Thread: Lightweight camping for a solo hunter

The answer to this question depends on quite a lot of other factors. Are you in the north or south island? Do you head out in winter and\or bad weather or is it strictly a summer fine weather thing. How badly do sandflys annoy you?

My advice is to go find out what works for you before spending big dollars on gear. Go camping in your back yard or next to the car after a day hunt and see what you like.

e.g. a bivi bag is great but you will go mad if weather traps you inside it for days on end. A really small tent sounds great in theory but if you can't sit up in it comfortably you may as well have a bivi bag.

I use a hammock and am never short on spots but it's not that light and not everyone likes them.

Personally for me, bug protection is high on the list. If I get rained in I want to spend a comfortable day under cover sandfly free.

Remember all this gear adds up. You may move slowly in the bush but you will move a lot more slowly with a big pack full of overnight gear on your back. If you shoot something a days walk in you then have to carry all your gear + meat back out. Generally it's not worth the effort and you are better off getting up at 4:00am and walking further with a lighter load. Having said that camping out in the bush on your own is a lot of fun.

And the best place to watch the walking dead episodes is on your phone, in your tent, alone in the dark with your rifle beside you.

I have a Vaude Power lizard Ultra light 1-2p, it's quite good, really light. It's actually larger than I thought it was going to be, seems to quite a bit more room inside than other "1-2 Person" tents which tend to only be 1 person tents in reality. One thing is I usually use it in the alpine, and wonder how it would handle strong winds due to the pole being on the outside of the fly, that's the reason I've been looking at possibly getting another one that would be a bit more suitable to alpine camping. I've been considering selling it for a while so if you make a good enough offer I could be willing to let it go? Send me a PM if you want, only used it 4 or 5 times so it's pretty much new and I can throw in a wee canvas cover I got made for it too.

Check out the Macpac Minaret $525

Minaret Trekking Tent | Macpac New Zealand

Very quick to put up, 2.4kgs is a bit on the heavy side but takes a cross wind like a champ.

Fly and a bivy/bug bivy are going to be your lightest option, and probably the cheapest also.
My sil nylon Cat cut tarp is huge and weighs like 500g with all guy lines. Packs down to a grapefruit size also.

A tent is probably going to be the most flexable, esp if you end up wanting to hunt the tops ect in the future. but its going to cost you a bit more money and probably weigh a little bit more. You can save on extra weight with carefull consideration to sleeping bag and pad choice also, so dont forget to factor these in.

I use my tarp and a hooped bivy for a total of about 1300g so no real weight saving there and if I did it again I would just buy a tent from the get go.
I am gunna switch to a hammock setup for my bush hunting now so should shave a bit of weight

I bought a Hubba Hubba, second hand, not perfect and not super light but if I can't carry that I shouldn't be hunting.
It's good.



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Hard to beat a hammock with a fly, can set it up anywhere you have two trees, or a tree and car with a roof rack for Friday night drive downs and Saturday morning start outs, or a tree and a rock face with a bit of rope knowledge, you don't need to find flat dry rock free ground, and if you ever find yourself without trees then you can use it as a bivy with a few sticks and a bit of ingenuity, mine is lighter than my tent, quicker to set up and pack down and even has a pocket to put s therma rest and a full double zip mosquito mention built in, brilliant bit of kit, tad anti social but...

Originally Posted by Shelley

Hard to beat a hammock with a fly, can set it up anywhere you have two trees, or a tree and car with a roof rack for Friday night drive downs and Saturday morning start outs, or a tree and a rock face with a bit of rope knowledge, you don't need to find flat dry rock free ground, and if you ever find yourself without trees then you can use it as a bivy with a few sticks and a bit of ingenuity, mine is lighter than my tent, quicker to set up and pack down and even has a pocket to put s therma rest and a full double zip mosquito mention built in, brilliant bit of kit, tad anti social but...

What make hammock mate? in the market for one now.

I purchased a Hennesy Hammock SYSTEM a few months ago. I think the supershealter addon is a must have.
Tried it in the back yard one snowy & frosty night and was very surprised how comfortable and warm it was. Slept in a pair of thermal long johns with my down bag used like a duvet. Never woke up cold.
First real trip was a solo 50km round trip hunt in Fiordland. I endured several very rainy days/nights and I stayed dry & warm. I purchased the extra large fly and think it should be standard in rainy climates.
From what I hear/read you either love Hammocks or really hate them not much middle ground.

Bob, it sounds like you had a good run with it.
If you stick with it you will be one of the first people I've heard of that have stuck to them.

I had (past tense) a Hennessy Safari with the Hex fly. Slept maybe 5 nights in it over 3 outings. Didn't get to test it in cold or wet weather, but would've remained warm and dry as Bob did.

The deal-breaker for me was the fact that I'm 6ft7, and generally a side-sleeper. I found I could not remain comfortable for long in the hammock, so I flicked it (for more than I paid ).

If you ARE going to get one, wait until the Xmas sale they have, where they add a "scout" hammock for free. And if they run out of scouts, they will upgrade your free add-on to a second full-size hammock. Xmas sale = 2for1 deal!

I've had quite a few different tents and flys. My favourite fly at the moment is the Sil Tarp 2, my father has the Sil Tarp 1, but I found that a bit small when I borrowed it on a trip into the Kawekas. We both comfortably slept under my Sil Tarp 2 one night in the Haurangis, but at under 400 grmas its light enough to carry for one person. I also use my bivy bag when I sleep under my fly as water can drive under the fly and being wet is not much fun at all.
I had an army fly but I would not buy one of those again, whilst cheap they are too bulky and heavy. Maybe suitable to leave in the bush somewhere.
I had a great run out of my Macpac Nautalis tent until the fly ripped after 20 years of great service. I've purchased a new one but it doesn't look as good as the old one. I've always found tents like cars, the more you spend the better product you get.
I've also got a massive fly that is great for either pitching off a vehicle or setting up over a base camp.
What Tussock said is right, each piece of kit has its place, it depends on the weather and where you are going and how you are getting there. If you've got limited funds then a bivy bag and a fly is a great way to go, even the ex-army ones...

I have a tarptent (can't remember the model, I'll look into it and update). 1 man but plenty roomy. I haven't used it a lot (unfortunately) but have been impressed so far with it. Weight is right on 1kg when carrying both poles. Can be set up with a single pole across the tent to save a little carry weight. Haven't experienced any condensation issues.

Packed size, can pack down thinner but pole section length means it will always be this long


Pitched

Moment DW is the model.

Here's my kit for solo hunts, up to 5 days.





Big ol katmandu for Choper in, set up base camp with hammock and large fly, small fly for daypack, daypack is twin needle molle me and a twin needle hunters belt with ol man suspenders, reviews to come at some point, a lot of gear but for 5 day solo trip in a few weeks.