Blog Entries for South Cox

The Mental Game

south@eastmans.com — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 02:00:00 +0100

I’ve gotten quite a few inquiries over the years about solo bivouac hunting and how I overcome my fears. Spending time; hours, days or a week or more alone can be challenging for anyone. Living in a society where close and frequent contact with other people are the norm year around for one’s whole life, suddenly finding yourself alone in unfamiliar surroundings with no one to depend upon but yourself can be disconcerting, to say the least. The time I [...]

Time Tested Bivouac Gear

south@eastmans.com — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 07:35:20 +0100

I’ve gotten a handful of requests to post my gear list. Over the last decade or so, I’ve tested a bunch of backpacking and bowhunting gear in the backcountry. Some of it has stayed, much of it has not. I continue to try out every new gadget on the market that seems like it could improve my equipment [...]

More from the Pacific Coast Trail (PCT)

south@eastmans.com — Wed, 28 May 2008 08:56:47 +0100

We survived another 102 miles on the PCT. A couple of the highlights; we covered about 50 miles through the desert—the other 50 through the mountains and snuck through about 30 miles of trail that was closed due to a recent fire. By the second day, Kyri had6 blisters, 3 matching ones on each foot. I started off loading weight out of her pack, then carried the whole thing on the 4th day. The last day we started out at 8,800 feet with snow on th [...]

Hitting the Trail

south@eastmans.com — Tue, 13 May 2008 23:52:48 +0100

After a week of scrambling after work to organize gear and food bags, my wife and I are finally on the plane to [[San Diego]]. A year before we got married she suggested that we hike the [[Pacific Crest Trail]] for our honeymoon. For those of you who aren’t aquainted, the PCT goes from the border of [[Mexico]] just east of San Diego, all of the way up to the Canadian border. The trail is routed to follow the major mountain ranges to provide the hiker with the s [...]

Hunting in Bear Country

south@eastmans.com — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 08:29:17 +0100

I thought I would call out one of the comments I received about the bear mauling directly on the blog. Thanks for the question, my response is below.

Comment: I guess your story summed up my wife's main objection to my planned solo trip this fall. Can you explain ways to decrease the likelihood of becoming a playtoy for a bear?

Follow [...]

Water Filters

south@eastmans.com — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 10:42:43 +0100

Sorry for the delay in getting this post up. It has been a little crazy around here. As promised I'm going to tell you about the water filters I was at the Outdoor Retailers Show. The first one is from MSR. The filter is smaller and lighter than any others that I've tried and it blows the doors off of the competition in speed. The Hyperflow Pump is whatthey are calling it and it weighs just 7.8 oz. It is hard to expect great performance when y [...]

Backpacking Stoves

south@eastmans.com — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 09:55:45 +0100

Adding extra weight to your pack is something we all try to avoid. If a piece of equipment can be omitted from your pack and it doesn't effect the outcome of your hunt, then it takes a pretty strong argument to carry the extra weight. For some, the stove is one of those items. Many make the argument that they'd rather just eat [[MRE]]'s andditch the stove. While I'd agree that we're hardly out there trying to have a resort [...]

Sleeping Pads

south@eastmans.com — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 22:49:53 +0100

Besides providing a more comfortable nights' sleep, sleeping pads provide another important function; insulation. I vividly recall one bivouac trip I made. In an effort to shave a couple of pounds or so off of my packs weight I decided to leave my pad at home. Several hours into the night, with chattering teeth I realized what that second function was. Since that time, technology and innovationhas reduced the weight and bulk, now providing several options at around and just under a pound. [...]

Lightweight Sleeping Bags

south@eastmans.com — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 07:00:08 +0100

One of the bulkiest items on your gear list for a [[bivy]] hunt is probably your sleeping bag. If it has not been replaced in the last couple of years, chances are you can not only shave off some weight, but also significantly reduce the bulk. Almost all of the major sleeping bag manufacturers are offering sub 2 pound 3 season down bags now. Some have reduced the weight down to as little as a single poundand can be stuffed into a sack half the size of a nerf football. For my early season hunts i [...]

Introduction to Bivouac and Backcountry Bow Hunting

south@eastmans.com — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 23:38:30 +0100

My goal in this blog is to help you learn the ropes of [[backcountry]] hunting. Whether you are a seasoned veteran or have never spent the night out in the wilderness, I think there will be something for everyone. I invite your questions, comments and critiques. The first several entries I plan on covering gear choices in greater detail than I was able to cover on the podcast. After that I’ll go into some specifics about mule deer hunting in the [[alpine]]. A [...]