Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Gear Purchases

What have been your best purchases for the upcoming seasons and what problem did they solve ? What do you still have left to purchase , are saving for next year or don't have the right solution yet ?

Here is my list
- 20 degree overstuffed down quilt: Light, reasonable warm and multi function. No longer do I take to much bag (0 degree) or to little bag (30 degree)
- Gravity Filter: To easy for water for groups. Saves a lot of time
- Sawyer squeeze bottle: To easy to use. Allows me to use water sources I probably would not with iodine or a steripen.

What do I wish I could improve but might not be until next year ?
My pack. My current choice is between one the will haul whatever, but is to much. This will probably be left in the car in case needed. My old Osprey Silhoutte is a good mixture of performance and capability but still a bit overkill when hunting from camp. My light weight sub 2 pound pack, will carry enough load, but doesn't have enough volume for later seasons. Once I have this dialed in, I should be set.

My best have been the pair of Scarpa Fuego boots, the Zamberlan Nuvolao boots and the Mystery Ranch Wolf Pack I have bought, plus two more Zeiss Conquest 4x scopes for my third and fourth 9,3x62 rifles.

I am now "broke" and my other purchase of a minty, used Four Dog Ti large stove finished me, so a 12-man tipi in camo from you will have to wait to after Christmas, unless I sell my Merkel drilling as I am probably going to do.

Then, the only thing I want is a full house custom expedition pack from McHale in "full Spectra" and THAT is going to be IT!!!!

Just ordered a 64 oz, Hydro Flask by phone and will probably buy two 40 ozers when they have stock in colours other than PINK and MAUVE.....I am fairly "liberal" about many personal choices, especially for a Catholic school, 1950s kid, BUT, I AIN'T packing NO PINK gear!!!!!

how long before you start adding sidewalls tbag?

I'm wrestling with packs but it's not so much for hunting season as for the summer trips that amount to backpacking/scouting/fishing.

My "big" pack is an external frame load hauling beast. I like it but some trips, it's too much.

I bought a small (45L, 2750 cu in, roughly) pack but it's just a hair too small. If I pack a water bladder in the internal sleeve and use the mesh pockets to trap my tackle and tent, then there's not enough room for quite enough stuff inside. If I use water bottles in the mesh pockets, the other gear fits inside barely but there's no way to attach a rod case to the outside.

3000-3200 cubic inches with good external attachment points would be great. The two packs I'm looking at are a Badlands Sacrifice (3500-3800 cu in with lots of lash points, but sorta spendy) and a Kelty Yukon (3000 cu in, external frame, so lots of gear lashing opportunity).

I've been studying various offerings from Kelty, North Face, Gregory, .. yada yada yada ... I c'n tell you one thing for sure: internal frame pack makers do not cater to fishermen. I guess hanging gear outside the pack bag doesn't fit their yuppie image.

Tom

That's it wham. I could tolerate your drunken comments and even got a chuckle out of some when I considered your frame of mind when you were posting but you've crossed the line as far as I'm cocerned.

Count me as another who will never purchase anything from you. As my father would say, " I wouldn't walk across the street for any of your gear even if it were free."

well your dad sounds like a profound man

Just put the dipsomaniacal blowhard on "Ignore" and let him rave with his "Delerium Tremens" until Ric finally boots his pathetic azz.

That said, I agree with you and your dad and would not buy anything from a imbecile like "Wham".

This wasn't about SO specific gear, just gear in general.

Our sod skirt has always been able to act as a mini side wall if you desire by simply pitching the tent a bit higher and using tension, or small extension loop on the stake outs.
The side guy outs also can provide some side wall style functionality if desired, greatly increasing interior volume near the edges.

Hi Tom

My pack that I consider to small for later seasons, is around 3000, and if it had better attachment points it might suffice. A real 3000 - 3200 (most packs are smaller than stated) is a nice volume for most use. I tend to think though, that 4500 with good compression and the right attachments is probably my sweet spot for all but the largest loads.

an imbecile

So now that name calling is hopefully minimal, let's get back on topic.

(Way too optimistic .. )

So, new gear ... well, Thermarest NeoAir. For years I've been using a 48" long self inflating thermarest. Problem ... as I've gotten older, that pad just doesn't cut it anymore. I'm not sure if it's the short length or the thickness. In any event, with the NeoAir I've slept better on the ground than I have for years, plus it's smaller and lighter when deflated.

Two "bug bags". One is an Outdoor Research bug bivy, the other is an REI 2 person "bug hut." What they do is provide some mosquito relief while packing lighter and smaller than a tent. I also nabbed a 7x10 foot sil-nylon tarp which I can suspend over either of them if I get rain (without wind). I have't tried that part yet but I've tarp-camped and this just lets me do it smaller and lighter.

A quilt of sorts. Along with the NeoAir I got Thermarest's fitted sheet and 35 degree quilt. Pretty darn comfortable but a bit too warm for the conditions I used them in.

I also picked up 2 sleeping bags (3, really) but I haven't used them yet. All are from Western Mountaineering. The first was a HighLite. It proved too small, wouldn't fit across my shoulders. I gave it to my daughter. The others are larger, semi-rectangular, and fit. One is a MityLite 40 degree summer bag. The other is a Sequoia 5 degree bag.

Shoes ... for warm weather hunting I bought 2 pairs of Vibram "Five Finger" shoes. They let me move quieter than hard-soled, stiff shoes, in dry leaves and such. Not sure how they'll be when its time to pack a load o' meat out, but probably ok. Truth is, they get me really interested in leather-bottomed moccasins or the like.

One serious backpacking (and hunting) weight saver was the addition of a S&W 329PD; I always carry a .44 when I'm muzzleloader hunting and often when I use smaller caliber centerfires, say under .270. I just don't trust 'em to fix bear problems and since I'm often hunting in a bear preserve, that's a practical consideration.

Tom

Lighter boots
Lighter ME!!!
Waders if we decide to cross the river again or a small air kayak or boat for the same purpose.

As far as new gear I still want and am somewhat likely to buy.

- Waterproof boots with a zero-rise heel.
- New rain gear.
- New hat.
- New 4-season tent.

Stuff I want but likely won't get.

- More accurate sidelock muzzleloader. - The market for what I want seems to have dried up in the past 5-8 years.

- Elk revolver. - I'm probably not hunting elk so I can wait a year.

- New truck, big enough to haul a usefully large camper.

If I could find a 0 heel drop moderate snow capable shoe I'd be all in. I love the VFF, but have been using the Merrel barefoots mostly lately, since they work with all my socks and VFF can smell after a while.

Nesting it can be a great way to roll in moderate conditions. The family did some backpacking on Vancouver Island last week (Juan De Fuca) and we just used nests and they were great even though we were yards from the tide. No condensation, no wetness even in a light mist in the morning.

I use my 20 degree quilt up to 60 degrees, by just changing it more to a blanket, leaving my shoes on and calling it good.

I still haven't found the perfect rain gear. I've had some thoughts on what I would like to see, but haven't tried anything yet. For instance, a poncho can be great. If it looks like rain might happen. I have pulled it out to be withing reach, and put it on when it starts to rain, without changing a thing, while hiking down the trail. They are also nice in that they double as a ground sheet, but they have flaws as well. A good rain jacket, takes more work and planning to put on, sometimes it might require a layer change. Jackets and Umbrella's also let your legs get wet, which means wet feet, unless you have gaitors or rain pants.

I've started wearing the Merrell minimalist (same thing?) shoes to work to condition my tendons and so on to the idea of truly flat contact with the ground. Recently I've using the VFFs for hiking / walking unless I get into stony ground, then I still use my old low-top heavy hikers. (Merrell Moab Ventillator cross-trainers, I think. Merrell, anyway.)

For backpacking, I think a poncho is the way to go. If I'm wearing long pants, then rain chaps, otherwise, just wet legs. For rain chaps, I like Mountain Laurel Designs ultralight chaps.

Mostly I try to plan hiking trips when it is not raining. Hot or cold isn't too important, but I like dry. I find it hard to set up and break camp, especially the second day, and keep stuff dry enough. I'm not sure if other people are more adept at that or if they're just less picky about being wet. (This isn't just true of backpacking, I don't like car camping either in the rain if I have to frequently break camp to move it.)

Tom

My "big" gear purchase this year was a replacement for my Black Diamond Firstlight Tent which I've used since 2005.

I wanted a 1-person, freestanding double-wall tent with vestibule. I narrowed it down to the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL1 and the MSR Hubba HP.

The BA CS1 is a fine tent, with a bit more floor space, but I like the headroom and steeper walls of the Hubba better, as well as the "D" door vs. upside-down "U" door of the CS. I also wanted a non-mesh tent, and the Hubba HP fit the bill.

There's also something elegantly simple about the Hubba... sort of intangible, but for me it's there.

While the Hubba HP (High Performance) isn't offered in the USA any longer (ridiculous IMO), I used my best google-fu and found a reputable retailer with a good price in the UK:

http://www.adventure-spec.com/default/msr-hubba-hp-tent.html

Despite what the ad says, it came up �199.96 in the "shopping cart" with an additional �20.97 for delivery via DHL.

All that works out to $345.46 US.

Communication was fantastic and the tent was delivered in 2 days!

http://cascadedesigns.com/en/msr/ten...bba-hp/product

Tent with all packaging and attached labels came in EXACTLY at 2lbs 15.9 oz's rather than the advertised 3lbs

With all the packaging, tags and additional stuff removed it weighs 2lbs 13.6 oz's

Further, I ditched the heavyish MSR stuff sacks (you really don't need a separate pole sack either) and used a TarpTent Silnylon sack and stake sack... all-up weight (w/ Tyvek footprint) is 2lb's 15.2 oz's.

I may get a set of Fibraplex poles next season to drop another 6.3 oz's... we'll see.

http://www.fibraplex.com/ebay/MSRHubba.htm

Going to give it a workout in the Absaroka's in a week.

Kifaru Timberline pack, my old pack was falling apart. Did one two-night trip with it so far, and it feels very comfortable!

One of those inflatable, down filled mattrasses. I was very uncomfortable on just a thin foamy.

New sleeping bag is coming, Western Mountaineering Sequoia MF... lighter and roomier and maybe warmer than my old bag.

Next year... some fancy raingear from Sitka or Kuiu or some such. Money ran out :-)

An HPG kitbag, thermarest NeoAir, and used Dana Design Terraplane. Still unsure which direction to go with a bag. I've acquired a GoLite down quilt but not sure it will cut it down in the 20's.
Also undecided for raingear...that would double for wind. Sorta looking at the GoLite poncho which could be carried for an emergency shelter.

Nothing new here. Same old boots, tent, bag, rifle, scope, rangefinder, binos, knives, backpack, etc.

Gonna boot up and hit alpine this weekend. Buck hunting till the first of the year. It's been one hell of a fishing season..and my pocketbook shows it.