Not at all. I'm a big fan of the X2. Cheap and built like a tank. Try it out with weight before purchasing. I was on the verge of buying one but it just didn't fit me once loaded.
My day pack business: Mystery Ranch NICE Longbow w/ Frame Extension 1.5L Platypus Bladder 2x Contractor Trash bags 4x 48" Alaskan Quarter Bags (Vacuum Sealed) 1x 72" Deer Bag Handful of Zip Ties Flagging Tape Tags 100' 550 P-Cord Havalon Piranta Edge w/ 12 Blades 4" Benchmade Fixed Blade Gerber Myth Field Sharpener Wood Shavings w/ Long Burn Fire Sticks (Vacuum Sealed) Water Proof Matches Lighter Survival Kit Bottle of Aleve Space Blanket Jet Scream Whistle TP Duct Tape Chili Powder for Game Bags Panasonic Point and Shoot Ultrapod Tripod Oregon 450 GPS w/ Hunting GPS Map Chip Princeton Tec Remix Headlamp Petzl Headlamp as Backup That is stuff I carry every day. I'm sure I'm probably forgetting something. Depending on weather conditions I will also carry my Russel APX Puffy Jacket and rain gear. The one thing I did not include was my food as that can get elaborate. Everything must meet a 100 calorie per ounce or more standard.
You guys pack more then me in your day packs. I have two day packs. It depends on where I am hunting and the weather. Small pack: 2l bladder Buck knife (that my grandpa gave me) TP head lamp small back up flash lite Extras batteries small first aid kit zip ties two way radio lite poncho knife sharpener water proof matches 10' 1/4 rope flagging tape food (Depends on what I am doing. But I always bring enough to get me through the night if needs be) small camera elk pee Large Pack: all the above but the bladder is a 3l jacket electrical tape GPS Serous rain gear Extra socks with a zip lock bag to put my dirty socks in Eli (my elk decoy) Hopefully on the way back an elk quarter in it. Then the next morning get my boys out there to help me pack it out. I have elk hunted since the 70's. In those years I have spent a handful of impromptu nights away from camp. Many many late nights getting back to camp. I probably use my large pack 70% of the time
I have backpack/fished and hunted out of Mammoth for 25 years on the JMT and PCT. How can You draw an x9a or x9b more then once every 4 years?
I forgot to add... Ziplock bag with Salt in it. Black Pepper (large Can) I should think of adding in there advil and a med kit. Have a first aid kit in the truck though but to bulky for the pack.
I don't draw the x9a I use my AO tag. It allows all d zones. A small corner of d-7 is accessible from the devils postpile trail. You hike down devils postpile turn right towards king creek. The boundary of d-7 and x9a is San Joaquin river until it meets king creek. It's about a 3.5 mile hike to king creek. :blow up my spot:
I tried to get my hands on one while at Cabelas today, but apparently gear for western hunts is not something they carry much of. Basically they told me to order it, and then return it if I didn't feel it was right. If I get it shipped to me, I may load it up and take it on a shed hunting trip once the season closes. I did pick up a Havalon Piranta though. Seems like it's good enough for whitetail, but is the blade going to be big enough for an elk?
No problem on the Havalon with elk. Just can't horse the blade to much and have to watch twisting. I carry a fixed blade knife to cut legs off an pop out joints. The Havalon is a life saver!
Well hopefully I'll get to try it out on an Illinois deer in these last few weeks. The X-2 should be here next week, so we'll see how it works out.
Thought I'd share a daypack list...man the pack sure gets heavy fast: Water/Food GPS/Compass pain reliever 2 Way Radio duct tape Knifes/Sharpener Game Bags Rope Rain Gear Socks flint/lighter/lint Camera/small tripod Flashlight/headlamp Tags disposable poncho/emergency blanket latex gloves (not sure why) water purifiers bow kit(allens,peeptube,field point) jacket/vest/gloves/stocking hat rangefinder 2 contractor grade trash bags extra batteries for all devices zip ties chapstick baby wipes bear spray I bring a ton of food as it seems like I can eat all day sometimes, so I'll have a tortilla with ham/salami/cheese/lettuce, 2 protein bars, jerky, Ziploc of trail mix, apple or two, 100oz water, plus 20oz Gatorade. The baby wipes were a great addition - 10x better than TP, plus great for hand cleaning,etc. 2 Contractor trash bags are new addition, can act as boot covers to cross shallow streams, emergency poncho/shelter, store meat to submerge in stream if hot temps. I still bring GPS but sure seems like our smart phones are better option if you are familiar with an area, love the aerial view. I brought a 2 knife set this year which worked great, first of all because the other guys had dropped their knifes off already at vehicle, so a 2nd knife to help was good, plus that elk hide was tough, at one point we have my dad just taking turns running each knife through the sharpener I brought to keep a good edge (plus you need to stand up every once in a while anyway - the hardest part was being bent over on steep incline so long...) The only downside to packing all this is that all 3 times I've been involved with a downed elk, we deboned it and took it all out in one trip...so I had to strap a heavy load to an already full pack. Still beats making two round trips if you ask me. The first two times were easy as I only had meat - this year was both meat and skull/rack - but that is a hassle I hope I'm blessed with every year...once again - you cannot be in TOO good of shape for elk hunt...
A lot of my pack varies depending on what animal I'm hunting, where I am hunting, what time of year, and duration of the trip. That said some things remain constant. Kifaru Bikini Highcamp 7000 pack Rev X 30* Quilt NeoAir Sleeping Pad TiGoat Ptarmigan Bivy Kifaru Supertarp Two trekking poles Mini first aid kit (bandage, tape, few antiemetics, few pain pills, and a few benadryls for sleep/allergy) 2 Liter Camelbak bladder 1 Liter Nalgene MSR Miniworks water filter Water treatment tablets (backup) Havalon with 8-10 blades Wyoming saw Headlamp Fire starter (bic lighter as back up) Ink pen along with tags, ID, cash Leupold Rangefinder Windicator puffer bottle TAG game bags 1 contractor bag as pack liner 50' paracord Clothes all change depending on altitude, weather, and time of year. Hunting items including binos and spotting scopes also vary depending on the hunt. I don't use a separate day pack. My kifaru cinches down to essentially nothing when empty and is always there to pack out as much weight as my knees could stand. I hate wasted trips...
Trevor, after this elk hunt in September I may be picking your brain about your Haul Road hunt this yeat.....one trip at a time though lol.
It looks like a blast. I've been doing a little reading on it here lately and it may be in the cards for me in '15 or '16 possibly.
That's part of my reluctance to go elk hunting as I've heard it's something you must then do annually... And I like going new places too much to do the same trip every year haha. I will be chasing bugles in 2014 for the first time, hopefully get to hit the Moose rut and early season alpine for mulies as well for the first time. Should really get to put the gear through the ringer next fall.
Haha the stars would have to align perfectly for both to play out. That first bugle I hear may ruin me forever though. I told Will the other night that I'll probably piss down my leg if I get a chance at anything.
What's your plan for moose? Purely curiousity...I have not found a very budget friendly moose hunt in my limited research thus far.
