I will be setting up a camp about 3 miles from the trail head, to hunt for elk during the col. muzz. season. I have ben getting my pack around & seems like you need everything until you try to pick it up and carry it. So my question is does any body have a list off things that has worked for them? How muchweight do you carry?

Thanks

Smithbros.,
My first question has to be ..................Do you backpack currently???

Where are you from ??? and What type of elevation/ terrain will you be hunting??
I backpack hunt every year during ML season. This year I will add a week of bow season on. So I may be able to helpI'm not big on lists but I know what I need.

Hi Smith:

As Glob mentioned, you didn't provide alot of detail about your hunt. I pack in about 6 miles for hunts, and when I think about spike camps, that means packing in the 6 miles,making a base camo and thenheading out a few miles, for a few days with minimal gearto get to the elk. I start at about 8,000', trailhead, main camp at 11,000' and spike wherever the animals are.

I won't sacrifice comfort and carry ALOT more gear than I need. Additionally, I pack all the water in beforehand. Last year my pack went 98 pounds for seven days. Please keep in mind I am not into the smokepole stuff yet and most of the weight I carry is COLD WEATHER gear,(later seasons) extra clothing, -30 degreesleeping bag and four season tent. I would be happy to send you my list for you to whittle away at, if you would like. email me.

Good luck,
CE

When you are packbacking remember a few things. You are not out there for a long time (mostly five or so days) so pack accordingly. One change of clothes, two changes of socks, your dehydrated food, stove, small pot, water filter and bottle, knives, game bags, rain gear, 4 season tent, sleeping bag and pad, a headlamp, 2 small tarps. , first aidkit, any medicine you take, and your shells is about it. Try to keep your back down to about 85 lbs or so. Three miles is not all that far, and you will probably hike that in a few hours, so you can most likely get away with a heavier pack. Don't overdue the clothes or the food. Think 100 calories per ounce for your food and you can't go wrong.

There is a really great article in Eastmans' Bowhunting Journal July-Aug 2005 pg 37-44 about pack hunting. Cameron Hanes gives you an exact list of everything he carries. This is definately worth looking at.

We backpack in for sheep every year, our packs range to seventy pounds, food being twenty pounds of that, we stick to cheese, powerbars, oatmeal and pita breads. This gets us through a ten day hunt, however we do come back somewhat lighter. A comfortable rule of thumb is your pack should only be one third of your body weight.