Backpack flyfishing
- This topic has 28 replies, 13 voices, and was last updated Aug 4, 2010 at 3:01 am by
.
-
Posts
-
I’m expanding my flyfishing horizons and wanting to gear up to do some backpack flyfishing this spring/summer and have a couple quesitons. I don’t mind backpacking a ways to get to fish & beauty.
– Is Rocky Mtn Nat’l Park a fishing good destination for 3-7 day backpack trip, say in May or June?
– Any recommendations on backpacking gear?
– Any “don’t do” advice?Rich
I’m ah say there are probably better locals but it really depends what you are looking for?
I would say this is my primary means of fishing these days…it brings together all my favorite elements of the sport; seclusion, beautiful surroundings, uneducated fish
Rich…I’ve been doing it for years.
Nutshell version….weight is your enemy. Go here for good info:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/index.html
I’ve always subscribed to the theory that the quality of the fishing is directly proportional to the distance from the parking lot.
In regards to packs I have loved my Gregory Baltoro 70 for extended trips. It has held up great and is really comfortable.
In my opinion the most crucial piece of gear for backpacking for any extended distance is a good pair of hiking boots. I am partial to Asolo, they make some great boots that hold up to a lot of trail related abuse.
Nate
Rich,
As I get older….my pack gets lighter out of necessity. I just don’t enjoy the trip if I’m zapped when I reach the campsite. For a 4 day trip (3 nights) I’m at 40 lbs tops. That includes fishing gear and a small P&S camera. Everything has been pared and whacked to save grams. Grams equal ounces and ounces equals pounds. Most minimalist backpackers begin by shaving ounces off the following:
Tent…..look at the solo models that are well under 3 pounds….closer to two. Some simply use a sil nylon tarp at about 8 ounces.
Sleeping bag….no need for a 4-pound 20 degree bag for summertime camping. Even at altitude, you can get by with a lightweight bag (1.5 lbs) rated for 40 degrees. Sleep in a set of polypro with a knit skull cap. Most of your body heat will be lost through your head anyway. The skull cap is the key here.
Kitchen….here’s mine at 6 ounces.
Titanium pot to boil water for coffee and Mountain House meals, titanium “pop can” stove that burns denatured alcohol. I use two ounces of fuel a day. So for a 4 day trip I’d carry 8 ounces plus two extra for a total of ten ounces of fuel.Drinking water is filtered on site. I only carry enough to get me to the next cold stream. I use a Therma Rest pad under my bag. I usually take one extra pair of clothes and rinse the dirty ones in the stream. Of course all clothes and jacket are synthetic (polypro, fleece). Carry a lightweight quality Gore Tex jacket as well.
If it’s warm enough I wet wade. Waders and boots weigh a bunch, especially on the way out…when they are wet.
Mountain House meals for dinner. Breakfast is instant oatmeal, coffee, maybe some crackers and honey and a piece of jerky. I snack all day long with trail mix, Clif Bars, and plenty of fluids. Try the small Crystal Light packets poured in your water bottle. They add some flavor and don’t contain sugar crystals which are heavy.
My pack is a Granite Gear model that weighs under 3 pounds. My old Kelty internal frame pack weighed close to 6 pounds with all the extra zippers and pockets.
As you can see….it becomes an obsession. One word of note….quality lightweight backpacking gear is expensive.
So…save two pounds on your sleeping bag, two pounds on your tent, two on your kitchen, 3 on your pack, ditch the waders and boots….and now you’ve trimmed over 10 pounds.
Oh yeah….I hike in New Balance Trail Runners. Since I’ve lightened my load….I’ve parked my heavy Vasque boots which have made a world of difference. It should be noted that I hike relatively tame trails as opposed to boulder hopping stuff.
Good luck….Steve
Is Rocky Mtn Nat’l Park a fishing good destination for 3-7 day backpack trip, say in May or June?
Rich…
I live within a stone’s throw of RMNP (well, if you can throw a stone a quarter of a mile). It’s a great place to backpack and fish, but May or June is too early. The high lakes will be frozen over and the trails covered in snow in May and even into June. There’s some stream fishing lower down during that time, but the best fishing in RMNP starts in July when the water comes down and runs through early Sept. The weather is also more stable with less chance of waking up covered with snow. Check with the park on backcountry camping. You have to have a permit for a specific campsite.
Good luck,
Trigg (White)Rich,
I’m not a hike-lite person, I keep a general rule of thumb to try not to exceed 40% of body weight in my pack.RMNP is a great place to fish in the backcountry. I could easily spend a week or longer and never run out of options. I’ve posted several of my favorite trips to the park on this board in prior posts and also on my blog. Here are some links:
October:
http://www.itinerantangler.com/cgi-bin/board/YaBB.pl?num=1255148892/0#0September
http://minomdeplume.wordpress.com/2008/09/21/trip-report-rmnp-backcountry-september-2008/July
http://minomdeplume.wordpress.com/2008/08/09/200807_rmnp_backcountry_trip/We have a blast fishing every time we go. My preference is to fish the Park in the fall (September after Labor Day) as the fish are hungry and crowds are gone. If fact, I’m heading back this fall for what’s become my annual fall trip to the Park.
Each backcountry fly fishing trip I take, I dial down the weight of my backpacking gear. In a prior September trip, my base pack weight (excludes consumables such as food and water) was at 22 pounds plus 13 pounds for fish/waders+boots/photo gear. With consumables my total pack weight was 45 pounds (ouch!).
After spending more time in the backcountry over the past few years, and realizing that you really don’t need much to stay safe and comfortable, I’ve significantly reduced my pack weight. I’m taking a trip this June into the San Juan backcountry and have my base pack weight down to 16 pounds, fish/photo weight down to 3 pounds, and total pack weight at 28 pounds for 4 days out. I’ll take this same setup to RMNP this September. This setup will keep me comfy to 20 degrees, even in snow. I’m considering bringing waders/boots, as wet wading in the fall gets tough, this would add back 5.75 pounds. Even then a 34 pound pack isn’t bad.
I’ve put together a page on reducing pack weight for my scout troop. I’ll dig it up and post it here. You’ve received good advice above – particularly regarding the initial focus on reducing weights of your shelter (<2.5 pounds, check out the shelters at http://www.tarptent.com), sleeping bag (800 fill down, <2 pounds, check out Mont-Bell ultra light super stretch series - specifically the #2), backpack (<3 pounds, check out the ULA Catalyst, REI Flash 60L, or Osprey Exos 58L), and sleeping pad (give the Therm-a-rest NeoAir a try if you have the cash).
I’d be happy to answer any specific question you have regarding gear as well. Steve K is spot on with his http://www.backpackinglight.com recommendation. I’d add to this and recommend you find a copy of this book: http://www.amazon.com/Lightweight-Backpacking-Camping-Wilderness-Equipment/dp/0974818828/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270223799&sr=8-1 Some Borders and Barnes&Noble carry it. Its also available on the backpackinglight website.
Rich: Below are some thoughts we share with our scouts regarding pack weight. I, and my wallet, wished I’d been steered in this direction before becoming a “backpacker”.
Some considerations regarding the weight of your backpack…
Troop ### is well known as being a “fast and light” troop. Your predecessors have established and maintained this reputation, both locally and at venues such as Philmont, by thinking carefully about what gear they bring along and what they leave at home for each trip. When making choices about the gear you place in your backpack consider your trip objectives. Most of our troop’s high adventure trips are designed to give you the opportunity to see places that most people will never see. To reach these distant and rugged locations you’ll need to leave behind the luxuries of home, but still have the necessary gear to stay safe and comfortable on the trail. Taking a lightweight backpacking approach to wilderness travel is a safe and effective way to accomplish such an objective. Lightweight backpacking isn’t about being miserable, but is about making choices that separate needs from wants. Remember, your focus should be on the location, not the gear you bring along. Lightweight backpacking is also centered around being resourceful and using what minimal gear you have to your advantage. So instead of bringing a pot lifter, a large tube of sun screen, a towel, and a first aid sling – just bring a bandana. This cheap and light piece of gear can be used to replace such items, or in the case of sun screen minimize the amount you need. It becomes a rewarding challenge to find multi-purpose items that eliminate others from your pack. You’ll notice that by bringing less items along, you’ll fuss less over packing, carrying, finding, and unpacking “stuff”, and you be able to focus more on the beauty around you. You’ll also save money since you’ll need less gear.The trail to enLIGHTenment begins by weighing everything that goes into your pack and recording these weights on a spreadsheet. You’ll be amazed by how much some items weigh. The following gear list contains realistic maximum weights for scouts. Reach these weight goals to minimize fatigue, pain, and injury on the trail. If you’d like, the troop can provide web links to examples of gear that meet these weight limits and have been field tested by members of our troop. Options for weighing gear includes purchasing a food grade scale at a home store (Bed Bath and Beyond, $50), spending some time with a scale at the post office, grouping items together (e.g. sleep system) and using a body scale from home, or simply weighing your body weight with and without your trail ready pack and noting the difference in weight. Ideally your pack should not exceed 20% to 25% of your body weight. So for a 100 pound scout, his total pack weight should certainly be less than 25 pounds, more ideally below 20 pounds. Don’t forget you’ll be asked to carry your own food and water and also share the load of some patrol gear. Your refinement of a lightweight backpacking system doesn’t end once the trip is over. When you unpack your gear at home after the trip, jot down some notes on your spreadsheet about what you used and what you didn’t use. If you didn’t use something and its not a “10 essential” than leave it at home next time.
When faced with gear purchasing choices, invest the most possible in a lightweight, high-quality backpack (<3 pounds) that fits you, a 3 season sleeping bag (< 2.5 pounds, ~20F) and sleeping pad (<14 ounces). It unnecessary to purchase bomb-proof gear made for extreme mountaineering as its typically overkill for any application you'll use in scouts. In fact, more and more mountaineers are going "light" for many of the same reasons discussed above. Fortunately our troop provides patrol gear that have excellent specs regarding weight, durability, functionality, and costs. Examples of which include our troop tents, silnylon tarps, and backpacking stoves. Keep in mind though, that its not just the big items that influence pack weight; those little items that only weigh mere ounces add up to pounds as well. A few phrases that illustrate this include: "ounces add up to pounds, and pounds add up to pain on the trail" OR "a one ounce item at the beginning feels like a pound at the end of the day". So it may seem silly to repackage sunscreen into smaller containers, use a baby toothbrush, or place 100% DEET into an emptied eye dropper bottle, but if you scrutinize each item in your pack, bring only what you'll likely use, and find ways to reduce its size and weight, you'll end up saving more weight and space than you realize. With a light pack you'll be flying past others on the trail who didn't consider such an approach. One last consideration is that while you may be able to carry a heavy pack here at home with ease, keep in mind that high in the mountains each breath you take contains only 2/3 of the oxygen that it does locally. Your lungs and legs will certainly appreciate the lightweight pack.
These guys know what they speak! Good info.
Something else comes to mind……
When you get home from your next backpacking trip……dump the contents of your pack on the floor. Look through each item and ask yourself:
Did I use this?
Was it worth taking?
Can anything do double duty? (sleeping bag nylon stuff sack used as a pillow when stuffed with fleece jacket, garbage bag as a pack cover, foam pad as a seat by the fire, etc)
Chances are you’ll find at least 2 or 3 items that can be left behind on the next trip.
Have fun.
Thanks for the great info guys! I think I have a bite on the topic now. Went to Boarders and came home with a couple books and the current Backpacker mag w/ editors choice awards (thanks for that recommendation Foutch). I like the “ultralight” philosophy. Though equipment may cost a bit more it looks economical in the long run rather than buying heavier stuff then repurchasing after getting disgusted. I’m jazzed about the idea of only having 20 or so lbs.
– M Wood – great idea on the Ozark Highland Trail. This morning I happen to talk to two friends about doing just that later this month as a warm up.
Couple more questions…
– Steve K – is your popcan stove & fuel lighter than a regulator stove w/ fuel cannister?
– Anyone have advice on light weight felt bottom wading shoes/sandals? What about gluing felt on a pair of light weight hiking shoes?
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.