Home › Gear kits › Alaska Backcountry Hunting Kit
Chugach Cache gear kit · Prices checked Oct 19, 2026
Multi-day sheep, moose, and caribou hunts: pack, shelter, sleep, optics, kill kit, layers, boots, cook, water, and safety.
Totals are before tax and use the size or version listed on each item. Optional items (Gränsfors Bruk Small Forest Axe) aren't counted. Shipping not included for: Swarovski EL 10x42 Binoculars, Counter Assault 44-Foot Bear Spray (10.2 oz).
This is the list we'd buy if we were starting over for a 7 to 10 day fly-in or walk-in hunt in Alaska. It's built for wind, sideways rain, and freezing nights, and for packing out a lot of meat. You don't need every piece to go hunting. If you're building up over a few seasons, buy the shelter, boots, rain gear, and pack first.
Prices change. We checked every price and Alaska shipping quote on the product page on Oct 19, 2026 (Palmer, AK 99645 cart quotes where the store allowed it). Sales end and sizes sell out, so check the price before you buy.
Links: Right now these links go straight to the retailer. Some may become affiliate links later. If you buy through one of those, we may earn a small commission at no cost to you. Commissions never decide what goes on a list. See our affiliate disclosure.
Image: Stone Glacier
Pack · Buy once, cry once
Carries a moose hindquarter without the frame folding. The load-shelf design lets you lash meat between the bag and the frame.
$725
Alaska shipping: $35.72 FedEx 2-Day to Palmer in our cart test (ground was $91.84, so pick 2-Day).
View at Stone Glacier →
Image: Hilleberg
Shelter · Buy once, cry once
Tunnel tents built for Scandinavian wind. Pitch it tail-to-the-wind on an open ridge and it stays put. Sold by an Anchorage shop.
$1,075
Alaska shipping: $15 flat Alaska shipping, or pick it up in Anchorage.
View at Barney's Sports Chalet (Anchorage) →
Image: KUIUValue pick, still premium
Lighter freestanding 4-season dome for about half the price.
$479
Alaska shipping: Free standard shipping to AK (USPS) in our cart test.
View at KUIU →
Image: Western Mountaineering
Sleep · Buy once, cry once
Made in San Jose and rated honestly. A 10°F bag gives you margin for September snow in sheep country.
$755
Size/version priced: 5'6" length; 6'0" $770, 6'6" $790
Alaska shipping: Free standard shipping to AK on orders $50+ (Garage Grown Gear policy, confirmed in cart).
View at Garage Grown Gear →
Image: NEMOValue pick, still premium
Spoon shape for side sleepers. Lifetime warranty.
$329.95 · 15°F Regular Wide (the $299.95 Regular was sold out when we checked)
Alaska shipping: $30 flat ground to AK/HI (NEMO cart quote).
View at NEMO →
Image: Therm-a-Rest
Sleep · Buy once, cry once
R-value 7.3. Insulation from frozen ground matters as much as the bag.
$229.95
Size/version priced: Regular
Alaska shipping: Free FedEx Ground to AK in our cart test (Cascade Designs store).
View at Cascade Designs (Therm-a-Rest) →
Image: NEMOValue pick, still premium
Quiet, warm, a little cheaper.
$199.95 · Regular Mummy
Alaska shipping: $30 flat ground to AK/HI (NEMO cart quote).
View at NEMO →
Image: Swarovski
Optics · Buy once, cry once
Most Alaska hunts are won glassing. EL glass stays sharp to the edges in flat evening light.
$1,999
Alaska shipping: Swarovski's own US store doesn't ship to Alaska. B&H ships to AK but charges for it at checkout, and we couldn't get a quote. Or buy from an Alaska optics dealer.
$1,999 on Swarovski's own US product page (checked) and on B&H's listing.
View at B&H Photo →
Image: LeupoldValue pick, still premium
Very good glass for under a third of the price, with a lifetime guarantee.
$599.99
Alaska shipping: Free UPS Ground to AK on regular-price orders over $99 (Leupold policy).
View at Leupold →
Image: Leica
Optics · Buy once, cry once
Small, fast, and accurate on caribou across a tundra basin, where distances fool everyone.
$499
Alaska shipping: $24.95 standard shipping to AK in our cart test.
View at Outdoorsmans →
Image: Outdoor Edge
Kill kit · Buy once, cry once
Replaceable-blade knife plus a saw for ribs and pelvis. Fresh, sharp blades through a whole moose.
$79.99 $99.95
Alaska shipping: Free economy shipping to AK in our cart test.
View at Outdoor Edge →
Image: KUIU
Kill kit · Buy once, cry once
Sized for moose quarters. Alaska salvage rules mean you're packing all of it out, so good bags pay for themselves.
$199 $243
Alaska shipping: Free standard shipping to AK (USPS) in our cart test.
View at KUIU →
Image: KUIUValue pick, still premium
The right size for caribou and sheep.
$139 $158
Alaska shipping: $24.95 to AK when ordered by itself in our cart test; bigger KUIU orders quoted free.
View at KUIU →
Image: KUIU
Clothing · Buy once, cry once
Light merino base layer you can wear for days without it stinking.
$109
Alaska shipping: $24.95 to AK when ordered by itself in our cart test; bigger KUIU orders quoted free.
Ships free when ordered with the other KUIU items in this kit.
View at KUIU →
Image: KUIU
Clothing · Buy once, cry once
Stretchy, tough, and dries fast after alder bashing and creek crossings.
$149
Alaska shipping: Free standard shipping to AK (USPS) in our cart test.
View at KUIU →
Image: KUIU
Clothing · Buy once, cry once
Warm puffy for glassing and camp, with water-resistant down for damp coastal hunts.
$399
Alaska shipping: Free standard shipping to AK (USPS) in our cart test.
View at KUIU →
Image: KUIU
Clothing · Buy once, cry once
Named for our mountains and made for that rain. Breathable 3-layer shell with pit zips.
$319
Alaska shipping: Free standard shipping to AK (USPS) in our cart test.
View at KUIU →
Image: Outdoor ResearchValue pick, still premium
Full side zips dump heat on the climb. Good value.
$182 $260
Alaska shipping: Free USPS Priority to AK in our cart test (OR: free ground on $125+).
$182 sale price on select colors; others $260.
View at Outdoor Research →
Image: SitkaValue pick, still premium
Sitka's long-running GORE-TEX rain shell for wet hunts.
$375
Alaska shipping: Sitka ships to Alaska, but the cost is only shown at checkout and we couldn't quote it.
View at Sitka →
Image: KUIU
Clothing · Buy once, cry once
Rain pants that hold up to kneeling and sliding on rocks all day.
$269
Alaska shipping: Free standard shipping to AK (USPS) in our cart test.
View at KUIU →
Image: Outdoor ResearchValue pick, still premium
Full side zips make it easy to pull on over boots.
$210
Alaska shipping: Free USPS Priority to AK in our cart test (OR: free ground on $125+).
View at Outdoor Research →
Image: KUIU
Clothing · Buy once, cry once
Tall socks for tall boots, with no rubbing at the cuff.
$99 $117
Alaska shipping: $24.95 to AK when ordered by itself in our cart test; bigger KUIU orders quoted free.
Ships free when ordered with the other KUIU items in this kit.
View at KUIU →
Image: Kenetrek
Boots · Buy once, cry once
Stiff, insulated mountain boot for side-hilling scree and frozen tundra with a heavy pack.
$540
Alaska shipping: $41.15 USPS Priority Mail to AK in our cart test.
View at Kenetrek →
Image: KenetrekValue pick, still premium
Lighter, uninsulated, for early-season and flatter caribou country.
$350
Alaska shipping: $32.70 USPS Priority Mail to AK in our cart test.
View at Kenetrek →
Image: XTRATUF
Boots · Buy once, cry once
For river crossings, sloughs, and wet moose camps. An Alaska classic for a reason.
$175
Alaska shipping: Free economy shipping to AK in our cart test.
Camp and water boot. Skip it on a pure sheep hunt.
View at XTRATUF →
Image: MSR
Cook · Buy once, cry once
Enclosed burner that keeps working in ridge-top wind where open stoves struggle.
$199.95
Alaska shipping: Free FedEx Ground to AK in our cart test (Cascade Designs store).
Fuel canisters can't be shipped or flown. Buy them in Alaska before you fly out.
View at Cascade Designs (MSR) →
Image: MSRValue pick, still premium
Smaller and cheaper. Use a windscreen made of rocks.
$104.95
Alaska shipping: Free FedEx Ground to AK in our cart test (Cascade Designs store).
View at Cascade Designs (MSR) →
Image: Platypus
Water · Buy once, cry once
Fast squeeze filter for glacier-silty creeks and tundra ponds. Keep it from freezing in fall.
$54.95
Alaska shipping: Free FedEx Ground to AK in our cart test (Cascade Designs store).
View at Cascade Designs (Platypus) →
Image: Garmin
Navigation & safety · Buy once, cry once
Two-way satellite texting and SOS where there's no cell service, which is most of Alaska. Needs a Garmin subscription (extra, monthly).
$349.99
Alaska shipping: Free standard shipping to AK on orders $50+ (Garage Grown Gear policy, confirmed in cart).
View at Garage Grown Gear →
Image: Petzl
Light · Buy once, cry once
Bright, rechargeable, simple. You'll need it from August on, when the dark comes back.
$54.95
Alaska shipping: Free standard shipping to AK on orders $50+ (Garage Grown Gear policy, confirmed in cart).
View at Garage Grown Gear →
Image: Counter Assault
Bear defense · Buy once, cry once
Largest common can, 44 ft range. Carry it on your chest, not in the pack.
$62.99
Alaska shipping: Won't ship to Alaska. Bear spray is hazmat, and the cart offered no AK shipping. Buy it in Alaska (most sporting goods stores carry it). You can't fly with it either.
View at Counter Assault →
Image: Gränsfors Bruk
Camp tools · Buy once, cry once Optional
Hand-forged Swedish axe for moose camp: splitting kindling and clearing a tent site. Not for sheep hunts.
$220
Alaska shipping: Lehman's quoted $57.20 to AK. Cheaper to buy from an Alaska Gränsfors dealer like Barney's (Anchorage) or Great Northern Knives (Wasilla).
View at Lehman's →