8.5 to 9!!!! No way. Maybe a day pack.
Figure 35 if you have sleeping bag, tent, bivvy, sleeping pad, stove, pot, pougie bait, 10 mountain house meals, water filter, GPS, ammo, butchering equipment, game bags, flash lights, snivel gear, weapon, couple gatoraides for the hike in, etc.
Conrad:
What's "snivel gear"?
Some people don't understand the difference between a daypack and a backpack. Obviously you do.
When I'm day hiking/hunting out of a base camp, my daypack weighs about 12 pounds. That includes 2 quarts (four pounds) of water and it doesn't count a 10# rifle.
If you're backpack hunting during the early seasons, then you don't need the cold weather clothing. Consequently you can keep your pack and rifle weight near 35 pounds.
Thirty-five pounds is a good weight, not counting rifle, for the 3rd or 4th season, if you're carrying food for ten nights and cold weather clothing. I plan to return to base camp every four or five days so I only carry four nights food.
KC
