What is your typical loaded day back weight?

[savagelh]

This was last weekend. I'll weigh it but would guess around 20lbs with water. I really dont even notice its on any more. A proper fitting pack just feels like wearing a hug all day that is until there is a moose or elk quarter in it.

 

[track]

But what if it turns into a survival adventure? Depends on where you hunt I guess, it may be highly unlikely but I'm of the better safe than sorry mind set.

Anyway my day pack has the usual stuff most guys here are also packing. I try to keep it light but have the essentials in case things go wrong. I'm often many miles from any road, alone and out of service. Fire making equipment, survival blanket, small backup knife, some packable clothing (Kuiu makes some very light and packable down clothing) etc. I have never weighed my packs but I don't even notice they are there most of the time.

I'm 69 years, hunted all my life without the burden of a backpack, sans cell phone as well. I hunt the Great Plains to the borel forest of Alberta, never had an issue and will continue this method. That's just me, to each their own.

 

[Rman]

I'm 69 years, hunted all my life without the burden of a backpack, sans cell phone as well. I hunt the Great Plains to the borel forest of Alberta, never had an issue and will continue this method. That's just me, to each their own.

Given the distances travelled from the truck, the terrain, the time away from the truck, and the different methods of hunting, pack or no pack and weights will be different for most.

A field you can cover in a couple of hours has a different load out than a steeper all day hunt requiring food, water, and extraction gear.

Some guys just like to take a lot of stuff, and some don’t.

R.

 

[Rman]

But what if it turns into a survival adventure? Depends on where you hunt I guess, it may be highly unlikely but I'm of the better safe than sorry mind set.

Anyway my day pack has the usual stuff most guys here are also packing. I try to keep it light but have the essentials in case things go wrong. I'm often many miles from any road, alone and out of service. Fire making equipment, survival blanket, small backup knife, some packable clothing (Kuiu makes some very light and packable down clothing) etc. I have never weighed my packs but I don't even notice they are there most of the time.

Really don’t believe that most day hunters could put themselves in a “survival” situation. You’re just not far enough away that you simply couldn’t walk out.
There are plenty of examples of this happening, sure, but they are lightning strike type odds. “Don’t pack your fears” is a real thing.
A realistic look at what the worse case scenarios really are, and the chances of those things actually happening should come to mind. Staying the night when half a day’s distance from the start is fairly unlikely to happen. If one did prep for every possible scenario, they’d have to drag a trailer loaded full of gear behind them.
If it works for you, great. Others will opt for less stuff, or no stuff at all.

R.

 

[Big Bad]

7 words: As light as possible unless dangerous conditions.

 

[Callee]

I divide and conquer.

I have my main back pack which is probably around 15-20lbs. In it i keep: small folding shovel, small wool blanket, folding saw, small axe, fire starting stuff, swiss army knife, first aid kit, deck of mini cards and a pocket bible, ass wipe, spool of paracord, and an insulated lunch bag where i'll usually pack some food, like granola bars or a pack of hot dogs.

But then i also have a small cross body bag, or my "man purse" as we call it. It is nice because it has many zippers and dividers so i can keep things separate and in the same place, so that i can reach and grab what i need without looking. In the man purse i have a swiss army knife, whistle, bullet lighter, compass, ammo pouch, mini can of bear spray, flashlight, mini binoculars, my buck 119, maps, and a copy of my hunting licenses, etc. I also have a steel water bottle that can go in my man purse, though typically i'll put that in my cargo pants pocket.

My man purse i will basically always wear. It's only about 4-5lbs, i barely notice i have it on, and it has most of what i could need. I'll generally throw my man purse on pretty much when i go out to do anything outdoors, be that hunting, hiking, or canoeing.

My day pack i will wear less often. If we are going deep into the bush for a while then i will put it on, but otherwise i will "stage it" back at the truck, or on a tree at the meeting spot, or in the canoe, or something like that. So i won't always wear it, but i will always be able to get to it if needed.

That's how i strike a balance between having all the gear i want and not having to carry the weight of my fears.

 

[45ACPKING]

Really don’t believe that most day hunters could put themselves in a “survival” situation. You’re just not far enough away that you simply couldn’t walk out.
There are plenty of examples of this happening, sure, but they are lightning strike type odds. “Don’t pack your fears” is a real thing.
A realistic look at what the worse case scenarios really are, and the chances of those things actually happening should come to mind. Staying the night when half a day’s distance from the start is fairly unlikely to happen. If one did prep for every possible scenario, they’d have to drag a trailer loaded full of gear behind them.
If it works for you, great. Others will opt for less stuff, or no stuff at all.

R.

I guess it depends on where you are hunting.
I hunt places where the terrain is such that a guy on a simple day hunt could easily suffer a debilitating injury and wouldn't be able to just walk out. I hunted that terrain for 15 or 16 years solo, often spending 2 or 3 days with a small camp. I still hunt there every year but i don't go alone anymore.
The pack for those hunts is small but necessary.
If I was hunting locally , leaving my place on the quad, most of what i need is on the bike as far as recovery and transport home goes. Pretty mach anything i would put in the pack goes in the bikes storage anyways. Coffee and snacks for one hehe. Anything i need otherwise is already on my gear belt.
There are no one fits all situation in this discussion. It is interesting to see the different ways guy approach it though.

 

[track]

Given the distances travelled from the truck, the terrain, the time away from the truck, and the different methods of hunting, pack or no pack and weights will be different for most.

A field you can cover in a couple of hours has a different load out than a steeper all day hunt requiring food, water, and extraction gear.

Some guys just like to take a lot of stuff, and some don’t.

R.

I can only speak for myself. I love hunting big bucks, frequently they win the game. Seconds are precious therefore, I refuse to burden myself while carring a backpack: they bind natural shooting positions, bolt handle and branches will catch-onto straps, added weight, precious seconds will be lost trying to remove the pack to shoot at a fleeing buck.

No thank-you, backpacks are not for me however, to each their own. I guess it all depends how serious a person wishes to hunt and kill an animal, let-alone, not just any animal.

 

[45ACPKING]

Ya i don't like packs that interfere with my natural movements and shooting ability. That's why I love my 20+ year old Camelback Stryker pack. Shot many a spot n stalked animal wearing that pack. My two "trophy deer" that both qualify for B&C entry, were also taken while wearing the pack.
But hey, everyone is different and the too each thier own rule definately applies. I'm really fussy about my day packs and is why i haven't replaced the stryker in all these years. Such a well though out streamlined pack.... I don't hunt without it

 

[iron cat]

I can only speak for myself. I love hunting big bucks, frequently they win the game. Seconds are precious therefore, I refuse to burden myself while carring a backpack: they bind natural shooting positions, bolt handle and branches will catch-onto straps, added weight, precious seconds will be lost trying to remove the pack to shoot at a fleeing buck.

No thank-you, backpacks are not for me however, to each their own. I guess it all depends how serious a person wishes to hunt and kill an animal, let-alone, not just any animal.

I have never had to remove a pack to shoot an animal, it only comes off if I am setting up to glass for an extended period of time.
I don't think I am burdened when carrying a pack, and have never experienced snagging straps on branches etc.
In the past I hunted for extended periods, days or weeks alone, and although my health is not what it used to be, I still carry the essentials needed to do an overnight stint if need be.
To each his own however......
Cat

 

[crazy_davey]

I can only speak for myself. I love hunting big bucks, frequently they win the game. Seconds are precious therefore, I refuse to burden myself while carring a backpack: they bind natural shooting positions, bolt handle and branches will catch-onto straps, added weight, precious seconds will be lost trying to remove the pack to shoot at a fleeing buck.

No thank-you, backpacks are not for me however, to each their own. I guess it all depends how serious a person wishes to hunt and kill an animal, let-alone, not just any animal.

Ya, no serious hunter has ever hunted with a backpack.

Just a plaid jacket and a pocket full of peanuts is all a Hunter needs.

 

[257hunter]

I don’t consider the backpack an inconvenience, it’s what gives me the capability to hunt many of the areas I do. Be it because of terrain or legal restrictions there a many places that a pack is the only way to get game out of the bush. I find that once you are prepared to do so, breaking down and packing out an animal is just part of the experience, not something to be dreaded. I backpacked put two antelope last year with my nephews, they still talk about how fun it was.

 

[scott.y.]

I hunted sheep for 20 years with a 45-50 or more lb pack.
Some external frame pack i got from the local sporting goods store.
As we didn’t hunt from a central point the pack was carried all day every day.
No central point you say?
Yeah,well the exploration and the scenery were the point of the trips. Sheep hunting was just the excuse .
We did in fact get a couple if sheep over the years.
Properly packed that old pack was fine and got lighter over the course of the trip.
Way younger and tougher then than now.
45 years as a field mechanic wears you down.
I too am testing a belt kit rather than a pack and it weighs in around 18 lbs all up.
So far pretty comfortable. Did a 7 mile ish walk/hunt the other day and it was fine.

 

[freddyfour]

Ya, no serious hunter has ever hunted with a backpack.

Just a plaid jacket and a pocket full of peanuts is all a Hunter needs.

Very weird relay from Track, Im guessing maybe he doesnt travel to far from the truck?

 

[Bustercluck]

I use an older ultra small badlands bag. It’s more of an emergency bag than anything else. I have a habit of wandering off in flat terrain so I started just putting it on as soon as I go anywhere. Emergency tarp, some snacks/lunch, firestarting stuff, garmin inreach, rain jacket, lifestraw, paracord, fresh clean tarp for skinning moose, flagging tape, couple first aid items. The contents changes quite regularly, but it’s light

 

[track]

Ya, no serious hunter has ever hunted with a backpack.

Just a plaid jacket and a pocket full of peanuts is all a Hunter needs.

I know, you just want to accompany me and learn from the master.

 

[MRP]

I'm rarely gone for a full day, if i do its 10 to 15lbs and most of that is liquid. My max walking is about 10k in the morning 6 in the evening, more or less depending on what happens. If its not hot and need more than a liter and half of water. can carry everything I need in my pockets flying type vest, cargo pants, fleece and gortex jacket.

 

[Dorian Gray]

I think a lot of this can be boiled down to when and where you tend to hunt. Or which hunting TV shows you've seen a lot of and bought into.

Most of my experience is in NE Ontario, in which I've seen people carry packs out hunting. But they tend to be the exception and not the rule. Most guys will stuff the pockets of their orange overcoat or vest with whatever they need for the day and head out without thinking anymore of it.

I've been in BC, specifically the west Kootenay's for the last 2 hunting seasons and everyone out here wears a pack. Along with some sort of chest harness for binos, range finders and other things.

When I went out looking for elk on my first season here, I got looked at real funny by a friend and a few of his hunting buddies that i went out with. Mostly because I wasn't wearing a pack, wasn't dressed head to toe in thousands of dollars of Kuiu gear and, most egregiously, didn't have a set of binos/range finder/cell phone pouch etc. in a chest rig on me. Even my rifle, a 20" barreled 30-06, was looked at with suspicion as it was "too short" in their eyes. Fair enough. Even though it was still more powerful than anything they were carrying, it's not something that's typically seen out here, so I get it.

None of us ended up connecting with anything on that trip and that was okay. I came out of it thinking that they carried a lot of crap that they didn't need and they came out of it thinking I was just a "newbie" who didn't quite "get it". And that's okay. I ended up getting a decent set of bino's and a really nice harness as well. Some things you see the utility in, and you adopt the practice. But they can keep their 20lb daypacks and Gucci camo. And if they're happy, more power to them. Hunt however you want. As long as you're going out, that's all that matters.

 

[WhelanLad]

I'm 38, backs cooked and knees/ankles half buggered from Ops, but lately zive really started to re think what sIn my backpack and what I need an how much I really need.....

I'm ditching the camera gear and tripod to lighten up and make it a little easier on my own self.

GOod thread. Thanks

 

[freddyfour]

I'm 38, backs cooked and knees/ankles half buggered from Ops, but lately zive really started to re think what sIn my backpack and what I need an how much I really need.....

I'm ditching the camera gear and tripod to lighten up and make it a little easier on my own self.

GOod thread. Thanks

Similar thinking, I went with a smaller pack this year but adding some comfort to help me stay longer. Going to try an ultralight chair this year and an ultra light tarp for the rain.