Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Daypack Weight? Again......I think?

I use a mystery ranch crew cab. Once I load it up for my daily hike, hunt, etc, my pack weighs about 50-55lbs with the bladder 3/4 full. (about 80oz)I use this as my daypack walking all day ready to pack out (Hopefully, but not yet) with all the necessities such as game bags, knives, survival, food for the day, etc. I bought this pack for a daypack and a pack out. It just get's a little long for nine days hauling around all that weight. The "CC" almost weighs ten pounds itself. I am looking for a good daypack that can haul out a load. The "CC" can definitely do it, but maybe I am not packing right. What do you carry as a daypack and what's in it? What does it weigh? Do you use a "CC" as a daypack and carry out? Little advice on lowering my back weight so I can stay stronger and longer out it the field. I apologize to all you veterans that have answered this over and over. Thanks for all your generous help.

You carry 45 lbs of gear in a daypack?

5 extra rounds
Saw
Knife
game bags
surgical gloves
550 cord
painter tarp
power bars
binos
rangefinder
map
gps
flashlight
petzl headlamp
2 litters of water
Extra socks
down vest
goretex top & bottom

Yea, your daypack is way more stuffed than mine.

Coupla knives, coupla flashlights, lighter, emergency blanket, blister stuff....rope...duct tape, water, map, gps,

that's all folks

My daypack can be as lite as 15lbs, or as much as 25 depending on the weather conditions & the woods I'm heading into.

My pack is an LLBean Backcountry Pack. Not lite weight at 5lbs10oz, but very comfortable and not to spendy.
http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/47371?parentCategory=8884&feat=8884-tn&cat4=1118

Survival Kit
extra ammo
OR Helium Awning & pegs - tarp shelter
folding saw or axe
gps, camera, etc.
gators
extra hat, gloves
rain jacket
1/3 of foam mat for seat
snacks for the day
layering clothes as needed for conditions.
1 or 2 nalgenes depending on water availabilty

Conrad,what is the weight of your daypack? I forgot to mention that I am 5'11" on some days and usually weigh about 175-180 on the other. Thanks again,.

Holly schomly!! Im in at only 10 pounds more for 12 days sheep hunting!!! I guess you can never be to prepared though!!! :0

What? 55 lb daypack? I don't think i have words for that.

Vertical:

WOW! 50-55# just in your DAY PACK. Man that's a lot. I can pack everything I need to go fully self-contained (camping, food, water, fuel, etc.) for a weekend backpack trip and carry only 22# and there are guys on this forum who can do it with less than that. That's just backpacking gear. If I add a rifle, 20 rounds and some other hunting stuff I might be carrying 35#. I cut that in half when I setup camp.

First you need to take a look at your pack. Get a lightweight but strongly built pack and make it a small one, about 3,000 to 3,500 cubic inches. You want a small pack because it weighs less and there's less room to carry stuff. There's a tendency to want fill up a bigger pack.

Next take a look at your gear and decide what you really need and what you want to have. Throw out all the "want to have" stuff and just keep the necessities.

Then trade in all your old gear for new modern ultralight gear. That will cost you some $$$ but carrying 50# in a day pack is not sensible IMHO.

Here's a list of the gear that I use, not necessarily the best, just what I use.

Rifle: T/C Icon Weathershield 30-06 with Leupold VX-III 3.5 x10 x40 scope, Warne Rings and Federal Premium HIGH ENERGY 180 grain Nosler Partitions

8" Buck Knife
5" Buck folding Knife
Gerber Clam Saw
ceramic/diamond Sharpener
T.A.G. game bags.
Game Saver citric acid spray
Range Finder: Nikon �Monark� 800
Binoculars: Pentax 12x24 Poroprizm

GPS: Garmin etrex Summit
Compass: Silva
Maps: USGS, BLM & USFS maps
Flashlight: Mini-Maglite or LED

Backpack/Daypack: Osprey �Exposure 66� (no longer in production � take a look at Osprey �Atmos 65�)
Tent: REI �Quarter Dome T1"
Tarp: GoLite 8�x10� Siltarp
Sleeping Bag: Western Mountaineering �Antelope� 5� goose down
Sleeping Pad: REI �Lite Core 1.5�

Stove (cold weather): MSR "Dragonfly�, white gas
Stove (warm weather): MSR �Pocket Rocket�, Isobutane
Pots: Brand "X" aluminum Bowl, MSR Sierra Cup (large) & Titanium Mug (1 quart Nalgene bottle fits inside)
Canteen: Nalgene 1 liter
Water Bag: Platapus, 2 liter, roll-up
Water Filter: Katadyn "Hiker Pro" (take a look at Katadyn "Base Camp" bag/filter)
Pocket Knife: Victorinox Swiss Army Knife "Climber"

Gortex/Nylon Parka, knitted Watch Cap, Ball Cap, Gloves, ultralight Goose Down Vest, polyesther Fleece Hoodie, extra Socks.

KC

No idea what my daypack weighs. Definitely not more than 20 lbs for a full day out hunting elk, even in subzero temps.

I think you need a new scale. Something is not quite right here going by what you posted. You stated "The "CC" almost weighs ten pounds itself." Really? The MR website lists the CC with NICE frame at 7lbs 11 oz here. You could shave a pound plus just by switching to the NICE/Longbow.

Give us a little more detail on the gear that goes inside your CC. Are you packing a Barrett 50? (just kidding lols!)

MtnHtr

I'm at 15 lbs (+/-). If I'm hunting from base camp, on the farm or close to the road, I'll carry a smaller pack like the BL2200 or Camelback BFM. If I'm backpack hunting, I use my MR6500 to hump in then dump my load and bag. I take the top cover off the bag and clip it to the nice frame for a perfect daypack with frame for humping out a quarter.

You should not need all that extra stuff slowing you down. You want to cover lots of ground without wearing yourself out.

If I determine the weather to likely be horrid, I have added an army goretex bivvy and poncho liner which adds about 3 lbs. I can get in the waterproof bag and sit up against a tree or lay on a ridge for a whole lot longer.

I run about 15-30#, depending on how much water I have to take (and which camera)

Wow... This has to be a joke, right??? Next you're going to post pics of your Crewcab on 3-4 day hunts...

55 Lbs is a 3-4 dayer for me before mid October

I need to weigh my day pack. On sunny days, I go very heavy on the liquid and I like at least one gatorade if I'm doing 5+ miles with lots of elevation change. Depending on where I'm hunting, I'll pack a spotter/tripod that adds weight too.

In my daypack I usually carry:

Zeiss Classics
LRF1200
2 Ingram's
5 Xtra rounds
Garmin 60CSX
Pillow Cases
Wyoming Saw
Batteries/First Aid
VHF Radio

Wow, I thought I carried the kitchen sink....maybe 18# for me.

MR packs are great but that pack is too much for a day trip. I think you will enjoy the hunt much more with lighter load. Met a guy on an archery elk hunt in Az unit 9 that had his GPS in one pocket, knife, lighter and a small bottle of water in another. Small bino in top pocket. That guy could run and gun....

Just from reading what he posted he's at almost 8 pounds for his pack alone, 10 pounds of water.

That's 18 pounds...what makes up the other 37 pounds?

I use a Kifaru Spike Camp. It has about 2200 ci with a side pouch adding another 400 ci. With it loaded, it runs about 24-25 lbs. at max even in sub zero temperatures, but often less. I carry enough extra clothing, food and water to hunt from well before dawn to well after sundown.
That's 2 liters of water, 4 each of Cliff Bars and Power Bars, lightweight, hi tech, clothing that works very well and compacts easily, etc.
Get yourself a postal scale, and weigh everything. Use your experience in the field to determine what you can do w/o. I'm always revising my equipment list to cut weight.
I don't have my rifles made any lighter, for instance, because it reduces my ability to use them too much. I've gone to binoculars that were too light and have suffered eye strain and lack of performance.
The one thing I have learned is it's always a good idea to have some extra food and warm clothing. You can't be sure you won't need it. Trust me, exhaustion and hypothermia can kill you in a few hours. Water, too, can be in this catagory as well in some areas. E

Daypack (also a CC): Fluids (or H2o filter), a knife, pillowcases, firstaid kit, firestarter, jacket and lunch.

Gun, RF, GPS and binocs on my person.

Much less that 50 lbs all together.

SIMPLIFY!!!

CAtegorize your gear:

Water/Food, Extra Jacket/Goretex/Gloves etc...depending on day
Hunting Accesories:binocs, gun/ammo,
Butchering Supplies: pillow case, knife, sharpener, rope, gloves
Nav/Survival Stuff: map, compass, gps, survival kit

55 pounds does seem like a lot for just a daypack. Depending on my style of hunting and whatnot it can be as little as 20 lbs or as much as 35 pounds.

If I am day hunting out of an established basecamp that I didn't backpack into and can afford to bring a day pack along then the MR with the NICE/Longbow is my go to setup these days. I bring the basics and enough to allow me to bivy out if so desired which is truly just a simple shelter as most of my base camp hunting is done when chasing moose (in the trees usually) so staying warm with a fire isn't hard to do.

However if I backpack into the area and I am sheep or goat hunting I always plan on the fact that I might spot a monster goat or sheep and be required to sleep on the mountain that night ot get the drop. These hunts I don't have the luxury of hauling in a separate daypack. So I just drop the lid off my MR 6500 and take what I need in addition to my rifle and other stuff and go.

Really there are lots of variables in this. Such as what are you hunting does it require a spotting scope and tripod 5-7 pounds right there. Late aeason requiring warmer clothing being packed, desert where uber light raingear can get yoru by as oppose to SE AK where HH impertech is standard. Do you require a pack that can handle carrying out a load of meat or are you going to be going back for the horses or ATVs??

I am not a uberlight hunter by any means and know I take more than what I need often as far as survival things as most never gets used. However, I know there will be one time when all the years I spend dragging these extras around will more than pay for itself.

GOod luck on lightening your load.