Sheep Hunt Just Turned Solo

[Maverick940]

Solo hunting is a blast.


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I miss that, when I use to exclusively hunt solo. Those were the best hunts.

 

[AK Troutbum]

Unfortunately my sheep hunting partner is having to pull out of next months sheep hunt. So, looks like I'm heading in Solo. The first step was to make the mental adjustment. Now I've moved on to taking a closer look at my gear. With no one to share weight with, I need to shed some weight.

I need some tent advise. This is the first item I need to trade out. My go to for two guys is my 6 lb Hilleberg Nallo 3 but that's way to heavy for solo. One option is to pull out the inner shelter and just use the fly and a ground cloth. I don't know what the fly alone weighs. The other option is buy a new tent. The problem is, I like having a little room in my tent and most of these solo tents seem tight. So I'm looking at a one man that actually has some livable space or a smaller two man. Preferably a tent that would be able to withstand some winds.

Any opinions on the MSR Hubba Hubba, MSR Freelite or REI Quarter Dome? Bid Agnes Fly Creek, are these too thin to stand up to the elements?

The next item to lighten me up could be my sleeping bag which weighs 2lb 11oz. I'm currently looking at a Marmot Helium at 2lb 1oz. If I didn't go that route I'd probably look at a quilt. For you guys using quilts are you having to use high R-value pads to stay warm? Are you using other methods to block heat loss from the ground?

OK, this question may be purely option. Which pack would you take? Barneys' Pinnacle, 8+ lbs, that is heavier but will pack out a solo sheep much better. Exo Mtn. 5500, 5.5 lbs, much lighter under normal packing conditions but doesn't handle heavy weight anywhere near as well when packing an animal? Which would you take?

Thanks for your help and opinions.

How’d the hunt go?


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[AK Shane]

Unfortunately the hunt didn't go at all. I was organized and ready to head in on the 24th. Then 5-6 days before heading out I started fighting with a disk in my low back. Spent the week with numbness in my foot, burning down my leg, all the typical nerve issues. I've dealt with this off and on over the years. After six months of training and prep it was extremely hard to not to say the heck with it I'll be fine, I'm going anyway. It took a couple days of sole searching to accept that taking off solo was not in my or my family's best interest. It's been a couple weeks and my back is still messing with me so it was the right decision. Of course I had all my cards on a sheep hunt so I'm trying to salvage the hunting season with some moose hunting or other venture into the hills.