1 of 4
Grouse River Outfitters
Grouse River Outfitters
2 of 4
Grouse River Outfitters
Grouse River Outfitters
3 of 4
Grouse River Outfitters
Grouse River Outfitters
4 of 4
Grouse River Outfitters
Grouse River Outfitters
By Glenn Fallis
The art and science to go further and faster on your next back country hunt
I’ll admit it, I am obsessed with hunting, back country adventure, and with finding the best possible gear to make expeditions more comfortable and successful. As the founder of Grouse River, a Canadian outdoors retailer with a passion for high quality equipment I’ve had the unique opportunity to spend the past decade working with an extensive cross-section of gear from the very best names in the hunting, shooting, and outdoor industry. I spend weeks afield each year, training, scouting, filming, and hunting because I want to know how the equipment we sell performs in the real world. Nothing gets me more excited than helping others achieve success and I hope the following strategies for lightening your pack (and saving your back!) make your next trip afield more enjoyable and successful.
Let’s start by agreeing that the objective of any gear we carry on a hunt should be to further our chances of success. Personally I’ve defined this as “having the essential tools to ensure I can comfortably endure the elements so as to apply maximum energy and focus to finding and harvesting an animal over the entire duration of the hunt”. To meet this objective I’ve developed a balanced gear strategy that involves seven rules for maximizing the weight to performance ratio. Below I’ll cover each area in detail and provide some specific examples of equipment that makes the grade.
1) What gets measured gets done
If your goal is to shave weight you have to know where you’re starting from. In order to save pounds you must look for the ounces. Be conscious of every piece of equipment. The temptation to say “it’s just one more ounce” is what leads to carrying many pounds of unnecessary or overweight gear.
TIP: Buy a digital food scale and put every piece of gear across it. Track what goes in your pack and add it up, then use the rest of the rules below to eliminate what you don’t need and shave some pounds from the stuff you do.
2) Your body is your heaviest piece of gear
It’s time to give yourself a gut check. There is an old saying that goes “a pound on your feet is like ten on your back”. I’m not so sure how the math works on that one but I do know that ten pounds on your gut is like, well, ten pounds on your gut. Trade in the extra body fat for leg muscle and you’ll thank yourself.
TIP: If your goal is to outwork and outsmart Mr. Big Buck/Bull/Ram then you’ve got to start training on his turf. Lengthy back country expeditions place unique demands on the body and the mind, requiring the utmost in endurance from both. The more you can get out scouting or backpacking in the mountains before the season the better. A close second when your schedule doesn’t permit scouting is to take up trail running.
Legendary back country bow hunter and athlete Cameron Hannes incorporates running ultra-marathons into his hunt training and he might be onto something. Several years ago I followed Cameron’s lead and started logging hundreds of miles of trail in anticipation of hunting season. I find when the opener comes it all pays off. Knowing I’m able to make a move on that distant animal before he boogies over the next ridge leads to the confidence needed to persevere when things don’t go in your favor.
3) If you can save weight while maintaining/improving performance do it!
Chances are your body isn’t the only place where you can shave weight AND improve performance. Three materials that have absolutely revolutionized lightweight gear are carbon, titanium, and aluminum. Rifles, tents, knives, hiking poles, tripods, stoves and a host of other gear have the potential to reap the rewards of these lightweight materials so keep your eye out for opportunities to update older heavier items with lighter alternatives.
TIP: Having a flashlight or knife fail when you need them could be hazardous to your health. I carry a backup for each, which means they need to be light. If you’re still using that Bowie knife you inherited from your grandfather it’s time to turn it into a paper weight and get with the program. To save weight buy a Havalon for your game dressing chores. The replaceable surgically sharp blades mean you always have an edge when you need one and the knife and extra blades weight just a few ounces. For a primary knife seek out a high quality folder encased in a titanium/carbon handle.
The same goes with flashlights, ten years ago you needed one that was as big as your forearm to really light up the night, now a light as small as your thumb can produce outstanding illumination from a single battery. My headlamp of choice is the Saint Minimus from Surefire, it’s as durable as they come and the 100 lumen max output puts light out far enough to pick your route and the beam is perfectly matched to your peripheral vision ensuring you see the 200’ drop before you put your foot over the edge. My backup is the Fenix PD22 handheld light. At just 2 ounces including the battery the PD22 produces a blinding 210 lumens, enough to get you down even the most daunting ridge after dark.
4) Respect the Big 4.
There are four items that are essential to our success in any hunt – they are optics, footwear, rifle and pack. If you’ve shaved weight in these areas at the expense of bomb-proof reliability then you may wish to reconsider your choices.
Successful back country hunts have certain attributes in common. One, you get in carrying a heavy load on your own two feet. Two, you spot an elusive animal in its own domain, quite often in the first or last few minutes of light. Three, you make a successful shot, likely at extended range from a less than ideal shooting position. Four, you pack out more weight than you came in with on the same two feet that got you there in the first place. We spend our entire off-season dreaming about this perfect sequence of events and the performance of the Big 4 do more than the rest combined to turn your dream into a reality. While shaving weight is our goal these are not the areas to look for excessive savings in weight OR cost. Because of their importance balancing weight vs. performance here is critical, so let’s review each area in detail.
Rifle System: After testing everything from five pound ultra-light rifles to twelve pound monstrosities I found the perfect middle ground when Gunwerks introduced their MountainX rifle system. Using the latest in carbon fiber stock technology, a titanium action, and deep ten channel barrel fluting, the system weighs in under nine pounds. True you can put together a lighter rifle system but we’re talking about an honest to goodness sub ½ MOA rifle with zero compromise on ergonomic comfort (read: shootability). This rifle has the same stock configuration, 26” barrel, and G7 Nightforce scope of the renowned LR-1000 system but is a full two pounds lighter. This takes full advantage of rule #3 and finding one item where you can shave a full two pounds is about as common as a 300” mule deer so grab the opportunity when it presents itself.
Boots: The best boot won’t help you if the fit isn’t right fit so buy your footwear from a knowledgeable dealer with a wide variety of makes and models. I personally feel that a full leather boot is required to meet the demands of hard hunts, and I wouldn’t consider a boot without Gore-Tex construction. The Italians and Germans seem to have figured out the boot making art and you’ll find good options from Lowa, Scarpa, Crispi and others. I have weak ankles so prefer a high boot with lots of support, currently the Crispi Hunter GTX ranks at the top of my list. Ensure you treat the exterior of your boot with an appropriate water repellant as keeping the exterior of the boot dry reduces weight and promotes longevity.
Pack: Packs are another area where fit is crucial although modern designs allow for a high degree of customization from a given model through adjustable suspension and hip-belts. A good rule of thumb is to have a pack that weighs 10% of what you are going to put in it. This rule seems to ensure sufficient structure for the job and avoids pack failure and discomfort under heavy loads. The basic assumption here is that you’re buying a high-quality pack from a reputable manufacturer. I have run a dozen packs in the past few seasons and the Eberlestock Battleship and Mystery Ranch 6500 have both stood out for comfort and durability. Many people will scoff at the idea of having a pack that weighs nearly ten pounds empty. I would argue that if you can’t carry your full load comfortably then it is just one more excuse in the way of doing whatever it takes to find and harvest your animal. Not only will these bags comfortably carry well over 100 pounds they also allow for all of your gear to fit inside the pack as opposed to keeping some gear on the outside where it is prone to getting wet, damaged, or lost.
Optics: Expensive binos will generally weigh more. Optical glass with ideal properties for high quality binoculars, spotters, and riflescopes is denser (read: heavier) than its lesser quality brethren. While marketing might have you believe otherwise true HD (high density/high definition) glass currently shows up only in top tier products in the $1,500+ range. Good glass plays a defining role in success by allowing for longer more comfortable spotting sessions and helping you find game in subtle ways like discerning antler tine from branches and fur from foliage. Keep your expectations for cost and weight savings confined to anything that doesn’t detract from the performance required for success. Personally I demand that my optics allow me to spot, identify legal antlers/horns, and shoot at extended ranges during the first and last minutes of legal shooting light. The current generation of HD optics in Swarovski’s Swarovision binoculars and spotting scopes is unrivaled. The Vortex Razor line of binoculars and spotting scopes is also excellent and while not at the performance level of the Swarovski the value in these products is tough to beat.
TIP: I see a lot of customers trying to shave lots of weight in their riflescope. To me this is counterproductive in the full context of a successful long range hunt. A large objective of at least 50mm is required to provide sufficient light at the high magnifications of 16x needed for precise shot placement at extended ranges. Additionally all of our efforts are wasted if we miss because the scope has not held its zero through the rigors of the hunt. There comes a point where saving weight means passing up opportunities that could have been capitalized on with the right gear. The G7 Nightforce optic sits atop all of my hunting rifles because I have 100% confidence that it will allow me to place my shot on target at the moment of truth.
5) Those items that weigh the most are the ones most likely to offer weight savings.
So you’ve traded in Monday night football for Monday night trail runs and your buddies have nicknamed you “Mr. Rocky Mountains”. Now it’s time to start slashing gear weight. If you’ve ever watched the TV show “The Biggest Loser” you know that contestants have to weigh a lot in order to lose a lot. Cutting the handle off your toothbrush to shave an ounce if you’re carrying pounds of unnecessary weight in your pack makes about as much sense as bugling for Big Horns. To help us get started I’ve broken down common gear by type. Here is my list from a recent 10 day hunt:
Gear Category Pounds % of total pack weight
Optics (Binos, Spotting Scope, Tripod, Camera) 10.7 12%
Pack (including pouches and empty bladder) 11.5 13%
Camp (tent, bag, mat, stove, fuel) 6.4 7%
“Essentials” (Knives, GPS, Batteries, etc.) 7.5 9%
Hunt Accessories (Calls, game bags etc.) 2.2 3%
Rifle system (Gun, Scope, Bipod, Ammo) 11.2 13%
Clothing & Footwear 19.5 23%
Food & Water 17.1 20%
Total 86.1 100%
This list comprises everything I carried or wore into the field and it is nearly ten pounds lighter than what I had for the same hunt last year. Here’s where the weight melted off.
The Big 4. On the rifle system I managed to shave major weight without compromising performance. As detailed above the change to a Gunwerks MountainX from my previous LR-1000 saved 2 pounds while improving the system’s performance through the use of the new 7LRM caliber.
Clothing, “essentials”, food, and camp. I believe an annual review of gear in these categories is required as they will make up 50% or more of the weight you are carrying. One area that might stand out to the observant reader is my camp weight of less than 6 ½ pounds. Hitting the sub five pound mark for my tent and sleep system was a major feat, especially considering my nights in the back country are more comfortable than ever. This is thanks to ultra-light, ultra-comfortable gear like the Big Agnes Fly Creek UL2 Platinum tent, Therm-a-Rest NeoAir sleep pad, and the Sierra Designs Cal13 sleeping bag with Dri-Down technology. When put together these allow for a comfortable shelter that can house and protect me, my pack, and my rifle system from just about anything Mother Nature can dish out. My tent already weighed in under two pounds and I shaved another ¼ pound by replacing the aluminum stakes with carbon fiber and titanium ones. My JetBoil Sol Ti stove (I leave the pot support and fuel stabilizer at home) and one mid-size container of fuel – more than enough for boiling water for breakfast, dinner, and tea every day on a week-long expedition rounds out camp.
Unfortunately I haven’t found a way around the need to eat but I have made the food I carry as light as possible by calculating the caloric density of a number of popular back country snacks and carrying the most efficient ones. If you really want to minimize your pack weight you’ll need to ditch any foods with a high moisture content and replace them with those having a high calorie:weight ratio such as; chia, hemp, cashews, macadamia nuts, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, dehydrated meals, and flavored dark chocolate.
For both the clothing and “essentials” categories my advice is to constantly review the weight/performance balance and adopt new materials/technologies where possible. New fabrics have made it possible for garments to offer the same protection from the elements at vastly reduced weights when compared to what was available just a few years ago. A quick look at the lineup from quality clothing companies like Sitka, Kuiu and Westcomb is enough to give anyone some ideas for reducing the weight of their clothing system. I shaved nearly a pound from my pack by updating my older rain gear to Sitka’s Dewpoint system.
TIP: Try and procure electronics that use the same battery. In my case I have settled on the CR123A battery and just about everything from my G7 rangefinder to my headlamp, to my Steripen water purifier runs on them. I also replace the batteries in every device at the beginning of the season to avoid carrying excessive spares.
6) Adaptability rules – find items that can accomplish more with less
One key to enjoying the back country is adaptability. An effective layering system minimizes total clothing weight by ensuring that underlying garments support outerwear in performing their roles of regulating temperature and moisture. As you layer up each piece should complement the next – you should not have to remove one piece of gear for another one to take its place.
Hunts involving two or more people allow for adaptability through additional economies of scale that should not be overlooked. Ensure you’re not doubling up on gear unnecessarily by carrying only one stove, and considering a single three-person tent instead of each person carrying their own one or two-person tent.
TIP: Merino wool has to be one of Mother Nature’s most adaptable materials. In your quest to shave weight through adaptable systems advances in the production of merino garments deserve your attention. Merino has the ability to regulate temperature in both directions, keeping you cool when it’s hot and warm when it’s cool. Wool also has a natural ability to continue to insulate when wet and this feature alone makes it invaluable as a base layer, helping to prevent chills as you sit to glass after a long climb has left you damp with perspiration. Sitka’s Merino Core line of base layers is tough to beat for hunting applications while the Merino line of headwear from Buff is about as versatile as it gets – the Buff can be worn as a full face/head cover, bandana, neck gaiter, balaclava and more.
7) Keep at it
It turns out that shaving weight is a lot like climbing a mountain range (funny isn’t that why we’re shaving weight in the first place?) there is always one more ridge to explore and even when you think you’ve seen it all something new presents itself. Ultimately the goal is to have everything you need and nothing you don’t so keep a list of what gets used and what doesn’t and review it after each hunt. The good news for me is that writing this article just forced me to get even more critical about what I’m carrying. Looks like my next hunt is going to be lighter than the last one!
TIP: I keep all the packaging from everything that I’ve eaten and tally it up when I get home to help me get a better sense of my caloric requirements in relation to the length of a hunt. I also keep a small journal of anything that has been used up or replaced during a hunt, like batteries and game bags. This helps me refine what I carry and also quickly replace anything that is essential for my next trip afield.
Glenn Fallis is President & Founder, Grouse River Outfitters