pack weight

OP
C

Chirogrow

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 23, 2018
Messages
225
This list came from KJH here on Rokslide and it’s the list I’ve used the last two ak moose hunts. I took his list and took out what I haven’t used. I may be missing a couple things but nothing of significant weight.


Bungee cords (2-3 per person usually works; various lengths)
• Zip ties (plastic ty-rap type; various lengths and a dozen per person)
• Cigarette lighters (4-5 per person; sealed in multiple zip lock bags)
• Large Garbage bags (only contractor bags are good enough; 4-5 per person)
• Latex gloves (8-10 pairs per person)
• Zip lock bags (12 gallon+ size per person; 12 quart size per person)
• Matches (2-3 small boxes of waterproof camp matches)
• Colored flagging tape (30-40 ft per person)
• Sewing needle and thread (just a little is needed; heavy duty thread)
• Extra batteries (headlamp and GPS)
• Half rolls of blue mechanic paper towels and about 15 baby wipes
• Fire starters, I use little bricks or pyro puddy

• LED headlamp (one per person and one spare for the group; AA batteries)
• Extra tent stakes (6-10 extra lightweight aluminum)
• Pen/pencil
• License/Tags/Harvest Tickets/etc. (in zip lock)
• Game bags (8 per moose/6 per black bear)
• Leather work gloves (1 pair per person)
• Emergency space blanket (sucks, but lightweight and for emergencies only)
• Super glue (one small tube per camp)
• Hand towel (1 per person)
• Pills (ibuprofen, Tylenol, Aleve, anti-diarrhea, ciproflaxin; consolidate into one container)
• Lip balm
• leukotape and duck tape, not a full roll just random bits on trekking poles and lighters.
• Hydrocortisone (small tube)
• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste (travel size)
• Carabiner (2 small ones)
• Bull Magnet megaphone
• Bait em’ 907 moose lure
• Extra dry bags (keep your clothes dry!!)
• Tarps (2- 8x10’ per person; 1-2 12x20’ per camp; 1 4x6’ per person; cheap and lightweight ones)
• Folding army style shovel (aka “e” tool)
• Small handheld radios (anything to tell your partners where you are; communicate with the pilot when on final approach)
• Collapsible fishing pole /Reel (full of line; handful of spinners and spoons)
• Sleeping Tent kifaru sawtooth with stove
• Gear tent, just a cheap little one from wal mart, works great but requires a tarp over it in the rain.

• helinox chair
• Sleeping bag, western mountaineering 10 degree bag
• Sleeping pad thermarest

Thermarest ultralight cot
• Nalgene and yeti 20 oz tumbler
• Water purifier gravity filter with 3 extra filters
• cell phone, garmin inreach with 2 charge packs and a solar charger

I use a stone glacier 7900 pack.

Camp and cook
• solar charged light for tent
• Jet Boil

• spork, long handle
• Cooking fire grate, wouldn’t bring this again

•2-3 isobutane canisters
• Wyoming saw and small gerber Hatchet and gerber pliars

Few hundred feet of 550 cord and 50 feet of 750 cord

Hunting
• 300 winmag - 10 rounds (9 pounds)
• Protection pistol for bears glock 40 with 2 full mags (4 pounds)
• Pistol holster kydex
• Binoculars (1 per person; worn all the time; with harness)

clothes
• 2pr. socks medium weight darn tough
• 2 pr. socks heavy wt. darn tough
• 1 pr camp shoes, crocs
• 1 pair long underwear (base layer moisture wicking material)
• 2 long sleeve shirts (base layer moisture wicking material)
• 2 pr. Pants.

• 1 sweatshirt sitka merino heavy wt
• 1 insulation layer jacket sitka and pants, kifaru (I’m terrified of freezing to death)

1 Rain pants. Sitka
• 1 Rain coat. sitka
• 1 merino beanie
• 1 baseball cap
• Sunglasses
• 1 simms 3mm waders plus simms boots
• 1 pr Leather hiking boots, crispi guides
• 1 pr lightweight gloves sitka, 1 gtx glove, 1 down kuiu mitts.
• 3 Mosquito head nets
• Baklava

For food I’ve tried a couple different ways but it always averages out to 1.5 pounds of food per day plus 2 extra days of food incase we cant get picked up. (roughly 20 pounds)



For spices I just bring a mix of salt pepper and garlic and it goes great with fish and black bear!



I bring C4 pre workout and bring enough for 2 scopes per day and just mix with water.
 

Freeride

FNG
Joined
Feb 22, 2022
Messages
60
So now take that list and go through it and mark what you didn't use from it from your last 2 trips. We can all sit here and cull a lot from that list, but we aren't the ones out there with you.

But did you use all the tarps? Or could you get by with half of them, the lighters, maybe 1 per guy as you also have matches. Do you need all the extra batteries or take an extra set of rechargeable ones since you have the solar charger.

I go through my list every time I go. And start to take off what I didn't need. Of course first aid supplies always stay, and my rifle and tags even though I don't usually use those either. Lol
 
Last edited:

PMcGee

WKR
Joined
Sep 18, 2012
Messages
684
Location
Pottsville, Pa
If it’s a drop camp and you don’t have much of a weight limit I’d say take what you want but there’s a lot you can drop imo.
Socks 2 pair
Drop the rain pants you have waders.
Drop the Crispis wear your wading boots.
Do you need 2 pair of pants?
With all the tarps do you need a gear tent?
If you both have rifles drop the handgun.
Chairs are nice but do you need it?
To many tarps ziplocks gloves extra stakes lighters para cord etc.
All that stuff adds up pretty quick. Again if you ain’t packing it take whatever makes you comfortable.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
Joined
Jul 27, 2021
Messages
28
Since we are talking pack weight and lists.. does anyone have their Spring Bear hunt packing list on tabs? I am headed out on my first western hunt for spring bear and would love to get some reassurance on what I’m bringing. Looking to be out in the field for 3-5 days at a time.. would appreciate any help! Thanks!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
OP
C

Chirogrow

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 23, 2018
Messages
225
I have used everything on that list the last two times I went. I used all the tarps and we used a big blue tarp for over the tent and it was nice to catch water and have some shade but it's a lot of weight and space and in the future I won't bring one for the tent. I don't think it's worth the weight. I did use the power banks last time but never really needed to use them I just like keeping the batteries full since my first trip when my batteries froze and we could't get picked up for 5 extra days. haha now it's just paranoia
 

Spud82

FNG
Joined
Mar 19, 2022
Messages
10
Wow. That is a lot of weight. 5 days early season archery I am under 50 lbs.
 
OP
C

Chirogrow

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 23, 2018
Messages
225
If it’s a drop camp and you don’t have much of a weight limit I’d say take what you want but there’s a lot you can drop imo.
Socks 2 pair
Drop the rain pants you have waders.
Drop the Crispis wear your wading boots.
Do you need 2 pair of pants?
With all the tarps do you need a gear tent?
If you both have rifles drop the handgun.
Chairs are nice but do you need it?
To many tarps ziplocks gloves extra stakes lighters para cord etc.
All that stuff adds up pretty quick. Again if you ain’t packing it take whatever makes you comfortable.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
How much baklava are you taking? Greek desserts are a good place to cut weight.

Sent from my SM-G998U1 using Tapatalk
hahaha! well played sir. Everyone should have a little guilty pleasure on a hunt. On a side note, my balaclava is UA and I love it.
 
OP
C

Chirogrow

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 23, 2018
Messages
225
Wow. That is a lot of weight. 5 days early season archery I am under 50 lbs.
this is just for drop camp hunts in alaska. When I'm doing 5-7 days archery or rifle i'm not under 50 but I'm between 50-60. It's easy to get caught up in many "what if" thoughts packing for alaska. ha
 
Joined
Aug 26, 2014
Messages
3,158
You know, there's this thing about no matter how much stuff you bring (to a point) it's never too much. What I see on that list is a lot of luxury items. I'm defining 'luxury' as things you don't require, or require that many of, to accomplish your hunt. Sure, you'll use it and like having it, but if your pilot looks you in the eye at the hangar and says "75 pounds and nothing more", can you do it? Of course you can. I went through that many years ago and I really cut out a lot of it. I still have some luxuries like a UL cot, UL chair and other things. In many cases I simply cut down on the quantity or number of some things (socks, entrees, lighters, cordage, arrows, pants, UW, batteries, electronics, lights, tarps and many other smallish things. And honestly, having 2 guns (handgun at 4 pound penalty) is not useful. I've spent a lot of time around a lot of men who live, work and hunt in grizzly country. The rifle (or long gun) is their tool for protection unless not possible due to bowhunting or other restriction, then it's a handgun or spray.
 

Racer00

FNG
Joined
Mar 22, 2018
Messages
76
Location
Michigan
Far be it from me to question any one on here, especially Kevin, who is a wealth of information and has helped countless people.
But on a lake hunt 3-4 years ago, while setting on a fairly steep hillside watching a big marsh on an evening moose hunt, I heard a small noise behind me, on the trail I walked in on.. I was seated with my rifle beside me on the ground. When I looked over my shoulder, a large grizzly was staring at me from what was later stepped off to be 7 paces. I was sure in the moment he was a new world record. After a stare down that felt like a lifetime and was probably 2-3 seconds, he woofed loudly and took off the other way. After my heart rate got back below 250, I took stock of the situation.
This is all supposition but if he had wanted me, I would have stood no chance to pick up my rifle and reverse the direction it was pointed and get off a shot. I am sure he would have hit me and tumbled me on down the slope and I would have been defenseless. I did not have my handgun with me as I had left it to shave weight. If it had been in its chest rig, I may (big may) have been able to pull it and manage to defend myself. I will luckily, never know how bad it could have been, but I won't leave my sidearm home again.
I can still picture his eyes staring at me. He was a beautiful blonde and looked huge. Love to see him again someday with a tag in my pocket.
 

Spud82

FNG
Joined
Mar 19, 2022
Messages
10
Racer00 I get it. Had a buddy leave his side arm behind on an archery hunt because he wanted to go in fast and light. Had a bear charge him. Lucky for him, it stopped at 40 yards. He won't do that again.
 

bmrfish

WKR
Joined
Aug 15, 2015
Messages
326
Got curious and looked at this list vs ours for 12 day one camp moose. Comes down to personal preferences and the only ones to make happy are you and your pilot.

Bungee cords (2-3 per person usually works; various lengths) - no
• Zip ties (plastic ty-rap type; various lengths and a dozen per person) - no
• Cigarette lighters (4-5 per person; sealed in multiple zip lock bags) - couple ea for us
• Large Garbage bags (only contractor bags are good enough; 4-5 per person) - no (these things are heavy)
• Latex gloves (8-10 pairs per person) - 4 prs for me
• Zip lock bags (12 gallon+ size per person; 12 quart size per person) - we pack our lunches in these and recycle. No extras
• Matches (2-3 small boxes of waterproof camp matches) - I usually take one set in waterproof container for emergency.
• Colored flagging tape (30-40 ft per person) - 10 ft or so
• Sewing needle and thread (just a little is needed; heavy duty thread) - yes
• Extra batteries (headlamp and GPS) - yes
• Half rolls of blue mechanic paper towels and about 15 baby wipes - no towels but way more wipes. Crotch rot is a real thing
• Fire starters, I use little bricks or pyro puddy - I take about 20 wood shaving & wax style

• LED headlamp (one per person and one spare for the group; AA batteries) - I like 2 ea
• Extra tent stakes (6-10 extra lightweight aluminum) - not really extra but we take 6 long more ones for tundra or sand
• Pen/pencil - yes and a small rite in rain pocket notebook to log hunt
• License/Tags/Harvest Tickets/etc. (in zip lock)
• Game bags (8 per moose/6 per black bear) - ok if the super light tag bags or similar
• Leather work gloves (1 pair per person) - no
• Emergency space blanket (sucks, but lightweight and for emergencies only) - Mylar one in survival kit
• Super glue (one small tube per camp)- ok
• Hand towel (1 per person) - no
• Pills (ibuprofen, Tylenol, Aleve, anti-diarrhea, ciproflaxin; consolidate into one container) - heh heh, so long as you can remember which is which
• Lip balm -yes
• leukotape and duck tape, not a full roll just random bits on trekking poles and lighters. - yes
• Hydrocortisone (small tube) -yes
• Toothbrush -yes
• Toothpaste (travel size) - yes
• Carabiner (2 small ones) - no
• Bull Magnet megaphone - yes
• Bait em’ 907 moose lure - no
• Extra dry bags (keep your clothes dry!!) - no extra ones but clothes go in in a dry bag
• Tarps (2- 8x10’ per person; 1-2 12x20’ per camp; 1 4x6’ per person; cheap and lightweight ones) - we take 1 lg for camp, 1 med for meat pole and 1 small to sit under while glassing or calling in the range. All sylnylon
• Folding army style shovel (aka “e” tool) - took one last time and it was pretty handy
• Small handheld radios (anything to tell your partners where you are; communicate with the pilot when on final approach) - we have in reach
• Collapsible fishing pole /Reel (full of line; handful of spinners and spoons) - depends on location
• Sleeping Tent kifaru sawtooth with stove - yes
• Gear tent, just a cheap little one from wal mart, works great but requires a tarp over it in the rain. - we just use the tarps we have

• helinox chair - luxury but nice
• Sleeping bag, western mountaineering 10 degree bag -ok
• Sleeping pad thermarest -ok

Thermarest ultralight cot - absolutely
• Nalgene and yeti 20 oz tumbler - 3 nalgene ea, one is a pea bottle don’t mix them up
• Water purifier gravity filter with 3 extra filters - yes
• cell phone, garmin inreach with 2 charge packs and a solar charger - we don’t take a solar charger but do take a charge pack ea

I use a stone glacier 7900 pack. - I take a pack frame no bag and a lighter day pack. Gear goes in dry bags.

Camp and cook
• solar charged light for tent - no
• Jet Boil - yes

• spork, long handle - yes
• Cooking fire grate, wouldn’t bring this again - used to, now just use foil

•2-3 isobutane canisters - 2
• Wyoming saw and small gerber Hatchet and gerber pliars - folding hand saw & leatherman

Few hundred feet of 550 cord and 50 feet of 750 cord - seems like a lot

Hunting
• 300 winmag - 10 rounds (9 pounds) - I take 20 rounds
• Protection pistol for bears glock 40 with 2 full mags (4 pounds) - rifle only for us and it is never out of reach
• Pistol holster kydex
• Binoculars (1 per person; worn all the time; with harness) - yes

clothes
• 2pr. socks medium weight darn tough -yes
• 2 pr. socks heavy wt. darn tough - yes
• 1 pr camp shoes, crocs - same
• 1 pair long underwear (base layer moisture wicking material) - yes
• 2 long sleeve shirts (base layer moisture wicking material) - 1 pr
• 2 pr. Pants. - I wear the same pair all hunt, rain pants double as 2nd pair

• 1 sweatshirt sitka merino heavy wt - ok
• 1 insulation layer jacket sitka and pants, kifaru (I’m terrified of freezing to death) - coat only, if it’s that cold break out the sleeping bag

1 Rain pants. Sitka - waders serve
• 1 Rain coat. sitka - yes
• 1 merino beanie - yes
• 1 baseball cap - yes
• Sunglasses - yes
• 1 simms 3mm waders plus simms boots -yes
• 1 pr Leather hiking boots, crispi guides - no, I use wading boots with aqua socks on days I don’t wear my waders
• 1 pr lightweight gloves sitka, 1 gtx glove, 1 down kuiu mitts. - one light, one medium, no mits
• 3 Mosquito head nets - I just take 1 and try not to lose it
• Baklava - seems redundant with beanie

For food I’ve tried a couple different ways but it always averages out to 1.5 pounds of food per day plus 2 extra days of food incase we cant get picked up. (roughly 20 pounds) - same



For spices I just bring a mix of salt pepper and garlic and it goes great with fish and black bear! - we like the Montreal steak seasoning

Couple other things on our list:
Knives - I like 1 folding and a couple of the scalpel ones with lots of extra blades
1 cut resistant glove
Folding toilet seat - yeah I know but I am old and my back appreciates it.
Folding titanium wood stove for the tipi tent. Being able to get dry and warm after days of rain or extended cold is priceless. We’ve had both. Day after day of downpour and one 10 day float hunt never got above freezing. Stove helps keep us able to keep hunting hard rather than hunkering in.
GPS - same as inreach
A couple paperbacks - moose hunting can be pretty boring
Small video camera and mini tripod
Shooting sticks
A little more first aid stuff than you listed, antiseptic wipes, bandaids, bandages, dressing, sutures, butterflies, antibiotic ointment, Benadryl-we had a guy have a severe allergic reaction on a float hunt and he would have been f’d without it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:
Joined
Aug 26, 2014
Messages
3,158
Keep in mind that some of your gear weight will be on your body as you get ready to fly. Boots, some of the clothing, and a few things in your pockets can easily account for 10 pounds or close. I've heard guys say "Load your body with everything possible", but I don't advise it. The more stuff you have bulging in pockets or hung around your neck, the harder it is to squeeze into a Super Cub, Maule or small Cessna and get buckled in.
 

Voyageur

WKR
Joined
Feb 12, 2020
Messages
1,015
If it’s a drop camp and you don’t have much of a weight limit I’d say take what you want but there’s a lot you can drop imo.
Socks 2 pair
Drop the rain pants you have waders.
Drop the Crispis wear your wading boots.
Do you need 2 pair of pants?
With all the tarps do you need a gear tent?
If you both have rifles drop the handgun.
Chairs are nice but do you need it?
To many tarps ziplocks gloves extra stakes lighters para cord etc.
All that stuff adds up pretty quick. Again if you ain’t packing it take whatever makes you comfortable.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Excellent suggestions right here
 
OP
C

Chirogrow

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 23, 2018
Messages
225
Got curious and looked at this list vs ours for 12 day one camp moose. Comes down to personal preferences and the only ones to make happy are you and your pilot.

Bungee cords (2-3 per person usually works; various lengths) - no
• Zip ties (plastic ty-rap type; various lengths and a dozen per person) - no
• Cigarette lighters (4-5 per person; sealed in multiple zip lock bags) - couple ea for us
• Large Garbage bags (only contractor bags are good enough; 4-5 per person) - no (these things are heavy)
• Latex gloves (8-10 pairs per person) - 4 prs for me
• Zip lock bags (12 gallon+ size per person; 12 quart size per person) - we pack our lunches in these and recycle. No extras
• Matches (2-3 small boxes of waterproof camp matches) - I usually take one set in waterproof container for emergency.
• Colored flagging tape (30-40 ft per person) - 10 ft or so
• Sewing needle and thread (just a little is needed; heavy duty thread) - yes
• Extra batteries (headlamp and GPS) - yes
• Half rolls of blue mechanic paper towels and about 15 baby wipes - no towels but way more wipes. Crotch rot is a real thing
• Fire starters, I use little bricks or pyro puddy - I take about 20 wood shaving & wax style

• LED headlamp (one per person and one spare for the group; AA batteries) - I like 2 ea
• Extra tent stakes (6-10 extra lightweight aluminum) - not really extra but we take 6 long more ones for tundra or sand
• Pen/pencil - yes and a small rite in rain pocket notebook to log hunt
• License/Tags/Harvest Tickets/etc. (in zip lock)
• Game bags (8 per moose/6 per black bear) - ok if the super light tag bags or similar
• Leather work gloves (1 pair per person) - no
• Emergency space blanket (sucks, but lightweight and for emergencies only) - Mylar one in survival kit
• Super glue (one small tube per camp)- ok
• Hand towel (1 per person) - no
• Pills (ibuprofen, Tylenol, Aleve, anti-diarrhea, ciproflaxin; consolidate into one container) - heh heh, so long as you can remember which is which
• Lip balm -yes
• leukotape and duck tape, not a full roll just random bits on trekking poles and lighters. - yes
• Hydrocortisone (small tube) -yes
• Toothbrush -yes
• Toothpaste (travel size) - yes
• Carabiner (2 small ones) - no
• Bull Magnet megaphone - yes
• Bait em’ 907 moose lure - no
• Extra dry bags (keep your clothes dry!!) - no extra ones but clothes go in in a dry bag
• Tarps (2- 8x10’ per person; 1-2 12x20’ per camp; 1 4x6’ per person; cheap and lightweight ones) - we take 1 lg for camp, 1 med for meat pole and 1 small to sit under while glassing or calling in the range. All sylnylon
• Folding army style shovel (aka “e” tool) - took one last time and it was pretty handy
• Small handheld radios (anything to tell your partners where you are; communicate with the pilot when on final approach) - we have in reach
• Collapsible fishing pole /Reel (full of line; handful of spinners and spoons) - depends on location
• Sleeping Tent kifaru sawtooth with stove - yes
• Gear tent, just a cheap little one from wal mart, works great but requires a tarp over it in the rain. - we just use the tarps we have

• helinox chair - luxury but nice
• Sleeping bag, western mountaineering 10 degree bag -ok
• Sleeping pad thermarest -ok

Thermarest ultralight cot - absolutely
• Nalgene and yeti 20 oz tumbler - 3 nalgene ea, one is a pea bottle don’t mix them up
• Water purifier gravity filter with 3 extra filters - yes
• cell phone, garmin inreach with 2 charge packs and a solar charger - we don’t take a solar charger but do take a charge pack ea

I use a stone glacier 7900 pack. - I take a pack frame no bag and a lighter day pack. Gear goes in dry bags.

Camp and cook
• solar charged light for tent - no
• Jet Boil - yes

• spork, long handle - yes
• Cooking fire grate, wouldn’t bring this again - used to, now just use foil

•2-3 isobutane canisters - 2
• Wyoming saw and small gerber Hatchet and gerber pliars - folding hand saw & leatherman

Few hundred feet of 550 cord and 50 feet of 750 cord - seems like a lot

Hunting
• 300 winmag - 10 rounds (9 pounds) - I take 20 rounds
• Protection pistol for bears glock 40 with 2 full mags (4 pounds) - rifle only for us and it is never out of reach
• Pistol holster kydex
• Binoculars (1 per person; worn all the time; with harness) - yes

clothes
• 2pr. socks medium weight darn tough -yes
• 2 pr. socks heavy wt. darn tough - yes
• 1 pr camp shoes, crocs - same
• 1 pair long underwear (base layer moisture wicking material) - yes
• 2 long sleeve shirts (base layer moisture wicking material) - 1 pr
• 2 pr. Pants. - I wear the same pair all hunt, rain pants double as 2nd pair

• 1 sweatshirt sitka merino heavy wt - ok
• 1 insulation layer jacket sitka and pants, kifaru (I’m terrified of freezing to death) - coat only, if it’s that cold break out the sleeping bag

1 Rain pants. Sitka - waders serve
• 1 Rain coat. sitka - yes
• 1 merino beanie - yes
• 1 baseball cap - yes
• Sunglasses - yes
• 1 simms 3mm waders plus simms boots -yes
• 1 pr Leather hiking boots, crispi guides - no, I use wading boots with aqua socks on days I don’t wear my waders
• 1 pr lightweight gloves sitka, 1 gtx glove, 1 down kuiu mitts. - one light, one medium, no mits
• 3 Mosquito head nets - I just take 1 and try not to lose it
• Baklava - seems redundant with beanie

For food I’ve tried a couple different ways but it always averages out to 1.5 pounds of food per day plus 2 extra days of food incase we cant get picked up. (roughly 20 pounds) - same



For spices I just bring a mix of salt pepper and garlic and it goes great with fish and black bear! - we like the Montreal steak seasoning

Couple other things on our list:
Knives - I like 1 folding and a couple of the scalpel ones with lots of extra blades
1 cut resistant glove
Folding toilet seat - yeah I know but I am old and my back appreciates it.
Folding titanium wood stove for the tipi tent. Being able to get dry and warm after days of rain or extended cold is priceless. We’ve had both. Day after day of downpour and one 10 day float hunt never got above freezing. Stove helps keep us able to keep hunting hard rather than hunkering in.
GPS - same as inreach
A couple paperbacks - moose hunting can be pretty boring
Small video camera and mini tripod
Shooting sticks
A little more first aid stuff than you listed, antiseptic wipes, bandaids, bandages, dressing, sutures, butterflies, antibiotic ointment, Benadryl-we had a guy have a severe allergic reaction on a float hunt and he would have been f’d without it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Would you mind sending me a pic of your frame pack with dry bags? I just got a barney's frame pack to try out and so far I love it and I've used a couple bungee cords to attached a dry bag but it moves around quite a bit. Not sure if it's the bag I'm using or what. I'll probably just end up buying the bag sooner or later but I like the simplicity of just having a dry bag.
 

AKDoc

WKR
Classified Approved
Joined
May 16, 2015
Messages
1,531
Location
Alaska
When I'm packing for a 14-day remote moose hunt in the middle of nowhere, I often lose my focus on highly specific details of items, and I have to repeatedly remind myself of the big picture. So, zooming back out for a moment (i.e., big picture), specific details aside...

Taking a moment here to anchor what all of us already know...what we need/decide to bring on a remote moose hunt starts with clearly knowing AND remembering a few big picture factors, and then using those factors to determine some specific choices for gear:
  1. Truly accurate information about the landscape of the specific area where we are going. Alaska is huge, and the landscape of a specific moose hunt location can vary dramatically across our individual moose hunting experiences....it might be low-land, flat and 90% wet or higher elevation without marshes and wet country, etc. Moose can be found and hunted in many different topographies up here. There are places where you will truly live in your waders every day and places that you will never need them. The helpful responses in this thread illustrate that there can be vast differences in the landscape of each of our moose hunts, which dictated various gear choices that we made...but what worked for you might not work for me. A personal example, I moose hunt in a predominantly flat and wet GMU the size of a small state...my only gear choices for footwear are chest waders with comfortable wading boots & knee-high insulated rubber boots...and yet I still bring rain-pants to wear with my boots in the event I'm luckily dropped on a lake that has some significant dry area so that I don't have to live in my waders first thing every morning and all day!
  2. Know and understand your specific means of transportation to get to your hunting location. Back-packing there is one thing, boat access another, and air transport another. If you're flying-in, then also know the type of aircraft for transport, Super-Cub, C-180, Maule, Beaver, etc. How I pack for a tundra landing on wheels in a PA-18 is different from a Beaver on floats...not only in weight limit but also size of bags and what I bring. We saw the transportation variable factor in this thread with the helpful initial responses of others when the very well-intended OP (and a good guy) worded the thread title "pack weight" when he meant "packED weight".
  3. If you are being transported, then very clearly know from your transporter your maximum weight limit and their preferences for how to pack within that limit, e.g., a variety of bag sizes, max size of dry bags, etc. Once you clearly know that, then work backwards from there. I liked KD's example of your transporter looking at the scale for your total weight and then back at you with "that look"...and now you're frantically deciding in the hangar how you can cut twenty-pounds in the next fifteen minutes.
  4. Last and most important, I've got to be adequately packed for Alaska's extreme wx. I never know what that is going to be, and it often can vary from year to year at the same location. If Alaska wx is just hammering us (and it has MANY times...for days), then I have to be truly ready for that because help is not on the way. Our clothing choices can vary between us to address the Alaskan wx factor, but our choices must absolutely do the job...failure is not an option. It's one of those specific packing decisions where it is better for me to have and not need, as opposed to need and not have...and yet all my packing decisions can't be made with that mind-set or I'd end-up requiring a military aircraft to transport my gear! I also have to pack for the possibility of being delayed in the field due to wx.
Sorry I went long, and I know that you guys already know what I noted above. My purpose is to share my own process of truly knowing and repeatedly reminding myself of that big picture as I prepare and pack for a remote hunt...I don't want to get easily lost in the infinite details and miss the big picture.
 
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