Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting New and could use some pointers

Hey folks,

Like the title says, I am new to backpack hunting. So I scored a practically brand new Osprey Aether 70 AG pack (used once) and a 3L water bladder for around $150. I'm looking into starting to gear up the pack for back pack hunting. And was wondering what other hunters typically carry for 2-3 night hunting trips. Super stoked about this pack lol. I will be mostly hunting in Northern California and the northern costal areas. Thanks in advance for your help.

I really like my jet Boil stove. But lighter options exist. Spend a decent amount of coin on sleeping bag (no surplus).

New to backpacking itself, or just backpack hunting? If you're new to backpacking do a few/several summertime trips to shake out your gear and see what works.

PS, the most important 3 items to get quality/lightweight stuff (=$$) are your tent, sleeping pad, and bag. Do you have those yet?

Sometimes you can go cheap... backpacking, and any back country activity is not the time to be cheap. Buy quality stuff. For two reasons: It'll be reliable, and it will be light weight.

Pounds matter on a backpack trip. It'll take you a while to perfect your pack. Find what works for you. Most of all enjoy the back country. There's something really cool about shutting the truck door and not coming back for several days.

-Jake

I would look at the surviving a cold night thread at the beginning of backpacking to start with.

A good pad like an Exped Downmat is worth the $$$$.

Concentrate on layers of clothes vs heavier individual coats or pants; I like nylon fishing pants and layers of wool long johns as needed.

Carry a pair of cheap light pairing knives with the plastic 'sheaths' instead of a heavy knife. You usually can pick up a 2 or three pack of them at a Marshall for $5-$10.

Sawyer squeeze filters are very nice. I pack in a couple empty gallon milk jugs to fill up with a couple days worth of water so I don't have to filter everyday, and they are a lot easier to pour out of than the Nalgene bags.

Don't get caught up in gimmicks or 'neat' items. You'll just end up with more weight and probably won't use them.

Have a good attitude. BP hunting is tough but very rewarding.

I backpack and stay in a hammock. a nice light alternative to a tent and at 46 I sleep much better in the hammock than on the ground. This is providing there are enough trees where you plan to hunt/camp

Smokepole is right. You don't want to try to learn to backpack and hunt at the same time. That's a recipe for disaster. Start backpacking at home, doing several summer backpack trips to learn the tricks of the trade before you go on a backpack hunt. Make your mistakes when they won't ruin your hunt or result in injury. Learn from those mistakes and take that knowledge into the field with you.

Keep your pack as light as you can. When I start a trip, my backpack weighs less than 28#, and that includes 5 days food and two liters of water. Add a rifle and some ammo and my entire kit weighs about 38#. When I leave, after I've eaten the food, I carry a liter of water and drink it on the way out, my pack weighs about 20# by the time I reach the truck.

I sent you a PM with a list of gear that I actually use.

KC

Both actually. Looking for direction in gear to try out and try to avoid as many mistakes as possible. Haven't picked up a tent, pad, or bag yet. Still looking and researching before I spend the money.

Thanks KC. Yeah got the PM it was great! Sorry for lack of replies work been crazy busy.

I haven't tried one myself yet but a lot of guys are switching from sleeping bags to quilts. They're lighter and a bit cheaper. Read up on them before you buy anything.

About that 3L water bladder. That's nearly 7 lb of weight. Are you hunting where no water is available? If there is water there, carry a lightweight filter and never more than 1L at a time unless you're in camp.

how big is the budget?

Top of my list would be a good pair of boots that work with your feet, if your feet aren't happy, you won't be. Otherwise lots of good advice thus far, When it comes to some items don't be afraid to buy used gear, you can save quite a bit of dough. Many backpackers are gear junkies often selling stuff to get the latest/best thing.....also if you're not already visit Rokslide.com

I'll second this. Your feet are critical to having fun and getting out alive. As others have said, don't cheap out, you may depend on this stuff to keep you alive. Backpacking is much simpler than backpack hunting; what the heck is a trail? I'm almost always solo so I can't split the load with someone else. I went up scouting Friday and came out late last night, a good headlamp pays dividends. Where I live water is always an issue, there may or may not be water at the bottom of the canyon but that's 800-1500 feet below and I can't glass/hunt from down there, so I cache water.

Here's my simple list of the common stuff I took this weekend:
tent - golite Shangri-La 1 (didn't use it but it was with me); on day trips I have a piece of Tyvek with me
bag - hyperlamina spark if not too cold otherwise it's an ultralamina (it's about 1.5 lbs and I'm irrationally worried about down getting wet and we can have 4-seasons in a day)
pad - klymit inertia
jetboil - and starbucks via...mmm hot coffee in the AM
steripen - always with me, day trip or longer
headlamp - princeton tec remix & zebralight floody (I don't want to get caught without a light)
raingear - even in summer
gators - kenetrek; always with me
boots - Asolo
sock liners - bridgedale coolmax; always taking care of the feet
fingerless ragwool gloves - warm when wet, trigger finger is accessible, protect my hands...priceless
pants - pacific trail cargo; I'll be ordering more of these, they stretch which is awesome and burrs (porcupine eggs, cheatgrass and other stuff) don't stick to them like the others I've been using this summer.
trekking poles - black diamond carbon elliptical; I never go out without them and when you're packing your animal out they're priceless. It's like a 2WD vehicle vs a 4WD vehicle.
satellite tracker/communicator - since I'm solo most of the time, if something goes wrong I could use my cell to take a last pic but there'll never be service where I am. I've been using a SPOT but I just ordered (this AM) a Garmin InReach Explorer+ so I can text back and forth with my wife and she can follow my trail with an app.
solar charger; not critical but I've come to depend on mine to recharge my phone
baby wipes in a ziplock bag - thank me later
gold bond powder - just a small pill bottle
first aid/emergency stuff - parachute cord, superglue, lighter, needle, floss (for thread), antihistamines, ibuprofen, eyedrops, moleskin, bandaids...
spotting scope
binoculars

I carry 1 trekking pole when actually hunting. With some practice, it can be used in any number of ways for an improvised rifle rest plus being very useful for climbing both up and down. I suggest a carbon one of some kind. Metal is really noisy when you whack it on a rock. Also, a rubber tip will quiet it down when in rocks. When you're packing a lot of weight, the 2d pole is very nice to have along.