Gear Changes
Here I sit reflecting on my 10-day Yukon Moose/Caribou hunt. Overall, it was a great adventure, and the scenery and solitude were better than I could have ever imagined. There is nothing I would change from the hunt perspective, but let’s talk gear. In my last article Decision Making | RuckList I discussed the three things that were at the top of my mind for gear decisions. If you haven’t read that article yet, it would be worth taking a moment to check it out, as this one will make more sense. I did a ton of research before leaving and felt like I had everything as dialed as I could. I arrived at camp a day early and had plenty of time to sort through my gear and weed out the unnecessary items. Nothing important was taken out of my pack, but I did leave an extra pair of long john bottoms, an MSR stove, and an inflatable pillow. I had packed multiple base layers and decided I only needed one; my wife was bringing her stove, and I had a small, regular pillow that I preferred to the inflatable one. Those were easy decisions once I got there and started to pack things for the trip.
Based on my research before the hunt, I ended up taking a Seek Outside 8-man tipi, a Stone Glacier 15-degree sleeping bag, the KUIU Kutana rain jacket, and a pair of Sitka Dew Point rain pants. I dug to the depths of the internet to determine what my best options were for the hunt I was going on. The 8-man tipi and the Stone Glacier sleeping bag performed absolutely flawlessly. We had several days of hard rain, and the tipi was an awesome setup for weathering the storm. The KUIU Kutana rain jacket also worked very well and never wetted out, even in heavy rain on horseback for multiple hours. However, the Sitka Dew Point is worthless. My legs were wet for the entire trip. They leaked water profusely and got torn up almost immediately by the alder and willow brush. Since arriving back home, I’ve thought extensively about my gear and what I would do differently.
1. Stone Glacier M5 rain pants will be in my pack from now on. My wife used these for the entire trip and never had a single issue. They are tougher and obviously more waterproof than the Dew Point pants.
2. We need a better option for a stove in these tipi’s. We used the Seek Outside SXL stove and it’s just not great. The damper system is poorly designed, the leg system is terrible for uneven surfaces, and the convection of the stove is less than ideal. I don’t know that there is a better option out there, but if there is, I will find it before my next hunt.
3. Stone Glacier SQ2 Alpine Gaiters will be my new gaiters. I used a set of Outdoor Research Crocodile Gaiters, and they were pretty good. I’ve owned them for a couple of years and have been fairly happy with them. On this trip, they didn’t cut it. They ripped in multiple places and leaked water fairly badly by the end of the trip. My wife used the Stone Glacier gaiter, and they are awesome. They are very tough and did not leak any water.
Those three things were the biggest gear issues I had. While none of them were catastrophic failures, they were definitely holes in my gear that need to be upgraded. I did have two pieces of gear that were absolute winners on this trip.
1. Helinox Chair: This thing was awesome. I spent hours glassing from this chair and even more time sitting in it in the evenings in the tipi. It’s just nice not to sit on the wet ground or on your sleeping bag when hanging out. Considering that it weighs around 1lb. I’ll be packing it more often.
2. DripDrop Grape hydration packs. If you are searching for a nice little pick-me-up with some good flavor while on a cold and physical hunt, these are the answer. I listened to a Front of Center episode with Jay Anthony before I left, and he mentioned these DripDrop hydration sticks. I decided to give them a try, and they did not disappoint. If you are looking for a change in the hydration realm, give them a go!
As I move into rifle season and the weather gets colder, I’ll be making slight changes to my gear. With those changes, I’ll be refining my gear lists and sharing them on RuckList to provide info for those who may have gear questions. If you are coming out west and want to make sure you have everything covered, please feel free to reach out any time. At RuckList, we have over 100 years of experience hunting western big game. If we don’t have the answer, we will find someone within our network who does. We are here to ensure you have the confidence to make the most of your trip and maximize your time afield!