Contributors to this thread:
I am just curious how you guys roll? When its time to spike out are you someone who weighs everything, has the lightest bag and tent and dehydrated food or are you that guy who stuffs your heavy coleman sleeping bag and Eureka 4 man tent, a few slices of bread and some peanut butter into your pack and heads off?
I don't weigh stuff, but i am gradually acquiring lighter items. I don't buy THE lightest stuff due to cost, but I can fit everything I need including tent(6 man tipi and pole) and titanium woodburner in my 5200 ci pack. I set up my food for each day ahead of time and bring enough for the days we will be out + 1. My bag and pad are reasonably light and we run floorless to save some weight. I do take a few creature comforts (backpacking chair) but I definitely don't stress over weight too much.
I don't weigh everything but I am very weigh conscious. If I know I am going to set up another camp than I will pack a little heavier but my weight is still down around 50#s for a couple day spike. What I personally like to do in areas that I am scouting as I hunt is carry my spike camp with me. When sheep hunting this is usually the lightest down sleeping bag, a bivy bag, the lightest stove, and dehydrated food, etc. For this type of spike camp I like to have the lightest possible although I am currently balking at buying a "light weight tarp" for $250 to save a couple ounces. My pack usually weighs in the 35-40# range for up to a week.
Over several years I have acquired and upgraded most of my gear by watching for sales, clearances, and gift certificates. I weigh all my gear and made checklist to select items depending on the hunt, time of year, or weather. My base 3-night spike camp pack usually weighs 29# with food and 1 quart of water. I did run out of water before, so I usually now carry 3 Qt. and an extra snack. ( 33#) I prefer my side entrance EOS 1P tent over other light weight shelters, and my BA Lost Ranger sleeping bag and Ba IAC pad over lighter choices, but this has worked well for me. After each trip I make notes of gear and food used to update for future trips.
It depends on the hunt. I try to go as light as possible on a backpack hunt. I go UL on early season deer hunts and little 2 day spike outs....but on hunts later in the fall I bring a couple more articles of clothing
Very comfortable road camp and then have a pretty much bare minimum pure bivy hunt with packs on our backs and sleep where we end up. Usually a planned location, but sometimes not. Bivy weight is between 25 and 30 pounds, not including glass and bow. We go cold camp with no cook stove. We eat pre packed food like tuna, crackers, granola, energy bars, etc. Gear list consist of Marmot Helium bags, Heat core sleep pads, 4.5 pound barely two man tent, Sawyer water purifier, puffy coat in stuff sack, extra socks, gortex booties, kill kit with game bags, emergency kit. Clothes are all poly with silver or wool -take just what we are wearing. Rain gear is Cabelas space rain. Simple rather cheap but works for us.
Spiking in I have a 5lb sleeping bag and the tent is not all that light but if I can affordably shave weight I will. Eventually I'll get the bag and tent but I'm not going to break the bank to do it. My packweight is about 50# with bow strapped on. My buddies is about 43#. That 8 lbs is expensive though. The way I look at it is ive got to take it 4-5 miles then my pack turns into a day pack.
I have everything I need except a pad and bag for spiking. I don't need the lightest stuff...just reasonable and functional.
What do you guys like that doesn't break the bank?
Spike camp and bivy hunting are two different animals in my book! For 3 days and 2 guys . My pack weighs 38 pounds with water and little camp Whiskey! Hunt
If I am backpacking I stay as light as reasonably possible. I don't really weigh everything when it goes in the pack, because it was weighed and put on a spreadsheet when I purchased it.
My good buddy AndyJ refers to this as "tolerance for suffering". My two priorities these days are comfortable sleep and decent (considering) food.
The OP question was about "spiking". To me that means 1.5-2 miles from a comfy base camp that can be reached for resupply in mid-day after a couple days, if needed. And a hearty meal with a real bed for a night or two. Two or three guys can take a lot more gear into a true "spike camp" than a solo guy like me. So my bag, pad and 3-man UL tent weigh 11.5 lbs. I carry a Jetboil and a Katadyn filter. Everything else besides my basic hunting gear depends on the circumstances and weather.
Well, this definitely isn't the most compact option for a sleeping pad, but the USGI foam pad is a full 25 inches wide, 2 inches long, and weighs like 11 ounces. However, it is most likely the lightest though versus blow up pads. I like them a lot. Costs a whole $15 shipped to your house. And, it simply works very well. It has sewn in tie tabs so when you roll it up, you can tie it like a sleeping bag. I have always strapped it to the bottom or side of the pack.
I use a silnylon ground sheet 40 inches wide by 80 inches long. If its raining, I just roll it around the pad. It weighs 4.6 ounces. My current quilt weighs 24 ounces. I've had it to the high teens wearing two layers to sleep. My new one will weigh 31 or so and, be made of 7,5 climashield APEX. I truly don't know what the finished weight of the one I'm waiting to build as the insulation is still in transit. But, I'll know by next weekend. And, it's going to be right there plus or minus an ounce. Using a quilt and this pad, I'm as light as possible but, warm to low teens and single digits. I haven't seen anything comparable for a whole sleep system that is lighter. And, not counting the prep and sewing time of this gear, I'll have a whole $110 in everything. With my old tarp setup, it weighed almost 5 pounds. With an estimated weight on the new quilt and a tarp swap for a 1.9 pound tipi, I'm going to be at or, a touch over 6-6.5 pounds for a complete sleeping setup. I'll take that every time.
I'd say definitely give the quilts, ground sheet, and pad options a look. Good way to save weight. Especially if you have broad'er shoulders. I used to run a 15 degree down mummy bag. I finally made my first quilt because I busted the zipper one morning when I woke up and panicked due to being so bounded up in the bag. They make the lightweight bags small. A quilt lets you really relax. Something to consider since sleeping is cool. :^) And, a busted zipper night one, in single digit lows, ensures a miserable, cold, three nights of little sleep.
God Bless men
I've been fortunate to draw a few sheep and goat tags in Alaska the past 10 years. Traveling on the airlines and flying in supercubs..plus backpack hunting with camp on my back has pretty much forced me to purchase lighter/less bulky clothes and gear. I've pretty much gone through all my gear. Most light weight,, quality gear comes at a pretty high expense. As I've grown older...and wiser....the lighter and less bulky gear sure is a lot nicer for hauling around the hills. I've also been in some pretty touchy situations where it was nice having the proper gear to keep me warm, dry, and safe!
This elk camp in colorado, two miles from the truck and a gain of 1400 ft in elevation served me well, off and on for 21 days. Every 5 days I hiked down to the truck for more food, etc.
This elk camp in colorado, two miles from the truck and a gain of 1400 ft in elevation served me well, off and on for 21 days. Every 5 days I hiked down to the truck for more food, etc.
Weather permitting, I have just used two 8x10 nylon tarps to spike in. My down sleeping bag, blow up mat, and a "bivy" sack, weigh 5 #, the two tarps, 3 bls. If the weather is predicted to be different, ie, rain/light snow, I add a two man mt tent, 6# but still use one or both tarps. Food, clothing, etc, total, 45 #.
If I use my KU pack, a 5 day pack with an extra 3 days of food, and a bottle of scotch, came in at 36 lbs plus what I shoot (bow or gun). Now, I was missing a 4 lb tent, but everything else was there. And next time, I wouldn't overdo it on food, but I was worried about the cold weather...so I brought enough calories for the Russian front.
This all depends on how many days. I always pack a tent, pad and sleeping bag. If it's just a couple of day it will be under 35#. I can do a whole week and and keep it at under 45#. I can walk all day with a 40# pack in some pretty steep country. There are always ways to cut weight and you never need to go over about 45#. I routinely see guys packing 60-80# for a 2 day hunt. That's a total waste of energy and I give them a really hard time when I run into them. Are we hunting or camping? Do you really need to carry a 4# 44 mag and ammo on an archery elk hunt? Don't go with a really small tent. You can get a very comfortable 2 man and keep it under 3#. You need to stay comfortable, warm and dry or you'll not have a good experience.
Very timely post as I have just been evaluating my gear. I feel better about my set up after reading the above in that many folks are in the same boat. (good gear but not ultralight) I have quality lighter gear but not ultralight and weights are similiar to what others are mentioning. SD Clip Flashlight (just <4lb) Marmot bag (just under 4lb) and eberlestock pack (~7 lbs) that kit weight about 15 lbs. I could replace with lighter gear for $700-$1000 and lose about 6 lbs. After reading the posts I dont think current kit is out of the world heavy. I would like to either go bigger on tent or will pack tarps next year as the small SD flashlight is agreat tent but no room to move around, I kind of get the heebie jeebies cooking, prepping and etc in the dark by myself so I need to rig a tarp shelter or get a bigger tent if I want to improve that issue. If I can get a buddy to buy my pack and tent I may upgrade. Otherwise like others I will improve one item a year. This year I am looking at a protrail by Tarptents. My other weight option is Im dropping a lot of misc items this time (and like alot guys I carry too much water). I would love to get my pack under 50.
I had to check my spreadsheet since it has been a while, but I am under 30 pounds for a 3 day trip. SG pack, kuiu tent, bag, food. I add about 10 pounds when hunting for knives, saw, game bags, binocs, etc. Plus my bow. I invested in some better gear a few years ago and shaved about 10 pounds off my weekender load.
bowfreak asked:
I have everything I need except a pad and bag for spiking. What do you guys like that doesn't break the bank?
The bag is one of the two of the biggest weight saving opportunities, the other one being a tent. Minimizing camp weight when "spiking" is important for my way of thinking, because a super light camp can save me a round trip on pack-out, which is handy when I kill back in deep. It's also nice in case things change and it turns out I need to move frequently. Buy the best down bag you can afford, even if it's not a BA or WM (although those would be my choices). But since you may be using the bag/pad year after year, consider the investment in terms of your annual cost. So if you use the bag for 10 years, the annual cost is actually pretty small.
sticksender,
Good point on killing an animal and camp weight. I hadn't thought about that and was just looking at this as one of my typical bow hikes. :)
For the warmer days of archery season, I use the Hennessey Hammock, which I have affectionately nicknamed the "bear piñata." Not great if it's raining all the time, but it's a darn comfortable night's sleep, and I do not need level ground. And it saves both the pad and a good bit of tent weight.
Wyoming Elk Hunt 2015
Wyoming Elk Hunt 2015
This spike camp shelter is about as light as you can get. We had great faith the weather would be good! And we were not to far in!!!
Bad Karma, I have a Hennessey Hammock also but haven't slept in it yet. How in the world do you get in and out of your bag while dodging the velcro opening? I hung it for the one night I was gonna sleep out while shed hunting, got in and looked at the situation that seemed to be a PIA, then decided to sleep in my truck. Kinda glad I did, it got frosty cold that night.
The Velcro opening is held closed by your weight . You'll quickly figure out how to keep your weight in the right spot, sleeping a little diagonally. And then, you just put your feet where the Velcro opening is, and push down, and you'll open it up. To get in, you sit down, and lift your legs, pulling them inside. It'll close easily. Just stay on the diagonal when getting in and out of your bag. It's a very, very comfortable sleeping arrangement as long as it's not too cold. I have not tried the underneath insulation options. Does this make any sense? Try it at home on a nice day, and play with it.
A few years ago, I made the transition to ultralight backpacking. Kills me that I didn't switch a decade ago. My hunting set up is a little heavier than my ultralight set up (mostly due to my heavier Kifaru pack) but it's not much heavier as most equipment is interchangeable between both set ups. If you can convert the "big three" to a lighter option, you'll be on the way to much more comfortable backpacking/hunting life. Just my opinion.
I have the best and lightest gear possible especially bag, pad, and tent. I always eat dehydrated Mountian House and other stuff. I never weigh my stuff, but I definitely don't go heavy. I did that in my younger days.
bad karma, speaking of "playing with it", how do you pee in the night in that thing?
BK and OH, I have the ENO Double Nest and use if for more than just hunting so it gets good use. I found the Vulcan under quilt works great to stay nice and warm without the need of too heavy of sleeping bag. I tried the 15 degree down bag with a sleeping pad to fight the cold butt syndrome and it while it was marginally successful, it was a pain to keep shifting in the night when any part of me got off the pad.
One could up the sleeping bag to a warmer rating but you still need to mitigate the compression of the bottom of the bag. With the under quilt I can use an even lighter down bag and never get off the warmth.
I went with the ENO Vulcan synthetic vs the Blaze down under quilt for the increased moisture handling ability. Weighs more but less concern for blowing moist/wet inclement weather on that exposed insulating layer.
I don't think the whole set up really saves all that much in weight over a great tent set up, but what it does for me is lets me camp anywhere regardless of slope or rocks....and that to me is where it matters most because I cannot sleep on even the most slight slope or lack smoothness.
Jacuomo, ya just have to get out of it. Like a tent not tall enough to get up on yer knees to bottle pee, ya just have to suffer getting out of it to get it done.
Andy
Yep, they call it "CBO" (Cold Butt Syndrome). Everywhere you touch the hammock is an unpleasant cold spot. Sucks the heat right out of that spot just like laying on the ground.
I tend to sleep cold but that under quilt solved my issue big time! I know they aren't cheap at all but I can tell ya it was well worth the money spent to be that comfortable! The trick is to not pull the quilt too tight so that it doesn't compress under the hammock. Just tight enough to seal at the ends and stays just up against the hammock. Sounds hard to get it just right but it is stupid simple to accomplish.
I'm more concerned about size of stuffed items than I am about weight, though they often go hand in hand. Looking through Backpacker Magazines gear review this year, it's a getting a whole lot cheaper to go light than it used to be!
