Tag: hunting gear

Ultracheap Ultralight

Ultralight backpacking and hunting gear is expensive, right? The “Big 3” in regard to ultralight consists of your shelter, sleeping system, and pack. These are usually the biggest and heaviest items that you will be taking with you, and will usually yield the biggest weight savings when you upgrade. But they also usually come with the heftiest price tags. What if you just got geared up a year or two ago? Are you going to abandon perfectly good gear in favor of the new product line? It can be tough to accept the steep cost-benefit ratio of dropping hundreds of dollars to upgrade to a new sleeping system just to gain a couple of free ounces over your old reliable bag. But, if you want to drop some serious weight from you pack, the Big 3 are going to yield the most impactful upgrades.

So if you are not yet ready to pull a full Big 3 upgrade, or maybe you already have the top of the line bag, tent, and pack and you want to trim a couple more ounces, keep reading for some tips to get how to shed a little more weight from that hunting pack for a price of next to nothin’.

Consolidate your electronics, consolidate your batteries. Like an ever-evolving beast, my cell phone has devoured and absorbed a multitude of my other devices. I no longer need a backup flashlight or collapsible lantern, because my cell phone has a sustaining camera flash that can fill both their functions. I haven’t carried a camera in years. I no longer carry a GPS because my phone has apps like OnX Hunt. I no longer carry a book because I have an e-reader app with books stored on my phone electronically (including valuable hunting reference guides and other pdfs). Giving up other devices for the phone may seem pretty obvious, but my recent weight saving has been in batteries. To power my phone, I carry an extra battery pack (I’ve found the Anker PowerCore 10000 to have the best charge to weight ratio). It gets me about four full charges, which is usually more than I need. Since I’ve now got a universal USB power bank, I can also power up my rechargeable headlamp, reducing my need for any backup AAA’s (It also charges my watch and Steripen if needed).

You call that a knife? If you’re like me, you find yourself accumulating knives without even trying. I’ve got a full box of knives that I’ve received as gifts, or were door prizes from hunting banquets, or I may have bought just because I liked the feel of it. Some are great knives, some are decent. I don’t know where the impulse came from, but I always seemed compelled to try and get some sort of use out of each of them. I had one that I would use for elk, one for deer, one for skinning, one for caping, and so one. I’m not saying that I would take all those knives with me into the backcountry, but I did have a fairly large elk knife (9.2 oz, 9.5″ overall length, wood handle, full tang) that I would regularly pack deep in the woods. I’ve since come to the conclusion that one of my smaller knives (2.6 oz, 7.5″ overall length, rubber handle, full tang) is completely adequate in the field, and I am more than comfortable using it to take apart an elk. Since losing a knife would be pretty much a game-ender for a hunt, I usually bring a smaller backup knife as well. From my random collection I’ve found a Buck Paklite Caper that weighs in at 1.4 oz. Those two knives combined are still over a quarter-pound savings over my larger elk knife.

Speaking of quarter-pounders, cut out the snacks. This can be a tough one, initially. But in reality, you probably don’t need snacks. You’ll be more efficient while hunting and less distracted if you don’t bring snacks. How many times have you sat down to glass, and impulsively began pawing through your day bag for something to eat. Many times we are using snacks as a distraction to boredom rather than as a means to restore energy. This isn’t a recommendation to cut down your daily calorie intake, but rather consider putting all those calories in your main meals. Many times, snack foods are less calorie dense, or are lower quality fuel (i.e. sweets), or are in smaller portions with more packaging than your meals. Be aware of how you pack your food. I’ve been guilty of neglecting to include the calories of my snacks in my food plan, throwing them in last after I’ve already accounted for all my necessary fuel in meals. This has resulted in extra weight I don’t need, and I regularly those snacks uneaten when I unload at the end of a trip. If you don’t want to get rid of your snacks completely, you can front-load them in your trip. The hike in is likely going to be one of the most physically strenuous days of your hunt, so you can use that first day to chow through your junk food.

You’re gonna stink, cuz you nasty. You may be able to reduce some of your scent, but you’re not going to be able to eliminate it…not even close. Once you come to terms that you are trying to manage scent, not eliminate it, you can get rid of a lot of gear. Extra undies, extra socks, deodorant, bathing wipes, scent concealer spray, soap, and shampoo are all either ineffective or impractical to take into the backcountry. The soap and shampoo are probably the most effective at reducing your scent trail, but I’m not interested in bathing in a high country lake during September (especially at the sacrifice of daylight hunting hours). The bathing wipes are nice to have, but I have found them to be much heavier than they need to be. They are thicker than shop towels and drenched in de-scenting solution. If you feel you must utilize some method of bathing, I’ve found baby wipes to be a much better alternative, which are still unscented and are much thinner and lighter. Extra clothes are going to help manage scent, but I usually only bring one extra pair of socks and undies for a week-long trip. I can always give one set a rinse in the stream and an air dry if thing get too ripe. Or, if the bike/hike in is going to be strenuous and I know I’m going to be pretty brutal on that first day’s clothes, I’ll consider that first set of clothing to be sacrificial, and cache them somewhere where I can collect it out my way out.

Bold predictions of 2019 Hunting Trends

Although hunting is known to be steeped in tradition, there are popular trends and innovation that push the lifestyle and sport forward. Here are some bold predictions as to what expect for this coming 2019 season. Keep in mind that these predictions are for entertainment, designed to be bold, but also derived from an initial element of truth.

Prediction No. 1: Backcountry Shawls Outsell Quilts and Hammocks Combined

Now I’m not saying that quilts and hammocks are a dying trend. Quite the opposite actually, these everyday comfort items are on an upward trajectory that should be spurring the imagination of more performance gear developers. The lines between casual recreation, comfort, weight savings and performance will continue to smear together into a multifunctional gear bonanza, and I am all for it. Old familiar comfort items are going to be repurposed and updated. Think of the possibilities: backcountry shawls, field robes, sport pajamas, packable essential oil diffusers, performance loungers. Now that your grandma’s favorite decorative bedspread has been converted to backpacking gear, nothing is off the table. I personally own multiple pairs of tent slippers as well, and they are fabulous. When you spend days deep in the wild, why shouldn’t have have some luxuries that remind you of all the comforts of home?
All joking aside, the creativity of gear developers has taken a major jump forward in the last couple years. The outdoor gear industry has always had a steady push forward with innovation, but now that we have hammocks and quilts, the period of innovation efforts previous feels a little stale. The previous gear trends have had a lot of focus towards style and branding development over performance development. I think the industry now has an injection of creative brands that are willing to break away and take risks, and I am excited to see what they come up with next.

Prediction No. 2: WOOL UNDERWEAR! (Wait, that’s already a thing?) Fine, I’ll go with WOOL DENIM!

Yes wool underwear is a thing. It’s merino wool and it’s fantastic. It has become the dominating fabric in many hunters’ baselayers, and it is obvious why: Quick drying, cool when it needs to be cool, warm when it needs to be warm, thin and less bulky, and now even comfortable. To bastardize one of the great Seinfeld lines to emphasize my point: “I would drape myself in velvet merino wool if it were socially acceptable”. Wool denim jeans are probably the last article I need to complete my ensemble for everyday casual wear.

A lot of outdoor brands are dialing in their merino blends with polyester, spandex and nylon to give it the comfort and stretch needed to be the go-to fabric for all four seasons. I would like to predict a merino underwear supply shortage sweeps the nation in 2019 and riots erupt in the street. But that’s unrealistic. Merino resists odor and stink, so you really only need one or two pair for a week-long hunt. With that kind of performance longevity, it’s unlikely the demand will soar high enough to reach critical levels. So it’s pretty unlikely that there will be panicked stockpiling by hunters to deplete the nation’s supply. As long as sheep keep growing it, I think we’ll be fine.

Prediction No. 3: Hunting Becomes Just Unpopular Enough for Hipsters to Join in

Americans participating in hunting have dipped over recent years. This is not to say that the industry is in trouble, as fishing participation has increased, and sportsmen and women are spending more dollars per capita than they have in the past. With increased dollars spent on hunting and fishing-related equipment, the funding from the Pittman-Robertson Act tax revenue has remained a strong funding source for state wildlife conservation. The low hunter participation may indicate a bleak trend for the longevity of the sport and lifestyle, but I think we are actually on the verge of attracting an untapped demographic. I think if we all just dug a little deeper, we could drive hunting popularity another 1% lower, which may be the breaking point of unpopularity for hipster participation. I know it sounds far out there, but try and follow me here: Hipsters have an initial threshold of unpopularity, which is the barrier for entry for something to become cool to them. Once that unpopularity threshold is reached and they can deem it cool, that unpopularity threshold is raised several percentage points (obviously this threshold must be raised to accommodate the influx of hipster participants, otherwise the increased popularity would create a situation where the hipster was participating in something that should be considered uncool). Now, unfortunately this model is not sustainable, because after a period of hipster participation, hunting will be deemed played out by the hipsters, and they will leave the activity as mostly one solitary mass, very similar to the way they entered. The key point here is that not all will abandon hunting, some will stay and continue to contribute to the lifestyle and wildlife conservation. Also, it has been clearly documented that right before hipsters deem an activity played out, there is an influx on non-hipsters that flood the activity. These remaining participants that joined during the end of the hipster craze will undoubtedly find a true dedication and connection with the outdoors and wildlife, and they will remain as lifelong supporters and advocates. These remaining hunters will cause a net increase that will keep hunter participation levels boosted over recent year’s statistics for years to come.

Prediction No. 4: Eating Wolf Becomes Cool

Wild game meat has had a huge PR boost since the Meateater movement pushed forth a few years ago. Squirrel, black bear, and jackrabbit are three species that were not broadly considered to be palatable, but now have seen a more widespread increase as a consumable and favored game meat. Long-standing prejudices against the palatability of many wild game have been challenged and dispelled.
With the increased culinary popularity has come an increase in  adventurousness in wild meat consumption, and possibly some one-upmanship as well. Therefore, next up on the list has to be wolf meat. Not just sampling wolf meat, because there have been isolated reports of people eating wold in the U. S., but experimentation with preparation and cooking methods to actually make it popular. Given the fortitude required to actually coherse the morsels of the meat down your gullet, combined with the hunting challenge due to the wolf’s cunning, wolf is positioned to be the next critter up to become table fare of the hunting elite. Other cultures around the world have enjoyed canine meat, and it was well documented that the Lewis and Clark expedition preferred dog meat over all else available on their journey. That is not to say that the canine prepared by others through history is going to be the same as a wild wolf harvested by a hunter. Diverse diets, living conditions, as well as method are all variables that affect the quality of an animal’s flesh from a palate’s viewpoint. But, it seems to be the most reasonable culinary analog. Pushing the boundaries of our comfort zone is what helps us venture further into the wilderness and be more capable hunters, and I think we can agree that wolf is well outside the current comfort zone for most of us. Also, eating the animal you kill is a way of showing respect for its life. Harvesting meat is not the only reason for people to get out and hunt, but my personal opinion is that it should be near the top of everyone’s power rankings of motivation, and we all should be giving well-deserved consideration when we go out to hunt an animal.

Backpacking Luxuries Turned Necessities and Other Tricks

Note:  I receive no compensation for any product mentioned in this post.  

Pack optimization through balance of needs and weight should be the goal for backpacking trips. But, too often we either try to go too light and cut out the things we actually need, or pack gear that goes underutilized.  We mourn the gear we left out of the pack in order to cut weight, and lament the things pull out at the end of the trip unused. I do love dialing in my pack, and tracking the ounces or even pounds that I’ve trimmed from my last trip. But I think I love the sneaky comfort items that I’ve muled in even more. I try to keep notes and an inventory of my most and least used gear, and here are some of my revelations from the last year.  Most of my camping was related to backcountry hunting, but I’m going to try and keep this list relatable to any backpacker (I’ll get some notes down about some hunting-specific revelations a little later).  Some of the items below are packable gear, and some are more along the lines of small hacks.  Also, keep in mind that I’m writing from the reference of my camping practices, which is generally a long hike in, setting up one or maybe two base camps, and mainly doing long hikes for 3-6 days, returning to base camp each night.  So, if you are mainly doing overnighters or loops, you may want to consider the specifics of your hike before filling up your pack.

New items that I will never leave behind again:

Camp chair/stool – For the last couple of years, I have watched in envy while my buddies have relaxed in ultralight camp chairs while I crouched uncomfortably over my stove each evening.  I was really tired of switching between crouching, sitting on uneven rocks, and eating dinner standing up, but even the best ultralight chairs weigh in around 1.5-2 lbs or more, and really don’t pack down as small as I would like.  But, this year, I finally found a stool that had the right balance of weight burden and comfort, and it was worth the weight (play on words there for you sharp ones).  So this year, I packed in the Micro Stool from Grand Trunk (10.6oz actual weight), which packs down very small and is the lightest seat I could find.  It only sets up to be about 10 inches off the ground, but I  actually found it to be quite comfortable (I’m 6’0″), and way better than log or stone Mother Nature had lying around.

Oil shooters with pepper chasers will cap off any meal

Extra food seasoning – I eat a lot of dehydrated meals when camping out.  They’re pretty good, but I think we can all agree they are not haute cuisine.  I don’t usually take a lot in the way of snacks, but try to rely on my main meals to get the nutrition I need.  To get the extra calories, and make things more palatable, I’ve been bringing along a couple ounces of olive oil and crushed red pepper flakes.  The olive oil makes the rehydrated food texture more relatable to a normal meal, and adds the healthy fats that the dehydrated meals usually lack.  Most of the major brands of dehydrated meals seem to utilize Indian and Latin flavor palates pretty heavily, so the red pepper is pretty compatible with most meal options.  For the sake of your gut, the last thing you want is to overdo the spiciness, but I haven’t run into that issue yet.  Red pepper flakes seem to be milder on the stomach than a lot of the other spices, but that may just be personal predisposition.  Pro Tip – Don’t worry about buying special containers for your seasoning, spent airline booze bottles are super light and work great.

My new favorite trick:

Mountain Coolers – aka pure, cold mountain streams.  Beer is delicious, but too heavy and bulky to pack in, right?  Well, at least too heavy and bulky to pack very far.  For reference, a six-pack of cans weighs in at just over five pounds.  This year, I implemented the system of packing a couple beers in just a couple miles, then dropping those beers in an icy mountain stream.  Then, on my way out, I’ve got some refreshingly cold daddy sodas to celebrate the last couple miles of a long trip through the mountains.  I realize that I’m probably not the first person to implement this strategy, but I felt smarter than the lovechild of Elon Musk and Adolf Coors when I cracked that first can of frosty suds while hiking out of the woods this fall.  As a side note, there are some precautions to take while leaving beers in stashed in the woods.  The unfiltered stream could pass along diseases on the top of the can, so take care with the water you stash in.  Also, bears have been known to enjoy chomping through unopened beers, so beware of the critters that may be poaching your cache.

Things I left behind and missed severely:

Camp shoes – Wet boots suck.  Tired feet suck.  Soft comfortable shoes are awesome.  Don’ get me wrong,  I’m very happy with the performance of my hunting boots from sunup to sundown.  But, after several warm days, feet get sweaty and tired.  Getting out of the boots and into fresh shoes in the evening is a guilty pleasure.  I don’t know if it’s just the feeling of the soft, forgiving, unsweated liners; or possibly the need for your feet to feet some subtle difference in support.  I used to go with the North Face tent mules, which are quite literally down sleeping bags for your feet, but I have graduated to slipper-shoe hybrids to walk around camp in the evenings.  I’ve currently got Teva Ember mocs (1lb 3.6oz actual weight), which have the coziness of slippers with the support of a lightweight shoe.  There isn’t too much in the way of tread, which helps reduce wear and tear on tent floors and sleeping bags (especially if you’re wearing them to bed on those extra cold nights).  The Merrel Barkley Moc is great if you want more of a shoe than a slipper, and they are very light (1lb 0.6 oz actual weight).

Chapstick – My September hunt was earlier and warmer than the last few years, and I definitely felt it in the intensity of the sun, and lack of hydration.  I typically don’t bring chapstick because I don’t like to use it hunting due to the scent that usually comes along with it.  But this year, my lips became chapped and cracked, and became a distracting and painful nag for most of a six-day trip.  It seems silly to leave such a small item behind that can have such an impact on part of your general comfort.

Items underutilized compared to years past:

Earbuds and extra phone batteries – In years past, I have usually used earbuds with my phone to listen to music while taking mid-day naps or podcasts after lights out each night.  This year, I found myself using the Kindle app on my phone more often, as well as the notes app to record my reflections of the day.  I like to use the ebooks for reading entertainment, but I also like to ability to reference field guides, trail guidebooks, or other articles on woodsmanship or hunting.  So, the moral of the story is, find some good ebooks and you won’t need the headphones.  Also, remember to utilize your phone’s power-saver function combined with airplane mode, keep your phone from being exposed to the cold too often, and your battery can last for days.

6 Lightweight Gear Upgrades

Chasing the ultralightweight savings game can be as addicting as….pretty much anything else hunting-related, and equally as expensive.  Dang, I thought I was going to come up with a sweet metaphor there.  I love getting new gear, but I’m sometimes too cheap to drop the big bucks on the hottest stuff that all the cool kids are into.  I’m not always cheap, but I prefer to think I’m putting my dollars where they can do the most damage out in the woods.  Plus, selective cheapness provides more disposable income for important things like overpriced microbrews, truck tires, and full body tattoos.  So I actually only partake in two of those three things, but feel free to substitute in your own vices.  Anyway, I’ve come up with a quick list of some of my favorite lightweight pack items.  Some are higher end and some are dirt cheap.  I hope you can find a couple to use on your next daytrip or overnighter.

*All weights listed are actual measurements unless noted otherwise.

Steripen Ultra

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The Steripen has been around for a while, but is new to me.  Not only is it 10 oz lighter than my Katadyn Hiker, but it also comes with the upside of size and time convenience as well.  What would you prefer? Slogging water for 20 minutes through a pump-style filter that takes up a quarter of your pack space, or waving a tiny lightsaber for 60 seconds.

The downside?  Unlike the pump filter, the Steripen only protects you from microorganisms.  It does not control cloudiness, chemicals, or floaters.  So make sure you have an idea of the water quality issues you may be facing before packing your gear.  It also has a vaguely similar appearance to a medical device.

Weight: 5 oz

Comparison: Katadyn Hiker – 15 oz

Hydrapak Seeker Collapsible Water Bottle (3L)

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I love this thing.  It’s lighter than a Camelbak, and you don’t have to sip through those annoying rubber straws.  It’s not rigid like a conventional water bottle, so finding a spot inside (or strapped outside) of an overfull pack is much easier.  The lack of a hose and the wide-mouth design make it much easier to clean and keep sanitary as well.  It’s quieter than a conventional water bottle too, since you can purge out the air to eliminate the ‘sloshing’ when the bottle is less than completely full.  That’s always been one of my pet peeves when trying to slink through the woods as quietly as possible.

Downside?  Like the Camelbak, it’s got that plastic taste.

Weight: 3.3 oz

Comparison: Camelbak 3L reservoir – 8 oz (claimed)

 

Outdoor Research Ultralight Dry Sack (35L)

OR Ultralight Dry Sack 35L lemongrass

How many packs do you have already?  If you’re like me, you’ve got at least one for week-long hunts, and one for day hunts, or maybe one or two that are supposed to be for both but really don’t work for either.  I use these dry sacks to add versatility to my frame pack, and have eliminated the need for a daypack for single day out-and-back hunts.  These are actually pretty damn reasonable for an “ultralight” labeled item, as I’ve actually found them for much less than other conventional dry bags.  For the burden of a couple extra ounces, my Eberlestock Mainframe pack now has the convenience, organization, and protection of a fully waterproof daypack, while still having the frame to haul meat.  Grab a couple different sizes to keep you organized for various hunting trip needs.

Downside? The material for these bags is very thin and could have durability issues, depending on where you hunt and what you’re crawling through in the field.  I’ve used them for several years and haven’t had any problems.

Weight: 3.2 oz

Comparison:  There are tons of dry sacks out there, and typical weights for 35L are around 8-10 oz or more

Black Ovis Lightweight Game Bags

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Although not cheap, they are probably the most reasonable in the lightweight game bag department.  The old standard was the Alaska Game Bag, and I still keep those around back at the truck just in case I need some backups.  The Black Ovis large bag kit comes with four bags, gloves, a lightweight tarp, a roll of flagging tape, and a mesh carry bag.  Pulling out the tarp, gloves, and flagging tape dropped the weight by a few ounces down to 13 oz.  But, bigger than the weight savings are the space savings.  The Alaska Bags are difficult to fit into a gallon-sized ziplock, and the Black Ovis bags are a little larger than a fist.

Downside?  I haven’t found any issues with them yet.

Weight: 13 oz

Comparison: Alaska Game Bags – 1 lb 8 oz

Nemo Fillo Elite Pillow: 2.8 oz

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This is a real pillow.  I have decided a pillow is a luxury that I will not forego.  I used to use the Thermarest compressible pillow, but that thing really doesn’t compress down very well, and it takes up too much valuable pack space (but it’s comfortable).  The Nemo pillow is smaller than a baseball when in its stuff sack.  It’s inflatable and has a soft, comfortable fabric surface.  Ignore the countless lightweight pillows out there on Amazon for $15.  Those feel like an old inflatable pool toy, and you would probably be more comfortable resting your head on a balled-up sweatshirt.

Downside? None found yet.

Weight: 2.8 oz

Comparison: Not using a pillow is always an option that many hunters are happy with, but I wouldn’t recommend it.  Hunting is hard and strenuous, take care of your neck.

Crystal Geyser Bottled Water (or similar) (16 fl oz): 0.4 oz

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This has got to be my ultimate cheapo-yuppy-ultralight-dummy tip. The typical bottled water packaging for brands such as Crystal Geyser, Arrowhead, or any generic store water is incredibly light, since it’s supposed to be disposable, duh.  For dayhunts where I won’t need more than a couple liters, I just pack a few of these.  They can be squashed down to purge any air from the bottle too, eliminating the annoying ‘slosh’ mentioned above.

Downside?  You’re constantly buying bottled water, even though you know tap water is fine.

Weight: 0.4 oz

Comparison – Nalgene (32 fl oz): 6 oz (I used the 32 fl oz Nalgene because it is more common, even though it’s twice the volume of the disposable bottle)

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