Weight

[Stalker69]

So how much does your pack weigh, for like a 5 day hunt ? Fully loaded, Without firearm or bow.

 

[Drenalin]

26 pounds without a weapon, which includes chest harness and everything in it, trekking poles, food and water.

 

[Stalker69]

what kind of tent and size you using ?

 

[Drenalin]

what kind of tent and size you using ?

Yama Mountain Gear 8.5x8.5 flat tarp with a Katabatic bivy.

 

[Wacko]

26lbs for 5 days....holy crap man!!

Last year Early November CO elk hunt. I was at 50lbs for 5 days. Temps into the teens, some rain, some snow, some heat!

I'll be lighter this year. I DIY'd some gear, and I have purchased some other stuff. I am also changing my food a little. For ME under 2lbs per day of food is good. No food - NO WORK from me....LOL.

Weight all depends on where you hunt and time of year. Some places I go there is no available water. Weight goes up. If there is lots of water around weight goes down. Temperature matters too, colder = heavier. If you have a big budget, or can be super spartan, weight can go down. A cuben fiber tarp or tent only weighs a few ounces - but comes with a commensurate price tag. Eating only foods that require no cooking, and eating only enough calories to keep you alive can reduce weight. A conventional tarp like the DD solo is only 9 ounces by itself, but it doesn't leave much room for error or gear.

Find the balance of gear, comfort, food, safety, and budget. Don't pack your fears, don't pack unnecessary stuff. Then the weight is what it is. My goal this year is 40lbs or less for 5 days.....November again....

 

[Keptwalkin]

26lbs is crazy light..... something to shoot for. I cant get below 50

 

[Stalker69]

26lbs is crazy light..... something to shoot for. I cant get below 50

That’s what I was thinking, I don’t see that possible. At least for myself.

 

[Drenalin]

My list would be for a November hunt in East Tennessee. It can be cold, but not brutal - a standard base + mid + puffy + shell layering system is plenty. It’s also not as physically taxing as a western hunt would be; I generally have 20 ounces of food per day and might not even eat all of that. Water isn’t too hard to find, so I carry in a full Smartwater bottle. With my puffy and 30 degree quilt, I can go into the teens temp wise without being uncomfortable. Environment is important for context, though there are also guys at or below this weight all over the west.

I’m never uncomfortable, even without a lot of gear. I enjoy the simplicity. I don’t do much redundancy. I don’t just cut out items that I don’t use, I cut off pieces of items that I feel are unnecessary. I’m a little bit of a tinkerer and a minimalist. I’ve also spent a decent pile of money on gear that is functional and light.

I’d recommend not chasing weight so much as chasing a streamlined setup that can be totally comfortable for you. That’s going to vary a lot from person to person.

 

[Wacko]

I for one would be interested in an itemized pack list from you @Drenalin ! Not because i don't believe you, I honestly want to get there!! Food items as well if you have the time.

I have been streamlining as a rule here and I haven't been able to get that light. I know @mtwarden did a 3 day'er for 30 ish pounds. He has some crazy light gear.

I diy'd a synthetic quilt, a tarp, and a bivy. Combined they are at 4lbs...just. Add a ccf pad and an inflatable for 1 lb 12 ounces. Mystery ranch terraframe 65 is 6lbs, 5 oz pot, 1 oz stove, 8 ounce small fuel canister, 4 game bags with gloves, zip ties, and a pen - 1lb 3 ounces. Trekking poles 1lb 2 ounces. Silky F180 saw 5.5 ounces. Firestarter, first aid, repair kit - 1 lb. 2 Headlamps 5 ounces. Sawyer squeeze system with 1 bag - 5 ounces. etc...

Single wall SS Water bottle 6.5 oz - something you might want to try. A "hot water bottle" in a sock, in your bag will add a lot of temp rating to the system. It's reusable, no waste, and you have to carry water anyway. It can also keep you warm during a sit, sanitize your water if your filter dies, etc.

I usually carry 4 liters of water - 9 lbs. Food 5x2lbs - 10 lbs.

shell, puffy, mid layer, extra pair of socks, couple batteries, toothbrush, phone/gps, extra rounds, knife, gun bearer, binos.......I'll still be over 40 lbs this year......no tripod, no spotter either....

 

[The Frank]

So how much does your pack weigh, for like a 5 day hunt ? Fully loaded, Without firearm or bow.

36lbs. Gotta do better.

 

[Wyobohunter]

The question should be more specific about location, season and species. My pack weight varies depending on those things. Also, take away weight of sidearm and or bear spray?

For Wyoming elk…

September archery - about 32 lbs
Mid to late October rifle - about 38 lbs

Mine includes water. Drop that and both would be about 4 1/2 lbs lighter.

 

[WCT3]

Right now I'm 30 lbs no water or weapon but I'm making some gear changes for my goat hunt this season. That's also only about 3000 calories/day so my food weight may go up.

I'm also basing this off a pack list spreadsheet, some items weighed some just from manufacturers. The total will probably be higher once I'm packed and add some comforts/fears.

 

[The Frank]

The question should be more specific about location, season and species. My pack weight varies depending on those things.

36lbs. 6 days. Idaho. Late September. Elk.

 

[Hussar]

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.

 

[Drenalin]

I for one would be interested in an itemized pack list from you @Drenalin ! Not because i don't believe you, I honestly want to get there!! Food items as well if you have the time.

I have been streamlining as a rule here and I haven't been able to get that light. I know @mtwarden did a 3 day'er for 30 ish pounds. He has some crazy light gear.

I diy'd a synthetic quilt, a tarp, and a bivy. Combined they are at 4lbs...just. Add a ccf pad and an inflatable for 1 lb 12 ounces. Mystery ranch terraframe 65 is 6lbs, 5 oz pot, 1 oz stove, 8 ounce small fuel canister, 4 game bags with gloves, zip ties, and a pen - 1lb 3 ounces. Trekking poles 1lb 2 ounces. Silky F180 saw 5.5 ounces. Firestarter, first aid, repair kit - 1 lb. 2 Headlamps 5 ounces. Sawyer squeeze system with 1 bag - 5 ounces. etc...

Single wall SS Water bottle 6.5 oz - something you might want to try. A "hot water bottle" in a sock, in your bag will add a lot of temp rating to the system. It's reusable, no waste, and you have to carry water anyway. It can also keep you warm during a sit, sanitize your water if your filter dies, etc.

I usually carry 4 liters of water - 9 lbs. Food 5x2lbs - 10 lbs.

shell, puffy, mid layer, extra pair of socks, couple batteries, toothbrush, phone/gps, extra rounds, knife, gun bearer, binos.......I'll still be over 40 lbs this year......no tripod, no spotter either....

See if this works: Spreadsheet

Did this pretty quickly from memory, which tends to be how I pack. Didn’t list TP, but it’s in the possibles bag. License and tag are on my phone.

This is with a SG pack that I’m currently trying to sell so I can get another Seek Outside, which fits and carries a lot better for me and is a good bit lighter. I also have an Exo, which would add some weight.

I’ve done the hot water bottle thing before, but not since I ditched the Nalgene bottle. At 5 days, I can’t spare the fuel for an extra boil every night, and I just don’t need to do that with my system.

If I carry a tripod, head, and adapter it adds 36 ounces. Being in the East, that’s generally unnecessary (but still sometimes nice to have). I can drop about a pound from that if I go with a monopod instead, which isn’t a bad compromise.

A typical day of food for me:
Kuju coffee x2 (1 oz)
Perfect PB bar (2.5 oz)
Honey Stinger + Rx nut butter (2.5 oz)
Maple bacon jerky (2.5 oz)
Sahale pecans, or pistachios (2.5 oz)
Stretch Island fruit leather x2 (1 oz)
Quest cookie (2 oz)
Peak Refuel meal (5 oz)

I’m pushing 9 additional pounds with a loaded rifle and extra rounds. That will probably be my next major upgrade.

 

[id_jon]

September in idaho I can do 40-45lbs for 5 days no problem if I leave out my dslr. October I usually end up over 60-65 cause I bring the camera and the spotter.

 

[6.5x284]

About 49 Lbs for 9 days including water, rifle, tripod, and spotter. Food is the big weight for me. I’ll be closer to 50 as I usually talk myself into extra stuff.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Wacko]

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!!!

 

[5MilesBack]

I've gone lightweight before but that was also with plenty of water to access. The only time I've really weighed my pack was when water wasn't real close, so was carrying 10L (that's 22lbs right there). I was also carrying my Copper Spur UL4 which is almost 6lbs. And it included my bow strapped to the pack as well. That was 52lbs.

 

[Hussar]

@Wacko, I was looking through what you had posted for your list. 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.
• Tyvek is lighter than a CCF pad and does a great job preventing inflatable pads popping. It works great for early season hunts where additional insulation isn't necessary. Carry the patch kit for the inflatable and you'll still come out lighter. Borah Gear also has a 2oz DCF Ground Sheet instead of using Tyvek.
• SS Bottle vs Nalgene. Nalgene may be lighter. Plus, you're already carrying a pot you could use to boil water, so there's a bit of redundancy there.
• I'd be wary of skipping the puffy and wrapping up in a blanket.You can easily throw a pack on while wearing a puffy, but not while having a blanket on.