Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Heavy pack

SU, at the time I had a North Face "Ibex" which, IIRC, was rated at -10*F. But having suffered through a week-long, sub zero snowshoe trip with it in December of 1976, I left it at home and brought a Snow Lion Polarguard bag with a collar and double draft flaps. Rated at -25F. Perfect for that trip, but heavy!

Razz, occasionally around here in Montana I still see some old duffer with a D3. In fact, I came across such a guy this summer in the Beartooth. We had a great conversation about the old D3!

I'd still rather haul 75lbs in a D3 than in PWN's Alice... I'm not enough of a man for that sort of torture!

My pack doesn't look so big, but comm gear and batteries add up fast.

AN/PRC-104 HF radio for calling naval gunfire.

Philippines 1992, Subic Bay area.






I LOVE my Seek Outside gear...….grin

I started 35 years ago with an Alice pack and surplus army Vietnam boots. . Still have it. I tried it the other day on a hike. Dang that thing is uncomfortable

I was going to ask if you ran hurdles in HS.

BTW - Great picture. I WANTTA GO!

Great post. In 1975 I ordered the "Great Bloody Sack" Trailwise backpack and a pair of mountain boots with red laces. the boots themselves probably weighed 3 lb a piece. A buddy and I loaded up with chow and gear to go camp for a couple days up the side of a mountain... I carried 5 GALLONS of water in the backpack in addition to all my other gear. Crazy the stuff we do when we are young and dumb... needless to say we didn't run out of water

Should have taken beer.

You can do everything with beer that you can do with water.

🤣🤣

I packed in this year for a deer hunt and killed on the second day. It seemed like a good idea to bring the deer out in on trip, along with everything I took in. You couldn’t fit a toothpick in that pack after it was loaded. I had to drag it to a downhill slope, put it on with my feet below me, and then roll over and use a tree to help me get up. You don’t realize how ill fitting a pack is until it’s loaded beyond its capacity. The pack coming out weighed between 120 and 130 pounds. I REALLY wanted to sit down and take a break on the way out, but I couldn’t find a place that I was comfortable trying to sit without falling. I ended up using my truck tailgate to help me get the pack off. My shoulders were shot for 2 days after since the waist belt didn’t fit correctly and it put far too much weight on my upper body. Probably won’t do that again, but I’m looking for a better pack before next year.

Packing in on a goat hunt with my brother. I was 14 and tougher back then. Had a homemade sleeping bag that must have weighed 20 lbs itself.

Made many a trip into the Sierras using a Trapper Nelson.

Poor bastard.

Old, old school by 4 to 5 generations of gear.

I was a lot younger and poorer back then. Couldn't afford a Kelty. Got 2 BSA 50 Miler Awards (and a Historic Trail) with that pack, and I still have it.

Even when I was young, I didn't like carrying a heavy pack. I started backpacking in the late 1950s and I learned quickly that 35# was my comfort threshold.

I made three climbs on Mount McKinley. Each time I carried three weeks of food and fuel plus climbing gear and a big 4-season tent. Total load was about 100# but I split that up between a 50# backpack and 50# in a sled.

Now I carry about 25# on a weekend recreational trip. When hunting I carry about 40#. That includes rifle, ammo and stuff for field dressing.

Thankfully most of us tend to get smarter as we get older. I recall some real questionable stuff getting taken along when I was a teenager. One guy I was backpacking with packed in a whole watermelon, along with a jar of peanut butter etc etc. Heaviest pack I've ever seen anyone carry on a wilderness back pack trip. And this was in some seriously steep terrain over a pretty good distance. When I shot my first bull elk I put one quarter in my Jansport D2 and one on top thinking I'd pack them both out together, wrong, couldn't even pick up the pack:) I weighed about 150lbs at the time. Was in pretty good shape but not as strong as I wished I was. Had to rethink that one.

That puts you about 8-10 pounds lighter than I carry. I'm stuck at about 32-33 pounds. I'm kind of curious what our differences are. Are you carrying any fishing tackle included in the 25 pounds? What about gun or ammo? Camera? What clothing goes into the pack weight vs what are you omitting from the weight because you're wearing it?

On a summer recreational backpack trip I don't carry a firearm, too heavy. I do carry a lightweight spin casting rig with dry flies. Food is mostly freeze-dried and dehydrated. I use to carry a lightweight point-n-shoot camera. But then I decided to move into the 21st century and I got a smart phone.

Generally MS Excel spread sheets don't copy & paste too well. Let's see how this one works.

WEAR the FOLLOWING (not included in 25# total weight)
Briefs -Synthetic
"T" Shirt - Synthetic with pocket
Trousers - 95% Nylon, 5% Spandex
Shirt - wool/synthetic, long sleeves, pockets Cabelas
Hiking Boots - Oboz Bridger
Socks - SmartWool
Ball Cap Adjustable
Sunglasses - Polarized, Wrap Around

BRING the FOLLOWING in your pack (this is what I weigh)
Backpack - KUIU Ultra 5500
Sleeping Bag - Western Mountaineering Alpinlite 20°
Air Mattress - Thermarest NeoAir
Foam Mattress - closed cell, lightweight Ensolite or equivalent
Pillow - Empty Stuff Sack or Inflatable Pillow Thermarest
Cup- Titanium (Nalgene fits inside)
Bowl - Non-breakable, lightweight
Water Boiler - 16 oz.or 20 oz., lightweight Halulite
Camp Stove - MSR Pocket Rocket or Optimus Crux
Fuel Canister - 8 ounce volume, Isobutane
Water Filter - Katadyn Hiker Pro
Canteen - Nalgene Bottle 1 liter
Pee Bottle - 1 quart, similar to Nalgene but with lug cap
Tent - MSR Hubba Hubba NX-2
First Aid Kit - small personal kit
Fire Kit - Matches, Lighter, Fire Sticks, Tinder Paper
Ditty Kit - Flashlight or Headlamp, Bandanna, Victorinox Swiss Army knife, woven Nylon Chord
Map - USGS
Compass - Silva (carry in Ditty Klit)
Smart Phone - with GPS/USGS Satellite Mapping Program
Hygiene Kit - Toothbrush, Tooth Paste, Soap
Parka - Arcteryx/Goretex (actually works the way it's supposed to)
Hoodie - fleece
Puffer Jacket
Socks - Smartwool
Knitted Hat
Gloves, lightweight
Food
Snacks

I always weigh my pack. If it weighs more than 25#, then I remove something.

Glacier travel requires gear. Its not light. I had a 200lb pack from the top part of Barnard glacier down to the strip. I figure that I had 100lbs of goat meat, 40lbs cape and skull and then my gear and food. That was probably with water.
Stone Glacier 7400 Sky
BD Eldorado
OR Bivy
Thermarest Neolite XLite
WM Badger Microfiber not GWS
Garmin Explorer +
85mm Diascope
Slik 634 Tripod with Jim White 3W panhead
Nosler 48 TGR 26 Nosler + Vortex Viper 3-18X50mm 10 Rounds of 129XLR Barnes
BD Cyborg Footfangs
BD Trail tracking poles
BD Raven Iceaxe
Kuiu Yukon Shell
Sitka Down puffer
Kuiu attack pants
3 pairs of Farm to Feet socks
Swaro 10X42 ELs FieldPros
Kill kit with TAG Bomb Bag, OR folding saw, + hultafors utility knife and stone
Benchmade Barrage M390 Steel blade
Apocalypse Design Musher hat
First Lite Merino Wool tops and bottoms
Cheap painters overwhites
100 of 5mm accessory rope
2 Liberty Mt Carabiners
Jetboil Minimo + 230 Gram Jetboil Isobutane cannister
20lbs of MH and other various
Seeker Soaker rubber 2L waterbottle with inline filter(micro sawyer) from Camelbak noozle
2lbs of Salt was gone by the end of three days.
Boots were Zamberlan Ibex GTs

It took me two days to get from where I started to the strip at the bottom. It was a one trip wonder.
I have packed heavier packs but not for 24miles of glacier country which isn't easy.

72 lbs including rifle and “Deuce Gear”:



I only did that because it was my first cold-weather backpacking hunt with my, then 9-yr-old, son, and wanted to make sure I was overprepared.



In my 20s, I would carry up to a hundred pounds on/in my Alice pack and Deuce Gear, including a full-sized hatchet and HEAVY military sleeping bag. No more. I usually end up between 50-55 lbs.

To the OP, I hiked that Lost Creek trail many times starting at six years old, but haven’t been back since the 2002 Hayman Fire.

I carried 90 lbs up to this above-tree-line solo elk hunting camp two years ago, but I did it with two 45-lb packs because the distance wasn’t too great. Brought a lot of propane and a radio to listen to the MLB playoffs at night.