Mountain Hunting Gear Nuts

[BackPackHunter]

I'm always looking for the next piece of gear that will make life easier or remove weight from my back. It's never a good idea to get a new piece of gear and wait till your hunt to try it out. Something don't always work out as plained.
This year I need to be better and lighter to make up for my knee surgery .

This Thread is for showing ideas and products to make the hunt better .
So post up anything , something old news to you could be new to me.



My new tooth care setup ...

It's heavier then my old setup, but it's put together a lot better
All in one. Use your own tooth paste. Everything stays clean .

[BackPackHunter]

... Fully loaded ...

[bdub]

I got one of those Tony. Works good.

[BackPackHunter]

New pit stick

Haven't tried this stuff yet, but going in next weekend for a knee test
I'm hiking now with 20-30 pounds

4 months post opt today

[chimpac]

Anyone traveling in the backcountry needs a to carry a chimney so he can do his cooking safely inside a fabric shelter of some kind.
It does not take much of a wind to take the fun out of cooking outside.
I have posted lots my chimney/stove ideas on the forum.

[BackPackHunter]

I love having a stove chimney in my "tent"

Kafiru Maga tarp , with para cord and annex sewn in place
It's not 2 pounds & fits 2 guys stove n gear

[coppercarbide]

Sure, I'll play, these are always fun.

1. Knives.
Many guys are still carrying a big heavy 'hunting' knife on a backpacking trip (myself included sometimes). I'm sure I'll get jumped on by the 'just in case' guys, but I could come up with 100lbs of 'just-in-case' things to carry.

Lightest functional setup I've used is a Havalon Piranta with a Leatherman Squirt PS4 (pliers for changing blades). 4.4oz combined w 2 spare blades, which gives you surgical sharpness, pliers, multiple blades, and a multi-tool (still haven't found a single use for the stupid little scissors tho). Never found myself in a situation where this wasn't enough knife.

2. Sleeping bag... or not.
I like quilts for so many reasons. Lighter, more compressible, WAY better for side sleepers, WAY better if you toss/turn a bit in the night... just awesome. If you're looking for a new bag, check out a quilt, and get a good air mat. Lots of cottage manufacturers out there, Enlightened Equipment is awesome to deal with.
I've used a quilt under a tarp everywhere from the Athabasca glacier to the West Coast Trail to the Wilmore from +30 to -15... never regretted it (below -15 I use a bag).

3. Water
I'm always amazed at how many people I see with a 2L water bladder and then a couple 1L nalgenes. Learn your terrain, look at a map, figure out how long to get to the next water source. Carry that much, or less. Drink like a camel when you get there. Water is H-E-A-V-Y.

4. Nothing.
The lightest thing you can carry is nothing!
'camping' towel, extra clothes, dishsoap, a backpacking chair... sure they are ALL nice to have, but "Everything Weighs Something".

[300magman]

Most people probably already know this, but i bought an inreach and that eliminated the need to carry a gps and a comm device like a spot or whatever. saved a bit of room in the pack, shaved a few ounces plus I dont need to carry as many back-up batteries as im only running one device. Looking forward to seeing some other stuff guys come up with on this thread.

[gramirau]

I've found several pieces of gear that have lightened up the pack but, some other more general principles were important to me when i started backpack hunting as well.

1) Don't bring a softshell jacket. Rain shell and puffy will work (for me anyways).
2) A down quilt (enlightened equipment or z packs or something) saves me weight but you have to be ok with a quilt vs a true sleeping bag
3) cut down on clothes if possible. The pants i wear in are the only ones i bring, 1 spare set of socks, 1 spare pair of boxers, and one spare baselayer shirt.
4) As mentioned, Havalon is great to save a few ounces
5) you can sometimes lighten your tent or backpack by hacking off some of the non-essential components from them. I would not recommend anyone do this during their first season with the component. Wait a season, and if it wasn't used, then cut whatever you're comfortable with.
6) cut down the first aid kit if possible.

Other things I don't do but know others like to do is make a pillow out of clothes to save weight, lighter (colder) sleeping bag and wear alot of clothes to bed to compensate for that lighter bag.

If saving weight is the goal for someone, sometimes other comforts have to be sacrificed. I've found it's a balance game between weight and comfort. You can always borrow a page out of the UL backpacking community as well and see if items will pull double duty for you. Delorme is a good example of that (GPS + comms), getting as many components as possible to use the same batteries to save on spares batts, use your cell phone as your camera and leave camera at home, etc.

[BackPackHunter]

Fabric fixes

I carry a needle n fire line
And these patches , 4 in a pack 2 black 2 clear
I only use the black n sell the clear,

I've used them on my rain gear , tents
And sleeping bags

[BackPackHunter]

This was caused from using a very ruff stick as a pole, and being a active sleeper
It ripped the bag pretty good, as the material is ultra light . Having hockey tape saved the bag from the trash. ($500) I used the patched I brought already, so it was field patches with tape

I fixed last night , and it took 12 patches (still needs 1 more)


http://www.backcountry.com/marmot-pl...40-degree-down

I use the 15 for late Fall & late Spring trips

[nimrod]

Another great add is this
Surgu.jpg












You can make a zipper pull or make/patch almost anything and does not weigh much.

[BackPackHunter]

Bottom of the bag, the patches add almost 1 oz

[Lr1000]

Originally Posted by BackPackHunter

New pit stick

Haven't tried this stuff yet, but going in next weekend for a knee test
I'm hiking now with 20-30 pounds

4 months post opt today

The anti chafing glide is also worth it

[BackPackHunter]

Kifaru maga tarp & annex & guide lines
Room for 2 + packs + stove

[Lr1000]

If your using a phone scope use a Bluetooth camera remote to take the pics, avoiding bumping it off target.

[ABrocket]

Anyone run leukotape or kt tape for blisters.? Will double as fabric repair if needed in the field.

Tyvek as ground or meat sheet.

Fresh litium bats before trip. No need to carry spares.

Dehydrate baby wipes before hand....if one chooses to pack them.

[openroad]

Lots of weight savings in Boots.
Hiked in a very old pair of runners for 3 days
after I forgot my boots on the front step.
Lots of elevation and felt great. Ankles took a beating
on shale. Still I'm never going back to full leather boots
Picked up a pair of Salomon Quest for some better ankle protection.
Happy so far.

[Mr. Dynamite]

Originally Posted by Lr1000

If your using a phone scope use a Bluetooth camera remote to take the pics, avoiding bumping it off target.

Headphones/ear buds + and - buttons for sound volume work for taking pictures --less weight than a remote, uses less battery by not having Bluetooth on.

[Frank the Thank]

Get use to be out there wet and cold. Have goretex, even wet it keep u warm.
Salomon speed cross 3 is good for feet. I summit some pretty bad ass mountain with them. If worry about cold, bring goretex sock, they work and keep warm.
Don't bring anything u r not sure u should bring. U will figure it out if required
If I solo, there is no way I will carry a stove and no tent but a bivy.
If more then 2 night and 2 man or more, carry little stove with dry meal.
Dry compression bag for any bivy or tent, sleeping bag, light down jacket, sock... Whatever u carry need to stay dry whatever the weather.
The less u carry the more ground u cover. Being wet and cold during day is not gonna kill u if u keep the important stuff dry. Just suck to put it back on the next morning😜.
For those who think I am crazy, u r right, but those trick works
Look it up
http://www.teammindoverbody.com/#!un...omponent_14104
http://www.patagonianexpeditionrace.com/

[Twobucks]

Originally Posted by openroad

Lots of weight savings in Boots.
Hiked in a very old pair of runners for 3 days
after I forgot my boots on the front step.
Lots of elevation and felt great. Ankles took a beating
on shale. Still I'm never going back to full leather boots
Picked up a pair of Salomon Quest for some better ankle protection.
Happy so far.

I use this trick as well sometimes but be careful about pushing too far in soft soled shoes. It's not hard to break a bone in your foot walking on talus or even a root covered trail with a load on.

Still, as the saying goes, a pound on your feet is equivalent to 5 pounds on your back.

[BackPackHunter]

Originally Posted by Frank the Thank

Get use to be out there wet and cold. Have goretex, even wet it keep u warm.
Salomon speed cross 3 is good for feet. I summit some pretty bad ass mountain with them. If worry about cold, bring goretex sock, they work and keep warm.
Don't bring anything u r not sure u should bring. U will figure it out if required
If I solo, there is no way I will carry a stove and no tent but a bivy.
If more then 2 night and 2 man or more, carry little stove with dry meal.
Dry compression bag for any bivy or tent, sleeping bag, light down jacket, sock... Whatever u carry need to stay dry whatever the weather.
The less u carry the more ground u cover. Being wet and cold during day is not gonna kill u if u keep the important stuff dry. Just suck to put it back on the next morning😜.
For those who think I am crazy, u r right, but those trick works
Look it up
http://www.teammindoverbody.com/#!un...omponent_14104
http://www.patagonianexpeditionrace.com/

Sounds like how I hunt
But I always take my tent n sleeping bad


This is my tent , sleeping bag & stuff sack


The kafiru stuff sack are all I use

[clarky]

Icebreaker clothing goes far for me. Their Marino wool T's are as light as they get and simply do not stink. I've hiked many days on end with the same T, and as far as I could tell no stink. Mind you, the squirrels never seem to complain about my smell haha. Well worth the money.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Cripler]

luci solar inflatable lantern. Saves on batteries on late season hunts when sun goes down early and stuck in the ten. Put in the pack to try out last year will be bring it again this season .

[Pekan]

Originally Posted by coppercarbide

Sure, I'll play, these are always fun.

1. Knives.
Many guys are still carrying a big heavy 'hunting' knife on a backpacking trip (myself included sometimes). I'm sure I'll get jumped on by the 'just in case' guys, but I could come up with 100lbs of 'just-in-case' things to carry.

Lightest functional setup I've used is a Havalon Piranta with a Leatherman Squirt PS4 (pliers for changing blades). 4.4oz combined w 2 spare blades, which gives you surgical sharpness, pliers, multiple blades, and a multi-tool (still haven't found a single use for the stupid little scissors tho). Never found myself in a situation where this wasn't enough knife.

2. Sleeping bag... or not.
I like quilts for so many reasons. Lighter, more compressible, WAY better for side sleepers, WAY better if you toss/turn a bit in the night... just awesome. If you're looking for a new bag, check out a quilt, and get a good air mat. Lots of cottage manufacturers out there, Enlightened Equipment is awesome to deal with.
I've used a quilt under a tarp everywhere from the Athabasca glacier to the West Coast Trail to the Wilmore from +30 to -15... never regretted it (below -15 I use a bag).

3. Water
I'm always amazed at how many people I see with a 2L water bladder and then a couple 1L nalgenes. Learn your terrain, look at a map, figure out how long to get to the next water source. Carry that much, or less. Drink like a camel when you get there. Water is H-E-A-V-Y.

4. Nothing.
The lightest thing you can carry is nothing!
'camping' towel, extra clothes, dishsoap, a backpacking chair... sure they are ALL nice to have, but "Everything Weighs Something".

This is great advice. Not sure why it never occurred to me to use a quit over a bag.

[Jeron Kahyar]

Originally Posted by clarky

Icebreaker clothing goes far for me. Their Marino wool T's are as light as they get and simply do not stink. I've hiked many days on end with the same T, and as far as I could tell no stink. Mind you, the squirrels never seem to complain about my smell haha. Well worth the money.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Try looking into I/O Merino. Little less selection than Icebreaker but top notch quality at a little lower price point. Made in New Zealand.

http://iomerino.com/

[BCBoy98]

I'm don't have much experience mountain hunting yet but I don't bring a packable pillow anymore. I use clothes stuffed into a dry sack as well. The advice about bringing just the havalon along with the leatherman is a good one. I see people bring **** tons of knives out hunting and can't help but wonder why. For early season you should easily be able to get away with just a tarp rather than a full on tent, that will save some weight for sure. Like I said I'm not super experienced yet but that's what I've learned so far.

[Huk]

Be super careful with your knee dude. Not sure what surgery you had but any mcl or acl repair you need to exercise mega caution as it will usually feel better before it's actually 100%. Lots of athletes end up re-tearing their knees by going too hard too soon.

That being said I just switched out my pack itself for an Outdoorsmans and that made a huge difference. Recently added trekking poles to my kit which are well worth the weight for the added stability they provide, especially going downhill. I usually hunt without a stove and will just build fires if I need to cook. I should mention I don't typically hunt above the tree line. I've been steadily upgrading my clothes to firstlite and kuiu gear. I find the better clothing suits more weather and I have to bring less.

I use a big agnes fly creek ul2 tent. Decent little shelter for the weight. I went a little overboard on the -20 sleeping bag but I'm glad to have it when it gets cold out and the wind picks up.

I try not to get too crazy about shaving ounces, because ot usually means I'm spending $. I try and focus on eating right and staying in shape and getting enough sleep. It seems to make a big difference in how heavy the pack feels.

[BackPackHunter]

Thanks, I've been being very careful, I had ligament replacement and a knee realinment. I have the best braces, and Im not pushing it , (Dr said 2 years before I'm 100%) this year is the first season I've worked out and I quit smoking
I'm prepping for 3 sheep trips this year,

Here is a pic of a bucket in my pack, it has a screw lid with a rubber gasket
I'm going to be putting these around where I hunt, Digging them into the ground n putting something over the top .
Ill be goin in all summer adding to them,
When opening comes , I plain only walking in with optics n gun, and some real food . I'll have everything there already.

[Prairiewolf]

Originally Posted by 300magman

Most people probably already know this, but i bought an inreach and that eliminated the need to carry a gps and a comm device like a spot or whatever. saved a bit of room in the pack, shaved a few ounces plus I dont need to carry as many back-up batteries as im only running one device. Looking forward to seeing some other stuff guys come up with on this thread.

x2 - bought one a month ago and I've used it for a couple of hikes thus far. Very happy with the functionality.