Personal Gear List
Weight: Your baggage should not exceed 70lbs and it should be packed in soft duffel bags. This is very important, as travel to spike camps is in small aircraft and large, hard sided bags are very difficult to load. I recommend packing a couple of smaller duffels or dry bags in your large travel bag and using these to pack your gear into for travel to spike camp. Your large travel bag and street clothes can be left in town along with your hard gun case.
Clothing: Plan your clothing system in layers so that you can easily adjust to changing temps and activity levels. For my warm coat I use a windblock fleece as the outer layer and a synthetic fill (looks like down) packable jacket as my insulation layer. The two pieces are versatile and fit easily into your backpack when you don’t need them.
Firearms: Your rifle should be scoped with good quality optics and sighted in about 2" high at 100 yds. Synthetic stocks are a good choice for the wet conditions that we sometimes have in Alaska. Minimum recommended caliber for caribou is .243, for moose and bear- 30/06. High quality, or premium type ammo is strongly recommended. More important than the caliber that you choose, is the bullet that you shoot and I cannot emphasize enough, the importance of premium bullets. There are many quality bullets on the market, but, for large game, the “Barnes triple shock” is my number one choice. After you are confident with your rifle and load off from the bench, make sure to spend time practicing in field shooting positions before your hunt.
Footgear: For moose hunts and some bear hunts you will need some type of waders and your choices are hip boots (must be ankle fit type) or breathable waders. My personal choice on this is a quality pair of waist high breathable waders with a heavy duty rubber soled over boot (not felts). Full height chest waders also work but can be really warm when we are hiking. A quality pair of waist high breathable waders is by far the most comfortable thing that I have ever used on a hunt in rainy or swampy conditions and are far more comfortable to hike in than rubber hip boots. Some brands to look for are "Simms, Redington, and Patagonia".
Physical Condition: The better that your physical condition, the more fun, and successful, your hunt will be. On most hunts we do not walk that many miles per day, but, the walking conditions in Alaska are more difficult than most people are used to, so, the more conditioning that you do, the better off you will be.
- Rifle and 40 rounds of ammo
- Soft Gun Case ( hard sided cases must be left in town)
- Binoculars - 8x30 or higher magnification, compact binoculars are not recommended, you will spend a lot of time using your binoculars and the best quality optics are highly recommended.
- Sleeping Bag; warm down to 10 - 15 degrees. I recommend a lightweight synthetic fill bag, I do not recommend a down filled bag for Alaska.
- Sleeping pad - thermarest or similar brand is recommended. (I have these available)
- Rain Coat; the best Gore Tex models work well. Helly Hanson Impertech is a lightweight non breathable that also works well and is what I use personally.
- Rain Pants; the same as above. Rain pants MUST fit over hip boots, or you can use a long length rain coat that comes to knee level along with your hip boots instead of rain pants.
- Backpack; medium size, internal or external frame, not a day pack!
- Ankle Fit Hip Boots or Waist High Breathable Waders (not required for all hunts, please ask if you will need them) See below for more foot gear info
- Quality Hunting Boots
- Camp Shoes
- Warm Hat and a lightweight hat (Ball cap or similar)
- Synthetic Long Underwear, at least 2pr
- Pants; 2pr lightweight synthetic, 1 pr heavier weight synthetic or wool (I use Cabelas microtex for my lightweight pants and ‘berber micro fleece’ with a windblock liner, for colder days)
- Shirts; synthetic or wool (I use Cabelas microtex)
- Socks; at least 6 pr, wool or synthetic
- Gloves
- Warm Coat
- Camera and Film or memory card
- Headlamp or small Flashlight
- Extra Batteries
- Hunting Knife
- Water Bottle (32oz or larger)
- Extra Eyeglasses or Contacts if worn
- Medications
- Personal Toiletry Articles
- Reading materials
- Walking sticks (not a necessary item, but, a lot of hunters find these helpful)
Weight: Your baggage should not exceed 70lbs and it should be packed in soft duffel bags. This is very important, as travel to spike camps is in small aircraft and large, hard sided bags are very difficult to load. I recommend packing a couple of smaller duffels or dry bags in your large travel bag and using these to pack your gear into for travel to spike camp. Your large travel bag and street clothes can be left in town along with your hard gun case.
Clothing: Plan your clothing system in layers so that you can easily adjust to changing temps and activity levels. For my warm coat I use a windblock fleece as the outer layer and a synthetic fill (looks like down) packable jacket as my insulation layer. The two pieces are versatile and fit easily into your backpack when you don’t need them.
Firearms: Your rifle should be scoped with good quality optics and sighted in about 2" high at 100 yds. Synthetic stocks are a good choice for the wet conditions that we sometimes have in Alaska. Minimum recommended caliber for caribou is .243, for moose and bear- 30/06. High quality, or premium type ammo is strongly recommended. More important than the caliber that you choose, is the bullet that you shoot and I cannot emphasize enough, the importance of premium bullets. There are many quality bullets on the market, but, for large game, the “Barnes triple shock” is my number one choice. After you are confident with your rifle and load off from the bench, make sure to spend time practicing in field shooting positions before your hunt.
Footgear: For moose hunts and some bear hunts you will need some type of waders and your choices are hip boots (must be ankle fit type) or breathable waders. My personal choice on this is a quality pair of waist high breathable waders with a heavy duty rubber soled over boot (not felts). Full height chest waders also work but can be really warm when we are hiking. A quality pair of waist high breathable waders is by far the most comfortable thing that I have ever used on a hunt in rainy or swampy conditions and are far more comfortable to hike in than rubber hip boots. Some brands to look for are "Simms, Redington, and Patagonia".
Physical Condition: The better that your physical condition, the more fun, and successful, your hunt will be. On most hunts we do not walk that many miles per day, but, the walking conditions in Alaska are more difficult than most people are used to, so, the more conditioning that you do, the better off you will be.