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I'm trying to convince one of my buddies he needs to do a backpack elk hunt this fall. He's hesitant because he's never backpacked. He is also concerned with the petite nature of the equipment - as he calls it. He's 6ft 5 and can be a bit of a thrash. I have an MSR 2 man BP tent and he's claustrophobic in it. Plus he thinks he's going to freeze to death.

What equipment are you bigger guys running on BP hunts in mid-late October? Specifically tents, bags, and pads.

Thanks.

Some guys will tell themselves anything to not go backpacking

A very good friend took me on my first ever backpack hunting trip when I was 15 or 16, and he's a BIG dude. I want to say 6'2" or 6'3" and probably weighed 260 at the time.

Also... starsky and I have backpack hunted together a bunch and mostly used my Hilleberg Nallo 3 on those. He is 6'7" and it really hasn't been a problem unless he tries to stand up in the tent . He can probably tell you more about the other gear he uses.

A good 0 or 15/20 degree bag, insulation from the ground (Z-pad under my inflatable) and a big enough tent and your buddy will be fine.

Tanner

He's not hugely keen on the idea yet but there's 3 of us and it's 2 against 1 at the moment. 😁

He's looking at 4 person, 4 season tents but he doesn't realize, yet, how much weight that will add to his pack.

Thanks for the comments.

Get him to have EE make him a quilt large enough, use a large enough floorless shelter (prefereably with stove), and use a NeoAir XTherm Max Large or Exped Downmat Winterlite LW. Should be good to go with a lightweight setup that'll be big enough and keep him warm.

I'm 6'-4" 215 lb... haven't really had "size" be a problem with backpacking. My 1-person tent is about maxed out as far as length... and my Marmot bag is about all the narrower it could be... but stuff still works fine.

That type of camping isn't for everyone. My elk buddy calls it "cold camping" as opposed to wall tents with wood stoves and so on. But man does it open up some country. Just put it to him this way. Normally he hunts X far into the woods. Now imagine that you pack in X far instead, and THAT is now your starting point for the hunt. It's like X + X = ELK! The algebra is hard to argue with <g>.

Just don't let him over-pack. Nothing will kill a budding backpacker's interest faster. If I were taking him in his first time I'd secretly steal away some of the shared gear and make MY pack heavier. I know it's not gonna ruin it for me, I'll just suffer a bit more, but the extra 10 lbs or whatever might make a tangible difference for a first-timer.

I'd also look at floorless, and would make him go backpacking this summer if at all possible. I wouldn't want my first time backpacking to have been in late October I know that. It's nice to get stuff figured when your tag isn't depending on it.Any decent quality long (6'6") insulation will do. I can squeeze onto a 72" long pad at 6'2" ish but I'd go longer for him.

Also, even a quality, correctly sized pack with a backpack camp + meat in it will punish the first timer. No way around it, but at least getting a sense of what a full pack feels like will help him. The thing about deer is you can suffer your way out with 100-120 lbs and be done. With elk you gotta wake up the next morning and do it all again

Big Agnes Copper Spur UL3

WM Badger Long

Regular neolite pad

drysack with puffy for pillow

backpack for elevation of feet.

You are more comfortable and lighter than 90% of the dudes out there.

I'm 6'4" -205lbs and have found that carrying an ultralight two man tent is just about perfect for sleeping and storing gear inside when the weather hits.

I use a extra long neolite and a down mummy. The weight is not a problem, but the only thing I would change is the sleeping bag. I am on the lookout for an extra long bag but without the taper at the feet.

+1 to both. Can't beat the weight/size ration of a good floorless tent.

Kifaru long and wide bag for me. 20 degrees.

Got a more expensive thermarest for Christmas this year, but before that I was using whatever would hold air. Look for something that's longgggg with a good R value.

The Hillebergs are sweet, Black Diamond Vista 3 is a kickass tent, and for floor less I've had good luck with the Mountainsmith LT. I wouldn't go floorless in late October, though.

Why not floorless in October? Good thing about snow in a floorless tent is, you can pitch the tent on uneven or rocky ground and just level out and pack the snow. With a good pad, it's not an issue.

I will say this about backpacking for big guys: it's easier if your big dimension is in the vertical plane, rather than the horizontal.

You guys always come through - thank you for the ideas. I've turned him onto this thread and the equipment mentioned.

For me, floorless is almost a niche thing for times when weight is uber important or I'm just cruising around in the summer months. Though it did save my butt along with two other guys in Alaska when we were on a ridge that wasn't wide enough for a Hilleberg (lightweight thing again).

I just like having a floor in the snow I guess, personal preference thing.

Try the gear beforehand at REI and rent what you need.

Big Agnes Classic Series bags in Long fit my girth and I am very round!

Big Agnes for everything.

Go Copper Spur 3 and their bags are more than adequate.

Then again, Option 1.) should be GFY and sit at home and be the kghunt that you are.

You don't even know any big guys.

I endorse the idea of a summer shakedown cruise to get him comfortable with the idea.

I've found that telling guys about Option 1 usually gets them off their kghunts.

Tanner

It's all starting to make sense.... all Tanner needs to know is how big a boy are ya

Haha... that's awesome...

Roy D. Mercer voice: JUST HOW BIG A BOY ARE YA'?!

Tanner

Bwinters,

A summer of training hikes and overnight camping out of the pack will work wonders shaking out what works and was doesn't.

I am reminded of the Mt. Whitney climb my wife and I did prior to going overseas. She did not want to train, but we started hiking 4 months prior to the climb with a steady increase in distance and weight in the pack.

22 miles round trip, 16 hours and over 12,000 ft in elevation gain/loss but we accomplished the goal....I think she has forgiven me now!

Bottom line, just like shooting...training and more training will work wonders.

Your friend may not like it now but will thank you later.

I am jealous of the opportunity.

Thanks for the thoughts. You're wife may not have forgiven you with that kind of death march.........

Get your butt home and we'll talk about elk hunting!

I'm triggered.

Go with a Tipi tent for the big guy and you can keep it light. We're going with one of these for an Alaska backpack hunt this August: https://sierradesigns.com/mountain-guide-tarp/