Thread: What size back packs do you use?

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.

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

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.

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.

Originally Posted by 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?

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.

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.

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......

-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

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....

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

How many days you going for hunter308?

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