Going on a two week diy elk hunt in Colorado. I honestly dont even know how big of a bag to get. As of right now I was thinking of breaking it up and hiking down the mountain and resupply so I dont have to carry the weight of all the water and food needed. Thanks
Solo and bivy/tarp maybe? Experienced camping/hiking? Do you have the rest of your gear already? If so how much is it weighing/space it occupies? Regardless of whether you can jam everything in a 3500ci bag or a 7000, if you not accustomed to hauling some weight in a pack up and down mountains you may have more surprises ahead.
Thanks for the reply. There will be two of us. I have never done the hiking that will be involved in this type of trip. (Yes that's not good and I'm working on that every weekend I have free by hiking as much and as far as possible) I do not have all of the gear I will be taking. (Need a new sleeping bag and I usually don't take a stove just make a fire since I don't usually need to boil water)
I'd suggest packs probably ~5000 - ~7000ci. Exo, Stone Glacier, Kifaru and Kuiu all make good packs. They were all out of my price range and I went with the Horn Hunter full curl. You can start getting used to hauling weight now even with a daypack...start with maybe 30# weight now add about 5-10# a week and get some serious cardio work in. I did a write up of my preparation in the first couple 'chapters' in my write up from last year found here https://forums.bowhunting.com/index.php?posts/1278898 My pack and my bag were my two biggest costs. I'm glad I bought my bag early to get used to it and adding pack workouts to my weekly prehunt workouts a few days per week.
Thanks for the reply man. I'm definitely going to look into those packs and going to read your thread.
I would be hard pressed to do two weeks with anything smaller then 7000ci. I would probably run a 5000-7000 pack with a dry bag on the meat shelf for additional capacity. As an aside I can't see a reason for doing two weeks in Colorado without coming out for a restock. Just don't see the need .
Thanks for the reply. It's technically not two weeks since one way is a two day ride so that's four days. But I was thinking in the lines of 5000-7000.
Reason I suggested it was I think he said there were 2 people and they weren't gonna, bring a stove so that might give you an extra day or two if you replaced a jetboil sized stove with food...and eliminate any unnecessary shareable load with the partner (e.g. 1 tent, 1 water filter/drom bag, etc). I think 7000 is probably better too. And if they aren't seasoned hiking/packing they may want to at least get a few weekends trips in before the season...
sars Please read wl 704's link on his past backpack elk hunt experience and preparation and conditioning for his hunt. You will not regret it, valuable info there. Colo elk hunts are not a walk in the park. Become knowledgeable and be prepared, if you want a successful hunt, otherwise it will be just a camping trip. HH
Research the heck out of the area you plan to hunt. Get friendly with the local warden, they may offer to help you pack out your elk if you tag one! Drink plenty of water while hiking, bring duct tape for any hot spots on your feet and tape those as soon as you start to feel them. Mole skin and blister bandaids dont work for crap. I bought a smaller pack that had a 2L water bladder and incorported a small holseter for my rifle. I did ALOT of prep before i went & once up over 11,000 ft i felt like i hadnt prepped at all! If you can go a few days before your season actually starts that will help you acclimate. Good luck!! Sent from my SM-G935R4 using Tapatalk
