Prioritizing: Proper Packing Necessities vs Everything else

[Where's Bruce?]

I've seen endless threads on what people pack without any clear explanation why they pack what they do and why they leave some items behind and take others along. Like most people...I have collected far more stuff than I could ever carry even if I had a Sherpa and Pygmy train. So I'm curious how expert packers (like hunting guides, mountaineering guys and others like Aron from Kifaru) are prioritizing the stuff they place in their pack. Obviously you need water filtration, shelter and sleep system, food & clothing but once you get beyond these basics...what lessons have experience taught you about packing? What have you given up carrying completely? I tend to go overboard on first aid items I think, and I know my snivel gear is just plain dumb. i assume the guys spending months (not days or weeks) in the field have formed some fairly strict rules regarding what goes in their pack and what doesn't. I'm not looking for advice on cutting the handles of my toothbrush as much as trying to grasp the balance between absolute essentials and things you carry on occasion and things you no longer carry at all. What always goes in the pack, what usually goes in? What sometimes goes in depending on trip and what never goes in anymore? I think my priorities are outta whack...no doubt due to limited experience and since i am going to be taking longer treks in more remote places devoid of cell service and population centers...wish to hear from those who know and understand the unique challenges of these kinda trips and the lessons the field has taught them that has altered their priorities in packing. I know it's a big question but the whole "here's my pack list" response just doesn't answer the broader question. A pack list for the mountainous 8000'+ elevation trip is gonna be much different than the flatlander hunt just above sea level. Understanding the mindset when prioritizing items will assist me considerably more than a pack list because I am a destination hunter and visit numerous states...bowhunting areas I have only scouted on Google Earth. No...I'm not a highly skilled or successful hunter but i do love the experience and escapism of it all. If I shoot something I am stunned and blessed. Mostly I am learning to become what most of you take for granted...being completely comfortable in the wilderness. I began hunting at age 49...I'm 53 now and the clock is ticking. I'm kicking the bucket list into high gear while I'm able. My average trip now is 5-7 days but am going to be taking some 10-14 days trips within the next 2 yrs. Any advice from those who have repeatedly made such trips is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[rodney482]

Im no expert but there are lots of variables you must look at prior to deciding on what gear goes and what gear stays.

Spike camp or Bivy

Water..

Weather

animal your hunting

going at it alone?

 

[marc]

Ok well this will probably be pretty long!!! Mine depends a lot on what I am doing. If I am out climbing I have a ton of extra stuff I have to pack like ice axe, helmet, harness with everything on it, crampons, pickets, and rope. I also carry a 4 season tent and a foam mat to go with my inflatable. Since I am melting snow I carry a large can of fuel for each day my climbing partner and I are on the mountain. Food changes too as most foods don't taste good to me when I am that high. I carry a 2 liter pot for more capacity to melt water. I carry more mole skin and duct tape to tend to my feet while wearing plastics. I also usually add a down sweater if the weather won't be too bad or a down parka if its bad. Down puffy pants if spending a lot of time in a camp.

For hunting trips I lose all the climbing gear and go to an ultralight 2 person tent. Same inflatable mat and bag. Same emergency kit just with less mole skin. I only carry synthetics for hunting clothes. Same headlamp, knife, sawyer squeeze, source bladder, and GPS. I add my kill kit, binos, sidearm, bow, and bow repair kit. My clothing is 2 layers of merino, primaloft vest, primaloft jacket, rain shells, and about half the time a softshell. I also carry 2 fleece caps, pair of merino gloves, and a pair of camo fleece gloves. Usually I carry a little 3 leg stool and a small book as my comfort items.

I guess my biggest change is from primaloft to down depending on the conditions. If its cold enough for mostly snow I carry down, if wet is a good possibility then its synthetic. I go pretty minimalist and can keep my pack under 50 for 2 weeks of hunting but its hard to get much under 50 for climbing with all the extra gear.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

My trips will not include snow of any consequence and no mountainsides requiring ropes. Hunting is the activity...bow with bear spray and/or sidearm. Temps usually vary from highs in the 80s to lows in the 20s...but usually 40s & 50s. Have 3 dozen pieces of SG Optifade OC.

 

[fillthefreezer]

i really only think time in the woods will give you the comfort level to leave behind alot of items. knowing the conditions youre likely to encounter, even at the extremes can dictate what youll need.
otherwise its essentials and preference. clothing, shelter, food, water, fire.
maybe elaborate which part of the kit your inquiring about, ie comfort items, shelter, emergency?

 

[Where's Bruce?]

i really only think time in the woods will give you the comfort level to leave behind alot of items. knowing the conditions youre likely to encounter, even at the extremes can dictate what youll need.
otherwise its essentials and preference. clothing, shelter, food, water, fire.
maybe elaborate which part of the kit your inquiring about, ie comfort items, shelter, emergency?

I am actually trying to understand and classify them items by degree of importance. Call em levels of importance. Sleeping bag is a must...is a Jetboil? Maybe that's a tier 2 item. What about a hatchet? Not needed at all? I just wanna classify items by priority. Some things must always go...others are optional depending on trip. Are there any hard and fast rules to determining this or is everyone just doing their own thing? I have to think there are some universally accepted laws to filling your pack that I am unaware of.

 

[fillthefreezer]

tier 1 for me
duct tape, lighter, trioxane, cordage, claritin, ib-pro, knife, compass/mirror, water treatment, whisky.
comes with me on any trips into the woods, from here it will depend on day trip vs packing in and hunting or hiking etc

 

[Lawnboi]

Take a weekend trip in the woods with only a small pack filled with what you think are the bare essentials to survive. Think fire, water, food and shelter(or make one out there) You will learn a lot. You don't need a lot, but a lot of the stuff makes for a much more efficient trip.

Sleep/shelter
Food
Water/purification
Clothing
First aid/fire/emergency

Really that's about all you need minus your hunting equipment.

It all depends on how rough you want to be. Sleeping in a bivy or a tarp may be comfortable for some where as others need a palace with a floor. Some guys don't mind sleeping on the edge of being cold where some will carry 7lbs of sleeping gear just to stay warm.

Either way, really the only way to figure out what is essential to you is to get out there and sleep in the woods.

 

[gobbler1662]

Well good luck to you Bruce. What drives me is age. I am 58 and still going strong in the backcountry, but only because of forcably being a ultralight freak.My pack is getting much lighter only out of necessity. Thats the only way i can somewhat keep up with the younger guys in my hunting group. So heres where ive come from. Ill only take you back say four years so i dont bore you to much. 2010 pack weight for 7 day Archery elk hunt was 54 pounds. 2011 pack weight 46, 2012 pack weight 38, 2013 pack weight 28. Like already stated its all about priorities and weighing everything. It also costs a considerable amount of cash to do this. But for me my love of the backcountry makes it all worth while. Ive been backcountry elk hunting alot of years but i still have to be darn careful. It seems i am a sucker for all the new gadgets so i need to watch what makes it into my pack. There is another thread on here about a packs base weight. For me my pack will weigh nearly the same every trip with the exception of food. Same base gear whether its 4 days or 12, food is the only difference. And i dont think i will ever be done evaluating and reevaluating my gear as far as to what is essential and what is nonessential. All i know is i dont want to end up like a good buddy of mine whom we have nicknamed the turtle. He got this nickname because his pack is so heavy it makes him hunch over and look like a turtle. He has to carry two of every gadget made i think. So good luck you are on the right track, dont become a turtle!

 

[Backpack Hunter]

Bottom line for me is essentials go into the pack, everything else is subject to conditions. Experience has told me what items are not necessary. I'm afraid I do not have a tier system.

In my opinion honest evaluation after a hunt will remove a lot from a persons pack after the first couple of trips.

 

[ScottR_EHJ]

i really only think time in the woods will give you the comfort level to leave behind alot of items. knowing the conditions youre likely to encounter, even at the extremes can dictate what youll need.
otherwise its essentials and preference. clothing, shelter, food, water, fire.
maybe elaborate which part of the kit your inquiring about, ie comfort items, shelter, emergency?

Absolutely right! Pack way too heavy the first time, and you will never want to do it again.

The colder it is, or snowier the more i consider.

 

[ScottR_EHJ]

Another key is not getting too attached to anything, regardless of what you paid for it. If it doesn't make the cut.....it doesnt make the cut!

 

[Where's Bruce?]

I find myself hunting (or being guided) by guys half my age most of the time. My goal here is to learn what I can cut and still be ok on longer trips that are double my norm. Experience is a cruel teacher, it gives you the test first and then provides the education. I find myself declining physically after day 5 which is partly why I am buying a Kifaru pack and reevaluating my needs. A new PAC should help a lot and new boots too but my dawgs are almost 5" wide and finding 9.5EEE boots is difficult. Because of back injuries in my youth, I have to sleep in a hammock so my sleep/shelter system weighs 9 lbs. that's a Clark NX250 4 season hammock with large tarp, suspension, insulation and Wiggys bag. Without these I don't sleep well at all. Maybe I am worrying for nothing if I am only adding food for the longer trips. That MH diet doesn't weigh much. My 7 day pack weighed 53lbs w/o water.

 

[Heather Stomper]

Carry a small notebook with you when you venture out. Jot down things as they come to mind on the trail or in camp regarding what works, what doesn't. What did you use, what did you not even touch on the trip. If you're out with others with more experience take note of the items in their packs and NOT in their packs.
Choose only those items that have multiple uses. Try not to pack back up items of anything.
You might jump over to the Kifaru site and take a look at a couple of the essays, in particular the Possible Pouch and What I Use. These go into some basic ideas of necessary items for every trip out and also will get you to thinking about gear regarding solo or partner trips and time of year and the gear needed.
I think someone mentioned earlier that the base weight of your pack for a given activity pretty much stays the same. The real changes are food for the length of the trip and clothing based on season and area you are hunting.

Good luck in your quest. And congrats on getting out there and learning the ropes a little later in life!

 

[fillthefreezer]

I have to sleep in a hammock so my sleep/shelter system weighs 9 lbs. that's a Clark NX250 4 season hammock with large tarp, suspension, insulation and Wiggys bag. Without these I don't sleep well at all.

that is a rediculous amount for a sleep system, even with a hammock. theres a thread on here where people listed sleep system weights and how much they spent on it, pretty good info

 

[Birddog]

If you want more specifics than you already have, lay out your pack list and I'm sure people will be more than happy to offer suggestions on what to cut and why.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

that is a rediculous amount for a sleep system, even with a hammock. theres a thread on here where people listed sleep system weights and how much they spent on it, pretty good info

After six motorcycle crashes my back cannot take to the ground regardless of padding. Moreover, I was hit by a diamondback at age 12 and have a complete phobia about venomous snakes now. The scar on my psyche is much bigger than the one on my calf. I will suffer the weight because I get a good deep sleep in my hammock instead of the half sleep I get otherwise. Plus I am able to camp in places others cannot. With my back it's the only way I can camp without limping.
Clark NX-250 Hammock w/ Mega Ogee tarp and Whoopie Slings. Was testing the new tarp's multiple configurations in the backyard just before a windy rainstorm to see how it did. Could not be happier with the results. Nice to be high and dry in the woods when backpacking.

Yep...it's under there.

Wind is hitting hard in this shot, tarp barely moved.

If ya wanna learn about hammock camping, check out these letters: http://www.junglehammock.com/customer-letters/

For the integrated bug netting, weather shield and a hammock built for 4 season use, the Clarks really do stand out.

No trees? No problem.

One word of caution, hammocks are NOT for everyone. And there's a learning curve to getting the pitch of the hammock just right so you're sleeping pretty much flat. It takes some practice, preferably in the backyard. but once you figure out the sweet spot (30 degree angle on suspension line) you will find it hard to back to sleeping on the ground and crappy weather will never chase you off the mountain again. It can flood and you'll be high and dry.

There were ground tents on those pads in the evening before the rainstorm. LOL Funny they weren't there in the morning.

Setting up your campsite in under 3 minutes. Complete with upside down tarp. LOL

[video=youtube;ZuWTfC_fOgA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuWTfC_fOgA[/video]

 

[Where's Bruce?]

I researched everything before deciding on a packable bag designed for us big boys. In my case I wanted a centerline zipper, they are much easier to get in and out of when camping in a hammock. After months of reading reviews, camping forums and looking at every lightweight product line, I finally got a Wiggys Freedom Shelter http://wiggys.com/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=299. It configures to meet your needs (see pics on linked site-even converts into a poncho so you can make coffee and put your clothes on w/o freezing) but what really amazed me and convinced me to purchase a Wiggys was this video:

[video=youtube;YD3wA5Wrcmc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YD3wA5Wrcmc[/video]

If I fall into a river and become hypothermic…this bag may save my life.

It even has a hood (not shown in this photo)

Most shelter/sleep systems are gonna weigh over 6lbs (ultralite examples: Kifaru Megatarp w/ peg & pole kit, long & wide 20 degree Slickbag and any pad) so I am lugging an extra 4lbs but have a floor (well sorta) and a double shelter. Now if we spike and a bear destroys my buddy's tent...we're still good cuz I stuck my stuff in the hammock and hoisted it up into the tree where it's outta sight and reach. The Tarp can double as a back-up tent. I am not gonna get wet, will be bug & reptile free and can pitch virtually anywhere I go...even if there are no flat spots. 4lbs...worth its weight in sleep. I took 44lbs off my waist this year.

 

[marc]

That's a lot of weight and there are lighter hammocks out there. My sleep system this year was under 5 and going to be getting a pound lighter by next year.

 

[InDeep]

Gobbler, I would like to see your list. That's awesome I'm at 38 without water and I'm having a hard time shaving from there.