This is my gear list for any early season backpack hunt where the weather is relatively good. Typically, this list is good for me from August through October, depending on the area and weather. Once the snow starts to pile up and the temperatures stay below freezing, I will switch out my shelter to a hot tent with a backpackable wood stove and add a lot more layers of clothing. I also switch my boots and outer layers to colder weather and more water-resistant gear.
This gear list is for a solo backpack hunt, so my pack weighs 48.8 pounds before I add food. Food will add around 1.5 pounds per day of the hunt. Most of my hunts are not solo, so I am able to share some weight. Typically, if hunting with a buddy, we will share several items like a spotting scope, Jetboil, water purifier, solar charger, and possibly even a shelter. This is nice as it will lighten up my pack.
My first-aid kit can change depending on if I am hunting in grizzly bear country. When I am hunting in those areas, I carry two tourniquets, two chest seals, a 5x9 trauma pad, and add more rolled gauze in case I need to pack a wound. These add a little weight but are worth it. A tourniquet and a chest seal can honestly make the difference between life and death. Another thing I always carry in my first-aid kit is a 10cc syringe. This can come in very handy for flushing something out of an eye or cleaning out a wound prior to dressing it.
Why don’t I carry the lightest weight equipment available? That's an easy answer for me. Everything in my back is proven and I trust it. I have been backpacking hunting since 1996 and have learned a ton of lessons the hard way. Luckily, I have learned from my mistakes and chose durability and reliability over just weight. I made weight sacrifices in areas like my sleeping pad and pillow. I would rather pack a little extra weight and get a better night of sleep. Also, with my optics as I pack a 20x60x80 spotting scope over a smaller scope, I like the extra light gathering capability and the extra power and clarity. This for me is a must when trying to judge sheep and goats. The same with my tripod as I could shave some weight, but I feel like the lighter ones I have tested are not as steady, especially in windy conditions. Also, I could go with a featherweight sheep rifle, but I am willing to pack a little extra weight to have a Snowy Mountain long-range rifle with a 4x32 Nightforce scope.
Three things I always carry a spare of on a backpack hunt are a knife, a headlamp, and an extra pair of socks. Those are the only things I carry a spare of. Again, the reason for a spare is from trial and error. Yes, I have lost my knife and headlamp before. It makes for a terrible trip to be without one of those. The most important thing on a backpack hunt is taking care of your feet. That's why there is always an extra pair of socks and liners in my pack.
Last year, my middle boy, Caleb, drew a Dall sheep tag in the Chugach Mountains of Alaska. I have been guiding in Alaska for a handful of years, and luckily for Caleb, the outfitter allowed me to guide him on the hunt. Caleb and I were planning on hunting for the entire season which ran August 10-25. Our plan was to fly into an airstrip and then hike to our basecamp. If we did not have a ram killed halfway through the hunt, we had a food drop set up to resupply us.
We arrived in Alaska on the 2nd of August. After looking at the weather forecast, we talked with the outfitter and pilot. There was a really big storm that was going to hit the area, and it looked like there may not be a window to fly in right before the season opened. The decision was made for us to fly into the area six days before the season opened. We loaded up 15 days’ worth of food and fuel and flew into our airstrip.
If you look at my gear list, Caleb shared most of our gear to cut down on weight. He had his own tripod, binos, and personal gear. However, with 23 pounds of food each, both of our packs were heavy on the seven-hour hike to base camp. The hike was a beautiful sunny day with perfect weather. We got camp all set up and filled up all of our water containers and went to bed after a good Peak Refuel dinner.
That night, the storm hit, and for the next six days, we were stuck in that two-man tent. The first three days went well watching movies and reading books on our phones. The big mistake I made was I only took one Anker battery pack as we had the solar charger. The next three days, we were not using phones due to us saving our batteries. You can be sure when I guide a sheep hunter this fall in Alaska, I will have a second Anker battery pack with me as you can never count on the sun in Alaska.
The storm was so bad that we had the mountain to ourselves as no other hunters were able to fly in. Once the rain and snow stopped, we were able to get back to hunting. The weather continued to rain and snow, and we spent the rest of the hunt in our rain gear. This is why you must choose high-quality gear. If we had had a cheap tent and gear, this hunt would have been over, and possibly, we would have been in danger. On the first day of the season, there was a 30-minute break in the rain, and we hurried up to a ridge to glass. Not five minutes later, we had a rescue helicopter fly right over us. We later found out that a hunter had used his inReach to be rescued off the mountain.
As the hunt progressed, we finally found Caleb's ram. We used the weather to cut the distance, and once the fog cleared, Caleb harvested his first sheep. We took our time taking care of the ram as we both knew it may be something we’d never repeat. Then we had a long hike back up the drainage to our base camp. The next day, we were weathered in again, so we spent the day resting. After checking the weather for the following day on the inReach, it looked like we should be able to make it back to the airstrip. We broke camp early, and with the entire ram and our gear, the packs were pushing 100 pounds. Caleb learned how to embrace the suck as that was a terrible pack out through the alders. He learned how important quality boots, trekking poles, and backpacks are on that trip.
This gear list is what I use for all my backpack hunts. It does change slightly depending on where I go, what I am hunting, and what weather can be expected. There are a lot of companies out there that make high-quality gear, and the only reason I am using the gear on my list is because it fits me well. We are all built differently, and you need to select what fits you and your body type the best. It does not matter what the name brand is as long as it is high quality. If you have any questions about my gear and why I use it, you can always reach out. Gear Fool sells a lot of the gear I use, and Forest is a very knowledgeable resource at Gear Fool.
I want to leave you with a little advice that I wish someone had told me back in 1996 when I went on my first backpack hunt: