Gear list for 1st elk trip

[okie_hotrod]

Hello fellow hunt talkers,
My dad and I are planning a trip to northeast Utah for the general elk season in mid October and I need some experienced guys to help me look for any gaps in my gear list. From what I understand, the weather will be cool with highs in the 60s and lows in the 30s with a likely probability of snow. We plan on setting up camp near the trail and hiking into our hunting area.

Weapon and shooting gear:
Ruger American 270 win
140gr Nosler Accubond handloads
Redfield Revolution/TAC 3-9x40 riflescope
Sig kilo 850 rangefinder
Vortex Crossfire 10x50 binos

Clothing:
Kings camo classic bundle with shirt, hoodie, rain jacket and pants
Irish setter Vaprtrek insulated boots
Frogg Togg rain gear
Blaze orange vest and tabogan
Shooters mitts
*Looking for a good base layer

Peripheral equipment:
Alps commander frame and bag
Bino tripod adapter
Camillus skinning knives
Garmin GPSMAP 60SCx (looking for a Utah onX GPS chip)
Bushnell headlamp
Paracord
Zip ties
Multi tool
Cell phone
1st aid kit
Survival kit (Vaseline soaked cotton balls, magnesium fire starter, and probably a small telescoping fishing rod)
Extra batteries for GPS, headlamp, and rangefinder

I know I need game bags and a couple other odds and ends that escape me right now but so far this is what I have. Let me know if there's anything that I skipped over or need to add. I didn't list calls because the rut will be over by the time I get there. Thanks in advance for everyone's help.

 

[guserto4]

For base payers I'm pretty sold on merino wool off amazon. Cheaper than a lot of other places and still nice quality. Plus after a few days nothing says, "you somehow don't smell bad" like merino wool.

 

[AggieOutlaw]

Your list is looking pretty good.

Of course, you only listed your daypack equipment. So you may want to post your camp gear too for some feedback, unless you're comfortable.

Id recommend game bags in your kill kit. I prefer ultralight synthetics which are machine washable. Electrical or duct ape and flagging is always helpful.

I also like to carry packs of scent free or scent blocking wipes. Very useful.

FYI. You can download free GPS maps to your 60csx using GPS File Depot. The files work great. Topo maps and land ownership. It's not as good as OnX or Garmin. But it's free and works great. You don't get a lot of the metadata like owner names and addresses. Just boundaries.

https://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/state/ut

I still recommend using the OnX maps. But you should download the map on your phone. It's much more useful and affordable than the chips in an old gps unit w a cumbersome UI. Just my recommendation.

 

[okie_hotrod]

We're taking a 10'x10' canvas wall tent with a small tent stove to serve the cooking/heating/coffee needs and a couple of ice chests for food storage and an ATV to reduce wear and tear on the truck and get in as deep as we can before hiking

 

[Lonesome_God_outdoors]

Get a spud for cleaning your glass. I'd also recommend a silk handkerchief, trioxane (it's a great firestarter you get at army surplus stores)

 

[knobbytire]

Drop the Vaseline cotton balls and use hand sanitizer which is loaded with alcohol and doubles duty for hygiene.

Weigh everything on a kitchen scale and make a list or spreadsheet. One or two ounces adds up to pounds across all the pieces of gear.

 

[p_ham]

Add some more ice chests for your elk. I also recommend a map and compass for backup. I have the commander pack frame, its a little wide for me to use as a day pack but if you like it use it. It does carry a load nicely. I switched out the pins on it with 1/4" stainless bolts and lock nuts too.

 

[okie_hotrod]

I like the hand sanitizer idea but my concern with that is evaporation. Do you mean pack it in a separate bottle for later or soak the cotton balls in it?

I had the idea of building a make shift "truckbed ice chest" with a wooden frame, cellofoam insulation panels, and duct tape. I could build the frame ahead of time to fit the bed forward of the wheel wells and slightly lower and put the panels together if one of us tagged out so we could have a cold place to store it for the drive home