I’ve recently acquired a few new items to get me started on backpack hunting. I was looking for a balance between lightweight and comfort - didn’t want to go ultralight and get stuck in a mummy bag, bivvy etc. Application is 1-5 nights in 3-season conditions, no extreme altitudes, initially hunting for sambar deer in Australia. So this is what I ended up with, a few “first impressions†comments inserted. Thanks for the advice from this forum.

Pack – Kifaru Siwash with most of the extras. It arrived today and first impression is that it is exactly what I had anticipated. I can see that I will leave some of the accessories home most of the time and the cargo chair will remain in camp until something is on the ground. As expected it appears well designed and manufactured. The pack was the one area I didn’t hesitate to spend the money – I expect this will get a lot of use over the years, not just for hunting.

Tent – Big Agnes Seedhouse SL2. This is one of the situations where I was prepared to carry a few extra ounces for some extra space. I nearly bought the Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight tent but decided to spend the extra money on the Big Agnes to save some weight. Have used it once in fairly mild conditions – easy to erect and pack away, no problems to date. The footprint was included as a special and it worked well with the tent, seems sensible to use it to help protect the floor.

Bag/mattress – Big Agnes Crystal bag and Insulated Air Core mattress. Again I didn’t want minimalist size (ie mummy bag) so I decided to try the Big Agnes system. The Crystal bag is rated to 30F and I would say that is about right. One very comfortable night in conditions perhaps a couple of degrees above freezing. I found (as expected) that with the mattress attached to the bag the sleeping bag doesn’t wrap in close to the body so it is necessary to completely zip up the bag in cooler conditions. I plan to get a silk liner and also use thermals if conditions go below freezing.

Princeton Tec EOS headlamp – previously I’ve used Princeton Tec Aurora lamps but wanted something that could project a brighter beam if required. I haven’t used the EOS much yet but it appears to meet my needs.

The Kifaru was (of course) purchased direct from Kifaru. The Big Agnes gear (not available in Australia), headlamp and a number of minor bits of kit were from www.campsaver.com - whilst many of the internet companies won’t deal with international customers campsaver.com were happy to ship to Australia and promptly dealt with one minor error, I will definitely use them again.

Ian