Caribou Gear

Backpack weight??

trophy_killer

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Joined
Jan 13, 2002
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Salmon, ID
Just a quick question. How much do your packs typically weigh when you pack in for a week?? I'm gonna start out doing one and two nighters than work my way up to going at it for a full week but I want to know what should be the most weight I should pack in for a week long hunt. Thanks.
 
LOL TK
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People used to laugh at the weight of my dayy pack. I had everything but the kitchen sink in it.
 
I didn't at the time though. I love my coffee and sometimes I took two 1 qt thermos's of coffee. I had 3 knives in it, a saw and a hatchet. Also took lots of ammo for the rifle and the handgun plus an assortment of other stuff.
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TK,

There is some rule of thumb, maybe Backpacker.com has it, but I think your pack should not exceed 30-35% of your body weight. Although there is no way in hell you would ever get an elk out with that rule, but for first trips, you should be fine, and then experiment up. But hell, if you are only going for 1-2 nights, how much crap do you need?

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er
 
Elkgunner, I know you don't need much stuff for a night or two. The only reason I posted that is because last time I said that I want to do a week long hunt everyone started saying not to go that long at first for many different reasons. I just want to know how much the max my pack should way is. And at 35% of my body weight I would be looking at a 46 pound pack. Oh well, I guess I will just have to get my gear stuff it in there and see how much it weighs. If at all possible I would like to have my pack weigh in the under 40 pound range.
 
I never go hunting without it. I have cut back and only take a small thermos now. If it is cold I will take the quart one. Real cold I will take the big one and the small one. But like you said before, I have a horse to carry it for me now. Sometimes I fill one of them with hot chocolate or something other than coffee.
 
For 5 day + trips max weight is 75 lbs for me. For 2-4 days you can get by with 40 lbs.

This allows enough room to get a boned out deer out, or a 1/3 of an elk.

T Bone
 
tk coffee like beer is an aquired taste, however the older you get the more coffee you need in the morning,it works the other way too the less beer you need to go to sleep.i didnt drink coffee untill a few years ago and now im socially unacceptable until i have some.
 
TK:

Here's some general guidelines from 40 years of personal backpacking experience.

A safe maximum guideline is about 1/3 your body weight. For me that would be about 70 pounds. That's safe but no way near comfortable. I've carried that much and been miserable.

On a weekend backpack trip my backpack will weigh less than 35 pounds and I often forget it's there.

For a trip lasting a week, my pack will weigh about 50 pounds and that's tolerable. Fortunately it gets better as the week progresses and I eat food and burn fuel.

It's very important to get a backpack that fits your torso. A pack that is too short (not tall enough to fit your torso) will be miserable because you can never get the weight off you shoulders and onto your hips. When the hip belt is properly in place, the shoulder straps should be horizontal at the top where they go over your shoulders. This will allow you to adjust which muscles of your body carry the weight. So as you go along you can carry the weight on your hips for a while, then carry it mostly on you shoulders, then half and half, etc. So you rest some muscles while working others.

Also pack the heavy stuff at the top of the pack and close to your back. This moves the center of gravity of the pack towards your body's normal center of gravity and allows you to avoid constantly leaning forward.

Pack everything inside the pack. Avoid stuff hanging on the outside. That just catches on branches and throws your balance off.

Most novice backpackers carry a bunch of stuff that they don't need and won't use which just makes the pack heavier. So after you have completel packed your pack put it on the living room floor and take out everything one at a time and honestly ask your self "Am I really going to use this?" If the answer is no, then don't take it.

Also think ultra-lightweight, spartan, multi-purpose.

Enjoy

KC
 
Good stuff guy's..
I have gotten mine down to about 40 lbs for five day's...
I would like to work that down to about 20!!!
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The most my pack weighed on a 1 week hunting trip was 72lbs. I thought I Was gonna die, we only went about 6 miles but the first 2 were going uphill. I try to average about 50lbs, of course that depends on where I'm going also and if I'm walking.
 
I weigh 155 pounds and carry between 55-58 pounds for a 5 day trip. I like to live comfortable and don't mind bringing in a few extras, especially food. Over nighters I can get away with about 10 pounds less.
KC gave some great tips, a back that fits is very important. A sloppy pack will feel several pounds heavier in a short amount of time.
 
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