Brady Miller's 2022 late-season mule deer gear list

Another fall is here, and as always, that means another one of my gear lists. This article is all about my upcoming late-season backcountry-style mule deer hunts. There are just a few small tweaks here and there that I made for 2022, but nothing major has changed.

I want to start off by saying that the gear I use is just what works well for me. I will never say you "need to use the gear I use to be successful." I get a lot of comments each year about my list that people enjoy them. And my entire goal for sharing my gear lists for each hunt is to help people. I've made a lot of mistakes backpacking in the mountains early on in my life, and so I don't want people to experience those. My struggles in the past, are a way to help people going forward. And so these gear lists are a way to show what has worked for me. Because if I don't trust something, I will not use it. Yes, you don't need a super heavy weapon, you don't need a ton of weight in optics, but for me, it's just something that works well. This gear list is based around a full backpack-style hunt, so this is everything I'm carrying in my pack. And my late season, I hope to experience snow and lots of cold temperatures. Which is why there is a need for some extra gear.

If you're a visual person, you can watch my gear list video and the reasons I use each piece of gear below:

Why a gear list?

The reason I personally do gear lists for every hunt is simple... I want to know that I don't leave anything behind and to see if there is anything I need to add or even subtract from my gear. As most know, when I'm getting ready for a hunt, I create a personalized gear list well in advance. I why always tell people to take all their gear and place it on the floor and look through it several times to ensure you have everything and to see what you could live without. I always keep my gear lists in both a Google Sheet that I can access from my phone and I also have a custom Excel spreadsheet I built several years ago that I linked in some previous articles for people to download and work off of that I also create for every hunt.

NOTE: If you want to access my downloadable Excel file, you can jump over to the Insider only gear list article linked below:

Download his gear list file in this article

My gear list breakdown for a backpack style late season mule deer hunt

A few notable items that have always been in my gear list have been removed for this year. I decided to leave my Aquamira water purification drops at home, and I elected not to take a pillow this year. The pillow... it just seems to never stay put in my sleeping back since I'm already at the max height of the bag. So the pillow usually ends up not under my head at night, and thus, it is a wasted item.

In conclusion

As always, I'm an open book. If anyone has any questions about the gear I'm using on my upcoming late-season mule deer hunts, I'd be more than willing to dive in and explain a few things. If you have an upcoming mule deer hunt planned or are looking at one down the road in the future, have fun and enjoy the time on the mountain.

See all your gear options in the Gear Shop here