How to Pack for a 5-Day Solo Mule Deer Hunt

By the Mule Deer Foundation Staff

Hunting deep in the backcountry with nothing but the gear you can carry on your back is one of the most rewarding ways to access wild, hard-to-reach mule deer country. It’s an adventure rooted in self-reliance, and while it can open the door to areas few others reach, it also adds a layer of complexity you won’t find when hunting from a truck or a traditional base camp.

In this article, we break down the Mule Deer Foundation’s recommended backcountry gear list — including tips and specific product suggestions — to help you prepare for your next hunt.

Carried On Your Person

Bino Chest Harness
Ten years ago, hardly anyone wore one of these. If you did, you looked like a walking gadget belt. Now? Everyone and their brother wears one — and for good reason. Your chest is prime real estate for essential gear, and a quality bino harness keeps it accessible and secure. You can go big and modular or small and minimalist. The key is having a system.

We recommend:
Marsupial Gear

What we keep in our bino harness:

Binoculars: Leupold BX-1 McKenzie HD 12×50 — Leupold
Rangefinder: Leupold RX-2800 TBR-W
Tourniquet: My Medic — My Medic
Ammunition: Federal Premium — Federal
Multi-tool
Garmin InReach Mini: Garmin
Hunting License & Tags
Rifle or Bow
Pocketknife: Montana Knife Company — MKC
Phone with OnX Hunt App: OnX
Clothing: SITKA Gear for weather-appropriate layering — SITKA
Boots: Zamberlan — Zamberlan USA

In Your Pack

What goes in your pack depends on how light you want to go versus how comfortable you want to be. At the Mule Deer Foundation, we aim for 35 lbs for trips up to 4 days, and no more than 50 lbs for 5–8 day hunts. The main weight difference? Food.

Sleeping System

Sleeping Bag: Big Agnes Anvil Horn 0° — Big Agnes
Sleeping Pad: Medium-thickness pad from Big Agnes — comfort meets packability.

Tent

VIAM Outdoors Pintler 1P Tent — VIAM Outdoors

Water System

Nalgene Bottles
Water Filter: MSR Guardian — MSR Gear

First Aid Kit

My Medic First Aid Kits — Keep it in a top pocket or somewhere reachable with one hand — My Medic Kits

Food

Freeze-Dried Meals: Wild Society — Wild Society Outdoors

Rain Gear

SITKA Gear: Lightweight and durable — SITKA

Cooking Kit

MSR PocketRocket 2 Mini Stove Kit — MSR Gear

Butchering Kit

Game Bags & Kill Kit: VIAM Outdoors — VIAM Kill Kits
Knife Sharpener: Work Sharp Guided Field Sharpener — Work Sharp
Game Bags: VIAM Outdoors — Game Bags
Extras: Zip ties, electrical tape, and three 1-gallon Ziploc bags

Emergency Kit

No matter how prepared you are, always pack for the “what if.” Here’s our essential emergency list:

Lighters: BIC lighters in every jacket + one electric lighter around the neck — Tricer ARC Lighter
Fire Starters: Super lightweight and reliable — Melt Candle Fire Starters
Signal Mirror
Whistle: Easier than yelling for help
50 feet of 550 Paracord

Good Luck Out There

Backcountry hunting isn’t easy — and that’s exactly why it’s worth doing. It forces you to rely on yourself, learn the land, and truly earn every encounter. Whether you’re glassing for velvet bucks in a remote basin or setting up a solo spike camp in the timber, preparation is key.

As always, good luck this fall, and don’t forget to send your success stories and photos to [email protected] — you might just get featured on our website or in MDF Magazine.

If this article — or any of our content — has helped you become a better hunter or more committed conservationist, we’d love to have you on board.

Join the Mule Deer Foundation today for just $35/year:
Become a Member

Let’s keep the backcountry wild and full of mule deer — for us and the generations coming behind.

Join the Mule Deer Foundation Today!

Send any success pictures or stories from the field to [email protected] and you could be featured on our website or in our magazine. If this article or any of our articles have helped you become a better hunter or conservation steward, consider becoming a member of the Mule Deer Foundation or the Blacktail Deer Foundation or both. Click here to join: https://muledeer.org/product-category/membership/ or https://www.blacktaildeer.org/