BIVY 45 / JOHN BARKLOW - BIG GAME PRODUCT MANAGER The variables are part of the pain and the pleasure. They’re what keep you interested. Terrain, weather, and the animals themselves change from one engagement to the next. The best pack is multifaceted, equipped with gear that brings you closer to your goal but never gets in the way. Our Big Game Product Manager John Barklow tells us about his preferred pack and what he carries. John: Living 15 years in Kodiak, Alaska teaching Special Operations forces how to live and survive unsupported in harsh mountain climates taught me a few tricks, one of which is limiting stuff sacks to help reduce weight and get more inside your pack. The odd shapes and sizes created by stuff sacks don’t pack tightly together and waste precious cubic inches. What I call the chaos theory of packing uses a large dry sack to line the pack and waterproof gear I don’t typically use during the day. Gear that I’ll readily use or that doesn’t need to be water-proof like a tent, rain gear, and puffy jacket are stuffed on top filling any gaps. This method takes full advantage of all the room inside the pack. The Pack: The Bivy 45 pack is perfect for a three-to-four day mountain hunt, providing ample room for all your necessities with a little room left over to get a reasonable load of meat out of the field. I’ve used this pack with good success from Alaska to Montana while hunting bears, mountain goat, elk, and deer.
A. Water Bladder: A 4-liter size allows me to carry and/ or store a large quantity of water when a suitable water source is found. B. Survival/First Aid Kit: Carried in a small Ziploc® bag, it contains the basics to start a fire in any conditions, manage blisters, and treat cuts. C. Fixed Blade Knife: A small 4” blade performs everything from boning out animals to batoning wood for fires and provides better functionality than a scalpel, which I also carry for caping and quartering. D. Necessities: Traverse gloves and a SITKA beanie keep my hands and head warm, allowing me to focus on hunting. E. 30’ Parachute Cord: For hanging meat, lashing hides and horns to my pack, and for stringing up tarps or building shelters. F. Microfilter: A lightweight, effective way to filter drinking water of protozoa, bacteria, and particulate. G. Kelvin Lite Hoody: Versatile jacket that can be worn as an outer layer for activities like glassing in milder conditions or as a mid-layer when hunting in really cold weather. H. Dewpoint Rain Gear: Incredibly light and durable rain gear for backpack hunting that is always in my pack. I. Core Lightweight Bottoms: If I’m not already wearing them, I’m always carrying a pair of Core base layer bottoms to confront dynamic mountain weather.
J. Extra Pair Socks: I rotate my wool socks every night to dry both them and my feet out, which helps prevent blisters. K. Ground Pad: A quality inflatable ground pad is critical to sleeping warm and comfortably on the ground. I also carry a piece of foam ground pad to sit on while glassing and eating that I store in the void between the pack bag and suspension. L. Game Bags: I often use large cotton pillow cases to limit weight and bulk in my pack and help protect meat from insects and dirt. M. Nutrition: I remove dehydrated meals from the commercial packaging and place them in quality Ziploc® freezer bags. This limits weight, bulk, and trash and allows me to supplement the meals with extra calories like jerky, oil, hard cheese, and spices. I pour hot water into the bag, let it re-constitute, and eat out of the bag. N. Utensil: A spoon doesn’t seem important until you forget it. O. Sleeping Bag & Tent: A lightweight, early season synthetic sleeping bag is an extension of my clothing system. Sleeping in my clothes allows me to carry a much lighter bag and the synthetic insulation allows me to climb in and dry my clothes without fear of compromising the insulation. A small two person tent is often lighter than a bivy sack/tarp combo and provides storm protection and room for me and my gear. P. Stove System: For no-nonsense boiling of water.
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