Backcountry Gear

[SAM E. STEPHENS]

I will be going into the Idaho backcountry for Elk and Deer on foot with all my gear on my back again this year will go for a week alone then out for a week then back in another week with a friend.I have all my gear ready but I want to  upgrade a few things I would like your input on these things.If you would impart your wisdom on quality light weight items that would serve a man well , they dont have to be the most expensive or the most well known just a quality product that works and will hold up and do their job.I could search elsewhere or look up old posts but I would like the most up to date info from Trad guys that are my speed.Ok the only things I want to upgrade are , PACK STOVE , SLEEPING MATT , SLEEPING BAG I have a good mummy bag now just very confining , also have a sm bivy tent now should I go with a 2man to keep gear in with me and while out hunting , dont mind small space just seemed a pain in the rear last year. Any help would be great ( PACK STOVE , SLEEPING MAT , TENT?????? , SLEEPING BAG?????? ) THANKS,,,,,,Sam,,,,,,,
 
****   Sam, Please re-size your pic no wider than 640 pixels    ****

[fisherick]

For a stove I use a Snow Peak Giga stove, but a Soto or the heavier Jet Boil Sol work even better. For sleeping pads I like the comfort of my 24 oz. Big Anges IAC pad, but a 14 oz. Thermarest Neo Air pad is much lighter. I am 6'tall and 210#, my sleeping bags are a 2 1/2# Big Anges Lost Ranger or my favorite the 2# Marmot Helium bag. I like a tent I can sit up in and my 3# Marmot EOS 1p has a lg side vestibule that holds my pack, boots, and bow. Everthing I own I picked on sale or clearance. For instance I picked up that Helium bag ($350) for $75 at REI on clearance 3 years ago. You just need to be patience to up grade your gear and shop around.
Good luck gearing up.

[4est trekker]

I second the Snow Peak Giga stove, but make sure it has the piezo auto ignition on it.  It costs more, but it's worth it.  I also have had good luck with my Primus Technotrail stove.  As so a tent...I've spent year looking for the perfect combination of lightweight, spacious interior, ease of set-up, flexibility, etc.  I haven't found a tent I like better than MSR's Missing Link.  I'm not sure they still market it, but you can still find them new online.  It weighs in at 3 lbs and is huge inside.  Also features an awning and full-drop front door.  Just my $0.02, for what it's worth.  Best of luck!  

[jhg]

Ditch the  tent and get an 8 x 10 sil tarp. Prepare it by attaching para cord to all its anchor points before hand and get a handful of titanium tent stakes.

I use a heavy duty garbage bags cut open along the edges so it folds open under the sleeping bags but thats me. Just find yourself an ultra light groundcloth just wide enough to have 4 inches or so both sides of sleeping bag/pad.
I use a thermarest Z pad it weighs just ounces.

Joshua

[Matt Fowler]

I have used an alcohol stove the last 2 trips to CO. I was only having coffee in the AM and a freeze dried at night. Burned about 2 ozs of fuel a day.

 http://www.whiteboxstoves.com/

[John Scifres]

I use:

MSR Pocket Rocket Stove; $30-40; 6 oz. without fuel if I remember right;

Ridgerest 3/4 foam pad; $20 or so new (50 cents at a garage sale); 10 oz.;

Homemade silnylon tarp 9x11'; $40 for supplies; 18 oz with stakes and guy lines; 1 weekend of sewing

Kelty Clear Creek 20 degree mummy; $75; 4 lbs. but a little confining.  Mine is 15 years old so I don't even know if these are still available

[Tim in Wa.]

get one of the new Thermorest Treker blow up pads(I think its 19 oz.) and a Western Mountainering Badger sleeping bag. I switched to this bag from an ultra light and tight bag and I would never go back
Tim

[awbowman]

I just went through an exhaustive search for these things planning a first time hunting trip to Colorado.  Here are my opinion, and it is just that, my opinion.  I will say though, that you do need to realize that you will be out there for 10 days at a time and a lot can happen weather wise.  DON'T skimp on the tent or your waterproof cloting, the other things you can make do IMO!

PACK STOVE - Jet Boil Sol if you are only boiling water to make meals, Pocket Rocket if you are cooking.  BTW, I just sampled the Med-RX Big 100 bars and they WILL be coming to CO with me.  These things are unbelievably filling and taste pretty good too.  I would be planning on "cooking" only the evening meal if I was you.

SLEEPING MAT - I bought the Thermarest, can't remember what model

TENT - Dead-on with the Marmot EOS, best room/vestibule/weight/value combination for a 1 man tent.  Enough for your week trip.  There are others that will work also.  Go to a good camping store and check them out.

SLEEPING BAG - Just pick one that fits you. BUT, I would go with a lighter bag and get a fleece liner for it if it gets really cold, I don't want to have a hotter bag than you need IMO.

[jhg]

I am in awe of any of you that might/can/would carry a fleece bag liner AND a sleeping bag AND a tent and an air assisted pad on a  week long back packing hunt. You are way tougher than I am. Its very difficult to pare down the weight of a trip like this simply because the food will add a lot of weight. Game bags, if you choose to use them and I think you should, another pound or more. Anyway,


A sil tarp will keep you as dry as a bone with half  the weight. Bugs are not an issue that time of year though you may encounter a few. Under a pound in weight. That is an awesome savings in work for you carrying the pack

Its worth it to spend a lot of money (probably around 300.00) on a 750 fil or better down bag rated 15*. This type bag is light and versatile because when its warmer you can lay under it opened up. If a mummy bag constricts you then find a mummy with a larger shoulder cut. You do not have to give up the efficiency of a mummy style because some of them are made for us bigger guys. I had to go to a "long" bag but it still packs small. Should not weigh more than about 1-1/2lbs. The better/$ are lighter in general than the less expensive ones.

 I think any air assisted pad is too heavy for a back pack trip.
Ridgerest type made by thermarest are very good. At only 450ish grams get a full length one.

J-

[COLongbow]

If you're thinking about a bivy sack, you might consider a hammock. There are a couple really cool ones out nowadays and are super light and compact. Gotta keep that backpack manageable!

[Canyon]

Lots of good info here!! Sil Nylon tarp (learn set up options,homemade V-8 or cat alcohol stove (Zen Stoves.com). Very good quality down bag with z-rest. I think as important is meticulous attention to your menu to insure you are getting all those calories you will burn. Make sure you try it all before you go.

[JimB]

I backpack bowhunted a lot in the '70's and '80's.I was a lot tougher then and used the slimmest mummy bags and thin sleeping pads.A few years ago I decided to revamp my outfit and see what was new.

I bought a Western Mountaineering Kodiak MF bag.A great mummy bag with plenty of room to move around.66" shoulder and 41" hip circumferences.It is a little too warm for Summer and early season,even tough it only weighs 2 lb 12 oz.Western Mountaineering are among the best and it seems their temperature ratings aren't exaggerated like some.I plan to buy the Alpinlite which is only 2" less in circumference and weighs only 1 lb 15 oz..I really think that will be the bag for early season hunting in the mountains.It is rated for 20 degrees.I won't buy a bag that doesn't have a full length zipper and these bags have it.It allows you to open it up when its hot,use as a blanket etc.

After reading a lot of reviews,I bought a full length,mummy shaped,Big Agnes Air Core insulated pad.I decided to carry a few extra ounces here and man was it worth it.Inflated,it is 2 1/2" thick and is rated at 15 degrees.It weighs a little over a pound.Sleeping on this pad was the most comfortable I've slept,backpacking.

In the old days I used a Svea stove and it was a great one.Now I'm using a Jetboil and so far like it well.I don't cook anything but freeze dried or boil water for coffee etc and it is perfect for that.The last thing I want to spend time doing on a hunting trip is washing dishes,especially after dark.Cooking also uses way more fuel.With freeze dried,I just bring water to a boil,which is fast with the Jetboil,pour some in the freeze died pouch and my cup for coffee and the stove is off.I use a titanium cup and spork.

My tent is an MSR Zoid I and I like it a lot but I think it is no longer made.It has a vestibule and enough room for me,my bow and pack.It weighs about 3 1/2 lbs.It has a "Fast and Light" pitch option which means you leave the main tent body at home and use the poles and pegs to pitch the rain fly,and the "footprint" becomes your floor.This option weighs less than 2 lbs.

A light weight tarp is a good way to go but can't be sealed against the wind and bugs.A small tent when closed up,can add about 10 degrees of warmth as opposed to being exposed to the wind.You would be surprised how bad the bugs can get,some places in the mountains.you just have to know the conditions you will encounter and weigh your options when it comes to shelter.

Don't forget at least one collapsible trekking pole.Walmart has one that isn't too bad.

The great thing about choosing equipment these days is you can go online,check specs but also read reviews and that has helped me a lot.REI has some little articles with advice on how to choose each piece of gear.

Have fun.

[skilonbw]

For stove I use the MSR pocket rocket  and include a can of fuel. I use either a trap or walrus 2 man tent. For mt sleeping pad if I am out under a tarp I gather enough pine needled and then place a lightweight closed cell foam pad and the a go-lite sleeping bag to sleep in.

[Steve O]

Sam,

I love to eat and I love to cook, but when hunting hard in the mountains, all I want to do is boil water.  I use either home made or bought dehydrated meals and LOVE my JetBoil.  I am looking at buying their new Ti Sol to save some weight.  FAST to boil and uses little fuel.

I use a Big Agnes sleeping bag and more importantly their insulated air core pad.  Extremely comfortable for not much weight.  With that said, I am looking at a new pad after seeing Wayne Hoffman's Exped Synmat this weekend at the PBS gathering in WI.  Also am looking at the Thermarest NeoAir--have heard lots of good things on them.

Just add a sil tarp to your outfit to cover your gear or give yourself a covered patio...

[awbowman]

Originally posted by jhg:
I am in awe of any of you that might/can/would carry a fleece bag liner AND a sleeping bag AND a tent .....J-

I don't think that adds more than 5#s to your setup with the right equipment.  I need to be at least semi-comfortable to hurt hard, but then again, I am getting old.

[East Coast archer]

I'll second or third what some prior members said about a silnylon tarp.  I have an 8 x 10 with lightweight cords and titanium stakes, use a pocket rocket even though I only boil water and love the Met Rx big 100 bars too.  If you look up their calories compared to all other bars it blows them away, which in my opinion is big when climbing mountains all day.  Been using them for a couple of years now. Still using a medium weight mummy bag from one of the big names but plan to upgrade to either a lightweight mummy or an ultra light weight quilt soon.

[ethan]

I hate to beat a dead horse here, but the silnylon is pretty fantastic.  "Go-Lite" company out of colorado has some really good light weight stuff.  There are alot of differences in tent styles but I really like the shangrala I have from them.  It's a teepee style and weighs nothing!  

I like the pocket rocket from MSR.  I think it's a bit more versatile than the jet boil.  Alcohol stoves are great if your not in a rush.  

Also, don't skimp on a sleeping pad.  I have one of the thermarest pads that is half length.  The weight and space saved is very minimum at best and it's something you'd appreciate after a long day's hunt.

Sleeping bags are kind of like tents, there's alot to choose from.  I tend to go with something rated just a bit colder than I anticipate, but trying to sleep in the cold doesn't  bother me to much.  You could also check into a hammock.  Something like a hennesseey type.  They are alot more comfortable than you'd think and can be set up anywhere, you don't need level ground.  The only down side is they tend to be really drafty if the temp falls because there is air moving under you.  But worth checking into.

[Roadkill]

Remember to bring a candy bar or two to bed with you.  I used them if I ever started to shiver---they give your body some fuel to burn. I do not do much backpacking since I retired from the Corps. Did my share of walking with a pack. Good luck in your questforgear and antlers. I have a cow tag this year

[Orion]

Might want to throw a candle lantern in your pack.  Provides enough light to cook by and you don't have to try to hold a mini-flashlight in your mouth.  Head lamps work as well, but I save mine for field dressing an animal and/or walking after dark.

[Orion]

If you don't already, might want to throw a candle lantern in your pack.  Provides enough light to cook by and you don't have to try to hold a mini-flashlight in your mouth.  Head lamps work as well, but I save mine for field dressing an animal and/or walking after dark.

Food in the tent is never a good idea.  Attracts critters, some small, some not so small. Even residual scent will cause critters to want to take a closer look.