Southern white tail hunter goes West. But...have to make compromises on gear.Help

[SwampLander]

Tent wining the race is kelty salido 115 delivered
Sleeping bag will be nf cats meow found it on sale 110 delivered
So for around 300 bucks what pack assuming I dont find one used? How big? Internal or external frame? Trip is 5-7 day with base camp at truck.

 

[archer wapiti]

I have hunted the pacific coast (Vandenberg AFB) so the weather is much different there. I am an avid car camper but have never backpack camped. I mostly just want to ability to not have to trek back and forth to the truck every day. I also plan on having a base camp set up with supply reload if needed. I am a hunter and have hunted out west so I have many small things covered I learnt first trip to buy optics so I have that covered. Things I have kinda set my eye on are Big Agnes fly creek hv ul2, probably a better pack, and I am all over on the sleep system. Sleep system is going to be synthetic and i would like to spend 150 or less and have something around 3 lbs. I really like the Eurika lone pine bag but its 4 lbs. It is big but this may be worth it for comfort. I cant sleep in a coffin bag.
I am athletic and in good shape however have slacked on cardio since leaving the military so I am getting back on the jogging kick.
I plan on looking for a used pack. However im not using a used sleeping bag or tent.
This is my first backpack hunting trip like this but I plan on test running gear from now until hunt time, I live close to the Appalachian trail so may hit some sections of it.
I think I am going to use the MSR rocket for this trip so save money, hope to get a reactor later if I enjoy this style of hunting.

There's no reason with this much time to prepare that you can't go prepared to do both. Anything you can use in the backcountry will be just as usable at the truck, though maybe not as comfortable as what you'd have taken car camping. Throw a thick sleeping pad in your truck and leave it there. I leave an extra sleeping bag as well so if I pack meat out late and have left my camp in the woods, I have a place to sleep in either location. The biggest consideration to remain flexible will be food. It really sucks to be eating backpack meals at the truck when you could have done some proper cooking out of coolers and a better stove, but it works just fine, and takes less time.

 

[Falcon75]

I'v about decided on the north face "cats meow" (who named that thing lol) for my sleeping bag. Any reviews from y'all ?

i have a cats meow long 20 deg down bag and it is the cats meow. never been cold but always wear stocking cap put clothes in bottom so not cold in morning.

 

[SwampLander]

I have ordered a cats meow so got that gear covered.
I had not thought of just keeps some basic necessities at the truck for a late night pack trip. I am iffy on leaving my whole car camping kit in the back of my truck or just sitting somewhere for a possible week. Stuff can walk off. But I love the idea of a spare bag and stuff there. I'v got a pile of basic sleeping bags for car camping so that would be easy and cost me nothing. Jury still out on tent. Salida leading race on weight vs cost tho. I like the Mr glacier 70. Is this enough pack? Great deal on it on backcountry.com if anyone is looking.

 

[SnapT]

As for bags the Kelty Cosmic 20 has some good reviews and is on sale https://www.campsaver.com/kelty-cosmic-20-sleeping-bag-600-dridown.html

 

[SwampLander]

I got my north face sleeping bag today and msr pocket rocket 2yesterday. Super happy with both I'm stocky framed through the shoulder and was worried about bag fit but it's about as good as it could be. Being a mummy bag but it's nice and not to tight. Also bought a hammock to mess around with. Anyone do the hammock thing? I just feel like having a space to cook and stuff in bad weather is more critical than the potential comfort of a hammock. It was 50 percent off so I got it just to play with. Bearbutt.com.

 

[OhHeyThereBen]

I personally can't sleep in hammocks... but I'm also 6'5". I like them for just hanging out in during summer camping though and my brother has a full set up with a tarp and bug net for sleeping in. Could be something that you like in the future!

 

[NCSU_Lewis]

Tent wining the race is kelty salido 115 delivered
Sleeping bag will be nf cats meow found it on sale 110 delivered
So for around 300 bucks what pack assuming I dont find one used? How big? Internal or external frame? Trip is 5-7 day with base camp at truck.

I would say a 5000ci would be the smallest you could get away with. With a better honing of gear and food you may could get it down. And for frames, external is the way to go for packing meat if it has a load shelf type system, but many backpacking style packs don't have much between frame rails to allow it, so internal would be better.

 

[119bowhunter]

I went on my first elk hunting trip this past fall, went with a buddy of mine and we did a combination of car camping/spiking out for 2-4 days at a time. We would plan on camping at the truck but once we found a basin with elk in it 3 or so miles from the road we would pack in and camp closer to where we were hunting. I will say that we spent 2 days of our 10 day hunt in the tent due to some wicked lightning storms, and I sure wouldn't have wanted to be in a hammock for that. I have a Marmot Tungsten 2 person tent that worked great for the two of us, it has 2 vestibules so we could drag our packs underneath during the rain and not take up any space inside the tent. Good luck on your trip!

 

[SwampLander]

I am gonna play with the hammock before dedicating more than 25$ to it. If nothing else it's something light to pack around in case a nap is needed. I'm starting to think two vestibules may be the way to go. I'm really liking the mystery ranch terraplane 82L but it's 400$. Duno may still go with a more budget friendly pack for this year. I'm gonna have to set up some new arrows if I get an elk tag. I got light weight arrows set up for white tails right now.

 

[Bukwild3]

Check out outdoor vitals for sleeping bags. The quality of the bag is nice and price point is good. The company just started but reviews are good. I bought 20 deg bag for a backcountry camping trip in the Rawahs this August and was pleased. My thermometer got down to 32 and I was actually hot. I have a buddy that hikes a lot and he checked it out and is thinking of trying a quilt form them. Also mystery ranch had a sale going on but not sure if it's still available.