Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Pack and Boots for Alaskan Dall Sheep Hunt

I have finally booked my Dall Sheep hunt! Now I am trying to figure out the gear. I will be going in Aug 2012 and it will be my first backpack hunt (I think I might be crazy!). I am making a plan to make sure I am really ready by then and decided to get a pack and boots soon so I can start using them, etc.

After doing some searches and reading here, as well as talking to my guide, it has come down to a Barney's Hunter or a Bora 95. This will likely be my only Alaskan back pack hunt, but I would like to try some back country hunts in the lower 48. Any advice on the pack?

I have also decided to get Alaska GTXs from Lathrop and Sons - they are not far from me. Is the Gold package worth the extra money?

You would be doing yourself a favor by getting a hold of Mystery Ranch for your backpack choice. Call them up, tell them what you are planning, and they will put you in a pack that will be the best pack you buy. You can start by checking out their website, and getting a feel for the kind of packs they offer.

Spend your time working out like a madman, and getting your cardio dialed in.

Good luck on the hunt!

Kifaru KU 5200. Whatever boots give you ankle support and, above all else, fit properly. Asolos work for me. Actually a Crossfit gym membership or at the least, the P90X DVD is probably your best investment, and you should do that today.

If you've got the budget: Mystery Ranch. Yes I am biased because they are local. MR is in a small minority of outdoor product companies that impress me.
You would honestly do fine with your listed pack ideas though.

Interesting!! I've got the same boots on order with Lathrop & Sons and I too signed up for the GOLD plan. For my last 3 sheep hunts into the Brooks, I've worn La Sportiva's and thought they were fine. That is until I got blisters on both feet and lost the large toenails on both feet and on another, smaller toe. Come to find out, the boots were anywhere 1/2 to 1 size too small. About the worst thing that can happen to you on a sheep hunt is to screw your feet up. Alaska is very unforgiving and top notch gear is extremely important even when you're going with a guide.
As to a packboard, I don't like any internal frame style. My partner bought a Kirafu (I think) and decided he didn't like it. In use, it kept him stooped over and he couldn't stand upright. I don't like them because there's no place to tie your rifle down & I don't like the pockets provided for a rifle. With an external frame, strap your rifle across the top of the frame using quick release straps. This will keep your hands free to use your walking stick - trust me, you're gonna want one. In the remote event you need to acces your rifle, it's very fast to take your pack off and unsnap the straps. Trust me again, BTDT. The "argument" that you "might run into a bear & need your rifle" is, for the most part bearanoia. You'll be in open country with good visibility and, again with a guide who should keep you out of trouble. If I ever get another packboard, I'll get the one Barney's Sports Chalet sells. Should be hellforstout. Whatever you get, make sure the waist belt doesn't slip under a heavy load - BTDT too. I found an old Kelty packboard and took the metal buckle off it for use on my current one.
Finally, my comments about my LaSportiva's and my partners packboard shouldn't be taken as to "slamming" them. They are just 2 items that for us, didn't work out as planned. Good luck on your trip.
Bear in Fairbanks

That is the big question for me - External or internal. I had been leaning toward the internal, but my guide really likes the externals.

What are the drawbacks of the Barney Hunter, or any other external?

I am fighting my natural erge to go cheap on the equipment because I do not want to be in the middle of the hunt with equipment/feet issues.

In your situation, where the packout is hopefully one sheep for two guys, you don't need a 6000+ ci pack. Get familiar with the sizing standards for older Dana Designs packs - you can google up a catalog from ~2003 or 2004 for that. Then scour ebay and craigslist for anything built on the Dana Arcflex chassis - I own an Alpine and Terraplane. The Astralplane is the big gorilla at 7000ci+. I got the alpine on craigslist for $50...if that were my only pack I'd hunt the hell out of it.

As for boots, it kinda depends on where you go. If you spend the entire hunt on glacier moraine, then anything that's light and sexy like the la sportiva trango or its clones is going to get destroyed. If there is less rock involved, then you can get away with that genre of lightweights.

I run Alico Guides. They needed a midsole rebuild and new outsole after this year's marathon moraine packout. The leather upper was fine, but it's heavily waxed, thick, stiff leather. I don't see that heavy of leather in many of the fashion boots at REI, or even in some of the big mountain hunting boots like kenetrek and lowa and such. But, I've not used those.

I'd get something with a good, stiff sole that has a bit of rocker. You'll know it when you feel it. You gotta break the rocker into a wafflestomping norwegian welt boot like mine. It's built into lots of others. you'll know it when you feel it. I tried on a scarpa manta and it felt nice, but the leather seaming and such above the rand would get ate up in one hunt on the glacier. Stiff sole, minimal seaming in the leather, a rubber rand doesn't hurt on a molded sole. The stiff sole part rules out a lot of posers. Does the boot sole conform to the rock you stepped on to where you feel it as a hard point in your foot, or is it spread out by the sole stiffness? Are you able to grasp the heel and footbox and easily twist the boot/sole? You want that stuff to be pretty stiff.

I would go with a good internal frame pack

Good choice in boot- gold??

Bring good gaiters, Kennetrek or OR

I have an AT Bora and its good up to a certain point. Probably not my first choice with a lot of weight (>60 lbs), especially after you try some of the other packs the other gents listed.

That said, I hunted elk with mine for 8 years before changing to another brand.

KU 5200 for a pack.

I've got a pair on LAS Hanwags and love them...you shouldn't be disappointed either.

I wish I still had my Barneys Hunter you were asking about,I would have let you test drive it for a while.

You will lose much sleep over the pack choice but the boots will be easy, they will fit right or they wont.

The Barneys is a big, heavy pack. The hunter is almost 7000 inches. Thats maybe twice what you need for a guided hunt.It's also gonna cost ya close to 800 bucks.

One packer I had on one of my hunts used a Cabelas external. You can get a Cabelas for 250. He was happy with it. On another hunt the Guide used a Kifaru Longhunter.
My point is they will all work.

In all honesty, any decent pack will easily carry a half of a sheep.

After using the Barneys on two hunts. I sold it at a pretty good loss and am now looking into an internal.


The Barneys was always slipping down too low on my butt, The Mystery ranch has an adjustable torso length that should take care of that problem.

Also understand, Their is nothing magical about packs, none of them will carry you up the mountain, nor will the weight in any pack feel much different. 60 lbs is 60 lbs.

If you are on a guided sheep hunt you load likely won't exceed 80 lbs all up even if successful. Many packs will work at this load. You could save some coin by going with the Osprey Argon or Arcteryx Bora 95.

As far as externals being heavy, I will admit they certainly can be but when you consider a Mystery Ranch NICE 6500 at just under 10 pounds with waist-belt pockets for 6500 cu in of space where as my Barney's external frame with 5500 cu in of space is right at 6 lbs kinda takes that argument away.

If not planning on coming back to AK to hunt out of a backpack I would say that some of the mainstream high volume (5000-6000 cu in) packs will work just fine.

Reason for going to a high volume mainstream is they are cheaper and if they fit your body then they will be more than adequate for your uses. I have used an Arcteryx Bora to pull caribou off the mountains on a couple of occasions and it did just fine. Plus you don't want to throw down a bunch of coin on a super expensive pack to find out you need a bigger or smaller pack for your needs. Until you get some experience and your gear dialed in for hunting lower 48 out west its hard to know exactly how big and what kind of pack works for you.

An Arcteryx Bora will run you $370 brand new while an Osprey Argon 110 will run ya $340. Both will be more than adquate for a guided sheep hunt. Rarely do I find myself wishing for LESS volume in a pack. If you are disciplined the frame adds most of the weight to any pack. Generally for any pack the difference between is nil between say a 4500 cu in pack vs. a 6500 cu in pack as in less than a pound and the added space is handy if you plan on doing solo endeavors IMO. I personally hate strapping stuff to the sides and back of my pack as it gets hung up in the brush and isn't as well protected a larger pack will always get the nod from me.

For example Osprey Argon 70L (4300 cu in) is 5.5 pounds. The Argon 110L (6700 cu in) pack is 6.3 pounds. Thats over 50% more space for only a 15% increase in weight. Most packs compress down well anyways to suck up that extra volume when your pack isn't full anyways.

If it turns out you are hooked on backpacking you upgrade your pack as needed, but for one guided Alaskan Dall Sheep hunt these packs for $350 will more than serve your needs provided they FIT you. A poor fitting pack doesn't work no matter much you paid for it so trying the pack out this summer/fall and getting your gear dialed in this year prior to your hunt in 2012 would be key.

Hope that helps.

Agreed that if it's guided, your packing won't be too extreme. Find a good pack used on the classfieds, and then sell it after the hunt for what you bought it for. Boots are really subjective. Spend a few days in the cities walking up and down the stairs in a sky scraper or two if they'll let you. You'll find out what works for you and what doesn't.

internal pack for sure! pm sent

This is why I love the 24cf - these post have been sooo helpful. From people who know and have done it! Can't get this at REI or cabelas.

If you go internal make sure it "really" can handle 80 pounds without going "accordian" on you (I learned the hard way on my guided sheep hunt and I had the lighter load without much gear). You really can't beat a used Dana Design,whether internal or external for the $$. If you are a "normal" bodied person fit usually is not that big of a deal. You have plenty of time to watch the boards and Craig's list you should be able to find a high quality pack at a big discount (I picked up a MR G600 for $235 delivered). My heavy toter is still a Barney's though. Don't try to pinch pennies on your pack, boots or rain gear. As others will attest to Alaska is a very unforgiving environment compared to the Midwest. When I contacted Lathrop's I just went with the standard boot as my feet are pretty normal. Rest assured you will spend way more time than necessary on gear and it won't get you as ready for your hunt as excercise and range time will.

have a pair of the alaska gtx's not the gold package, have put a couple hundred miles on them best boots i have had, hope they work that way for you.

Lots of great info already but I will add my two cents.

Great choice on the boots I love my Hanwags. The gold package is nice but totally up to you if you want to spend the money. If you can go into Lathrop and Sons I would say skip it. I was less then impressed with the foot beds sold with the package. The G-Wax is great. What ever you get make sure they are broke in and have a little foot love kit to carry with you.

Make sure you already have what sock system your going to use and bring them with you to fit your boots. Its a big piece to the puzzle. Also as mentioned above a good set of gators are a must. You don't want to be picking shale out of your boots all day plus it will protect them from cuts.

As for packs it kinda depends. What does your guide recommend for size? If your flying into camp and hunting from camp you don't need a big pack. You could get away with something like a Mystery Ranch Longbow or even a NICE frame with lid and load sling. If you will be living out of your pack then I would make the step up to a 6500ish pack. If your set on a Bora try to find one of the older packs. They were hell for stout and great packs.

I'm sure your guide will have a list of things to bring but these are just a few that will really make your trip more comfortable.

A good set of rain gear is a must. It can rain a fair amount Aug and Sept in AK.

Good optics. I'm sure your guide will have good stuff but you spend a lot of time behind your glass.

Something to sit on. Thermarest makes a nice foam z-rest seat that folds up small. You could sit on your pack as well.

Trekking poles. You can find your self in some less then comfortable spots sheep hunting. Trekking poles make climbs and descent of tricky spots a little more comfortable. Especially with a heavy load.

Good insulation layer that fits over your outer layer. Its nice to have a good insulation layer to throw on while glassing or stopping for a while. You can work up a pretty good sweat and will chill pretty fast. Just one more thing for comfort.

A book or Ipod to pass some time. You can get stuck at camp if some weather rolls in. A small deck of cards is nice too.

Small sleeping bag and bivy. This is one I would talk about with your guide. Every trip I have been on we bivyed away from camp. Sometimes chasing rams and others loaded with meat. Its easy to stretch yourself to exhaustion. I have found it better/safer to make a small camp, make some food and continue in the morning.

OK well that was more then a few

Sheep hunting is a blast and very rewarding. Most important thing is to keep a good metal attitude and post some pictures when your done.

I have an old, like new Dana Design internal for sale on this site.
SEEN HERE It is likely to be from 1995, because sometime after that time frame, they modified the Carbon Fiber Shoulder Bar to be far less robust (assuming to cut costs). The Shoulder Bar is part of the suspension system, helping allow it to haul huge loads. Eventually, they removed it all together, and it was a very poor decision on their part. One of those instances when "older is far, far better". Built like a tank, and it is Spruce Green (has a blueness to it, but is still green). I'm getting rid of it because it is slightly too big for me. There are 30 ways to adjust this pack, and even with all that potential, the torso is just to long for my body.

I hate to sound like a salesman, but since a couple folk already mentioned the greatness of those old Danas at a fraction of the cost of a Mystery Ranch pack, I thought I might as well mention it. Spend 1/3 to 1/4 as much, and have every bit the pack you'd have with Mystery Ranch (which I greatly admire as well). And you don't have to pay extra to get the best belt. It's inherent to the ArcFlex series. The Beavertail is particularly handy for a hunter. The whole thing is designed to carry massive loads with maximum comfort. This model has a thin profile (thinner than the Terraframe or Astralplane), so the center of gravity is exceptional. What does that mean? That you stand more upright and with less back strain. When necessary, carry longer and heavier with the least stress on the body. Something to seriously consider when buying a pack; mine or anyone else's. I feel the profile of a pack is greatly undervalued and overlooked by most people. Lots of the comfort can be found in this area of design alone. The fatter the pack, the more you have to hunch over to compensate for that pull backwards. It's a sore back waiting to happen.

I'm ready to wheel-n-deal a bit. PM me with any questions.

Unfortunately, with most pack companies, you're best finding a pack made in the mid-1990s. Arcteryx, Osprey, Dana Design, Gregory, and whoever. They were overdesigning (in the best ways) and overbuilding packs in almost every facet of manufacturing. Fabric choices were overkill. Suspension systems were overkilled. Back when quality was present in a line of products from the bottom model to the starship model. It wasn't a luxury. It JUST WAS. Buy an older pack for a fraction of the costs. If not mine, doesn't matter.

Elkrazy,

My recommendation is that you should go as light as you can, and that includes using not-so-heavy boots, like these 26oz Sportiva's http://www.sportiva.com/products/prod/274 and a carbon fiber pack like the about-to-come Kuiu's http://kuiu.wordpress.com/2011/01/27/icon-3000-review/

Regards,

BBerg