Mountain hunt gear. Everything but the gun?

I've owned the dragonfly pack and done three 7 day sheep hunts with it and sold it. It rubs the hips hard! Not just mine either everyone I borrowed it to this happened. I've since gone kuiu and now kifaru. As for stoves go Msr reactor! Hands down best stove out there. Very straight forward and boils water in less then a min with no heat loss. Two fuel canisters should do u. Therma rests are great. If your trying to save weight go 3/4 length or women's and put your pack under your legs. Tents I love hilliberg, not light but bomb proof and will keep you dry. Always carry a sili trap. It makes for a amazing shelter and if you spend a night away from your tent, which I tend to do can be a life saver. Buy good boots and gators. Kenetrek 400 or lowas, and kuiu Gators. I like the fake crocs from crappy tire, cheap and very light and comfy.

Do not over pack, everyone does so set it all out and weight your pack. If your over 60lbs start cutting
 
Here's my gear list for backpack sheep hunting.


Gear list

Pack
Black tape small roll
Spot me w lithium batteries
Hiking pole 1
Knife, havalon and a few spare blades
Parachute chord
Head lamp w lithium batteries
Gps w lithium batteries and compass
Topo map
Three small bic lighters
Optics, tripod
Lens cloth or paper
Camera
Hammond game getter and a few loads(optional)
Game bag
Garbage bag
Small sunscreen/chap stick
Medication if needed
Dental floss
Toothbrush
Toothpaste, small
Two or three j cloths and small soap
Tp
Ear plugs for shooting /snoring partners
Wide brim hat
Toque
Gloves or mitts
Gun and 6-8 rounds
Stove and fuel, whisperlite international
Pot, cup/bowl, spoon, titanium
Water bottles, 3 litres
Sleeping bag and compression sack
Therma rest, 3/4 length
Tent/with siltarp if two people
Light shoe such as a Croc if I know there is lots of water to cross(optional)
Ski goggles for extreme winds late season in snow(optional)
Down coat and rain gear
Fleece jacket
Extra socks smart wool
Merino wool base layer
Light hiking pants, early season
Wool pants, late season
Hanwag Alaskan gtx boots
Salt depending how far in I am(optional)
Grub, mtn house, oatmeal, raisins, g bars, dehy spuds, jerky, almonds, flax meal, dry meat, dry fruit
 
one item I would highly recommend- Kifaru Gunbearer. A great bit of kit. It keeps your rifle easily accessible. It is light, simple well constructed and quite inexpensive. I paid about $35 plus shipping. If you are doing a lot of backpacking and hiking while hunting, In my opinion, this is one of the best setups out there for carrying your rifle.

You will have to order directly from Kifaru. Their website has details and videos.
 
Good thread! Not sure if I have much to add. Like the others I just sold my dragonfly J107, liked it but for me its a weekend pack. Me and a buddy packed out a ram in 2013 plus our gear, it was about a 7 hour hike and we figured our packs were about 90+ lbs, it felt like some one was pulling on the back of my pack the whole time, so you compensate by hunching forward. Ive researched new packs and am thinking of going with Stoneglacier Sky 7400. I looked at the Mystery Ranch/Kifaru and Kuiu, I liked the Kuiu Icon pro 7200 but there are some bad reviews and the duties are outrageous. Cheaper pack but if you add the extra fees you are now in the next level of packs.

tent-Big Agnes Fly Creek UL2
Sleeping bag- Mont Bell -8 Celsius
tarp- siltarp 3 10'x12' optional
rain gear- gore tex shell pants/ gore tex shell jacket
hiking poles x 2 one has duct tape(blisters etc the other has electrical tape wrapped on it)
food- for dinners i take a package of ichi ban noodles(throw seasoning away) break up the noodles put in zip lock bag, add half of a packet of cream of veggie Knorr soup mix, and some pea nuts I just add boiling water into the zip lock bag and wait a few minutes. Im not a big fan of mountain house but have changed up the ichi ban with this. Breakfast is powdered milf in a zip lock withi some fruit granola and dried blueberries. for midday its trail mix and jerky(homemade deer jerky my wife makes/cliff bars or substitute.

water purifier- i leave my Katadyn at home due to weight/bulk. I bring aqua tabs and a bandana, worst you should come across at higher elevations is mosquito/bug larva, they look funky but the bandana kept them out once we noticed them.

boots-currently LaSportiva Karakorums but looking at lowa or hanwags now, love my Sportivas but there not the gore tex, so my feet can get wet.

Biggest thing i can think of is training with the gear your going to use. Best way of training for a hike in the mountains is training in the mountains.

What time of the year are you going and what are you hunting for? You can make better food on your with a dehydrator than mountain house sells, and save money. I currently am dehydrating some spagetti sidekicks i made with powdered milk, It weighed 1lb 2ozs when cooked so waiting to see what it will weigh when dehydrated. My wife rolls her eyes when im doing this or weighing peanuts lol, oh well..


Cheers, Rob
 
Forgot:

Sleeping pad-exped synmat ul7
Delorme inreach
gps garmin optional as my partner is bringing one and dont need 2, will have compass and map though
 
Lots of good info. From the trips I have done I would recommend:
-try the foods you are going to eat before hand and know how much you are going to need. I am not a big guy but I find the mountain house meals are really one person meals and not two when I am hunting in the mountains.
-consider calories and weight of items like if you are taking cereal bars/energy bars etc. There are big differences in amount of calories for some of them.
- a good sleeping bag and a very comfy sleeping pad are worth the cost and weight. Even though you will be tired, a poor sleeping pad will not hide that root that will be under your sleeping pad.
- I have been rained and snowed on every sheep hunting backpack trip I have done. A good goretex rain jacket and that warm sleeping bag have been life savers.
- gators and goretex boots will let you cross some deep water if you are quick.
- bring some paracord. You can fix your gear if something happens, you can hang your food up in a tree, and when you are successful and your pack is stuffed to the brim with all your gear and you are trying to strap on the cape and sheep skull, that cord will help secure it. Last thing you need when the pack weight is doubled is stuff shifting around.
- I have packed a small gardeners knee pad on my last bunch of trips. Its pretty lightweight, nice to sit on around a fire, provides some cushion when sitting in the rocks glassing for a long time, keeps your butt warm against the cold and/or wet ground. It was only a couple bucks and saved me from cutting an old sleeping pad but either would do.
- back to the boots. Buy good boots and your feet will thank you for them. Ya several hundred bucks for hanwags or the likes will be hard to take at first but I know mine have never given me a blister and kept my feet dry. Treat them well and they will do the same. Also swap socks during the day and that will help keep the boots dryer too on the inside.
- Others have said it, train before you go. It makes the trip more enjoyable. Pack you backpack with real weights and gear and with the clothing you will be wearing. You want to find the source of that annoying squeak and creak beforehand and want to know where a spot will rub and be uncomfortable when you can easily do something about it.
- Get a good headlamp. A pack off the mountain with a sheep in the rain and the dark really sucks when you are having trouble seeing. Excitement and adrenaline only get you so far and then reality settles in.
- go with the gear you can afford, figure out what works for you and upgrade when you can.
 
Plenty of good advice here. No doubt that the best way to shave weight off your load is to slim up and get in shape, most people can afford lose ten or twenty pounds. My brother and I have been using Eberlestock packs, the Dragonfly J107, for many years. Between us we have packed a sheep, several elk and a several goats out of very tough country with them. I love mine. With that said, we both agree if we were on a long backpack hunt, as in two weeks or longer, with a extra heavy load, we would want a better pack. We usually do one week at a time for goat and sheep and the Eberlestock works fine. But a friend of ours bought a big Arcteryx and says it is much more comfortable with a heavy load for days on end. Other key items for keeping light and comfortable are down, merino wool and Mountain House meals. My down sleeping bag packs to the size of a water bottle and keeps me warm enough in all but late season hunts. If I get cold I just put on layers in bed. Also, there is no substitute for boot. Buy only the best for steep mountains. I have had great luck with Miendl and got a pair of Hanwags last year, which I am now sold on. I hear good reviews of Lowa as well but a buddy of mine tried them last year for sheep and after about ten, two or three day trips they started to really fall apart. That may be an isolated case.
 
I think you kit is just right I don't pack a Buch of gear in to the bush nothing worse then pack a buch of crap in and out of the bush
Wen me and my brother get a moose way off in the bush we debone it on the spot and build a smoky fire and hang the meat over it to keep the flys off it (not to smoke or cook the meat )
We hang it for 8hr you will be surprise You and a partner can pack the hole moose out in one go
 
I will reiterate something that has been said a few times already boots. Buy a good set and break them in you are on your feet all day and hopefully you will be coming out heavier than you went in. You can carry more and walk further if your feet aren't covered in blisters. Water is life, one of the best pieces of advice I was given when I first started back country hunting was when you come across water drink until you feel sick. Dehydration will break you. A good purification system can go a long way Ive used the Katadyn pro hiker and last year it broke in the middle of the hunt. Boiling water works but you can only boil so much at a time. Ill be going to a Katadyn pocket this year, a little extra weight but durability isn't an issue and its better than being dehydrated! I don't carry a lot of luxuries with me when I go but I do carry a few mini chocolate bars, something sweet is a big morale boost after hiking mountains for days and not seeing anything. The other luxury (I now consider it essential) is a few cubes of wetfire. When the rain has been pounding and all of your firewood is wet this stuff works wonders and gets that fire roaring quick and it weighs nothing. You'll learn a lot on your first backpack hunt just don't forget it when you get ready for your next one. The list of things that to leave at home is probably a lot longer than the list of stuff to bring with you. Hope that helps a bit.
 
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