Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting What Worked And What Didn't this year?

Well its about that time again. Almost the last month of the year.

So what worked well for you this year and what didn't?

What worked for me:

Zebra Light H51 headlamp. Killer little light. Runs off 1 AA and is bright as hell. Really easy to use as well.

Sanyo Eneloop rechargeable AA battery's. Used them in my headlamps and GPS this year. Absolutely great performance from a rechargeable.

Golite 3 season quilt 25degree. Super warm and only 2 pounds 7 oz for a synthetic quilt. Kept me warm and is pretty darn comfy.

IO Bio Wool. This stuff just plain rocks. Super soft, lightweight, stretchy, breaths well and is really warm for how thin it is.

Mystery Ranch longbow. Another year and it still impresses me.




What didn't work:

Inov8 Roclite 315's. Really awesome shoe that just didn't hold up. The soles started peeling off after 2 decent hikes in them. I tried to goo them back together but other lugs started coming off. Its too bad because the rest of the shoe was awesome.

Icebreaker Merino liner glove. Glove was warm, light and fit well but the fingers came unraveled after one use. Durability was nonexistent.

Good question..

On my good list..

Impertech
Edge Stocks/Rem 700 Ti rifles
Gene Ingram Knives (Edge Pro Sharpener)
Kifaru Longhunter, Guide
Meindl Boots
Black Diamond Trekking poles
Zeiss 10x40 Classics--They just find me bucks.


Bad list..

Garmin GPS-- Froze up a few times. Probably due to moisture, but still a concern given the fog this year.

We'll have to start a "What are you workouts this off season" thread here shortly. I need to live in the gym for what I've got cooking in 2011.

Good call...

Worked particularly well:
-Hilleberg Allak--possibly a small review to come at another time
-Valandre Mirage
-NICE Frame
-eVent
-Rab Xenon
-Thermarest Neo Air
-700 mtn. rifle got its first blood and was efficient

Not so great:
-Nikwax DWR; it will be McNett for all future technical clothing treatment

Shoot didn't even think of the basics that always work,

280AI (worked really good)
Charles may little friend
Hanwag boots
BD trekking poles
Cloudveil inertia pants
Smartwool
Icebreaker
Swaro 8x30's
Patagucchi R2

My list for the current year:

What worked well���

- the consistency of gravity,
- the quickness at which terminal velocity is reached,
- the hardness of cold ground.

What did not work so well���

- my ability to defy gravity,
- my ability to shrug off a hard landing,
- my right knee.

Best:)

Calvin, which Garmin if you don't mind me asking?

Here's my list of what worked, some already mentioned:

+1 on Kifaru G2 Guide pack
Kifaru meat bags
+1 on Hanwags, (Mountain Lights)
Garmin Foretrex 401 (High-sensitivity chip, I go for compact, lightweight)
Mathews Switchback bow
Z-rest/BA Insulated Air Core combo
Marmot Helium bag
BD Mega-lite
Capilene lightweight underwear
Cabela's lightweight Microtex shirt/pants
Smartwool socks
Primos calls, cow and bull
Leica CRF rangefinder
Zeiss 8 X 30s
Petzl Tikka XP
Probars for snackin'
Starbucks VIA, Ti cup, Esbit stove for afternoon pick-me-up.
Didn't need rain gear this year!!

What worked:

-Kifaru Longhunter
-Leupold switch power binos(love these things!)
-Big agnes Fly creek tent
-Smartwool socks
-Therm-a-rest Neoair

What didn't work:

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife(10 years and still have not got drawn for one single tag!)

Ford Bronco(could not make my second attempt at the high hunt, she died on the way up, went back home)

Me(i have been sick most of this year)

Worked:
Schuller material Mountain Guide pants
Grabber chemical warmers (lighter than carrying extra layer)
Smartwool socks
Smartwool base layer
Sitka Downpour outer layer
Staying in a hotel and driving back and forth to the hunt area.

Didn't work:
Holding out for a monster - passed on 40 bucks and still have my unpunched tag.
GPS with dead batteries

tsx and accubombs
sitka stuff
hanwag alaska boots good on the steep stuff and in the saddle.
carhartt double front pants in the bush
merino wool underwear
primo's elk calls
wiser's 18 yr old canadain whiskey, oh so good

what didn't work:
warm fall weather in the mountains
need to find a good flashlight that takes a beating
upgrade slumberjack sleeping bag
the end of the hunting seasons, dont want to stop hunting

What didn't work:

Moving during hunting seasons to a place that does not have a reason to get a backpack out.

Have a few ideas on a backpack hunt in my 'home' state, but the regulation that the head has to stay attached to the carcass until registered at a check station has me a bit befuddled on how to get one out of the field. Any thoughts other than packing out a whole deer?

I asked DNR about that as I hunt in steep terrain that can be too wet to drive and too steep to drag.

They told me I could cut it in half and pack out each half...

Back to topic, things that didn't work?

A late mule deer migration on an early season tag.

What worked:

- Hanwag +3 or 4 at this point (Alaska GTX)worked great at a rocky 13k feet for Mountain goat and everything since
- Kifaru ParaTipi/small stove
- Badlands Sacrifice
- Sitka Gear - Ascent Pants, Jetstream Jacket/beanie/gloves
- Havalon Piranta knife (just bring a couple extra blades)

Not so good:

- Katadyn Filter Bottle - it works, but hard to draw through
- Exped Downmat 7 - kept losing air on me by morning, need to send it back for an overhaul. Also a bit heavy for backpack hunts
- Legs and Lungs - Just when you think you're in shape for the high country, the high country lets you know otherwise. Slow going at altitude

Good: Montrail Helium Boots- tough
Jetboil- great during sheep season
Burris timberline- tough, lightweight, bouncing off rocks and still shooting dead on!
Kershaw changeable blade knife, skinner and saw- light, sharp and well built.


Bad: Jetboil- wouldnt boil water at 4 degrees plus snow plus windchill.
Sierra designs wild bill- lightweight+synthetic= cold!!
Synthetic game bags-tough, light, but will not dry and could cost you your meat!!

What worked:

Integral Designs Event Bivy. No condensation and a very well thought out bivy even though it weighs almost 2 lbs.
Exped 7 downmat with integral pump
Vortex Razor 10x42's
going without stove

Didn't work:
5x8 tarp, (too small) going back to 8x10
soft eyeglass case

Future upgrades:

Used an REI XT 85 pack this year and it worked real well, but Kifaru LH will be here tomorrow!

Would like to try a Neoair for warmer weather and an MLD lightweight bivy or BA Fly Creek tent to help lighten up the shelter weight.

Good:
Barney's Pinnacle
Meindl Perfekts
Underarmor (base layers, sweatshirt, thin beanie, none of their skin-tight stuff)
Sucks 280AI/120TSX/Leupold 6X42 (Two sheep, two shots, 30 seconds)
Cytomax
Mountain House/Instant Oatmeal/Cliff Bars/Power Bars
Jetboil
Patagonia gore-tex rain gear
Victorinox parer


Not so good:
BA inflatable sleeping pad. (Worked great through the sheep hunt, then sprung a leak during the moose hunt.)

After using UA for a number of years I tried out Smartool this year and I am sold on the stuff.
No smell and superior warmth and ventilation.
No contest between the two, Smartwool wins.

Boots: I bought some Hanwags Trapper GTX but ended up sending them back after a 3 day bp hunt.
The eyelets bent after one day in the bush.
I also found the soles of the Trappers not compatible to wet rocks and logs, they perform like skates on ice.

I switched to the Alaska GTX and found the soles softer and better for NW weather. They were also not insulated and therefore cooler to run for early bp hunts.

You can see the bent lace eyelets on the Trappers.



Lathrop and Sons CS was superb and took good care of me.


My Leupold GR 10x42's performed as good as I could possible want and am totally satisfied with them.

What about your pack?

What Worked:

Zeiss 8x30's:
Great glass and fit my hands and face better than anything I have tried.

Black Diamond Spot headlamp:
I keep going back to this as it does everything I need it to and runs on AAA's

Clothing System:
Light Merino base layer, BPL Merino Hoody is my all time favorite

Nearly 30 year old Moonstone Moonlite Pile Jacket with either a Mont-Bell wind jacket or a really excellent all around shell, the Westcomb Spectre LT

Rab Vapor Wick Pants:
Love these. I am on my 3rd or 4th season with them.

OR Flex-Tex Gaiters:
For 99% of the time they are all I need.


Mont-Bell Super Stretch Sleeping Bags:
Always a good, warm and comfortable nights sleep.

Large Neo Air in a Thermalounger chair kit. I used a Gossamer gear 3/8" CC pad on top in colder weather.
Super comfortable, actually better than my bed at home.

Gossamer Gear Litetrek 4 adjustable poles:
These are truly amazing and work better as shooting stick than most dedicated shooting sticks.

Kifaru Meat Baggies inside a Sea to Summit 65 liter eVent packliner. No blood leakage, super light and compact, meat stays clean.

Kifaru Sawtooth Tipi:
Amazing amount of room. I managed to cut a pound off the total weight by going with Vargo Ti pegs and Carbon Fiber poles from Kevin at Seekoutside.com


Pack:
To be named later. 5200 cubic inches. 2 lbs 9 oz and carried 87 lbs better than any I have ever used. More on this in a couple weeks.


What didn't work:

Timing for chasing elk:
To hot and dry followed by more snow than I have seen since 1978 and some fridgid temps. This plus no cow tag left a big space in my freezer.

I can't think of any gear that was really failed. That gives me justification for all the hundreds of hours I have spent trying different gear and combos of gear.
I went back to the BD Spot Headlamp after giving the Surefire St Minimus a try. The SF was an awesome light but I prefer the AAA's and being able to go for nearly an entire hunting season with one set of batteries.

What? How long am i going to have to wait to hear the details? Don't make us wait a couple weeks.

More on this in a couple weeks.

Sorry for the tease. It will be worth the wait.