Please critique my caribou gear list

mcseal2

Veteran member
Mar 1, 2011
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midwest
I'm going on a caribou hunt this fall out of Kotzebue Sept 17 to 24 with a couple friends. It will be our first caribou hunt, and our first time on the tundra. I've had some time on some bad weather days to put together my initial gear list of what I am thinking of taking. I'm sure I have some unnecessary stuff and am probably missing some other items. Please check out my list and let me know what to look at changing if you have time.

Hopefully some of you experienced guys that helped me out before my moose hunt are weathered in and bored, and won't mind helping me again.

We are limited to 80lbs of gear each not counting our food and fuel we will consume in the field. Right now my list is right about there not counting what I wear in. I would like to shave some off of what I have, but I have not decided what to cut out. It's always harder for me the first trip to a new environment. I have a tendency to want to have everything plus a back-up in the vehicle when driving, but these hunts require a little more planning.

Weights of everything from my Excel sheet are out to the side of the item. I have things split between group items and personal items.

One thing we keep debating is tents. We are still deciding if we want to take several small tents and save weight, or go with a bigger 8 man and cut weight elsewhere. Tents, cots, and footwear seem to be areas we keep debating.

Thanks everyone for the help.
 

mcseal2

Veteran member
Mar 1, 2011
1,172
195
midwest
Gear List AK caribou



Guns/accessories/Personal optics


-Rifles Inc 300 Win mag, 3-12x Huskemaw, scope caps, sling 133
-20 rounds 180gr E tip ammo in factory box 26.4
-Glock G20 w/ KKM barrel, empty mag, and Streamlight TLR-1 light on rail 37
-16 rounds Underwood 200gr Hardcast ammo in factory box 14.8
-Otis 30 cal cleaning kit (part of repair kit 3.4oz)
-Partial roll electrical tape for muzzles (repair kit .5)
-laminated wind drift chart for 300 win mags .5
-Leica 10x42 Geovid HD-B binos 36
-FHF bino harness w/ Razco holster for Glock 15.5 (wear in)
-Polarized sunglasses (wear in)
-Sunglasses hard case (won’t smash glasses in pack 3.9)

Sleep
-Thermarest Mesh cot 70
-Kifaru Slickbag +20 wide 39
-Thermarest Neoair X therm pad large 5.7 R value 20
-Kuiu Storm Star 2 person tent 93
-Granite Gear 25L dry bag (stuff with extra clothes for pillow, extra protection for them)

Clothing/Footwear
-
Simms G3 wader boot 64
-Chota Tundra Hippie waders 22
-Kennetrek Mountain Extreme boots 86 (wear in)
-Kennetrek gaiters 12 (wear in)
-FL Wilikin Aerowool long sleeve zip shirts x2 (wear one 9oz each)
-Kuiu insulated snap shirt 10 (wear in)
-Kuiu Peloton 240 fleece hoody 18 (wear in)
-Sitka Mountain vest 10.2 (wear in)
-Kuiu Superdown Pro puffy jacket 18
-FL SEAK rain jacket 27

Total pairs of socks and underwear taken are 4, take 3 in pack and wear one in
-FL Aerowool boxers 4oz each x3
-FL Aerowool 200 base layers 10.2oz each x2 (wear one in)
-Darn Tough full cushion boot socks 3.8oz each x3
-Kuiu Yukon rain pants 26 (wear in)
-Kuiu Superdown Pro puffy pants 16
-Kuiu Chugach rain pants 17 (these fit over the puffy pants, Yukons are sized to wear as normal pants)

-Kuiu Peloton 200 fleece gloves 3
-Sitka Downpour GTX warm waterproof gloves 5.6
-Kuiu Axis water resistant glove 2.8
-FL Aerowool baklava 2

Pack/Meat Packing/Game Processing
-Exo 3500 pack w/ factory dry bag, weapon carrier, and Nalgene Holder 100
-Kifaru rain cover 3
-Leki carbon trekking poles 16
-Hunting & Fishing license 1
-Caribou and wolf tags 1
-Buck Alpha Crosslock knife (S30V blade, back-up bone saw) 3.9
-Bark River Classic Clip point hunter (tougher 4.5” 3V fixed blade knife) 7.2
(Benchmade field sharpener in group repair kit, ceramic steel in my DSK)
-Tag Bags 5 bag 24”x44” caribou set 18

Cooking & hydration personal
-Snow Peak 24oz Titanium mug w/ lid 4.6
-Silver Ant 29oz TI water bottle 4
-Smart Water bottle 33oz 1.4 (NOT a Gatorade bottle so it doesn’t get confused for pee bottle)
-TI long handled spork .7
-GSI plastic fork .4
-GSI Cascadian tall sided plate 3
-MSR Pocket Rocket stove 3 (take if I want when leaving camp)

Fishing
-Bass Pro 6’6” medium action Micro Lite pack rod in factory protective case 15
-Flambeau WP 3012 small waterproof tackle box w/ spinners & spoons 11
-Shimano Sahara 2500 spinning reel w/ spare spool of line 12.5

Misc
-Gatorade 28oz bottle 3 (pee bottle for tent)
-Black Diamond Re-Volt headlamp (re-chargeable or 3AAA) 4
-Streamlight Microlight re-chargeable min flashlight 1.5 (carry in bino harness)
-Dark Energy Poseidon 10k battery pack, mini dry bag, 2 micro USB and 2 I phone 6” cables 15.5
-Anker 26500k battery pack 18
-Sawyer 3oz bottle 100% Deet in ziplock bag 4.2
-Seek Outside DST tarp w/ guylines and stakes 30
-Kuiu Taku 5500 waterproof duffle bag 32 (haul gear home)
-Plastic tote for food on trip up, meat on way home 64
-personal med/ higene kit kit (pills, vitamins, lotrimin, deoderant, Carmex, etc) 7
-Wet ones antibacterial wipes 20 packs x5 3.5oz each 17.5
-1/2 roll blue shop towels (cut a roll in half to make it large toilet paper roll size)
-Rite in Rain notebook & pen 3.7 (hunt journal)

-Daypack survival/med/repair kit 20.7oz is the total of everything listed below
-Contained in Granite Gear zipper pouch, qt ziplock in pouch for small items:
-2 gauze pads 3”x3”
-2 Band-aids 1lg, 1 small
-packaged suture 1 small
-Adventure Medical space blanket 96“x60“
-Gorilla superglue single use tube
-partial roll Tenacious Tape
-trotline cord 10yds 142lb green
-50ft 1.9mm paracord
-3 6” zip ties
-2 repair needles (one curved, one straight)
-6 safety pins (2XL, 2med, 2 small)
-1.2oz fishing/snaring kit
-4 wetfire cubes
-1 Mentos bottle Vaseline soaked cotton balls
-mini Bic lighter
-Light my Fire firesteel and striker
-lens cloth
-Danner boot lace x2
-Silva compass
-10 aquapure tabs (1/qt of water, 30 minutes)
-Benchmade tactical carbide sharpener (.5oz)
-mosquito head net
-synthetic bandana (pre-filter water, etc)
 

mcseal2

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Mar 1, 2011
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Group items list (weights split between all 3 of us)

-Titanium shovel 20
-Outdoor Edge Flip N Zip bone saw 2.5

-Katadyn 10L base camp water filter w/ spare filter 14.5
-2.5L collapsible water jug adapted for Katadyn 6
-Steripen Ultra (freeze proof back-up and portable filter) 6.7

-Seek Outside Colorado 10x10 silnylon tarp (cook and sit under) w/ guylines 20
-Green Elephant tarp poles (raise a ridgeline for cook tarp) 37
-Equiniox 8x10 silnylon tarp (put over meat) w/ guylines 13.7
-Paracord 50ft 4
-10” spiral aluminum stakes in bag x40 (good stakes to use on tarps and tents) 54
-Kifaru SST stakes 18” x11 (longer stakes for tarps and tents) 27
-Camptime Roll A Chair x3 (35oz each) 105

-Promaster tripod, Outdoorsmans pan head, shooting rest 55
-Kowa 55mm Prominar spotter w/ stay on case 33.5
-Caldwell wind meter 3.5

-MSR Windburner stove set (2.5L pot, 8” skillet) 32
-Fuel canisters 8oz x8 (70oz total, but figure 20 for packing out empty cans) 20

-med kit group (vet wrap, larger gauze pads, immodium, etc) 6.2
-Black Diamond ReVolt headlamp (take 1 spare for group) 4
-Spare batteries (AAA lithium x6, CR-2 x1, 2032 x2) 4
-Dean’s good camera 24
-Repair kit group (wader repair kit, Thermarest repair kit, Tenacious tape, zip ties, etc) 23
-Coglans camp soap 2oz bottle 3.2
-open reed predator calls x2 (in case we get a chance for a wolf) 2
 

Bonecollector

Veteran member
Mar 9, 2014
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Looks like a good list. I’ll be following your experience.
Word of caution; careful with that predator call as you may call in a grizzly and quickly transition from predator to pray.
 
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mcseal2

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Mar 1, 2011
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Thanks guys. I forgot to put the communications on the list. will have a couple In Reach devices along. I have a mini and a friend has the full size.

I used the trip as an excuse to buy the 10mm, better not tell the wife if I leave it at home!

I agree on the calls. If we use them it will be somewhere we can see a bear a ways off.

Thanks again, good points.
 

mallardsx2

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Jul 8, 2015
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I would recommend 20 zip ties,1 roll of electrical tape and a leatherman.

Those are three things I dont go anywhere without.

I would bring a sawyer life straw as well. I might have missed it on your list.
 

mallardsx2

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Wow … that's a great list. Very well thought out.

I read the list before any of the comments and I was going to say if it were me I wouldn't bring the pistol … but never mind :)
I was literally thinking the same thing. If I have my rifle I dont bother with the weight of a handgun. But I didn't want to pee in anyone cheerios either. lol If I have to choose between the rifle and the pistol I'm going with the rifle in Brown Bear country especially. I hate carrying a pistol.They dig into my side. I rarely carry one.
 

JimP

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I think that the thing with the pistol is that most of the time you don't pack your rifle everywhere you go, but if a pistol is strapped to your hip or under your shoulder then it goes along. Especially at night when nature calls and you are outside of the tent doing your business or even if you are inside of your tent where a rifle is unwieldy to get pointed in the correct direction.
 
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Winchester

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Mar 27, 2014
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Yeah, but if a grizzly is gonna try and get you while you're peeing in the night best to just let him get you. :oops:
What a rodeo that would turn into, one hand holding your fun gun…, the other holding a pistol and shooting at a grizzly you can't see.
Probably gonna shoot your buddy asleep in the tent... !!
 
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mallardsx2

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Having personally been to some very remote places outside of Kotzebue I wouldnt even step outside my tent to piss at night. Especially without my headlamp and my rifle.... Not that I'm scared of a little bear of nothing...lol
 
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mcseal2

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Good tips by all.

The Leatherman, zip ties, and tape are all in the group repair kit. I should have pasted it's contents also. I will do that below with the group medical and repair kits. I have a little electrical tape plus some Gorilla tape and Tenacious tape.

You guys are all right about the handgun. They say people pack their fears on a trip and I'm no different. I like having a handgun handy at night. I live in the country 30 minutes drive from a police station and keep one where the kids can't get it but I can quickly next to my bed every night. Me sleeping without the handgun close is like walking around without my pocket knife in my pocket, just doesn't seem right.

I will probably take a handgun of some sort just to help me sleep in bear country, even if I pick something lighter like one of my 357's in the end. My little S&W Pro Series Model 60 in 357 with it's holster and 15 rounds of 158gr Hardcast ammo is only 36oz, my 7 shot 6" scandium frame 386 isn't much more. A handgun is a comfort item I'm willing to drop weight elsewhere to have along. I am in the habit of always sleeping with a pistol next to me when I camp on hunting or fishing trips. If I'm scouting or fishing I always carry one. Rifle season I won't carry one hunting, but unless I'm backpacking it's always at camp.

My thinking on this trip is that it will be on me and accessible even when the rifle is not. The Glock has night sights and a bright light attached to the rail, so it made the most sense to me. If I have to get out of the tent at night it's all in one package. I've packed the Glock quite a bit when hiking in the holster that attaches to the bottom of my bino harness. It's out of the way there, not catching on something or digging into my hip. Quick to reach but not a problem to carry except for the extra weight. I might not pack it during the day all the time if we are dropped in open country where I can see anything coming a long way off, but I would still like to have it at camp. Also if I tag out early and I am fishing or just along to pack meat I may carry it instead of the rifle while we are filling other tags. Really unless I get a caribou and a wolf though I'll likely have the rifle just in case I spot something I can hunt.

The wife of one of the hunters in my group has a friend who lives in Kotzebue. She doesn't even like to walk around town without a pistol she said so he gets to buy one too now! Probably don't need 3 full size handguns in camp for 3 guys though, maybe I'll leave mine and just steal his. I'm a better shot than him anyway.....

Thanks everyone for the advice.
 
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mcseal2

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Repair kit for Alaska 2/6/19
-zip ties assorted sizes x8
-wader repair kit
-5ft 1” wide Gorilla tape (wrapped around wader repair kit)
-T 15 Torx wrench (fits our scope rings/bases)
-safety pins x5
-gorilla glue single use tube x2
-Otis cleaning kit 30 cal
-partial roll electrical tape for rifle muzzles
-Leatherman PST II
-Tuff Cloth and container
-soft tape for antler judging
-plastic mouse trap
-partial roll Tenacious tape

1lb 7oz, or 23oz
 

mcseal2

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Medical kit for Alaska 7/29/18 (6.2oz total in gallon ziplock)

-new roll vet wrap
-4 gauze pads 3”x3”
-2 abdominal gauze pads, thicker 5”x9” pads
-suture 1 lg
-Immodium 15 tablets
-Neosporin 1 .5oz tube
-bandaids assorted sizes 8
-hemostat
-aquamira tabs for 30 quarts of water (.2oz total emergency water treatment)

6.2oz