Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting What's in your pack?

Ok....just wondering what is in your "typical" backcountry pack for a hunt. I'm looking to round out my gear and get some good advice here is what I am using now:

Barney Pinnical Frame Pack
Hilleberg Katium Tent
Western Mountaineering Down Bag
Ultra lite sleeping pad by thermo rest
Pocket Rocket Stove
Titanium Cup and spork
Lowa Sheephunter boots
Army surplus Gore-tex rain gear
small collapsable saw

Looking for:
New lightweight rifle
small hatchet
bivy sack
day pack
Sitka Gear for upgrading my clothes
optics

Any advice feedback appreciated

You have some FINE gear and I recommend sticking with high quality for the rest.

For a bivy, the best I know of for general hunting is the Integral Designs Unishelter in the dark green eVent material, I have a lot of ID gear and nothing is better. Buy an ID Sylwing or Syltarp II for this in OD green plus a little extra cordage.

I would and will pick the new Mystery Ranch 3-day Assault Pack with two additional Fliptop Pockets as THE daypack, I prefer Foliage colour to any camo or whatever.

Hatchet, I have Wetterling's hatchets and they work just fine, Grandfors is nicer, but, I don't know if they WORK better.

Optics...Leica Ultravid bino and Televid 62 Armoured scope, the bino in 7x42 or 8x42 and the scope in 16x48.

Rifle, well, that is a "bone of contention", I prefer crf .338 Win. rifles for backpack hunting and P-64 Mod. 70s in synthetic stocks with receiver sight, front post, Leupie QRS and Zeiss Conquests are my favourites.

Kershaw and Estwing make nice, usable 1#, 12 inch hatchets. They will both sharpen up enough to be used for most of the hide splitting on an elk. We use the baton method to drive them through to split the elk. No bone chips. It is best if your partner shows up and you get to use his hatchet to drive with.

They are both steel shafted. The Kershaw is probably more rugged due to the rubber handle but I love the way the Estwing cuts.

No wood handle hatchets for me for hunting. I broke a few handles out in cold weather.

I would second the wetterlings hatchet. I use to have the army gore-tex, mine was issued in spring of 1996. I used it for a number of years but to heavy and took up to much volume in the pack. I use a packable cabela top and bottom now. packs very small and is very light. For a rifle I carry a Tikka t-3 lite stainless with a ziess conquest scope in 30-06. For the daypack you might also check out the Kifaru daypacks. They have several depending on the volume you are looking for. My hunting bud has one and the suspension for a daypack is excellent.

I carry a Lowe/Alpine 65+15 pack. I actually prefer it over my MR G-5000. In that pack I carry
10X10 Siltarp of my own design.
Cabelas Bivy sac.
Mounatain Hardware +20 down or Cabelas XPT -10 down
A pair of Synthetic wool blend long johns for sleeping.
7 carbon stakes
50' of para chord
one small butane canister
stove (I can't remember the make or model right now)
water filter
Titanium cup & plastic spork
2 lighters (one wrapped with duct tape)
Garmin Etrex
Vortex 10X40
Bushnell range finder
2 Garbage bags
Stocking hat
Food items

Emergency Kit (vacume packed into a small 3X3 square)
6 vasaline cotton balls
6 600mg Ibuprophen
6 Loratab
12 Iodine tabs
1 needle with 2' of thread
6 chewable Benadryle

That is about all that I can think of off the top of my head.
Bow and arrows.

THis is what made it into my Badlands 2200. (with No Extra space mind you) Remember Northern California, August hunting season Highs in the 90's lows in 50's, Weekend overnight hunt.

Just What CAN you fit in a Badlands 2200?

Belt attachments
Fleece pouch -16 oz nalgene container, flavor packets (propel, crystal light)
Camera Bag

Left wing outer pocket
Empty Nalgene 64 oz. collapsible H2O canteen

Left wing Spotting scope pocket
2 pair wool poly blend hiking socks
Burris Landmark 15X-45X Scope

Left Belt pocket
2 granola bars
2 power bars
4 Carb Boom energy gels

Right Wing outer pocket
Toilet paper-backpackers roll (Charmin)
Kleenex

Right wing Tripod pocket
K&K Tripod 36�
NF/Wilderness Map
Specific area topo map 1:50,000 (Topo USA)
*50 ft 3/8� braided core rope

Right belt pocket
Compact Body Glide stick
Carmex lip balm
Kin-E-Sys sunscreen
Main Compartment
*Down sleeping bag w/ bivy sac
Orange drawstring sack 7x15 (4-5 pounds)
Blue drawstring pouch
Hemp soap
Titanium Spork
Cooking pot
Stove and gas line, � cup plastic measuring cup
Fuel canister for stove
2- 2 serving freezedried dinners
2- 1 serving freezedried dinners
2- 1 serving freeze dried breakfasts
2- 4 oz albacore tuna steaks in foil pouch
1-3 oatmeal packets
3 instant coffee singles
3 cocoa packets
1 top ramen
(OR MREs, 3 per day)
Wool shirt button up
UA cold Gear top
UA Cold Gear Bottoms
*Rain Suede Jacket
Stocking cap poly fleece

Back small outer pocket
Headlamp �Badlands 12 LED
Duct tape
Compass-if not in pants pocket
GPS � If not in pants pocket
Ziploc baggie
Blister kit
Kotex pad
Matches (in waterproof cylinder with whistle and mirror)
Dark Blue drawstring Sack
Space blanket
100 ft para cord
Glow stick
Fire sticks
Trioxohexane tablets
Butane lighter
AAA batteries-(Headlamp)
AA batteries �(GPS)
Maglite Solitare (1-AAA battery in backwards) attached to micra leatherman
Mini Swiss army knife with corkscrew
Iodine drops and neutralizer
Basic first aid kit
Bandaids,aspirin/ibuprofen, Immodium, pepto bismal tabs, benydryl, wet nap, alcohol wipes, gauze roll 2�x6 yds. 2 -2x2 gauze pads

Hydration bladder pocket
32 oz camelback bladder
MSR Miniworks EX Water filter
Lower straps
Thermarest z-Lite pad, Reg

* Opportunity for more compact item
Total Weight 32.8 pounds

Your gear looks pretty good.
As to the other stuff, I recommend an Ultralight Arms, a Remington Ti or Kimber. I'd go for a fixed magnification scope of your choice, not more than 6X. Don't forget good, rugged mounts. No rear base, windage adjustment designs. Talley LTWt's are pretty good.
I'd skip the hatchet.
If you are in a tent, I'd skip the bivy sack. Or skip the tent and use the bivy.
I use one pack for all. Try one of the mid sized Kifarus like the Late Season or the Siwash. Get the extra pockets for extra gear.
Leica binoculars. I prefer the BN's to the Ultravids. If you can afford them, go with the Duovids. E