Essential Moose Hunting Gear

by
posted on August 20, 2013

I couldn’t manage a horseback hunt without my pet backpack, an Eberlestock X2. I’ve been hunting out of this pack for three seasons because it’s like Goldilocks—not too big, not too small. Just right. It fits the overhead bins on commercial flights, yet holds essential gear for a serious hunt plus survival gear in case of a bivouac. Long, roomy, zippered side pockets fit spotting scopes and big telephoto lenses or rolled-up jackets. Two external pouch pockets hold water bottles, the butt of a rifle or legs of a tripod. The main pocket is about 12 inches wide by 20 inches high and about 7 inches deep. An extension collar raises that another 5 inches. That’s enough space for all the hunting tools I need plus food and extra clothing. Zippered slash pockets let me isolate small items and maps, and a top lid pocket swallows all sorts of odds and ends.

Several compression straps cinch everything tight, and extend to take in extra coats, and a sleeping pad and sleeping bag if necessary. And professional, padded waist and shoulder straps distribute the weight beautifully whether I’m walking or riding. The X2 is like the bed of my Ram 4x4. It hauls the stuff I need on a hunt.

A solid night’s sleep makes every hunt better, and I get it with my Mont-Bell UltraLight Down Hugger 1 sleeping bag atop a 1-pound Therm A Rest pad. The 2-pound, 3-ounce bag compresses into a space hardly larger than a loaf of bread, yet its 800-Fill Power goose down keeps me toasty well below freezing. It’s rated to 15 degrees.

I can’t imagine any hunt without a binocular in hand. But I don’t enjoy an albatross swinging ’round my neck. Swarovski’s 18-ounce 8x30 CL Companion binocular was the perfect compromise—plenty powerful and bright enough for moose hunting, but light enough that I could keep it slung for instant use. Close-up views of grizzlies, ptarmigan, songbirds—even suspicious tracks on a distant mudflat—make every hunt richer.

Latest

LEDE Marlin Dark
LEDE Marlin Dark

Hardware Review: Marlin Model 1895 Dark

If you think lever-action rifles should only have walnut stocks and a blued-metal finish, then the new Marlin Dark series with its polymer buttstock and aluminum AR-esque handguard probably won’t be your thing. That’s a shame, because this recent offering in Marlin’s line of modernized, capable lever-action rifles has a lot going for it in terms of performance, functionality and fun.

ATN Shipping TICO LTV Thermal Clip-On

This thermal clip-on device is a huge night-time gear multiplier for hunters and observers, transforming any daytime scope into a thermal sight.

MidwayUSA Named Official Sponsor of the 2025 NRA Annual Meetings

Glock, Inc. is the Presenting Sponsor of the Freedom Experience on Saturday, April 26th

First Look: Montana Rifle Company Marshall Hunting Rifle

Montana Rifle Company (MRC) has announced its Marshall Hunting Rifle—a rifle the company bills as being 10,000 rounds in the making.

Spring Gobbler Gear Roundup

Mike Roux lays out his winter's turkey gear discoveries, just in time for spring gobbler season.

National 4-H Shooting Sports Signs on as Official +ONE Partner

The National 4-H Shooting Sports program has joined the +ONE Movement, a national mentorship initiative led by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) that encourages peer-to-peer mentorship in the hunting and shooting sports.

Interests



Get the best of American Hunter delivered to your inbox.