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    Been awhile since I poked my head in here...I thought the price of gear was going to not allow me to do a hunt this year...then I came up with an idea.

    I don't wanna break the bank though and since I was in the Marines and did a lot of humping around with a Molle II pack for 5 years so I thought that I could pick one up from a surplus store or online and use it. I was looking at something like this. It should hold around 5000 cubic inches if you include the sleeper system carrier and side pouches...that should hold me over for a 4-5 day hunt, no?

    I also applied the same logic to a pair of boots, I've read a bunch of threads about boots and I can't afford to spend several hundred dollars on boots...I did a lot of humping around with boots similar to these in Iraq and never had any problems with my feet hurting or blistering and I did a lot of walking on patrols. I was also debating about picking up a pair of Under Armor Speedfreak Trail boots, I don't wanna spend more than a 150 bucks.

    So, what say you? Good idea or bad idea?

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      Been WAY more critters killed in old army stuff then anything else!!! It might not be as comfortable, but you can sure do it. Don't let that stop you. I say go for it!

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        How many days could I bivy out of with a 5000 cubic inch pack?

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          IMO, a week or longer if you pack well. 5000 bag is plenty.

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            rhendix, I do not know about you but I hated the Molle System. You can pick up a large alice pack and frame for $30 on ebay. The newer ILBE for about $150 or so. I picked up a mystery ranch pack and used in for a week in New Mexico on an elk hunt and love it.

            On the hunt I wore my cold weather USMC issue boots. They did well but were a little difficult in the snow when we got into the deeper stuff, they were not the best for traction.

            I also have a military sleep system, alot of people knock it but I slept many a night under the stars with it and it worked well.

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              I didn't mind the Molle II system, I never had a problem with it breaking or anything. I've heard nothing but good things about the ILBE system though. To eBay I go.

              I had a pair of the belleville desert boots, they were really similar to the Oakley type boots and really comfortable with great ankle support, which is why I thought they'd work great in CO.

              And the sleep systems are awesome, I've slept many nights in the mountains of California under the stars like a baby thanks to the bivy sack and liner.

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                Originally posted by rhendrix View Post
                I also applied the same logic to a pair of boots, I've read a bunch of threads about boots and I can't afford to spend several hundred dollars on boots...I did a lot of humping around with boots similar to these in Iraq and never had any problems with my feet hurting or blistering and I did a lot of walking on patrols. I was also debating about picking up a pair of Under Armor Speedfreak Trail boots, I don't wanna spend more than a 150 bucks.

                So, what say you? Good idea or bad idea?
                5000 in^3 of pack is plenty for a week and if you are comfortable with the Molle Pack and think you can hike uphill long distances with 50#s then go for it. I have seen discussion of guys that use Alice Packs with success. Renting gear may be an option. www.hutnhardcore.com is a really good guy that sponsors on bowsite.com. His website is down at the time of this writing. I emailed him to see whats what. http://www.outdoorsgeek.com is another site with more of a hiker focus. You could rent an entire camp setup...tent, pack, sleeping bag/pad, stove, water filter all for under $150 for a week. Hunthardcore also rents optics and GPS.

                As far as the boots...I think you would be better served finding used or great deals on hiking boots instead of trying to make a desert boot work in the mountains. I may have missed it but I don't think they are waterproof and IMO that is a must. Those boots will lack lateral support and will be troublesome side hilling with a load on your back. You don't want to skimp on boots. Let me say it again becuase I can't stress it enough...you don't want to skimp on boots! Nothing can shut your hunt down faster than problems with your feet on a mountain hunt.
                For a $150 budget get you a pair of Asolo Sasslongs from Sierra Trading Post.
                http://www.sierratradingpost.com/aso...r-men~p~83043/ and use winter2(additional 30% off) as a coupon code. You may get additional off as a new customer as well. Asolo makes a very capable Elk hunting boot and will last you many seasons. REI carries Asolo and other hiking boots that you can try before you buy.
                Last edited by drthornton; 02-03-2012, 10:23 AM.

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                  The worst part about boots and elk hunting is coming downhill from the mountain. Your feet and toes in particular take a beating with that downhill angle.

                  You don't have to spend alot on boots to hunt elk and be comfortable. I used some $49 Bass pro boots 2 years in a row with no problems....they fit me really well....that's the key...fit. They finally wore out and last year I bought some Danner GTX for $75 and they are awesome in the mountains. I have a pair of Danner Pronghorns and don't like them for elk hunting. Too heavy and hot for me. The majority of the time its warm in the mountains in Sept.

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                    I'll be headed to CO this fall and wondering about what type of boots I would need. I've been hunting in NM and my hunting boots were just too heavy and been thinking about some light weight hiking shoes. Would this work? Something like Merrels with GoreTex

                    Lowcut or Mids?

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                      Originally posted by dtu11 View Post
                      I'll be headed to CO this fall and wondering about what type of boots I would need. I've been hunting in NM and my hunting boots were just too heavy and been thinking about some light weight hiking shoes. Would this work? Something like Merrels with GoreTex

                      Lowcut or Mids?

                      http://www.basspro.com/Merrell-Moab-...0203037/103988
                      You got the right idea...most hunting boots weren't meant for hiking. Elk hunting is 90% hiking. I'd go with the Mids you need some ankle protection. Mine are Mids go just above the ankle.
                      Last edited by unclefish; 02-04-2012, 12:39 PM.

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                        As others have said, invest in good boots ($200+) and good socks (SmartWool are the best IMO).

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                          marshrat - Could you hunt in the end of September? If you can swing it, I'll be your partner, we can learn together. I'm in the same boat as you, with a three year old boy and a 7 month old little girl I don't have time to hang out with freinds, let alone make a bunch of hunting friends. I wanna make this happen though, so as long as I can afford it, I'm gonna do it. That's my major obstacle at the moment, trying to gather the fund up for a nice pack at the very least, then I can use some of the links that drthornton

                          DR - Those boots look awesome, thanks for the heads up, as soon as I get the funds I'll buy them. As far as the packs listed on outdoor geeks, what kind of pack do they outfit you with? Are they sufficient enough to carry a 80-90# load? The ones they have listed for sell say they are best suited for 35-45# loads, I assume these are similar to the packs they rent to you. And how would I secure my bow with just a regular hiking pack? I know it's a lot of questions...renting gear is something I hadn't considered though and looks to be a pretty awesome idea if the gear is good enough to last me seven days above timberline.

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                            Originally posted by rhendrix View Post
                            marshrat - Could you hunt in the end of September? If you can swing it, I'll be your partner, we can learn together. I'm in the same boat as you, with a three year old boy and a 7 month old little girl I don't have time to hang out with freinds, let alone make a bunch of hunting friends. I wanna make this happen though, so as long as I can afford it, I'm gonna do it. That's my major obstacle at the moment, trying to gather the fund up for a nice pack at the very least, then I can use some of the links that drthornton

                            DR - Those boots look awesome, thanks for the heads up, as soon as I get the funds I'll buy them. As far as the packs listed on outdoor geeks, what kind of pack do they outfit you with? Are they sufficient enough to carry a 80-90# load? The ones they have listed for sell say they are best suited for 35-45# loads, I assume these are similar to the packs they rent to you. And how would I secure my bow with just a regular hiking pack? I know it's a lot of questions...renting gear is something I hadn't considered though and looks to be a pretty awesome idea if the gear is good enough to last me seven days above timberline.
                            Yeah outdoor geeks stuff is hiking stuff. The Gregory Z65 is a quite capable pack but I doubt 90#s capable. It'll do 60 though...my buddy hauled Elk meat with his last year.

                            This is the site you need to rent from for hunting gear. http://www.westernhuntrentals.com/ I actually talked for about 2 hours with the owner yesterday. He called me in response to the email I sent him. He's got most everything you need. We talked about your situation and what he recommends is to pick 1 good piece of gear each year and buy it then rent the rest till you are all outfitted.

                            An Eberlestock Blue Widow(nice pack and will handle heavy loads), Big Agnes Lost Ranger and pad, Big Agnes Seedhouse SL2 and Jetboil would run you $175 for a week. Depending on where you are hunting you may or may not need good optics. IMO for CO OTC you don't use binos very much and when you do they don't have to be really high end. I put a color mapping GPS as a must have but some guys just use maps.

                            The company has an office in Denver. You could save shipping if you went by the office and picked all your stuff up.

                            The one ding I have on renting is you have to work the kinks out of your system in the field. A way to cover is to rent for a couple days early, have it shipped and set up in your backyard. Remember that $175 is getting you about $1000 worth of gear and a year of experience.

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                              Had buddies use their rental gear and apparently it is top notch. If you are looking to buy, the Kelty Cache Hauler with bag is tough to beat. Ask Marsh, tough to beat for the money. As for last week in Sept. Be ready for snow up high, depends on where you are hunting, but you can get a lot of it in a hurry. Just be prepared with you rain gear, boots, sleep system and ways to get a fire started and you will be fine.

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                                I will agree with Dr on the optics as well. Last two CO hunts, never used my 10x42, heavy as heck, binocs for much. If I do CO this year, I won't be bringing any. Our unit is pretty much dark timber.

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