I highly recommend purchasing gear from Barney’s Sports Chalet. Barneys is an Alaskan-owned and operated sporting goods store that specializes in outfitting hunters with the proper gear and equipment needed for hunts across Alaska in the most unforgiving conditions. The owner, Kevin Dana, is a personal friend and an avid Alaskan hunter himself, as all are of Bareny’s staff. They can help you with all of your needs and are happy to answer any and all of your questions. They have the experience with this gear and if they do not have something on my gear list, they can help you find an equivalent. Barneys is famous for the Barney’s Pinnacle Pack, the Barneys Brooks Range Jacket and pant, the PA18 softshell pant, Nunivak and Wooly Mammoth 1/4 zip pullovers, and other purpose-built gear that they have designed.
Contact them today, and let them know you are hunting with us – (907) 561-5242
Only the best boots.
Boots are your single most important piece of gear. Without your feet in good condition, you cannot effectively hunt. Wear your boots, hike in them while wearing a heavy pack, and use them prior to your hunt (this does not mean walking around the yard or golf course). Poorly fitting boots will at best make you miserable and at worst completely ruin your hunt. There is no “best boot” – everyone’s foot is different. What is great for some may be terrible for others. Below is a list of high quality boots that have always given me and the majority of my clients consistently good results. Try them and wear them!
Absolutely NO COTTON!
I prefer lightweight merino wool or merino/synthetic blend for its ability to avoid stinking and its excellent breathability and insulation.
Hoody and Pant.
Jacket, Parka, Pant.
I prefer Synthetic Insulation for Goat hunts. Down is a fantastic insulator, compresses better and weighs less than anything synthetic, and I certainly prefer it on sheep hunts and in certain situations, but even treated “waterproof” treated down is inferior in wet, humid weather to modern synthetics like Primaloft Gold, Climashield Apex, or many
others. These hunts are very wet, and you will be damp. Synthetics handle this weather better than down. The choices below are all top notch synthetic fill.
Buy Only the best 3 Layer Gore-Tex Type Rain Gear!
Only High-Quality Packs!
You MUST have a pack that is at a minimum, 6900 Cubic Inches, and I prefer 7900. Besides your boots, this is your second most important piece of equipment. The pack must fit 7 days of food, your gear, tent, sleeping bag and pad, and anything else. You must be able to comfortably carry 50 lbs with it. Do not bring a small pack thinking you will have to carry less. A high-volume expedition pack weighs virtually the same as a small pack. You need the larger volume pack for this hunt, no exceptions.
I recommend high-quality optics. These should be variable power in the 2-15x range, give or take, with 1″ or 30mm tube diameter, and no more than 44mm objective diameter to save on weight. finding the right balance between quality glass and lightweight is difficult, but your scope should not weigh more than 20-23 oz at the most. The scopes I have listed are proven very durable and repeatable, and have adjustable elevation turrets for shooting long range;
Leupold VX3 2.5-8.5 x 33mm, VX3 4.5-14×40 or VX6 2-12×42, Nightforce NXS 2.5-10×42, March-F 3-24×42, Zeiss Conquest V4 4-16×44, Swarovski Z6 2.5-15×44.
I strongly suggest getting a Ballistically matched turret for your scope, or knowing the MOA/Mrad come up at different ranges. This is the best way to shoot repeatedly accurate at longer ranges, beyond your 200 yard zero range.