Lightening the Load

[MtnHunter]

Hey Everyone, I thought I would join in asking for advice about how to lighten my load. Due to having a cheap scale, the weights below might not be perfectly accurate. I tried to get the manufacturer's weight from their website for as many of these products as possible. This list includes everything except food and bow/arrows/quiver. What can I get away with not having? Is there anything else that I'm missing? Anything that could serve dual purposes and allow me to remove another item?

Bivy
I will be wearing: oz. lbs.
Sitka Mountain Pants 28.8 1.8
Merino shirt 6 0.38
Smartwool Socks 3 0.19
Boxers 1 0.06
Cap 2 0.1
Hiking Boots 48 3

Clothes
Rain Jacket 22.4 1.4
Rain Pants 28.8 1.8
Kuiu Gaiters 12 0.75
Grey Soft Shell 16 1
Extra Smartwool Socks 3 0.19

Kifaru DT2 Frame and Pack 121.6 7.6

Sleep System
Fly Creek UL2 Tent 48 3
Mountain Hardware Alpine 0 deg.sleeping bag 48 3
Pad (BA Insulated Air Core) 24 1.5

Kill Kit
Game Bags 19.2 1.2
Havalon Piranta Bolt plus 5 blades 3 0.19

Pocket Rocket 3 0.19
Cooking Cup 2.4 0.15
Lighter 2 0.13
Fuel 4 0.25
Spork 1 0.06
Titanium Water Bottle 3 0.19
3L Camelbak 103 6.4
Water Filter (Katyden Hiker Pro) 11 0.69

Headlamp 3 0.19
Flashlight (Nebo Redline) 6.8 0.43

Bugle Tube 6 0.38
Mouth Reeds

Binoculars 28.8 1.8
Harness 6.4 0.4
Range Finder 6.4 0.4
Wind Checker

Montana Decoy 19.2 1.2
Bear Spray w/ Holster 12.8 0.8
Multi-Tool 8 0.5

Paracord w/ carabiner 5 0.31
Food sack 1 0.06

Duct Tape
TP 0.9 0.06
Pills 2 0.13
Gauze 0.5 0.03
License 0.05 0.003
Smartphone 6.95 0.43
Paper 0.1 0.006
Pen 0.1 0.006

Total 678.2 42.355

 

[fillthefreezer]

not a ton of stuff to ditch imo. pretty tight list, without purchasing lighter or different options.
id leave the multi tool or atleast roll with a mini. 8oz
leave the flashlight and pack a petzl e-lite as a 2nd light. 5.9oz
swap ti bottle for cheap plastic bottle(smart water or gatorade) 1.15oz
you might want to take a full fuel canister (7.35oz)
i carry 2 mini bics at .4oz ea. 1.2oz


in the future you could definately go to a lighter pad ie<20oz, lighter bag ie<32oz, puffy instead of softshell ie<13oz and some tag bags that are 10oz. easily 2+lbs in those items...

 

[MtnHunter]

Great advice, thanks. That's just what I was looking for.

 

[Rucker61]

When and where are you hunting? Your bag and pad seem like overkill for archery season. I'm carrying a Mountainsmith Mountain Light tent, EE 20* quilt and NeoAir pad, and that's 3lbs less than your sleep system.

 

[Browtine]

Ditch the soft shell and only take rain jacket. -16ozs
Buy a Sawyer mini to replace the Hiker Pro. -9ozs

As was already mentioned, a 0 deg bag is overkill for archery season. You could easily save 1-1.5lbs there.

 

[fillthefreezer]

Ditch the soft shell and only take rain jacket. -16ozs
Buy a Sawyer mini to replace the Hiker Pro. -9ozs

As was already mentioned, a 0 deg bag is overkill for archery season. You could easily save 1-1.5lbs there.

just a tshirt and rain jacket? no thanks...

 

[Sawtoothsteve]

I agree, pretty good list with some good suggestions above. Your total weigth is not bad, when you see others weight in similar range, they are not including the clothes on body generally, however, you need to add food, and don't forget your bow/gun. When all in, you should still be well under 50 lbs depending on the amount of food you are taking. I like your 3L bladder as it gives you the option to carry more, but you don't have to fill it (for example if you have a steep pull in the first mile or two and then a creek crossing, only put a liter in and then fill up at the creek crossing). This is real easy when you use the inline filter as Browtine suggests.

Good luck!

 

[Browtine]

just a tshirt and rain jacket? no thanks...

Good point. Just a tshirt, rain jacket and soft shell? no thanks....

Should have stated, add an insulation piece and ditch the soft shell.

 

[_Nick_]

Hey Everyone, I thought I would join in asking for advice about how to lighten my load. Due to having a cheap scale, the weights below might not be perfectly accurate. I tried to get the manufacturer's weight from their website for as many of these products as possible. This list includes everything except food and bow/arrows/quiver. What can I get away with not having? Is there anything else that I'm missing? Anything that could serve dual purposes and allow me to remove another item?

Bivy
I will be wearing: oz. lbs.
Sitka Mountain Pants 28.8 1.8
Merino shirt 6 0.38
Smartwool Socks 3 0.19
Boxers 1 0.06
Cap 2 0.1
Hiking Boots 48 3 This is just my opinion... but the thing that made my gear feel the lightest was ditching the heavy boots in favor of trail runners. That was the single best piece of backpacking advice I've ever been given.

Clothes
Rain Jacket 22.4 1.4
Rain Pants 28.8 1.8
Kuiu Gaiters 12 0.75
Grey Soft Shell 16 1 You'd do well to sub a puffy or other insulation here as already mentioned.
Extra Smartwool Socks 3 0.19

Kifaru DT2 Frame and Pack 121.6 7.6 Has this already been trimmed of excess? I was able to drop almost a half pound from my BT3 by trimming unneeded stuff. Just make sure you don't cut off stuff you will eventually want.

Sleep System
Fly Creek UL2 Tent 48 3 Can eventually go a bit lighter here, but $$$
Mountain Hardware Alpine 0 deg.sleeping bag 48 3 Too much, too much. If it's all you've got, then rock it. Otherwise a 20-30 degree quilt would be better
Pad (BA Insulated Air Core) 24 1.5 Could be half a pound or more lighter, but $$$

Kill Kit
Game Bags 19.2 1.2
Havalon Piranta Bolt plus 5 blades 3 0.19

Pocket Rocket 3 0.19
Cooking Cup 2.4 0.15
Lighter 2 0.13
Fuel 4 0.25
Spork 1 0.06
Titanium Water Bottle 3 0.19 Do you need this? Why a cooking cup and water bottle? I'd ditch.
3L Camelbak 103 6.4
Water Filter (Katyden Hiker Pro) 11 0.69

Headlamp 3 0.19
Flashlight (Nebo Redline) 6.8 0.43 I don't think you need both a headlamp and flashlight. Bring some extra headlamp batteries, kill the flashlight.

Bugle Tube 6 0.38
Mouth Reeds

Binoculars 28.8 1.8
Harness 6.4 0.4
Range Finder 6.4 0.4
Wind Checker

Montana Decoy 19.2 1.2 Need this? I've never used one, but maybe it works well? Curious to hear thoughts about decoy use.
Bear Spray w/ Holster 12.8 0.8
Multi-Tool 8 0.5 Ditch this. Or get a much much lighter one.

Paracord w/ carabiner 5 0.31 Paracord is heavy. Try dyneema or spectra. You don't need 550lb working capacity unless you're going to be using it for more than meat hanging...
Food sack 1 0.06

Duct Tape
TP 0.9 0.06 This seems like too little TP, from experience. If you don't mind using rocks or grass, this should be fine. Better to have a bit more in my opinion.
Pills 2 0.13
Gauze 0.5 0.03
License 0.05 0.003
Smartphone 6.95 0.43
Paper 0.1 0.006
Pen 0.1 0.006

Total 678.2 42.355

That's all I can think of. You're quite light and efficient at this point... really all that's left is to spend money on upgrading the big ticket items.

 

[MtnHunter]

@Rucker61 "When and where are you hunting?" CO high country archery. Taking 10 days off from work plus five weekends equals 20 total hunting days. I'll be in the field three to six days at a time. I'll look at a lighter sleeping pad/bag combo for future years.

@Browtine "Buy a Sawyer mini to replace the Hiker Pro. -9ozs" Hadn't thought of that, thanks.

@Sawtoothsteve "I like your 3L bladder as it gives you the option to carry more, but you don't have to fill it (for example if you have a steep pull in the first mile or two and then a creek crossing, only put a liter in and then fill up at the creek crossing). This is real easy when you use the inline filter as Browtine suggests." Great suggestion. I have frequent access to springs, so I'll be sure to keep that in mind.

@Browtine "add an insulation piece and ditch the soft shell." I'm waiting for the right sale/funds combo. Not sure it will happen this year, but it's definitely on my next $$$ list...

@Nick "the thing that made my gear feel the lightest was ditching the heavy boots in favor of trail runners." I'll try some trail runner hikes before season and see how it feels. Do your feet stay dry bushwhacking in the morning dew?

"Titanium Water Bottle- Do you need this? Why a cooking cup and water bottle? I'd ditch." I've always liked to fill that up in the down time in the middle of the day to make sure I had enough water for a mountain house in the evenings. I really ought to just do better camelbak managing though...

"I don't think you need both a headlamp and flashlight. Bring some extra headlamp batteries, kill the flashlight." Believe it or not, I've never really considered this. Gotta love those duh moments.

"Montana Decoy 19.2 1.2 Need this? I've never used one, but maybe it works well? Curious to hear thoughts about decoy use." This is new to me. I got the Eichler Elk to try because last year I was in at least three different situations where bulls held up pacing between 150 and 60 yards away. They wouldn't close the final distance without seeing the cow they were hearing. I fashioned a lightweight containment system on my pack that carries it ok, but most importantly allows for it to be removed immediately and silently. Also, I sewed small aluminum poles that I got from the hardware store into the neck area to be able to prop up the head without tying it to a tree or using the heavy poles that came with it. I used two poles to do this, similar to how tent poles come together.

Thanks for everyone's ideas!

 

[_Nick_]

@Nick "the thing that made my gear feel the lightest was ditching the heavy boots in favor of trail runners." I'll try some trail runner hikes before season and see how it feels. Do your feet stay dry bushwhacking in the morning dew?

Feet can occasionally get wet in dew. But with light enough trail runners/good lightweight wool socks, my feet dry out super fast. You could also look into some of the Goretex trail runner options, though those breathe less well. I ultimately opt for light and breathable--they dry fast. I think that Luke and Becca use trail runners... and they're hunting where it's constantly raining/wet.

"I don't think you need both a headlamp and flashlight. Bring some extra headlamp batteries, kill the flashlight." Believe it or not, I've never really considered this. Gotta love those duh moments.

Heh, yeah... it always nice to lose about a quarter pound by omitting something somewhat redundant... people pay a lot of money to drop a quarter pound from a tent/tarp/bag. Just make sure that you start with new batteries in your headlamp and check for any corrosion on terminals or anything. If everything looks good, it's very unlikely to fail on you.

"Montana Decoy 19.2 1.2 Need this? I've never used one, but maybe it works well? Curious to hear thoughts about decoy use." This is new to me. I got the Eichler Elk to try because last year I was in at least three different situations where bulls held up pacing between 150 and 60 yards away. They wouldn't close the final distance without seeing the cow they were hearing. I fashioned a lightweight containment system on my pack that carries it ok, but most importantly allows for it to be removed immediately and silently. Also, I sewed small aluminum poles that I got from the hardware store into the neck area to be able to prop up the head without tying it to a tree or using the heavy poles that came with it. I used two poles to do this, similar to how tent poles come together.

Good luck! I'll be interested to hear how it goes.

You're pretty darn set, I'd say.

 

[Justin Crossley]

I would not hunt elk in trail runners myself. I really like wearing them when I'm scouting, but no way I would give up the ankle and foot support of a good pair of boots when I'm packing a load out of the mountains.

 

[30338]

Agreed on the good boots vs trail runners. The terrain I have been in this summer would suck carrying a load in trail runners.

 

[AZ Vince]

Trail runners are for trail running. Boys are for hiking and packing a load.

 

[AZ Vince]

Boots*
Darn smartphone.

 

[_Nick_]

To each their own I guess. I've carried heavy loads in trail runners on rough terrain. However, I also trail run, walk, hike, etc. in them, so my ankles and feet have gotten a bunch stronger. I've never almost rolled my ankle as much as I did when wearing boots on long hauls... I think it was due to the added fatigue of the weight of the boots.

But yes, 'your mileage may vary'.

 

[mdog]

I'd leave the rain pants at the truck unless the forecast calls for heavy rain. Gaitors and rain jacket are more than enough and probably won't be used anyway.

 

[charvey9]

Get a playtapus softbottle to replace the titanium one. They are cheap, tough, and only 1oz for the liter bottle.

I'd leave the gaiters, and just take the rain pants. Then you're covered for anything.

 

[Mtnboy]

For archery season I'd leave the gaiters at home.

 

[16Bore]

Get a playtapus softbottle to replace the titanium one. They are cheap, tough, and only 1oz for the liter bottle.

I'd leave the gaiters, and just take the rain pants. Then you're covered for anything.

+ 1 on the Platapus bottles. I just got a pack of the Havalon saw blades to try, but damn I have a hard time being without a multitool...