2023 Load-out Weight Breakdown

[slonstdy]

I could par down my gear to bare essentials, in essence my saddle, ROS and stick and easily slip under the 10lb ultra-light threshold that some get so excited about. But what is the goal, impress peeps on the interweb with a svelte loadout? This is as ridiculous as bragging how fast your arrow flies.

I don't see the purpose of concerning oneself about pack weight (within reason). Unless I'm hunting at my house, my walks are at least a mile in that mostly consist of hilly to mountainous terrain. Not carrying my pack and spare gear increases the chance my hunt will be cut short for an unexpected event. ROS strap buckle breaks, I'm screwed. Release breaks or I somehow lose it, hunt is over. A tree limb too big to snap by hand obstructing a shooting lane or interfering with my bow limbs on the draw (been there) and I don't have my Silky, frustrating and distracting.

What happens when I do put an arrow through game? Now what? How am I getting it out? No chance of me dragging it out myself without a sled or cart. So I've got to pack it out...oh wait, I left my pack and game bags in the truck. Guess I'll warm up the field dressing muscles with a trip to the truck Now what if I make this shot at last light? I'm operating in the dark. I've got to pray I don't kill myself onesticking down the tree. Much safer rappelling but rope is excess weight so I left it in the truck too. Let's say I snuck my headlamp in my pocket without the weight watcher weenies knowing. (It's not considered a weight penalty because it wasn't in a backpack. ) Search for an hour and headlamp battery dies. I'm turned around and phone died hours ago when I was in tree passing time on SaddleHunter. I didn't have my aux battery pack to keep electronics charged because it was too heavy to carry. Now I'm in the s**t. Can't call for help, can't see in the dark, no spare batteries or emergency kit, no water etc...Well, at least I didn't carry too much weight...

What started out innocently as a weight reducing endeavor evolved into a serious situation. Does that stuff ever happen? Yes. Should we learn from it, absolutely. You want to hunt for a few hours early in the day with minimal gear, go for it. When I go out I have it in my head that I'm not coming out till dark. If I bail out early or am blessed with a kill early, great. But I don't want to get caught out there unprepared because I originally planned to hunt just a couple of hours and instead stayed late. I also don't want to be forced to bail out because I didn't carry key spare items like extra batteries, release, ocb strap etc.

I'm in the "It's better to have and not need than to need and not have" camp. Hunting time is precious and I don't want to waste a minute of it. Humping an "extra" 10 or 15lbs is worth the peace of mind to me. There is no right or wrong weight to carry. Don't put yourself in harms way trying to impress others. Your safety should be your priority, not a scale reading.

 

[gcr0003]

I could par down my gear to bare essentials, in essence my saddle, ROS and stick and easily slip under the 10lb ultra-light threshold that some get so excited about. But what is the goal, impress peeps on the interweb with a svelte loadout? This is as ridiculous as bragging how fast your arrow flies.

I don't see the purpose of concerning oneself about pack weight (within reason). Unless I'm hunting at my house, my walks are at least a mile in that mostly consist of hilly to mountainous terrain. Not carrying my pack and spare gear increases the chance my hunt will be cut short for an unexpected event. ROS strap buckle breaks, I'm screwed. Release breaks or I somehow lose it, hunt is over. A tree limb to big to snap by hand obstructing a shooting lane or interfering with my bow limbs on the draw (been there) and I don't have my Silky, frustrating and distracting.

What happens when I do put an arrow through game? Now what? How am I getting it out? No chance of me dragging it out myself without a sled or cart. So I've got to pack it out...oh wait, I left my pack and game bags in the truck. Guess I'll warm up the field dressing muscles with a trip to the truck Now what if I make this shot at last light? I'm operating in the dark. I've got to pray I don't kill myself onesticking down the tree. Much safer rappelling but rope is excess weight so I left it in the truck too. Let's say I snuck my headlamp in my pocket without the weight watcher weenies knowing. (It's not considered a weight penalty because it wasn't in a backpack. ) Search for an hour and headlamp battery dies. I'm turned around and phone died hours ago when I was in tree passing time on SaddleHunter. I didn't have my aux battery pack to keep electronics charged because it was too heavy to carry. Now I'm in the s**t. Can't call for help, can't see in the dark, no spare batteries or emergency kit, no water etc...Well, at least I didn't carry too much weight...

What started out innocently as a weight reducing endeavor evolved into a serious situation. Does that stuff ever happen? Yes. Should we learn from it, absolutely. You want to hunt for a few hours early in the day with minimal gear, go for it. When I go out I have it in my head that I'm not coming out till dark. If I bail out early or am blessed with a kill early, great. But I don't want to get caught out there unprepared because I originally planned to hunt just a couple of hours and instead stayed late. I also don't want to be forced to bail out because I didn't carry key spare items like extra batteries, release, ocb strap etc.

I'm in the "It's better to have and not need than to need and not have" camp. Hunting time is precious and I don't want to waste a minute of it. Humping an "extra" 10 or 15lbs is worth the peace of mind to me. There is no right or wrong weight to carry. Don't put yourself in harms way trying to impress others. Your safety should be your priority, not a scale reading.

Yea yea yea that’s a lot of nice words, weigh your pack and tell us how much all that extra junk to keep you out of harms way adds. No one cares if you’re 10 lbs or 25 we’re just sharing what the gear we take in is at the end of the day.

 

[tailgunner]

As a gear junky....ultra might just means more cool gadgets too carry for the same weight.if all the gear was made lifhter and more compact you could carry more cool things to keep you out there longer. If 2 people are both carrying 20 lbs. And 1 person has everything they need ,while the other just has a tree climbing stup only .the other person will naturally want to révisé thier gear.not because its hard to carry but because its more practicle for conserving energy that you may need to pack out game or wake up and hunt again and that only makes sence.just shaving weight for a compétition doesn't.i like to carry a heavy rifle or bow and projectiles so to make up for that every thing else should to be ultralight.

 

[NMSbowhunter]

I could par down my gear to bare essentials, in essence my saddle, ROS and stick and easily slip under the 10lb ultra-light threshold that some get so excited about. But what is the goal, impress peeps on the interweb with a svelte loadout? This is as ridiculous as bragging how fast your arrow flies.

I don't see the purpose of concerning oneself about pack weight (within reason). Unless I'm hunting at my house, my walks are at least a mile in that mostly consist of hilly to mountainous terrain. Not carrying my pack and spare gear increases the chance my hunt will be cut short for an unexpected event. ROS strap buckle breaks, I'm screwed. Release breaks or I somehow lose it, hunt is over. A tree limb to big to snap by hand obstructing a shooting lane or interfering with my bow limbs on the draw (been there) and I don't have my Silky, frustrating and distracting.

What happens when I do put an arrow through game? Now what? How am I getting it out? No chance of me dragging it out myself without a sled or cart. So I've got to pack it out...oh wait, I left my pack and game bags in the truck. Guess I'll warm up the field dressing muscles with a trip to the truck Now what if I make this shot at last light? I'm operating in the dark. I've got to pray I don't kill myself onesticking down the tree. Much safer rappelling but rope is excess weight so I left it in the truck too. Let's say I snuck my headlamp in my pocket without the weight watcher weenies knowing. (It's not considered a weight penalty because it wasn't in a backpack. ) Search for an hour and headlamp battery dies. I'm turned around and phone died hours ago when I was in tree passing time on SaddleHunter. I didn't have my aux battery pack to keep electronics charged because it was too heavy to carry. Now I'm in the s**t. Can't call for help, can't see in the dark, no spare batteries or emergency kit, no water etc...Well, at least I didn't carry too much weight...

What started out innocently as a weight reducing endeavor evolved into a serious situation. Does that stuff ever happen? Yes. Should we learn from it, absolutely. You want to hunt for a few hours early in the day with minimal gear, go for it. When I go out I have it in my head that I'm not coming out till dark. If I bail out early or am blessed with a kill early, great. But I don't want to get caught out there unprepared because I originally planned to hunt just a couple of hours and instead stayed late. I also don't want to be forced to bail out because I didn't carry key spare items like extra batteries, release, ocb strap etc.

I'm in the "It's better to have and not need than to need and not have" camp. Hunting time is precious and I don't want to waste a minute of it. Humping an "extra" 10 or 15lbs is worth the peace of mind to me. There is no right or wrong weight to carry. Don't put yourself in harms way trying to impress others. Your safety should be your priority, not a scale reading.

Good point you make about a spare OCB strap and maybe the release. I have never had a release fail in many years and only ever lost one and that was on the walk out in the dark, so it did not ruin that hunt. I can see an OCB breaking. Might have to pack a spare.

As far as the phone goes. In the scenario above, if I am depending on my phone to be the one thing that makes or breaks the difference in me getting out of the woods in good shape after dark or being lost and in danger I am absolutely, positively not going to play around on it and have the battery die. I'm out there to hunt and not play on the phone anyway. I've never had my phone battery drop past 50% charge on an all-day hunt. One thing you might consider adding to your kit is one of the small ball compasses. I bought several from Eastern Woods and one rides permanently on the inside of my pack. I put it on the inside since I had one on the outside and it disappeared (I assume it snagged on a branch and came off). They are like $5 each and they don't need batteries. I now have one on my Pack Seat too.

If I kill a deer at dark way back and I find that my choice is bring it out in the dark over rough terrain or leave it overnight and be back in there at daybreak, that deer is going to get to spend one more night in the woods. I'll put an undershirt on top of it to keep coyotes away and come back first thing in the morning. No deer, not even a state record buck is worth injuring yourself trying to get out of the woods if you find yourself in a tight spot.

I think one of the nice things about this sort of thread is that it shows new hunters that you don't have to pack 40 pounds of gear into the woods unless that is what you want to do. You can easily carry 10 to 20 pounds of gear in a medium backpack and have everything you need. I wish I had known that when I was lugging around a 28 pound Summit climber and a 15 to 20 pound backpack.

 

[LAKY]

24lbs

JX3 Hybrid w/headrest and load lifters
tether and lineman belt
Range finder
10x42 binoculars
pull up rope
15 bolts, drill, pliers
limb saw
grunt call
rattle bag
kill kit (game bags, nitrile gloves, knife, trash bags)
light
empty hydration bladder
the large JX3 Versapack

 

[kobudo]

33 lbs with saddle, 4pack of skeletors, platform, and binoculars and coffee and food, plus full load out. The mystery ranch pop up sure makes it feel a lot lighter than 33 lb. That thing is so adjusted, it just fits me well. On the public lands around here, the most I can walk in a straight line is about a mile. So no long trips for me. I am just happy that it is compact and not banging into branches.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

 

[Red Beard]

33 lbs with saddle, 4pack of skeletors, platform, and binoculars and coffee and food, plus full load out. The mystery ranch pop up sure makes it feel a lot lighter than 33 lb. That thing is so adjusted, it just fits me well. On the public lands around here, the most I can walk in a straight line is about a mile. So no long trips for me. I am just happy that it is compact and not banging into branches.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

Umm. Excuse me sir. That is 32.95lbs... not 33.

 

[CharlieTN]

These discussions/debates are always interesting. There is so much comparing apples to oranges going on that it’s almost laughable. Who goes into the woods without a knife, yet most of the people claiming 10 lbs don’t bother to list one. How about flashlight/headlamp, snack, water. Yet in the continued discussion it often comes out that there is more to what they’re carrying than their initial statement, thus changing the overall weight. In order to seem as light as possible what they show is just their “saddle system” not their total hunting weight, hence apples to oranges.

Secondly, why get so caught up on what you or anyone else carries. If I’m hunting a small 10 acre parcel, then I’m not likely to carry a map and compass or a phone charger. Yet if I’m hunting my local 10,000 acre WMA you better believe I’m carrying a map, compass, and phone charger battery just in case. For each of us, the area we are hunting will dictate what we carry as much as our own physical needs, our comfort level, and our own personal preference.

Now with my rant over, which I apologize for but the inconsistent comparison gets old.

My complete saddle system, one-stick, saddle, and everything I need to be in the tree and hunt weighs 10.8 lbs. My pack normally weighs around 12-15 lbs depending on the day, including kill kit, 1.5 quarts of water or a thermos of coffee, snack, flashlights and spare batteries, bringing my total weight carried to roughly 22-25 lbs. Add on about 4 lbs for winter additions.

 

[gcr0003]

These discussions/debates are always interesting. There is so much comparing apples to oranges going on that it’s almost laughable. Who goes into the woods without a knife, yet most of the people claiming 10 lbs don’t bother to list one. How about flashlight/headlamp, snack, water. Yet in the continued discussion it often comes out that there is more to what they’re carrying than their initial statement, thus changing the overall weight. In order to seem as light as possible what they show is just their “saddle system” not their total hunting weight, hence apples to oranges.

Secondly, why get so caught up on what you or anyone else carries. If I’m hunting a small 10 acre parcel, then I’m not likely to carry a map and compass or a phone charger. Yet if I’m hunting my local 10,000 acre WMA you better believe I’m carrying a map, compass, and phone charger battery just in case. For each of us, the area we are hunting will dictate what we carry as much as our own physical needs, our comfort level, and our own personal preference.

Now with my rant over, which I apologize for but the inconsistent comparison gets old.

My complete saddle system, one-stick, saddle, and everything I need to be in the tree and hunt weighs 10.8 lbs. My pack normally weighs around 12-15 lbs depending on the day, including kill kit, 1.5 quarts of water or a thermos of coffee, snack, flashlights and spare batteries, bringing my total weight carried to roughly 22-25 lbs. Add on about 4 lbs for winter additions.

The purpose of the thread was just to show your set up and its weight. You can compare your system or not that’s up to you. I’ll admit I left out my flash light and knife from my weight but but not for any particular reason other than I forgot. I think with all that I’ll easily be at 20lbs. That said a lot of times I only bring a pocket knife. I’ve butchered three or four deer with that so far. Some people go back out for a kill kit. It all depends on the hunting they are doing, private or public, packing out or not, etc. I’ll reweigh mine when I get a chance.

The discussion about 10 lb set ups are interesting because they tend to not include a lot of niceties that some of others take, but the bare bones are all some guys take. And that’s pretty cool too.

At any rate, it’s not as serious as some of the responses it has solicited. Some of us enjoy seeing the various configurations of gear that can be taken to kill deer. There are lots of things that one could learn or change about their own set up by seeing what has worked or not worked for others.

I’ll encourage anyone to come back give total weight with water flash, flash light, knife etc. if you forgot anything. Part of the thread was to encourage more accurate understanding of the weight we are bringing in.

 

[CharlieTN]

The purpose of the thread was just to show your set up and its weight. You can compare your system or not that’s up to you. I’ll admit I left out my flash light and knife from my weight but but not for any particular reason other than I forgot. I think with all that I’ll easily be at 20lbs. That said a lot of times I only bring a pocket knife. I’ve butchered three or four deer with that so far. Some people go back out for a kill kit. It all depends on the hunting they are doing, private or public, packing out or not, etc. I’ll reweigh mine when I get a chance.

The discussion about 10 lb set ups are interesting because they tend to not include a lot of niceties that some of others take, but the bare bones are all some guys take. And that’s pretty cool too.

At any rate, it’s not as serious as some of the responses it has solicited. Some of us enjoy seeing the various configurations of gear that can be taken to kill deer. There are lots of things that one could learn or change about their own set up by seeing what has worked or not worked for others.

I’ll encourage anyone to come back give total weight with water flash, flash light, knife etc. if you forgot anything. Part of the thread was to encourage more accurate understanding of the weight we are bringing in.

My sincere apologies if my initial post came off as harsh, I was typing it and only had a sip or two of coffee in. My main point, which you echoed, is that so often we see people comparing different standards of what their “system” is and it causes confusion. The new guy, staring at his total load out of 25-30 lbs or more lbs gets frustrated by the posts of others claiming 10lb system when they’re not including everything. That’s why I posted my weights with their breakdown. My saddle setup alone is 10.8 lbs including climbing system and rappel setup. If I switch it to my 2TC system then I am truly under 10 lbs, roughly 8.4. But I carry in other hunting gear that I personally deem necessary which weighs more than my saddle setup.

So long as we are comparing apples to apples, these threads can serve a good purpose to help us all be aware of the potentials and the trade offs necessary to achieve whatever weight goal we have.

 

[CharlieTN]

33 lbs with saddle, 4pack of skeletors, platform, and binoculars and coffee and food, plus full load out. The mystery ranch pop up sure makes it feel a lot lighter than 33 lb. That thing is so adjusted, it just fits me well. On the public lands around here, the most I can walk in a straight line is about a mile. So no long trips for me. I am just happy that it is compact and not banging into branches.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

You hit on a great piece of information. If you talk to the ultralight backpackers, they will tell you that ultralight packs only work if you’re truly committed to ultralight gear. IF you load them with much weight at all, those ultralight backpacks are miserable.

The type of pack, and having it properly adjusted to you makes a huge difference in comfort. A 33lb in a properly fitted and adequate pack will feel less than 20 lbs in a cheap or improperly fitted pack.

 

[gcr0003]

My sincere apologies if my initial post came off as harsh, I was typing it and only had a sip or two of coffee in. My main point, which you echoed, is that so often we see people comparing different standards of what their “system” is and it causes confusion. The new guy, staring at his total load out of 25-30 lbs or more lbs gets frustrated by the posts of others claiming 10lb system when they’re not including everything. That’s why I posted my weights with their breakdown. My saddle setup alone is 10.8 lbs including climbing system and rappel setup. If I switch it to my 2TC system then I am truly under 10 lbs, roughly 8.4. But I carry in other hunting gear that I personally deem necessary which weighs more than my saddle setup.

So long as we are comparing apples to apples, these threads can serve a good purpose to help us all be aware of the potentials and the trade offs necessary to achieve whatever weight goal we have.

I’ve just seen several posts so far that were frustrated with the thread despite what they were frustrated with not being the intent of the thread. So I was trying to address that in a positive manner without sounding too combative or whiny for that matter.

The few people that have shown 10 lbs set ups have been clear that their systems are everything they need and nothing more. I know @NMSbowhunter set up for example is light because he uses a 2TC and steps, but he also doesn’t bring a lot of snacks lol. I would say most responses have been in that 18-28 lb range.

It seems that the ultra light conversation sometimes bugs people. It sure use to seem silly to me. Since I’ve branched in other spheres such as backpacking I’ve run into some real ultralite freaks and realized I’m more practical. Use the info to save a little weight where you can but you don’t necessarily need to go overboard. I will concede that the ultralight guys are often the innovators, pushing the envelope in our case of mobile hunting in both bulk/packability and weight. Many of the innovations in SH mobile-ness came from guys trying to makes climbing methods shorter, lighter, etc. Cut down sticks, carbon fiber bolts, one-sticks, are all products of those diy guys trying to shave ounces. I like to think that having a sleek sub 20 lb set up that fits everything in a pack is a nice homage to the guys that came before and made some of this stuff possible.

Outside of the ultra lighters which are very few and very far between, I think enough guys have admitted that they are happy where they ended up, adding weight for desirables.

We could add if you hunt public or not. If you pack deer out or not. How far do you walk in. So people can better understand the load outs and weights that are being described. Thanks for the thoughts to keep the thread well rounded.

 

[gcr0003]

Added the following to the original post. Many already included it in there posts naturally. It should help paint the picture of why someone’s pack is heavier or lighter and help any newer guys possibly having pack envy :

Load-out weight breakdown:
Please include the following:

• Public or Private
• Whether or not you pack deer out or cart out etc.
• How far you typically hike to spot on average
• Overall pack loaded out weight (do not include saddle if worn or cold weather clothing layers)
• List of the gear you bring
• Picture of loaded out bag if you have it

 

[NMSbowhunter]

To expand of what you are talking about, I'll go into a little detail. I settled on what I have now in the way of 2TC after going farther down the 2TC rabbit hole as far as light weight goes. I have several 2TC set ups that weight less than a pound and use Amsteel foot loops and 9mm top tethers with friction hitches. These are perfectly serviceable setups but just for regular hunting I chose to use the heavier and bulkier 11.4 to 11.5mm ropes and the Ropeman 1. I ended up where you are talking about. I explored the true ultralight side of 2TC and settled on a good fit for my needs. Now, If I were going out west, for instance, after elk and just wanted to have a quick set up along in my pack, I might make a small kit with the 1 pound 2TC set up and an OCB strap with 3 aluminum steps. That could get me up a tree fast and only be a couple of pounds. It might not be the most comfortable setup ever but it would do for 3 or 4 hours at a time.

I almost exclusively hunt public land and I go where people are not. My general rule is at least 500 yards from any road or walking lane and I try to cross at least one creek. This leaves 98% of the people behind. I am allergic to other hunters, lol and I have to manage my allergy. Luckily deer share this same allergy and so it works out well. I like that everything is neatly inside one backpack and there is nothing to snag on brush or make noise. I can grab that pack and my bow and head out as far as I need to go.

I do not carry much in the way of food when I hunt. The exception is when it is very hot and I need to stay hydrated. I stay hydrated for safety reasons. Having a heat stroke is just as potentially deadly as falling 20 feet out of a tree, so I don't play around. That said, my usual diet for a typical day hunting would be a bowl of oatmeal and a lot coffee for breakfast, for lunch, if I return to the vehicle, a can of Beenie Weenies or a can of Vienna Sausage and a Mountain Dew (caffiene) and a bottle of water. If I don't return to the truck, then maybe a granola bar and a water or a handful of trail mix. During hunting season my big meal is usually eaten after I return home for the evening. I hate to eat late but it is what it is.

Also, I don't take any entertainment with me to the tree. I like to be in nature and enjoy the peace and quiet, so I don't need a book, or use my phone much so that helps too.

 

[tailgunner]

These discussions/debates are always interesting. There is so much comparing apples to oranges going on that it’s almost laughable. Who goes into the woods without a knife, yet most of the people claiming 10 lbs don’t bother to list one. How about flashlight/headlamp, snack, water. Yet in the continued discussion it often comes out that there is more to what they’re carrying than their initial statement, thus changing the overall weight. In order to seem as light as possible what they show is just their “saddle system” not their total hunting weight, hence apples to oranges.

Secondly, why get so caught up on what you or anyone else carries. If I’m hunting a small 10 acre parcel, then I’m not likely to carry a map and compass or a phone charger. Yet if I’m hunting my local 10,000 acre WMA you better believe I’m carrying a map, compass, and phone charger battery just in case. For each of us, the area we are hunting will dictate what we carry as much as our own physical needs, our comfort level, and our own personal preference.

Now with my rant over, which I apologize for but the inconsistent comparison gets old.

My complete saddle system, one-stick, saddle, and everything I need to be in the tree and hunt weighs 10.8 lbs. My pack normally weighs around 12-15 lbs depending on the day, including kill kit, 1.5 quarts of water or a thermos of coffee, snack, flashlights and spare batteries, bringing my total weight carried to roughly 22-25 lbs. Add on about 4 lbs for winter additions.

This is why beast and i came up with buck naked load out .counting everything down to your socks wallet,tp.and carkeys....everything..no debate on criteria....nobody wanted to play that game.

 

[CharlieTN]

This is why beast and i came up with buck naked load out .counting everything down to your socks wallet,tp.and carkeys....everything..no debate on criteria....nobody wanted to play that game.

But it sounds cooler to go for the sub 10lb game. As others have mentioned, there are things to be learned from the weight consideration for sure. It makes me constantly re-evaluate you load. Do I really need to carry that one thing that I have never used or is it one of these that if I ever do truly need it then I will be glad I have it? Bleed stop is one of those I carry in my small 1st aid kit just in case. Hope to never need it but if I do, then I will certainly be glad I have it. On the other hand, that latest novel that I’ve been reading casually for the past 10 years, might not be something I want to keep carrying.

 

[tailgunner]

Gotta weigh it

 

[BTaylor]

Added the following to the original post. Many already included it in there posts naturally. It should help paint the picture of why someone’s pack is heavier or lighter and help any newer guys possibly having pack envy :

Load-out weight breakdown:
Please include the following:

• Public or Private
• Whether or not you pack deer out or cart out etc.
• How far you typically hike to spot on average
• Overall pack loaded out weight (do not include saddle if worn or cold weather clothing layers)
• List of the gear you bring
• Picture of loaded out bag if you have it

My earlier listed weight was ready to hunt with my heavy setup. Kifaru frame, stryker xl and sherman pocket. Contents included kill kit(meat bags, nitrile gloves for hogs, and hand wipes for clean up), spare hank of paracord, pull up rope, 35' of resctech with 2 hitches, 2 7' tethers, webbing footloop, headlight, spare flashlight, 10k mah anker power core, 1 liter of water, modified windwalker stand, lxcg pocket arm, camera, a few screw in hooks for when I am on private, a piece of plastic drop cloth for breaking down a deer, knife, compass, 2 spare climbing biners, vortex monocular, rangefinder, a cliff bar, limb saw, handful of reflective clips to mark climbing tree, grunt call.

Light setup would be using the mission platform and dropping camera and camera arm.

With this setup I have options for how I climb depending on trees encountered and everything I need to make a hunt and bring game out in one trip unless it is a really big deer or hog. If I need or want too I can also add a camp bag and backpack in for a hunt.

I will normally make a few hunts on private but predominantly hunt public and seldom find myself less than a mile from the truck. Have a few spots close to the road I like but mostly seem to end up somewhere between a mile and 2.5 out. Too far to drag and carts suck ballz in the stuff I hunt.

 

[gcr0003]

If y’all get a kill and pack it out, I’d be curious to know what weights y’all get as well.

 

[bowhunthard88]

Utilizing the Sladder/rappel system with a Latitude X-Wing for shorter hunts without planning to pack out, my complete setup weighs an actual 16lbs. even. That weight does not include my bow, water, clothes or binos. That weight does include my climbing method, saddle setup, and platform.