Steve Speck is the owner of S and S Archery as well as the inventor of Solid Broadheads and Exo Mountain Gear packs. Steve is a brilliant backcountry hunting guru who’s ideas on weight saving on a backcountry hunt take DIY hunting to the next level. Listen in to hear the important how-to’s of backcountry nutrition, pack designs, weight saving strategies, hunting methodologies, tent designs, sleeping bags and dual purpose gear.

Steve Speck’s Backpacking Light Gear List

“This is 99% of my hunting backpacking gear list. I like to stay light, taking nothing extra! The only thing that can vary slightly is maybe an extra base layer / long johns in very cold temps or if elk hunting I’ll have bugle tube, mouths reeds, etc with me.”

Main Gear for a Backpack Hunt

Exo Mountain Gear 3500 Backpack
Exo Mountain Gear 3500 Backpack

TOTAL: 168.4oz 10.52lbs

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Gear that Steve ALWAYS Has with Him

Clothes in My Pack

I don’t really use raingear because it seldom rains where I hunt, and when it does I hole up and wait it out. I do have the First Lite Boundary Stormtight jacket that I’ll use once in a blue moon but that’s pretty much it.
First Lite Boundary Stormtight Jacket

“I don’t really use raingear because it seldom rains where I hunt, and when it does I hole up and wait it out. I do have the First Lite Boundary Stormtight jacket that I’ll use once in a blue moon but that’s pretty much it.”

TOTAL: 33.5oz 2.09lbs

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First Aid / Personal Gear

  • Baby Wipes
  • TP
  • Spare Iodine tablets
  • Lighter
  • Waterproof matches
  • Fire Tender: Vaseline Cotton balls
  • Tylenol PM
  • Ibuprofen
  • Bandages
  • Gorilla Tape
  • Gauze
  • (4) AAA Spare batteries

TOTAL: 5.8oz

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Kill Kit

TOTAL: 6.9oz

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Optics

TOTAL: 47.5oz / 2.9lbs

TOTAL BASE WEIGHT: 262.1 oz / 16.38lbs

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Food

Consists of: Cliff Builders Bars, Costco Trail Mix, Mountain House meals, Belvita Crackers, Almond butter packets, Misc Granola Bars, GU Energy Chomps and Starbucks VIA packets! The only thing that varies my base weight is the amount of food, which is on the high end 1.5lbs per day, and the amount of water.

1.5lbs per day on the high end. Roughly 3500 calories per day

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We saw bucks every day along with all other sorts of wildlife. Mountain goats, bears, and foxes were common sights. Fishing and crabbing was special bonus. The food was excellent, the crew was amazing. Outdoors International did a great job of finding exactly what we were looking for.

Jesse Neveau

What an amazing experience!

The hunting lodge was out of this world!, Rooms, food and the scenery were all A+. Our guide was exceptional and had us on Shiras moose all five days. We saw over 30 total with at least 10 bulls. They had a plan for everything including taxidermy and game processing.

Kayla Redmon

One thought on “Backpacking Light Gear List for DIY Hunting by Steve Speck

  1. Josh says:

    Awesome list but there’s some bad math in it.. For some reason the scope isn’t counted in the total.. I think the Sawyer Squeeze and Bladder with line has to weight more than 4oz, that seems impossible.. Probably more like 9oz realistically.. I think the list will barely stay under 20lbs, which is still super impressive

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