i try an keep the essentials cuz im a big boy.. need to drop some excess lbs myself.. 6'2 245.. put on 20 lbs last 2 years.. need to drop that. I roll my jacket and sweater and bungee cord it around my backpack when im walking in. this year.. i might drop the backpack and start using a fanny pack I have but never used.

Buckeye:

Good topic...wait till you are 62. Some of the locations I hunt take from 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hrs. to hike to before daylight, They are old strip pits and step hills. My climber, backpack and gear weights in at 45 lbs. plus. not counting boots and any extra clothing.

Every fall I go through the same thought process your are going through and I start with a fanny pack (A big one) with limited gear; However, as the season goes on I am back to full back pack.

I find whatever I do not take I need.....

I've thinking about this since the season ended. I'm trying to trim the fat in all areas, especially around the mid
section. I'm 6'3" 250lbs trying to drop 40lbs. I'm also trying to cut out most of the things I carry into the woods. i'm tired of carrying a back pack and the fanny pack just doesn't get it done. If anyone nows a good way to trim the fat please let me know.

It's funny as I type this I'm listening to a CD of how to organize your life/business.

Im doing the same this year.. The 3 areas that I've identified that really add weight to my pack are:

1. Clothes... I love my wool, but its heavy! Sold it and now looking for lightest weight, yet warmest available garment.
2. Saftey belt..... These freaking full body harnesses are heavy!
3. Binoculars.. My big swaros are probably over kill....I may down grade to a lighter pair....

When my pack is loaded it weighs more than my climber... thats not good!

We hunt similar terrain, on mostweekends and vacations I drive a couple hours south and hunt public lands that areold strip mines

Scott I carry my stand......my bow....and a bow hook. I wear binos in.....but that's all the accessories.

I have been trimming the fat year by year it seems! I don't take to much in anymore, stand, binos(sometimes), rangefinder, hoist rope grunt call/can and knife in my pocket! I'm hunting from the ground more this early season so its going to be Longbow/quiver, Tab and knife in pocket!!!

Scott, I gave up on trimming down on gear. I just bought a bigger/better pack

Dan

I am in a constant state of trimming the pack, though I do day hunts, most of my hunts are back pack bivy hunts for 1-2 weeks.

Though different in types of gear that you need to carry, the principle is the same.

I have an excell sheet on my computer that I pack from. I am a moron and will forget something for sure if I leave it up to remembering,

Type yourself up a list and modify it as you go. It can also serve as a great tool for when it comes time to pack.

40 lbs is usually my target weight for a 1 week trip.......

Most of my life I lived and hunted in the big mountians of the North West. I learned quickly that keeping it light is of great importance. I keep the weight of my pack as light as possible prefer a light bow or gun. Now that I livein this part of the country I hardly ever bring my climber out with me. I carry large unsented trash bags for yard and leaves and put my stand inside it, then burry it next to a log or tree with some leaves. I am not about to pack that thing any more than I have to. I also put my safety harness in a bag next to my stand.