Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting 2013 Gear Thread

Kevin, that's why I went to a Neoair and Evazote... for less weight than a single down mat, I can have the same comfort and insulation with the redundancy a closed cell provides.

Just my way...

I often go EVA and torso prolite which is a decent combo but not as comfy as the down mat. I sometimes add a Lawson Eva pad under the downmat but it is not substantial enough to be used on its own.

I may somewhat redo my setup but I would probably start with a ccf / Eva I can feel ok with in case of failure and then add the comfort factor. The neo xlite is comfortable but loud. I doubt it would bother me much sleeping on it, but I might kick a restless tent mate out that used one

Anything with air in it can fail. It doesn't have to be punctured. A rock can push the bottom up into a tight angle and stress a seam. If you use air, you're smart to use some kind of ensolite or something under it to protect it. Yeah, I know. One more thing to carry.

My Big Agnes pad started leaking this summer, I never could find the leak. I'm a Neoair/ torso length Z-rest fan myself.

Sammo,

Thanks for the idea. I believe I've tried on a pair or 2 of Zamberlans at REI, but they were the hardcore looking mountaineering boots. I was still pretty impressed. I'm going to see if the local one has any of the ones you're wearing.

I've actually got smaller feet (9.5) so I get lucky in that most places have that size in stock. Lowas fit my feet pretty good, too.

I think with some gaiters, those Zamberlans you've got would be perfect for all the hunting I do.

Tanner

Any body have a recommendation on a day+ pack?

Looking for something that is 1800ish, <4lbs, decent suspension and hip belt, compact, bladder, <$150.

Basically a solid sleek daypack that can do a night or two and maybe even a boned deer.

I looked at a Osprey 26 or 28? Liked it quite a bit. Just want to see what somebody else miught be using.

Tanner- Finding boots sucks. I LOVED an old pair of Scarpa Rios. Had them re-soled until there just wasn't enough left to do anything with. I should have bought 4 pair, because of course they are discontinued.

I have a pair of AKU boots now that I like almost as well. Assolo, Kennetrek, Vasque, newer Scarpa, Miendls,....none of them worked for me. Feet get pickier as you get older(fatter).

I ended up buying a few pair from STP and returning all but the AKU's.

Good luck.

Personally, I find a 50 liter pack more appropriate to what you describe.

Hill People Gear Ute with a Tara Pocket panel.

I had two of the Big Aggy Aircore pads fail before I went to the Exped Downmat. They like to leak where the valve is glued into the pad. On a couple other backpack forums, this seems to be common knowledge.

From about mid September on, I use the Exped, with a space blanket under it (usually folded in half) I've been going to try the two pad method for a long time, but what I do has been working for me. I usually spend some time kicking rocks, twigs, and dirt around where I plan to sleep before I pitch a tent on it. I've had "leakers" but I've never popped an air matress in the backcountry.

I like a closed cell pad not only for extra cushion/back-up but also for sitting on around a campfire, sitting on while glassing, eating lunch, mid-afternoon siesta, etc.. It usually goes with me in the day pack.

I would say my handy "rope come along"..It sure helped when the grandson dropped his first moose right on the edge of the swamp....
Second, big kudus to TiGoat for the 8 man tipi.. 6 lbs. of luxury

You might want to check this out:

http://www.golite.com/Mens-Quest-50L-Pack-P46803.aspx

I used their Odyssey pack this year on a few trips and liked it a lot, for the money.

I'm happy with the Scarpa boots that I bought this year. Held up really well on glacier traversing. The rock shale is quite sharp from what I experienced.

Hope you had better luck with the Z's than I did. They did great then one day that shredded my feet. Want to see a pic of some blisters??

Didn't use alot of new stuff this year as most my hunting was pretty tame and no hunts were out of a backpack. One 'piece' was a phone GPS app + data that allowed me to determine land ownership. Quite slick to have that on your phone. Hope the guy I tested if for is able to make it available with a broader coverage. The other was a Leupold 1000i rangefinder. It worked as well as I could aim it. The only downside is that it's lightweight and small size make it harder to hold steady than my ancient Bushnells. One last was 139gr Scenars. In taking 4 pronghorn, I can see no fault in them for that use.

I had the same Zamberlan's as Sam... torture on my feet, but I have a tough time with boots.

No!!!

Finally, happy feet! Best $150 I've spent in a long time. Can't find words to describe how much I like these. They say they are in the utility(work) line but they are most likely better than any hiking boot they make. Been years since I've walked as far I have everyday this hunting season. I can walk from sun up to sun down. Never owned a boot before that allowed me to do so before these...



http://www.keenfootwear.com/us/en/product/shoes/men/industrial/pittsburgh

A lot of people have good luck with keen footwear. Me I trashed one pair on a 5 hr ridge traverse and 2500 ft scree descent .

Speedcross 3 from Salomon for all my spring/summer backpacking. Use them when not hiking the hills sheep hunting (on the long wet approaches with my boots in my pack). Fit my feet like a glove and drain fast which is nice for going through creek after creek or hiking in the swamps enroute to the mountains. You just end up with damp feet, not sloshing feet like you do with GTX boots.

HAHA!