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Gear help for Colorado backpack elk hunt

SuperDuty

SuperDuty

Member
Hey everyone I'm looking for some advise and opinions on what to take with and what gear. I have a list just wanting some other opinions Maybe a lighter weight options or better products . What would you take for a 7 day hunt out of your back pack. Thanks for any input

Maybe one of you will have your own list you could share
 
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1. Good boots (I like Meindl boots)
2. Merino Wool (First Lite is a good choice) - no/minimal stink no matter how much you sweat in it compared to synthetics which develop their own kind of funk.
3. Look at duluth trading buck naked underwear, or exoffocio*sp travel underwear, they are pretty much the same, and you don't have to pack a bunch of pairs of underwear. Don't stink, wicks sweat, quick drying.
4. Iodine tablets are lighter and take up less space than a filter, etc... Downside you have to wait 30 min. and the taste bothers some people.
5. Individual gatorade/powerade/drink mix packs are a nice thing to have in your camelback for long days of hiking.
6. You cannot be in too good of shape. You will wish you worked harder prior to the hunt no matter what you do.
7. A strap/sling for your bow is nice on a long hike down a pack trail.
8. If you have a hunting partner, share equipment/load, you don't need 2 stoves, 2 tents, etc...
9. Good sleeping pad. 7 days is a long time working your a$$ off every day and not sleeping well at night because you skimped on a good sleeping pad.
10. Beware of the GIF (Good-idea-fairy) - There are a lot of things that would be a "good idea" to have with you, however, if you take it all, your pack will weigh 120 lbs. 7 Days of food is a-lot of weight by itself.
11. Do not buy mountain house white bean & chicken chili.
 
No cotton
Good, broke in, boots. Bring some mole skin just in case.
Comfortable pack
Good Sleep System
As far as rain gear I find most years your looking at a rain storm in the afternoon. Something half way durable and compressible like Cabela's Space rain works.
I always take pills just in case my filter craps out. I like the small in line filters but theres a new thing called the steri pen that looks pretty cool.
Trekking poles. Your buddies may laugh but if you kill they won't be.
 
Other things that you probably already know but it might help...

A good knife (Razors Edge replaceable blade ones) you don't want to have a crummy knife...I made this mistake.

A really good frame pack, I recommend ALPS Outdoorz Commander it's comfortable even with 100lbs of gear on it.

Warm clothes, simple rain gear (I use the cheap camp stuff from Walmart over my Sitka gear and it works great), make sure you don't wear the same clothes two days in a row. Switch every other day because even though it's dry in Colorado your clothes can be wet. Being cold isn't fun, same at night make sure your tent is heated and dry.

Animals can be tricky and so can private property boundaries, if you're hunting BLM make sure you grab a BLM map of the area and laminate it.

If you can stretch it, get some horses. A couple horses can save elk meat not to mention your back! You can get out into the area further with horses too. You might have to walk if you shoot an elk to put the elk meat on the back of the horse but 1 trip is better than 5 trips if it's a long hike. You can lease them for a 7 day trip for about $300-500 per horse w/tack.

Game bags, these are important if there's more than one person hunting. Say on day one you shoot an elk and your buddy doesn't...get that elk meat exposed to the air in a tree and if it's 60 degrees during the day and below 30 at night you should be good for 4 days or so if it's kept in the shade but I wouldn't stretch it. Don't put them in plastic bags, that's just asking for trouble.

I'd make it out a couple days before season and do some scouting unless there's other hunting going on. A little bit of scouting can go a LONG way.
 
A Camelbak is really nice to have. A lot easier to get a drink of water while walking by reaching to grab a hose than to stop and take all your stuff off. You can get just the bladder for like $20.
 
It's been 10years since I've been there guiding other people . Doing a back pack camp trip for 9 days second week in sept thanks for all the input boot shopping and pack shopping
 
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