Meat packing

[Will_m]

How much weight can you carry? I routinely see stories of 100+ pounds being packed for miles in the mountains.

With the exception of relatively easy walking terrain, I am dubious. What say you?

 

[Daniel_M]

I've got roughly 52 miles and 22K+ vert total training in this season hauling roughly what I will be going into the hills with 40-65lb, occasionally heavier. Packed 63# vertical, 2.4 miles @ 3200ft gain.

I've done 115-140lb in the field, it wasn't fun, but all back to base camp.

Terrain has a lot to do with it, training, mindset. It all sucks...but it sucks a little less the more you do it.

 

[Ross]

My overnight pack runs right at 50 for everything...this is for rifle for 2-3 days expecting inclement weather. My typical spot 2500-3000 up about two hours in.When packing meat most end up around 60-75 pds..at my ages less is better and more trips. Better to not risk injury

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

In prior years I've personally found 60lb (and 50lb feels a lot nicer) of meat is where I top out in the mountains since the pack, a couple quarts of water, and some essential gear I will not travel in the mountains without take that up at 70-75lb. Beyond that its frying muscles so fast on any terrain I can't move at a steady pace, dropping below my threshold allows me to keep grinding forward. I hope to have my legs strengthen up a bit more this year but I'm a long way off the 100+lb ability for any duration in the mountains. The altitude and terrain take too much out of me. I could carry 100lb around the neighborhood but not up there.

 

[Maverick940]

With the exception of neck and backstrap, I don't debone my big game meat in the field. So, 100 lb loads are par for the course when I kill big game.

 

[Nick Muche]

I've got roughly 52 miles and 22K+ vert total training in this season hauling roughly what I will be going into the hills with 40-65lb, occasionally heavier. Packed 63# vertical, 2.4 miles @ 3200ft gain.

I've done 115-140lb in the field, it wasn't fun, but all back to base camp.

Terrain has a lot to do with it, training, mindset. It all sucks...but it sucks a little less the more you do it.

You Anc and Wasilla guys have the best training ground on earth, really enjoyed my summer down there with all the hiking available!

 

[Daniel_M]

You Anc and Wasilla guys have the best training ground on earth, really enjoyed my summer down there with all the hiking available!

Right? Lazy Mtn out of Palmer has been literally kicking my ass 2-3x a week. Apparently that is where the locals train for Mt Marathon, and they all thought I was an idiot for humping a 63lb pack to the summit. 8 weeks ago I could barely get .25 mile in without lungs burning, now I'm pushing 1.5mi without stopping.

View attachment 54341View attachment 54342

As our SEM says, #getuncomfortable.

 

[bmart2622]

I feel like you would find that actual pack weights are far from the estimated weight. I typicall try and take a front and rear each trip and then meat ans head the final trip, this all depends on distance, terrain, weather.....not sure what it weighs because I never check it. For me I don't notice much difference from 60-75ish lbs and then after that it all feels heavy. Practice loading your pack and doing some loaded training hikes to give you and idea of what you are capable off and then come hunting season load it up and keep putting one foot in front of the other.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

I feel like you would find that actual pack weights are far from the estimated weight. I typicall try and take a front and rear each trip and then meat ans head the final trip, this all depends on distance, terrain, weather.....not sure what it weighs because I never check it. For me I don't notice much difference from 60-75ish lbs and then after that it all feels heavy. Practice loading your pack and doing some loaded training hikes to give you and idea of what you are capable off and then come hunting season load it up and keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Nice job, that's a load.

FYI, I weight game bags when unloading at home. For medium bodied bulls (3-5x guys) its seems around 55lb boned out rears (add 7-9lb if bone in) and 45lb bone in fronts (knock off 4-5lb deboned). Plus 15lb straps/loins and 15lb trim, netting ~220lb boned out meat. Moderately sized cows are 80-90% of that. Big bulls can go 125%+. I've hauled a 7x Roosevelt that the total haul weight was a hair over 300lb (bone in legs still so knock off ~30lb there for the meat quantity).

 

[Eagle]

I did a couple of training hikes prior to my trip in 2015 with 120lbs on my back for an hour going up and down the hills I have access to. My trip out of the wyoming backcountry with a deboned mule deer was easily over that, but thankfully it was all down hill. In coming weather dictated we get out ASAP, so one trip it was. Still took 4 hours to make it to the TH with 5 miles and 3000' of loss, about a third of which was off trail.

Of all the packs I've used, none have been "comfortable" after 100lbs. The SG and Kifaru were both "tolerable" and the kifaru didn't cause hip bruising like the SG did, but with SG's new belt on the XCurve, I would bet I would no longer experience that hip bruising issue.

 

[bmart2622]

Completely agree with your weights Pods8, on average a 5-6 pt bull will get you around 225-250ish lbs boned out meat. I have never killed a deer that would have broken the 85ish lb mark boned out. And you are right Eagle, there is no way to make 100+lbs comfortable, a good pack will make it tolerable.

 

[5MilesBack]

Last year I had 5 bags of just meat, and one of those was a small bag of just tenderloin and backstrap which weighed 34lbs. I weighed each of the bags when I got home, so who knows how much blood loss weight etc, but between the 5 bags it was 268lbs. I had already hauled out the head/rack/cape that morning after breaking that bull down solo, and was pretty beat by the time I got back to camp. But with Realunlucky and his BIL's help (camping nearby) we went back up and hauled the 5 bags of meat (and my bow) out immediately after getting back. I'm pretty sure both of them had about 100lbs each because they were gracious enough to take two bags each and I only took one because I was so beat. And my bag was probably only 60lbs plus my bow plus my 8lb hauler frame.

But normally, ya........my first meat loads out would be close to or just over 100lbs.

 

[cnelk]

A couple years ago, I shot a cow and a 5x5 raghorn within 20 mins of each other in early Sept.
Got them broke down and back to camp, taking a front and a hind and loose meat in one trip and hung hung to cool overnight.
Next day I put the 8 quarters and loose meat in coolers to keep them from drying out.

I came home 2 days later and weighed each quarter with bone in

Raghorn
Hindquarters = 58lbs each
Front quarters 42lbs each
Loose meat = 30lbs
Total = 230
A front and a hind on each pack, with loose meat split = 115lbs - 2 trips

Cow
Hindquarters = 48lbs
Front quarters = 38lbs
Loose meat = 30lbs
Total = 202lbs
A front and a hind on each pack, with loose meat split = 101lbs - 2 trips

My days of impressing anyone about how much meat I can haul thru the timber are long gone.
Luckily the 2 elk above werent far from the truck or I wouldnt have loaded them up like that

 

[Backpack Hunter]

I try to stay in the 60-80lb range. Carrying half my weight wears me out, carrying more wears me out faster.

Esse quam videri

 

[307]

Keep in mind that these are internet numbers you're referencing.

 

[Daniel_M]

Keep in mind that these are internet numbers you're referencing.

In that case I've packed 140-190# loads.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[5MilesBack]

Here's the funny thing.......does anyone here have a 100lb girlfriend or wife? Most people would consider those to be ultralightweight and you can easily throw her over your back or shoulders and carry her without issue. But 100lbs of meat lashed tightly to a stiff frame that is positioned well with the load across your hips and shoulders is a problem?????

 

[ElkNut1]

So much is determined by elevation change, weather, trail or no trail, downfall & thickets, distance, etc. We take most our elk inside 3 miles, few are more than that. We don't use trails & downfall is a way of life here in Idaho, it's everywhere & no way to get around it in our part of the state. The elevation change isn't horrible but far from rolling Nebraska hills! (grin) I've weighed a few of our pack outs but it's rare because we do not have a scale at camp.

It's common for my son & I when elk hunting together to carry the elk out in one trip, (similar to cnelk's photo) we can do this because we are Day hunters, our packs generally weigh under 15# to start, this includes food for all day & 80oz of water so as the day goes on the pack weighs less. With an elk down we take care of him & get him into game bags. The hind quarter is generally left on the bone for structure & put into its own bag, we bone out the front shoulder. (we do not take the sinew meat off the leg bone, it's worthless to us) The front shoulder is put in a 2nd game bag along with one side of backstrap, tenderloin & aprox 5-6 pounds of neck meat, this is the all in 2nd bag. We turn elk over & repeat. He takes two bags loaded down & I take the 2nd pair. Not sure of the weight but that's a normal packout for us. The average packout is 3 hours back. We've packed many out in the 6-8 hour range as well, those beat the hell out of you for sure but we don't have to return! (grin) I weigh around 148-150# & my son weighs 165# -- At 62 I'm sure these loads will lighten for me in the upcoming years but not yet! (grin)

If a hunter wants to be more balanced & he's alone he can easily pack an elk out in 3 trips, those would be very manageable weights as long as a hunter is in decent shape regardless of his age. Elk hunters are good suffere's! (grin)

ElkNut1

 

[Eagle]

Here's the funny thing.......does anyone here have a 100lb girlfriend or wife? Most people would consider those to be ultralightweight and you can easily throw her over your back or shoulders and carry her without issue. But 100lbs of meat lashed tightly to a stiff frame that is positioned well with the load across your hips and shoulders is a problem?????

One thing to keep in mind there, dead weight, is a different ballgame from "live" weight. A 60lb dog alive, is generally easy to pick up and carry around. After that dog has been euthanized, it's not nearly as easy (I worked in a vet clinic that was also the shelter for a rural three county area and had to carry lots of dead dogs to the incinerator over my two years there, I'm not some sick dog killer, just fwiw). Same goes for bags of meat, though they can be secured well, they still seem to cause the same phenomenon.

 

[theleo91386]

Shoulders and hind quarters in one trip. If it's closer to the rigs and I have time I'll do 1 trip for the front quarters (taking the ribs) and another trip for the hind quarters.