabolic rate would be around 1750 calories. That is just the amount your body burns without any physical activity. Do you eat more than that at home when not hunting?

 

[justinspicher]

i used to get by barely eating, but a few years ago (38 now) i started needing calories, where i really feel it is a bunch of hard days of hunting, then a tough pack out.... a couple times in a row of getting more whipped than i should have packing something out...

it's very likely we are burning over 3k calories per day hunting, likely much higher... if we burn 3k and consume 1k day after day, your energy goes down, and it's avoidable, and easy.

i still have a hard time eating enough.... even working, normal day stuff.... i try to force myself lately to take the time to eat, because you are not at your best in a calorie deficit... especially in the woods

How much do you weigh? At 175 lbs a good estimate of your resting metabolic rate would be around 1750 calories. That is just the amount your body burns without any physical activity. Do you eat more than that at home when not hunting?

I’ve been like this for the past 20 or so years. I don’t eat much regardless of what I’m doing. The guys I go hunting with are constantly eating.

 

[dphifer]

I’ve been like this for the past 20 or so years. I don’t eat much regardless of what I’m doing. The guys I go hunting with are constantly eating.

Sometimes i wish i were like that. I feel like I want to eat constantly, no matter what I am doing.

 

[Marble]

I don’t understand how you guys eat so much food, Id make myself sick eating that much. I generally eat a single mountain house meal and maybe an epic bar per day.

I was the same way until I got food that was healthier, high calorie and taste better.

I can hit 2000 pretty easy.

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[Marble]

i used to get by barely eating, but a few years ago (38 now) i started needing calories, where i really feel it is a bunch of hard days of hunting, then a tough pack out.... a couple times in a row of getting more whipped than i should have packing something out...

it's very likely we are burning over 3k calories per day hunting, likely much higher... if we burn 3k and consume 1k day after day, your energy goes down, and it's avoidable, and easy.

i still have a hard time eating enough.... even working, normal day stuff.... i try to force myself lately to take the time to eat, because you are not at your best in a calorie deficit... especially in the woods

On some of my harder days I have calculated 6 to 7000 calories burned. On those trips I'm losing a pound a day.

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[mtwarden]

I'm right at 25 lbs (w/o rifle/food/water) for a mid-season hunt- that's with a small tripod/spotter.

My rifle weighs 6 lbs, typically 3 lbs of water and food 1.5 lbs/day. So all in a 5 day hunt would be a little over 40 lbs. I've pretty much trimmed every available ounce I could, but always on the look on how to reduce it

Speaking of calories, I have several trips where I know I've exceeded 10,000 calories burned in a day. I still find 3250-3500 cals/day sufficient to keep me going. I'll be a little skinnier for sure after a week long trip

 

[justinspicher]

I am by no means wanting to express that eating too much during a hunt is a bad thing, I’m always impressed by it. I tend to pack fairly light, and knowing food is one of the bigger contributors to weight being carried, if I take less, I carry less. One caveat is that I live where I hunt, so it doesn’t take as long for me to acclimatize as it does folks coming from elsewhere.

 

[Wacko]

Thought I might update my quest for lighter. Maybe some of you will find this helpful.

It seems Exo Mountain Gear has multiple videos on youtube called "What's in my Pack". Some are older of course, but it doesn't matter to me. They show loadouts from multiple people for multiple types of hunts. Sometimes how they pack it in the pack, and usually a weight at the end. I have found them quite interesting....some more than others of course. I also think it helps to visually see the stuff, size, and how it's packed.

I already can see I am packing too much of some things. I can easily change some others - like food. I can definitely leave some stuff at the truck!!

Here is an interesting base line if you haven't seen it....

Mark Huelsing’s 18-pound Gear List for Multiday Backpack Hunts​

 

[Marble]

The great majority of people I have gone into the back country with carry a ton of unnecessary stuff. Lots of duplicates, boots, pants, backpacks, jackets. Just tons of shit.

Lots of guys pack their fears and end up adding more weight than they really know.

@mtwarden set up seems pretty standard and mirrors what a reasonable goal is for pack weight.

About 5 years ago I upgraded my tent, pad, and sleeping bag.. that reduced my weight by 10 pounds. That is a lot! And much less volume.

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[hunting1]

I am about 45-50 lbs. No desire to be a contestant on survivor, want some comfort and like to eat.

 

[justins71]

I am about 45-50 lbs. No desire to be a contestant on survivor, want some comfort and like to eat.

This sentiment exactly! I think I was at 65-70 lbs...

 

[Bearwhisky]

35-40 no weapon for 7 days. Thats with 2 liters of water.


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