Where to start (equipment)?

[Justin Crossley]

Personally I would look for a good quality used pack. I use a pack every day for hunting and it is the most critical piece of gear after boots in my opinion. Sounds like you're good to go with boots, so a pack would be next on my list. Look at the classifieds for deals on Kifaru or Stone Glacier.

 

[Cledus]

FWIW, I can get you a great deal on Sitka clothing, shoot me a pm and we can hook you up!

 

[Felix40]

You can get an ilbe pack off eBay for $70-$100 then sell if for the same after your hunt. I've carried 80lbs I one of these and a buddy still used his rather than buy a kifaru. It's not perfect but they can haul a load and they last.

 

[Cdpp880]

Ok I had a good friend give me a frame pack that will work for now. So I will be waiting on buying a pack for now. I am thinking about going this rout for now.
Slumberjack bag the one I am looking at is the ronin 0degree. I know it is almost 5 pounds but I was thinking I could pull it out and use it while glassing or longer sits since you can get in it and still have your arms out.
Get a sleeping pad don't know which one yet looking at the insulated static v but may get one of the sea to summit pads.
Cook set right now looking at a optimus Electra fe system ( I can get this system pretty cheep).
I am going to pick up a Marino base layer (top and bottom) probably first lite.
I may get a mountain smith mountain shelter LT but I may not.
The part I am really trying to decide on is an insulated jacket. I may be able to get one but was wondering what y'all thought about me buying a Sitka finattic, or first lite sanctuary jacket. I know they are heavy but I would get way more use back home doing my normal archery WT and pig hunting with these. My thought is get one of these jackets now and just take the weight penalty for now then pick up a lighter puffy jacket next year. What do you think?

 

[Rizzy]

Boots
Xtherm
Slick bag

Thats probably where I would put my money first.

 

[COlineman78]

The best cook system for the money right now IMO is MSR Pocket Rocket w/ a Olicamp XTS pot, 1m25s boil time for 2 cups at 11,000ft.

If you want a 20" long pad I can give you a good deal on a Big Agnes Q-Core. Otherwise an insulated static V will work fine.

The sanctuary jacket is very heavy, but is super warm and nice if you don't mind packing it around. I wore it in a blizzard last year in 3rd season and could sit still for a couple hours before I had to move because my feet were too cold. Don't plan on wearing it when moving around unless you are moving very slowly. I had my binos zipped inside and they were very fogged up because it was so steamy and warm, so just a warning to take your binos out of the harness before putting it on. I can't speak to the Sitka, mainly because I don't even try Sitka due to their short cut. The First Lite is very large, so plan on ordering down.

 

[beetlespin]

Lots of good advice here, I think before dropping a ton of money though you should try to borrow as much stuff as you can and just go out with the stuff you already have. Your binos' will be fine and you already have what you need to be successful. I just used the cheesecloth bags for a few years and even washed them for use again and they were fine. If you need to buy a pack I would recommend a used one like a badlands, osprey, eberlestock, etc. Personally i think it should be 5000 cu or bigger and be able to handle a good load to haul out meat. If you decide you love this western hunting stuff after your first hunt you will have a better idea of what you want in the future. a base hunt is a great idea because you will not need all this super expensive stuff to start with. The clothing you want for out west will probably be a poor choice for use in TX if you are like me. I live in wisconsin and the mountain clothing is too noisy and fragile for what I do back home. That is very task specific gear other than the baselayers. Dip your toes in gently and learn what you like from your experiences. that and read as many posts on here as you can about specific items, it will help with the decision making process. I went through 5 packs in as many years because I did not know what a truly great pack was until i bought my Kifaru EMR. In the mean time have as little invested as possible with the ability to sell for what you paid for it. Used packs are a great option. Backpack hunting is the main passion of most of the guys on here so we all have pretty much the best stuff made on earth. I compare it to fishing. Is the 80k ranger boat with the 225 horsepower boat the best way to fish? you bet! but I can still have a great time fishing in a 16 footer with a 15 horse engine. The Clearance rack in backpacking stores is where I first bought all my clothes. I just got them in earth tones. Now as they wear I replace them with stuff from First lite, Kuiu, or whatever. I would recommend wool base layers and synthetic puffy's and sleeping bags as the most versatile equipemnt. You can use a cheap bulky sleeping system in a basecamp. Good luck and have fun! If you enjoy it, your savings account will be very low for the rest of the years you can physically walk those mountains!