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I'm not talking spare tires here, guys. But I have been taking brisk walks every morning with just a walking stick, and got to thinking that with a scoped rifle, 10-20 rounds of ammo, a knife, binocs, small camera and perhaps a camel-pak or hydration system, a guy traveling real light during a hunt/stalk is still packing an extra 15-20 pounds. Every take off all your gear -- clothes and shoes, too, and weigh the total? There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn’t. – John Green, author | ||
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I have never weighed my hunting gear, but I have weighed my duty gear for work and my ballistic vest, duty belt, weapon (glock 22), holster, handcuffs and cases (2), flashlight holder and flashlight, 2 way radio and holder, magazine carrier and loaded magazines, OC spray and holder, uniform and boots breaks the scales at an even 30 pounds. The duty belt and gear is all leather and have thought of going nylon but havent done it. Will have to weigh my hunting gear, now which rifle...hmmm Good luck and good shooting, Eterry Good luck and good shooting. In Memory of Officer Nik Green, #198, Oklahoma Highway Patrol Troop G...Murdered in the line of duty 12-26-03...A Good Man, A Good Officer, and A Good Friend gone too soon | |||
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Is this what you guys carry when hunting in Africa, on a stalk? Seems like alot of "stuff" I have a back pack in the Cruiser but it stays there when on a walk or a stalk. On me is my gun, ammo, knife, binos, and a small pocket camera. In my pack, (that stays in the truck) is treats, all my camera equipment, extra ammo, my journal, and first aid. "America's Meat - - - SPAM" As always, Good Hunting!!! Widowmaker416 | |||
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Widowmaker: Only thing on my list not on yours is water. There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn’t. – John Green, author | |||
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Water would be nice,but hard candy is simpler.Untill I get lighter binoculars they stay in the truck as well.One thing I never fail to carry that no one has mentioned is toliet paper.The stuff that comes in mre's works well. Cry 'Havoc,' and let slip the dogs of war; That this foul deed shall smell above the earth With carrion men, groaning for burial. | |||
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All I carry is compact binos, ammo, rifle, pocket knife, candy, cigarette lighter, a pack of those travel Kleenex with a couple of wet wipes inside the Kleenex pack. I make the wife carry the GPS.  Regards, Terry  Msasi haogopi mwiba [A hunter is not afraid of thorns] | |||
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My rifle, a modest amount of ammo, compact binocs, the Spyderco knife I always carry, a couple of Tylenol in some tin-foil, a power bar, some kleenex, a couple of cigars, a cutter, and my lighter. This is for Africa....without the extra folks I tend to carry a little more but not muck except for water. DB Bill aka Bill George | |||
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On my gear belt I carry ammo, a knife, and a small gps. While I have a 8x40 bino around my neck. I had a 3 liter CamelBak on my back all day every day while hunting elephant this summer, and was very glad that I did. Much easier to drink exactly when I wanted, didn't have to stop up to get water from our trackers backpack, and could thus stay on the move. I also always have a small, flat wad of rolled up toilet paper in my back pocket. I don't know the weight, but it is light enough for me to be fine to carry from sunrise to sunset. | |||
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Maybe I subconcioulsy haven't knuckled down and lost all the weight then. See, I weigh in about 260lbs., but should only be 205-215. So if I ever get to hunt Africa I'll work the weight off and it will be all right!  That's what I'm going to tell the wife at least.Red | |||
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So I guess if you carried a 10 pound dumbell and a 10 pound day pack it would duplicate your daily safari gear or pretty close. For sheep hunts etc. I always trained that way but of course the pack was much heavier. One of the guys in the crew will carry as much water as you want. Mark MARK H. YOUNG MARK'S EXCLUSIVE ADVENTURES 7094 Oakleigh Dr. Las Vegas, NV 89110 Office 702-848-1693 Cell, Whats App, Signal 307-250-1156 PREFERRED E-mail markttc@msn.com Website: myexclusiveadventures.com Skype: markhyhunter Check us out on https://www.facebook.com/pages...ures/627027353990716 | |||
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Our hunters carry ammo and rifle, trackers and staff carry the rest.... I personally carry a 24 round cartridge belt and my loaded rifle, a small pocket knife, chewing gum so I don't get thirsty, my 8x30 Leicas...You have no need for anything else. Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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You guys carry too much stuff. | |||
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I usually end up carrying extra kit for my clients when I hunt with them, but when hunting for me, just the rifle, ammo, kleenex, mini zeiss binos, knife and a bag of dumb luck. When hunting with clients, I add a first aid kit (very good but compact), my camelbak with 2 canteens for the client, shooting sticks, gum and candy, camera and small tripod (tabletopper), and a small tarp (rolled up and tied to the top of my camelback) for keeping trophies clean(ish) while I field dress them. A client gave me a neat trick a few years back for prepping for a trip. Since it's a bit impractical to walk the streets with a 10lb rifle, he cut a 30 inch piece of 2"PVC pipe and capped both ends after adding sand or somesuch to make it weigh the same as his rifle. He added 2 sling swivels and the sling he would be using for the hunt and threw it over his shoulder each time he went out the door. It made him buy a smaller scope to save weight and change slings twice before he found one he didn't have to fiddle with constantly to keep on his shoulder. Hair, not Air! Rob Martin | |||
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I would venture a guess of 20-25 lbs for my pack & rifle. I take my pack EVERY time I leave the truck - even if I am only walking 50-100 yards from the truck to glass. There has been more than one time I see something on that short walk and it turns into 1/2 a day trek. I carry a full Camelpack backpack, small surival pack, first aid pack, small bivey tent(2lbs), Knife & sharpener, parachute cord, camera, small 2 way radio, GPS & Compass, flashlite, binos, spotting scope, rifle ,& ammo. I hunt mostly in the desert areas of Arizona. Your pack can save your life around here so I never leave without it. Lance Lance Larson Studio lancelarsonstudio.com | |||
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Since we're talking AFRICA here I'm with Ray... ...you don't need much. On my last hunt we covered a minimum of 10 miles a day on foot and up to 15 on others. I carried: Rifle, 15 rounds of ammo, pocket knife, Rangefinder binos, matches / lighter. Trackers / Game Scouts, PH carried: Water, Snacks, Shooting sticks, Medical kit, Radios, Back-up rifle and ammo, Bil-Tong, Cigars / cigarettes. We did 10 days on foot and never had a problem. Again, this is for AFRICA, not NA. I trained with a 12 lb bar wrapped in padding 50" long. ammo blet and binos....Walked all over the place with this set-up for the weeks prior to my departure - was ready to go when I hit the dirt in Zim! JW | |||
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rifle,15 rds ammo, small binos, disposable camera, Zeiss pre-moistened lens cloth= about 15 pounds at 6:00 AM, same weighs about 2000 pounds after hiking Drakenburg mountains for 5 hours!!! But, I was pretty well prepared for it as I had trained with all this plus those 2 pound wrist weights my wife uses and a whole lot more ammo!! Have fun. Joe | |||
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Jeff, Joe, guess my little country lane walks will have to be stepped up. Geez, 10 days of 10-15 miles per day is some serious hunting -- and this from an old Boy Scout hiker. Funny that tobacco keeps coming up in these posts, as it seems so inconsistent with the fitness levels required. There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn’t. – John Green, author | |||
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Aint that the truth. I carry 6-8 rounds of ammo(in pockets/gun) total. If I cant kill it with that i shouldnt be hunting in the first place I should be at the the range learning how to shoot. and my gun. If I need binos I look through my PH's the trackers carry the rest of the stuff if were on a long walk following up tracks etc. sorry about the spelling, I missed that class. | |||
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Endurance is different to fitness and is not necessarily inconsistant with being a bit over weight. We're not talking exertion that is going to aerobicaly stress you unless you're grossly unfit. What you do need to be able to do is to keep going at that pace for the whole trip. | |||
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Not to be critical, but what does a client need a GPS for on an African safari? I know they are fun, but wouldn't the time and effort be better spent putting one foot in front of the other in order to cover more territory and access more game? That is my theory anyway. | |||
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Have you ever used a GPS in Africa? How do you use your GPS, are you so unfamiliar with it that it causes delays that keep you from "covering more territory"? How much "time and effort" do you expend using your GPS? Honestly, your "theory" has to be so uninformed as to be laughable. Really, if you don't want to use a GPS, then don't. But there isn't a damn thing wrong with a client using one in Africa. Regards, Terry Msasi haogopi mwiba [A hunter is not afraid of thorns] | |||
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Dan, You are taking for granted that nothing bad will happen to your PH and trackers. But if such a situation does occure, I would be very glad that I made a waypoint at the camp, and another one where we left the vehicle (if we used one). The is no reason to make lots of other waypoints during the hunting day (IMO), so it doesn't use up any time while you're walking. Weightwise, for african hunting, I think a small GPS (such as a Garmin Geko which weighs 3.1 ounces with batterys, or one of the other smallest/simplest types) is the way to go, and doesn't add much to your belt. The "larger" types such as a Garmin 60CS with a topo mapping function isn't needed in most of africa, where there are no topo maps for GPS use anyway. So to sum it up, no time is lost with a GPS, and it can weigh down to 3.1 ounces! Not much bad about that IMO. | |||
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I recall one client who was simply amazed how our Masai tracker walked straight in to his buffalo that was being recovered, that he killed the day before... He ranted on all day long about "these people" who have that inbred, from centuries of living wild" ability to instinctively return to the kill form a completely different direction, so finally he cornered our boy, who instantly smiled his great toothy smile and prduced his most prized position, a GPS,,Wild laughter flowed throughout the evening for both staff and clients...  Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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cool... thought this was gonna be another "My Fat" post hahahaa | |||
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Very touchy. Why would a GPS discussion strike a nerve? I just want to get down to the business of hunting instead of playing with gadgets. | |||
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Lot's of reason for a GPS... Like PH is bit by mamaba and dies and tracker doesn't speak english...and you are asking to no avail...where is the f***in truck or camp. and it takes a whoppin minute to set a way point for base camp and "two clicks" to use the MOB function to set the truck Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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you're going to tip the "help" let them earn it! Gun,10 rounds of ammo,pocket knife,some hard candy,small pair of binos, SPF 30 sunblock | |||
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I never really hunted the bush in Africa. (A ranch hunt in RSA doesn't count). I usually carry here in the Rocky Mountain West. One good knife and small stone, a redneck tool (leather man to the rest of the world), a lighter, TP, High protein snacks and a candy bar or two. Water and iodine tabs to make more if needed. I have recently gotten a camel back water system that I’ll try out. It seems like it may be the ticket for carrying fluids. . I have a pouch that takes 5 rounds of ammo plus what is in the gun and 2 more in each breast pocket of my vest so they don’t rattle. That's it. I never could see how someone that can keep their head could get lost. I love my GPS but for fishing holes and such. I never used it in the hills but to each his own. On my trip to Africa I will forget the lighter and add ammo to a total of at least 15 maybe 20 rounds tops. I can probably forget most of the food and bring only a couple bars and hard candy to keep my throat moist. I always figured that if I need a belt to hold up my jeans then I’ve got too much shit on me. My hunting buddy of several decades was the opposite. He needed 100 feet of cord, 4 or 5 knives, enough grub for a two week trip. The one thing he always had that I actually carry when it’s really wet out is a 5 min road flare. You can get a fire going with the wettest wood you can imagine. I have one in my snowmobile and 4 wheeler whenever I go out in crappy weather. Staying warm here in January is a job especially once the sun goes down. Anyway Frank would take a gas grill if he could have found a way to carry it. It will be a year on the 20th that cancer took him from us. Carry what makes you feel comfortable after all it’s your hunt and your life if it hits the fan I used to need a 40 pound pack to take all the shit I toted around but I just never seemed to use the stuff and I’ve got it weeded down to only what I actually use. JMO of course John | |||
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For one I find such a response to a quite reasonable preferance not worthy of a moderate-or. | |||
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A case for a GPS: On my first safari and actually my first african kill (Zebra) we had walked a considerable distance from the vehicle. My PH and two trackers set off to retrieve the vehicle and cut a swath through the bush in order to pick up the kill. They were gone for over an hour and it got me to thinking; there I was with a "reasonable" idea where camp was and that's about it. Lots of "what ifs" but after that episode, the GPS was on my hip. I use it a lot here in the states when I hunt alone also. On my second safari, my friend shot his buffalo in the most difficult terrain possible in Dande North (Zimbabwe). It was almost dark, and both of us stayed with the buffalo while John and the trackers wne back for the vehicle that was again several clicks away. Since I knew exactly where we were, had anything gone wrong, we could have easily made our way back to camp. I don't know whether it's the aviator in me but it drives me crazy not knowing where I am at all times. Carrying a GPS is both smart and prudent. jorge USN (ret) DRSS Verney-Carron 450NE Cogswell & Harrison 375 Fl NE Sabatti Big Five 375 FL Magnum NE DSC Life Member NRA Life Member | |||
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500 gr with your personality I'd recommend buying the very best GPS you can find. As the PH and trackers might very well dump you off in the bush to fend for yourself  | |||
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Well I reread the question and came up with this: I carry about 25 lbs. to much, Judge G about 55 lbs., Rusty about 55 lbs, Jim Sherman and Palmer need to gain about 30 lbs. Mac could shed a half ton, Bundy needs to drop a 100, need I go on!!!   Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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BTT, Aw come on guys, surly I can stir up more ca ca than that with this post!!  Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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