Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting 100 Tips to Lighten Your Trip

This video covers general UL/ L.Wt. backpacking, but many of the tips overlap for hunting. It's the most practical compilation I've found for the time investment.
His basic principles at the beginning certainly apply to just about any trip where distance from your base camp or vehicle is a factor.
After watching it, add your own ideas and tips.
Hopefully, this will be a continued compilation of our experiences that others might consider and benefit from.



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I carry less stuff to lighten my ruck.

100?

Buy lightweight stuff. Don't carry too much lightweight stuff. Two tips sums it up nicely.



60lbs of lightweight scheit is still 60lbs.

Let someone else carry the loads for you.

Lmao. That's 3 great tips already! Don't stop now, you are on your way to a great video.

This is awesome, great pics thanks for sharing

My takeaway was, "go on a lot of trips, try out different stuff, and see what works for you. Then, keep that stuff and get rid of the rest."

Who knew?

Great tip!
That's pretty cool. What breed are those?

those goats are a neat ideal ,how much weight can a goat carry ?

The ones I've packed with can carry 30-40 lbs for a big one. Most carried less though.

I’ve had mine up to 50. I think they can do 60. But those are 300 pounders. The smaller ones can’t do that

They are Alpines and Alpine crosses

No kidding? I should have recognized them. My friend raised a female that had a weened kid. She asked me to help her milk when I visited . She had a gentle personality and good tasting milk, not goatie at all. I didn't know they made good pack animals too.
Do you have to bring grain or do they browse enough along the way?

I’ve never packed feed in but also tend to hunt earlier season with them. Only ever had some emergency pellets at base camp just in case

Ex, I don't know about your goats but the ones I've been around will eat damn near anything.

If you're in an area that will support elk, it would seem that goats will have plenty to eat.

Right, ain’t much they won’t eat on the trail. Seem to somehow know to avoid poisonous stuff, although sometimes they eat toxic things with no I’ll effect. Basically anything from twigs, to bark to grasses, Forbes and normal shrubs are fair game to them. They’ll eat snow and ice too when they need water. Pretty hardy and versatile compared to horses

Tag...

His cheap plastic spoons and gas station water bottle tips are absolutely not something I think are good ideas.
Gatorade and cheap water bottle caps easily come loose, spilling all your water out. That normally isn't a huge deal until you're a thousand vertical feet above your nearest water source. Nalgenes are heavier no doubt, but their durability makes up for it, for me at least.
Never broke a plastic spoon? Hell I have broke several of the heavier duty plastic ones, let alone the cheaper bulk pack spoons.

Maybe I am just rough on stuff.

Well HC for Alaska he has the route to die. Many, many things he is advocating are death.
1) Cotton kills- His shirt and shorts is a very bad recipe.
2) Trail runners can't handle volume.
3) Titanium is better than plastic spoon. It can also be used as a tent stake or a tent stake can be used as a spork.
4) gloves and a toque are mission critical on a glacier.
5) Nalgene is durable. Seeker Soaker silicon water bottles are better, lighter and more durable than nalgene. You can lock it to the outside of your pack with a carabiner.
6) Cuben tarps are nifty but not good for continued rain.
7) You might not be able to dry things out.
8) Trekking poles are a must.
9) Yoga sleeping pad spells no sleep. Sleep is important and he is cheaping out on his set up.
10) Trekking pole tent would not be my first choice over 4500 of elevation. Below that its ok but up on the upper ridges that are good to hunt from would not be recommended.
11) make tooth paste dots.
12) take small sliver of no odor solid deodorant for your feet so they don't sweat and prompt blisters.
13) Think through possible situations and use a feedback chart to make sure that you are prepared for any situation.
14) Bail if you think you could be getting into trouble. No ram or Billy is worth dying for.
15) Ultralight items cost a lot. Simple items might weigh more but sometimes a collection of limited simple multipurpose items weigh less than a pack stuffed with ultralight tech gizmos.
16) You should carry at least 12 rounds of ammo in a secure ammo carrier.
17) Don't overthink your shooting unit. Occam's razor is your friend.
18) Don't cheap out on your tripod and make sure that you have a mounting solution for your binos.

I am not going to get into the really technical stuff but I can say that backcountry hunting is an entirely different enchilada that through hiking.

Thanks for the video though.

For these weight extremists the game is just weight. That’s fine but I don’t play that game. I’m not sleeping on rocks or cactus just to say I saved 3 oz.

K68
How durable have you found the Hydrapak Seeker “bottles”

You can drag it on a glacier for a few miles and it is not worse for wear.

Perfect. I’m pretty hard on gear. More so when I’m tired

My titanium spoon never warped in hot water.

Lightweight water bags, Platypus, leaked out on me way down in the Owyhee desert SW Idaho on a very hot august coyote hunt. While hiking from stand to stand I was appreciating the moisture between my pack and back until I realized it was my drinking water. Dying of thirst crossed my mind on the long hike back to the truck, it would be a horrible death.

It would be about 30 seconds long and too in depth for some folks to get.

Here's a practical tip to lighten your load.

Train with a heavier load than you will be hauling in the field.
Have trouble finding motivation to simply train?
Park a designated distance from the grocery store. Ie, a public park. Take your pack to do your shopping.
Haul it back to the vehicle or home.
Get into a routine and you'll be closer to your fitness goal.
In the field, your load will feel lighter. Chances of injury reduced.

Aside from looking like an insane person at the grocery store, just carrying a heavier pack isn't going to benefit you much.

College towns a bunch of folks have backpacks.
A heavier pack carried a significant distance is a good routine for a lot of reasons. If you have trouble on streets, you'll not do so well on mountain trails. A backpacker met me walking home today knew I was training and appreciated that.

Sounds like something he read in Backpacker magazine.

It's not actually. If you want to improve your rucking ability (or load carrying ability) you should be doing much more then just carrying a heavy pack for long distances.


You need to consult an exercise physiologist.

https://www.performancefirstus.com/...performancefirst-12-week-rucking-program

You're welcome.

I did not say carrying a heavier pack is the only thing to do. You are putting words in my mouth.
It is however helpful for more reasons than your exercise physiologist is aware of.
You don't agree? I can live with that. To each their own.
I started this thread so those who wish to can add to a list of many options for lightening a load.
I've been an athlete all of my life and train other athletes.
This is nothing new. I would not recommend this for those who are addicted to fast food and considering knee replacement, but my methods have worked for me and many others.

Oh what professional certifications/credentials do you hold that actually prove your knowledge base?

Tag

Jack Handy,

Use what you want or consult your friendly neighborhood exercise physiologist for a detailed prescription of her approved exercise tips.

So you have zero professional credentials. Do you have any formal training?

Just an FYI Jeff Nichols is the owner of Performance First. Mr. Nichols is not a "she"......"Nichols has been a strength coach for over 20 years working with athletes of all ages in amateur and professional athletics. Jeff is certified through the NSCA as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Facilitator both with distinction.

Jeff began his career as a graduate assistant at Troy University under Richard Schaughnessy CSCS*D and later as an assistant managing 14 Varsity sports. After earning a double major in Kinesiology and Chemistry in 2002, Jeff joined the navy and spent eleven years as a Navy SEAL. Aside from serving as a SEAL while on active duty, he also worked at a Navel Special Warfare command as the active duty Department Head within the Human Performance Department. Jeff oversaw product development, product assessment, program assessment, and operator delegate within Special Operations Command (SOCOM) for Human Performance."

While his programs aren't specifically geared towards hunting however, rucking is exactly what backpack hunting is.

Sorry but I didn't have interest to read Jeff's creds. Didn't know it was a guy.
I'm sure it impressed you enough to take whatever advice he offers you. Good for you.
It isn't mine.
I've been a hunter and backpacker for 45 years as well as creds that don't really matter to me sharing on this forum.
I'm not applying for a job or trying to impress anyone. I simply posted a thread. Follow your bud's advice.
I'll follow mine.

She has a computer and google.

He isn't a "bud".

I've been polite, but let's just be honest. Your advice is dog schiet and so is the retarded video you linked to in the OP.

Ya sure, don't educate yourself or take advice from professionals, continue to be an idiot and backpack your groceries home.

Misgendering Jack's "professional."

Please stop saying that.

He is real!

Priceless, but what happened to the Captain and Tenille hat?

You've been as polite as a troll.
You can't be honest if you guys tried.
Troll village .

I'd ask a sixteen year old who fills his book bag what he thinks before going to your experts. By that age all of us knew without going to some dude who quotes from a gross anatomy/physiology text book what works and what doesn't.
That's why we bought or designed packs with belts that transfer the load from shoulders to the pelvic girdle.
That's just one way to get stronger, improve balance stability and cardio; not to mention sunshine and fresh air that's absent in a gym.

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First figure out how to quote a post properly, someone might take you seriously.

I'm just joking, nobody will ever take you seriously.

So continue being a dunce and continue posting click bait youtard videos.

Edit: glad to see you unphugged your post. Now go get some formal education before "training" people. Any ethical person wouldn't train anyone without actual education and accreditation.

Go get your CSCS...

LOL, now happy is a pack designer.

The LORD'S pack, sir.

So when the Lord was walking beside me during tough times, and I wondered why there was only one set of tracks, the Lord put me in his backpack??


And happy was the one who designed it for him??

I've already talked about it long ago.
You and your troll village idiots aren't worth my time.
Why should I prove anything to trolls?
So you don't talk about me and say mean things? Oh, you Po boys.
Why don't you all waste your afternoon searching for dirt, patting each other on the rear ends with mocking "wit" that nearly exceeds 8th grade.

I will go to work now and laugh at the accomplishments you all wasted.
Lol!
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Awesome. But first tell us again how you "just don't care."

I'm not trolling. I'm being honest.

Studies have shown, just carrying a heavy pack is not the best way to increase your rucking ability. Facts.

An exercise physiologist or strength and conditioning specialist would be able to tell that.

Here you go. Real, usable information, unlike the op clickbait.

Good luck at work today. And, yes! i do want fries with that.

Didn't you read his post, if you're gonna eat fast food you won't be able to adhere to his training regimen.

Sheesh. Hold into the grocery store.

Crappy Hamster is so full of schit his stomach is a septic tank...
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Then why keep wasting time where you are not wanted, and have been banned banned/restricted multiple times here, under multiple names?

Why don't you just get the fugg out of here and don't come back?

Troll.

Why are you always mad at the good guys here?

I had planned to backpack some Campbell soups to the walk up window.

Did you plead guilty??

Fixt.
I’m going to plead fat fingers!

Thank you. And I'd like to point out that you don't know backpacking very well if you recommend packing canned Campbell's soup.


Canned Progresso soup is where it's at.

Thank me later.

Great tip. I’ll thank you now!!

GFY!

Thanks, and Good for You, too!!!

The couple points of useful information didn't need 37 minutes to cover. He could have made better use of my time summarizing it in five.
If you weren't trying so hard to troll me, you could have made your points in one paragraph and maybe benefitted a few others.

Ah, the trusty victim card, well played!!!

Is that the best insult you've got loser?
Lol!

No, the best I've got has to do with you giving "advice" on things you've never done. As in, how many times have you hunted elk in Colorado again? Or sheep in Alaska??

There's an old saying, you can bullsh*t the fans but not the players.

Poseur.

I might be able to take you seriously if you didn't post the hot garbage clickbait video in your OP. 20 mins of b.s.

I provided you actual information, not speculation, not influencer opinion.

He has put more milage on trails than you Mike and me put together. There's something that can be learned from those who have experience. If you don't like, don't watch it.
Start your own thread with the Mike guy. It will help those with insomnia.

FACT!!

Or do a search and read a few of happy cramster's posts, that will help those who have difficulty recognizing bullsh*t.

"Pay attention, I'm trying to educate you!" - Mark Levin .

The only reason happy posts down here is to try to look legit when he posts his bullshart on the hunter's campfire.