# Outdoors > Gear and Equipment >  What size back packs do you use?

## hunter308

Just curious I got a 70 liter pack the other day but to me it seems a bit on the small side since I have got the bare minimums packed into it, and now worrying a little on how the heck I am going to pack meat into it to carry out even though I will figure something out. Just like my home made pikau out of cheese cloth just to dodge trying to carry a day pack in too. I know by time I go through the food I have got space will be made but I am seriously thinking of changing my back pack to something like an 80 liter for future trips when walking in.

----------


## veitnamcam

Strap it on the outside if you cant fit it in.(the meat that is)

----------


## Dundee

I got a K2 Hunter pack

----------


## tui_man2

How many days do you go for to full an be out of room in a 70L?

----------


## veitnamcam

The bigger the pack the more shit you will take(carry) that you wont use or actually need.
I have a sock fetish(i hate trench foot) i take two pairs of good socks per day.
Anything else is surplus :Grin:

----------


## tui_man2

same hate that after awhile but im a pair a day haha, its more tramping taking that much, how far would you carry it? i know i wouldnt be going up hill much :Zomg:

----------


## Dundee

I take lots of liquids with me a 70 litre holds sum but I bring the aliminium home not like these bottle heads that take glass into the bush.

----------


## hunter308

I think the literage is chinese liters as it is one of those ones that obviously got bought in bulk from the alibaba site.
I put in there 
1 pair of track pants and a warm top for wearing in hut
3 pairs of socks
1 towel
spare pair of thermal pants
polar fleece top
dinner plate and breakfast bowl
small billy
gas cooker and gas canister
1can of baked beans (tonights dinner)
1 can of bully beef
5 apples
2 motel sized packs of cereal
1 onion
15 pack of bread buns
Butter
1 liter carton of long life milk
coffee
Two up and go drinks
6 Muesli bars
biscuits
Small jar of sugar
Sleeping bag
Butchers knife, steel and diamond stone
First aid kit
Raincoat
Camera
Beanie
35 rounds of ammo
Rifle Bolt
Machete to cut firewood
Binoculars
Candles
Headlamp

I'll take note of what I put in there and what I did not use and leave out for next trip while I am up there.

----------


## Spook

Anything you don't use should be tossed away while you are in there so you don't make the same mistake next time...and 35 rounds of ammo...you are kidding...right?

----------


## Munsey

We not all made of money but cheap Chinese pack ?Could end in tears . It needs to handle all or most of the meat you can get off a animal and your gear ! . If it's a stag it's a lot of weight . I believe your pack is your life line (on big trips) It's the same with boots you can't have them fall apart when it's three days walk out. 
 I'd lighten up on ammo and machete . Add a compass and extra head lamp, plenty of Polly pro , dry bag is a good thing to .

----------


## ANTSMAN

thats a lotta food, and ammo  :Have A Nice Day:

----------


## Spook

Shit paper...don't forget the shit paper :36 1 53:

----------


## Rushy

15 litre day pack with 2 litre water bladder when hunting from a base like a road end camp (easily fits in the chest cavity on a whole carcass carry out). 30 litre pack (enough for the hennessey, a bag and some tucker) with a 3 litre bladder if I am doing 1 or 2 nights in. And a beast of a 100 litre if I am going in for a stretch (as in the roar).

The problem with the bigger pack is I always end up carrying stuff that I don't use (although I wouldn't leave the first aid kit behind as you never know when it will be needed).

----------


## sneeze

> I think the literage is chinese liters as it is one of those ones that obviously got bought in bulk from the alibaba site.
> I put in there 
> 1 pair of track pants and a warm top for wearing in hut
> 3 pairs of socks
> 1 towel
> spare pair of thermal pants
> polar fleece top
> dinner plate and breakfast bowl
> small billy
> ...


That is a shit of load of gear.First thing Id loose are the bread buns,they are very poor food value for bulk, the long life milk ? just take milk powder if you need milk.Towel? maybe but very small,no tinned food, fruit maybe an orange or 2 but not apples. With a decent knife you dont need a steel and a stone,maybe a very small jewel stick,I dont carry either but I do carry a small folder as a back up. Only 1 plastic plate. Machete? I dont. If your at a hut they nearly always have an axe there but you can break up dry wood eaily enough. 3-4 days I have a 75 liter pack and thats with a tent and sleeping mat.1-2 nights I use a 45 liter. Quality down sleeping bags and  puffer jackets save weight and bulk as well.

----------


## Raging Bull

Might pay to take a couple of rubbish bags and/or put your reserve clothing/sleeping bag in a dry bag to keep it dry if the weather packs in.

----------


## Scribe

Get rid of the machete there is enough standing dead manuka in that area to keep Napoleon's army warm for years. Get rid of the drinks the water is fine. I will lend you the treebly and 10 rounds so thats another 2 kilos saved.

----------


## leathel

pasta meal and a small tin of tuna makes a nice meal..... or tuna and Noodles. 

I go without milk or if I want to treat myself a premix job... just add water. One plate for me and a small Gerber sharpner (smaller than a pocket knife)

Apples, buns and serial get munched so I dont take them, Pita bread can be stuffed with Tuna .... or just 2 min noodles breakfast lunch and dinner  :Psmiley:  

instant spuds can bulk out a meal and is light and cheap... add dried peas and a bit of meat.

Depending on how cold it is Rain coat can be a small plastic one (tiny fold up job to put over to keep dry if holed up not to hunt in) ...but if its cold I will have the one I hunt in.

 Spare thermal is my camp clothes... If its cold a down jacket folds down small and will keep you warm ; )

Up and Go ? heavy and bulky.. Vitamin pills if you need a boost

20 rounds is what I take... 15 if I get low on reloads.. Unless its bomb up on goats but I wont be packing in for that

Meat in a plastic bag at the base of the pack and it you have to sleeping bag and bits strapped on top (light at the top) but if you get something on the way out I have a modded pillow slip that can be strapped on top.

----------


## Bill999

Iv got an 85l for the walk in. if Im going longer than a week Ill try drop in some bacon and chocolate. 
my body needs fat and Itl make me happier to stay out for an additional 2-3 days. 
Ill add a lighter and bike tube. if the woods wet you need the rubber to get it burning.

----------


## hunter308

> Anything you don't use should be tossed away while you are in there so you don't make the same mistake next time...and 35 rounds of ammo...you are kidding...right?


didn't take all the ammo had to stop at the rifle range to resight my scope after that dutchie i worked for dropped my rifle after he shot a pig with it instead of putting it down gently, I only went in with 17 rounds the rest stayed in the wagon.

----------


## K95

65L is all I use.We just did 3 days down south and my brother used my Cactus Miklat.Both packs were 13.7kg.People take alot of shit you don't need.We've done up to 5 days with 65L packs.

----------


## baldbob

I can and do use a 35ltr pack and have done 4 nights comfortably with it out of my hubba hubba tent.. I rekon I could stretch a week plus out of it staying in huts.. I have a 75ltr but find if I use the sucker I take more gear..

Pot, fork, cooker, gas, lighters, sleepinbag, tent, matteress, spare set clothes, plb, camera, binos, knife, dehy food, tape and bandage....... When you find something else I need!!!!! Ill be up the hill......  :Have A Nice Day:

----------


## Spanners

-Junk the Polar fleece or the hut top - either 1 can double as the other
-Take a fluffy tea towl rather than a full towel, or rip a beach towel in 1/4s and take 1x 1/4
-Drop the dinner plate - you can eat out of breakfast bowl
-Leave the 1l milk behind and go powder or condensed tube
-Leave the Up and Gos behind and get something you need to add water to - you're lugging liquid - liquid = weight
-Machette can stay at hm
-25-30 rds of ammo can stay hm

Chuck that all in a bag and weigh it up and you're prob lookig at 4-5kg

Have to confess I take too much shit, but getting better
I'm going to buy a SMALLER pack when I get home - if you cant fit it, you cant take it

----------


## baldbob

Spanners your finalbwords are gold.. Its what I said wen I started using the wee pack... But what do u actually use sweet    f all..... And hell I just read that poor buggas gear list hes got all the wrong stuff and none of the right.....

Someone needs to start a gearlist similar to the one somewhere else...

Theres two two types of gear you take hardware which always stays the same.... And software (food) that just increases with length of trip....

----------


## Nick.m

Mate thats alot of stuff, as you will learn as you go some things are useless in certain areas. I use a 75litre pack, and can do a week out of that easily, tent etc goes on the outside everything else, well i just jam it in.

----------


## hunter308

I found when I was there I was just staying in my hunting clothes (poly prop long johns and shorts and blaze polar fleece T shirt) at night had left a pair of track pants in the wagon to change into after the walk out so next round there will be less going in with me lesson learnt on that part. I will be investing in more poly prop thermals and will include a couple of thermal tops as well found the long johns real warm even though they were the $25 warehouse ones and dried bloody quickly after going through the Kaipo in them. Maybe an informational thread on what gear you really need to take from the more experienced guys to stop newbies like me taking the wrong gear and none of the right gear in could be posted. I am still a newbie to taking gear into forests for stay away hunts, Oamaru was only my third time sleeping in the kaimanawas the other two times I was just camping by the car up clements so what to take was never an issue as I never had to worry about packing stuff in or out.

Now that I know there are pots, pans axes etc up at the hut I will just be going in with a billy, a breakfast bowl and alpine stove along with the essential food items and had already decided milk powder would have been better to take than a carton of milk, one thing I did see the two other hunters doing that shared the hut with us while we were up there was they used paper plates which I thought was a good idea have your feed and biff the plate in the fire afterwards. I mainly used the up and gos( I only took in three of them) for the walk in and the walk out and one for while I was out hunting as I do not like eating too much heavy food while doing heaps of walking etc so i thought things I that had carbohydrates etc like the up and go drinks, muesli bars and fruit would have been helpful and save the big feeds for up at the hut but maybe i was wrong in that part.

----------


## Spook

i thought a lot of people gave you good advise [before & after the crash] but it is obvious that you ignored it and still ended up with your original pack full. Some people only learn the hard way. Buy a smaller pack and start from there.

----------


## hunter308

Half the thing was spook I was halfway to taupo before the recomendations rolled in and did not get to see it all until I came out of the bush  :Grin:

----------


## Toby

I have a good sized bag, When me and my mates hunt we take alot of shit that we dont need but like we say to all the other guys that give us shit, our backs our choice

Blue bag is mine, orange bag is mine but Maori mate carried it, little bag was my mates matty


That's all our crap, Not a need but we enjoy it.

----------


## waimobenj

How many days you going for hunter308?

----------


## sakokid

loose the towel, machette, some of the amo and use only one plastic plate. take a spork i use an old macpac cascade pack which does the trick. freeze dry tucker is good if u can afford it, i wouldaslo not take the candles

----------


## Bulltahr

Maddy seems to have the right idea there Toby. No matter what size pack you have, when you are young you always seem to fill it........................
Think "ultra lightweight" and cull a bunch of that shit, then do the same exercise again and you will be getting there.

----------


## veitnamcam

> Maddy seems to have the right idea there Toby. No matter what size pack you have, when you are young you always seem to fill it........................
> Think "ultra lightweight" and cull a bunch of that shit, then do the same exercise again and you will be getting there.


I used to be quite happy to go with what i was wearing(lots) and a bum bag, the older i get the more shit i want to take.

----------


## Toby

I like all the stuff we take, not so much the walking with it but when we get to camp its worth it, like 6 bottles of pepsi  :Have A Nice Day:

----------


## Bulltahr

If you value 6 bottles of pepsi and don't bother taking the bourbon in as well then you are beyond my help................................

----------


## Toby

Underage drinking with rifles isn't a very good look.

----------


## Rushy

> If you value 6 bottles of pepsi and don't bother taking the bourbon in as well then you are beyond my help................................


BT, he is only a young fellah of 17.  Probably not someone you would want to be packing in Jack Daniels or Wild Turkey with a rifle. Besides PEPSI??? what is that about??

----------


## veitnamcam

> BT, he is only a young fellah of 17.  Probably not someone you would want to be packing in Jack Daniels or Wild Turkey with a rifle. Besides PEPSI??? what is that about??


Yea it is crap. Coke is much better but im not carrying it anywhere!

To be frank my actual pack rarely gets carried anywhere these days, just a day pack or bumbag. :Oh Noes:

----------


## Toby

Come on, pepsi is better then coke, every knows this haha

----------


## gadgetman

> Come on, pepsi is better then coke, every knows this haha


+1

And the number of blind taste tests than have shown that most Coke drinkers prefer the taste of Pepsi. For a drink at camp I prefer a nice brew of tea or cup of soup.

----------


## Toby

Black tea is pretty good

----------


## veitnamcam

> +1
> 
> And the number of blind taste tests than have shown that most Coke drinkers prefer the taste of Pepsi. For a drink at camp I prefer a nice brew of tea or cup of soup.


Then why can I not drink the drink from KFC Iv been there 3 times in my life and pepsi dont do it for me :Psmiley:

----------


## hunter308

> Then why can I not drink the drink from KFC Iv been there 3 times in my life and pepsi dont do it for me


Because the lousy cunts serve the sugar free pepsi max, went to KFC the other week asked for my usual pepsi and no ice took a swig and tipped the shit out the window of the car while driving down the main street of Te Awamutu. Just reading this thread again makes me want to go back into the oamaru DoC hut again when I finish the Aussie wheat harvest think I might try for the chopper trip in and out next time.

----------


## Toby

one issue, It wasnt pepsi max  :Have A Nice Day:  But I got 6 bottles for free from work, perks of the job so it was ok

----------


## Spook

The only reason anyone would carry, or fly pepsi or coke into the bush is for the dilution of rum and should be at no more than two fizzies to one 40oz of rum. The rum should not be touched until a kill takes place or on the last night to drown the sorrows.

----------


## Toby

Are me and my mates the only ones that don't take booze into the bush?

----------


## Tahr

> Are me and my mates the only ones that don't take booze into the bush?


Maybe, but don't let it bother you. You are far better off being your own person and doing your own thing sipping on Pepsi than being hooked into the macho bullshit drinking culture of a lot of hunters.

----------


## hunter308

> Are me and my mates the only ones that don't take booze into the bush?


I occasionally take a six pack of waikato with me if I am camping where my wagon is parked but other than that not really. Last walk into the kaimanawas I went through a jar of jarrah coffee in two days but I was drinking out of one of those big mofo aluminum mugs that takes about four teaspoons of coffee.

----------


## Toby

Do you pour your bears into plastic bottles?

----------


## SIKAHUNTER

mmmm....chippies!

----------


## Rushy

Sage advice Tussock. If you don't have the necessaries then you certainly can't use them if and when you need to.

----------


## Sako 243

> Are me and my mates the only ones that don't take booze into the bush?


No, I'm with you on that along with a number of people I know.

John

----------


## hunter308

> Do you pour your bears into plastic bottles?


Like I said I only take a six pack of cans IF I am camping where the car is parked and then I would only have one or two at the end of the day when the rifle has been put away for the night.

----------


## Toby

Im not trying to be a dick or insult you guys about it, I dont really care if you drink or not. Just interested in how you go about taking it in. I know my uncle fills plastic bottles with beer save carrying glass. Could be a handy tip for you guys if you dont already know it.

----------


## tui_man2

> Im not trying to be a dick or insult you guys about it, I dont really care if you drink or not. Just interested in how you go about taking it in. I know my uncle fills plastic bottles with beer save carrying glass. Could be a handy tip for you guys if you dont already know it.


Depends where i go? if i walk in i dont take any, if i fly in i do, if flying into a 'base' camp then also take coal, hot or cold depending on if at hut or just camping out, the alloy cans melt an dissapear to nothing on the coal :Have A Nice Day:  rubbish no more, all gets burnt up at nights if i can or a squish them up an out all rubbish like would normally

Nothng like cold brew at end of big hunting day to relax, just same as after a big day at work

----------


## Toby

Well it must be hard to wank in and carry booze too  :Have A Nice Day:

----------


## veitnamcam

> Well it must be hard to wank in and carry booze too


I try not to wank on the walk in it saps your energy  :Grin:  (even if you are 17 and still having 10 a day :Grin: )

----------


## Toby

Haha

----------


## Spook

> Im not trying to be a dick or insult you guys about it, I dont really care if you drink or not. Just interested in how you go about taking it in. I know my uncle fills plastic bottles with beer save carrying glass. Could be a handy tip for you guys if you dont already know it.


Good for you that you don't carry booze...and good for me that I do. Tinnies are the go for me and 40 oz of spirits if flying in. I only carry a hip flask of something good if walking...nothing like a good swig when geographically embaressed and a long night ahead. When flying in I allocate myself 4 cans a day [some people spill that much in an evening] and a few swigs of the spirits. If I get a kill then all allocated ration deals are forgotten.

----------

