Mammoth prep 2025

[Bushcat747]

A friend and I have decided to enter Mammoth for 2025. So, time to gear up and start training.

Does anyone run Mammoth in Belt Kit - sorry LBE for US guys - and a small/medium pack - or is everyone using 50-70 Ltr packs ?
Belt kit - especially comfortable belt kit from JayJays or Crossfire DZ rig - allows one to carry sustainment comfortably on the hip - rations, water bottle, ammo, headlamp, beanie, gloves, rain poncho etc - leaving sleep system and shooting bags, socks etc in a small to medium pack with rifle and tripod strapped to it.

Is this feasible - or smarter to go with an AttackPack Paladin or a Vorn E45 where the rifle is supported/contained and the rest of your gear fits inside?

Do most guys take a tripod and use it - or does this vary from year to year depending on the course of fire?

Appreciate the suggestions.

 

[Krazy Korean]

Hey,

You will not want to try and run a belt kit and small bag for mammoth. I have an a 45l osprey bag, a mystery ranch metcalf, and a mystery ranch beartooth 80 bag. I run a belt for the stages that carries 3x pistol mags, 2x rifle mags, pistol holster. my pacs have the top cover that have 2 pockets and I keep my ammo, spare pen/paper, ear pro, and mags when im rucking in one, and the other carries my beanie and gloves and a light jacket. The pouches on my waist band hold my phone and earbuds on my left side, and right side is snacks. Rifle is placed lateral on top of my ruck using the beartooth, and goes inside my pack with barrel out the top on my metcalf. tripod can go in the ruck, or out of the ruck depending on space and time to pack.. both ways ruck equally well. Train to be sub 15 minute pace for at least 5 miles with 65-70lbs, because it will give you a buffer zone. Most people are low 14's or faster for a road pace. get your nutrition figured out ahead of time. I like peak performance, but there are other options. I dont normally take a jet boil or similar, but some do. I carry a 3 person tent for our team, but some teams go super light weight using basically a trekking pole and a teepee style tent that has a few strings and weighs next to nothing and takes up almost zero space. small single person tents are also popular. Make sure you have a sleeping bag thats appropriate. the rating they give is what is survivable, not comfortable. and down bags vs synthetic is important if youre expecting rain. Most top teams use a tripod, and most carry a tripod on each person. Its a great match and a ton of fun! ou doing the georgia one in 2025 or the other one?

 

[ForgeValley]

Kifaru has a new scabbard that looks interesting, matches up with their packs and frames. If you want to drop at least 1 k on your pack system that is.

 

[Bushcat747]

Hey,

You will not want to try and run a belt kit and small bag for mammoth. I have an a 45l osprey bag, a mystery ranch metcalf, and a mystery ranch beartooth 80 bag. I run a belt for the stages that carries 3x pistol mags, 2x rifle mags, pistol holster. my pacs have the top cover that have 2 pockets and I keep my ammo, spare pen/paper, ear pro, and mags when im rucking in one, and the other carries my beanie and gloves and a light jacket. The pouches on my waist band hold my phone and earbuds on my left side, and right side is snacks. Rifle is placed lateral on top of my ruck using the beartooth, and goes inside my pack with barrel out the top on my metcalf. tripod can go in the ruck, or out of the ruck depending on space and time to pack.. both ways ruck equally well. Train to be sub 15 minute pace for at least 5 miles with 65-70lbs, because it will give you a buffer zone. Most people are low 14's or faster for a road pace. get your nutrition figured out ahead of time. I like peak performance, but there are other options. I dont normally take a jet boil or similar, but some do. I carry a 3 person tent for our team, but some teams go super light weight using basically a trekking pole and a teepee style tent that has a few strings and weighs next to nothing and takes up almost zero space. small single person tents are also popular. Make sure you have a sleeping bag thats appropriate. the rating they give is what is survivable, not comfortable. and down bags vs synthetic is important if youre expecting rain. Most top teams use a tripod, and most carry a tripod on each person. Its a great match and a ton of fun! ou doing the georgia one in 2025 or the other one?

Thank you for your invaluable input - greatly appreciate it.
We will both use a light single person tent. I had thought of using a Basha - US guys call it a tarp - and a bivy bag. But that has its drawbacks if there is a downpour. The belt kit I was referring is not a Battle Belt, which is what I think you are using for your mags and pistol at the stages. That said I have been looking at the Vorn EV45 which can accommodate a rifle, and have been looking at the Eberlestock Little Brother, which has a rifle tunnel for a scabbard, and been looking at the AttackPak Paladin, which allows placement of the rifle in the middle, has some batwing pouches which go over the too and is uber light, similar to the Eberlestock F1 frame and batwing pouches. But that pack is about $700. Ouch. So cost in the end could be the deciding factor.
We were planning on using military mre’s with flameless ration heaters, and a small Jetboil zip just for coffee/tea in the morning.
Sleeping bags - we were thinking the lightweight Jungle bag - and taking a woobie. If got to hot, take the woobie off. But might make more sense to have a slightly warmer bag and no woobie. Definitely not down in case it gets wet.
Do most guys use a pistol holster? Or do some place the pistol in a small soft lightweight case with its mags?
We were thinking Fort Gordon in Georgia in 2025…weather might be “better”

 

[Bushcat747]

Kifaru has a new scabbard that looks interesting, matches up with their packs and frames. If you want to drop at least 1 k on your pack system that is.

Looks nice - but too pricey for me

 

[Krazy Korean]

Thank you for your invaluable input - greatly appreciate it.
We will both use a light single person tent. I had thought of using a Basha - US guys call it a tarp - and a bivy bag. But that has its drawbacks if there is a downpour. The belt kit I was referring is not a Battle Belt, which is what I think you are using for your mags and pistol at the stages. That said I have been looking at the Vorn EV45 which can accommodate a rifle, and have been looking at the Eberlestock Little Brother, which has a rifle tunnel for a scabbard, and been looking at the AttackPak Paladin, which allows placement of the rifle in the middle, has some batwing pouches which go over the too and is uber light, similar to the Eberlestock F1 frame and batwing pouches. But that pack is about $700. Ouch. So cost in the end could be the deciding factor.
We were planning on using military mre’s with flameless ration heaters, and a small Jetboil zip just for coffee/tea in the morning.
Sleeping bags - we were thinking the lightweight Jungle bag - and taking a woobie. If got to hot, take the woobie off. But might make more sense to have a slightly warmer bag and no woobie. Definitely not down in case it gets wet.
Do most guys use a pistol holster? Or do some place the pistol in a small soft lightweight case with its mags?
We were thinking Fort Gordon in Georgia in 2025…weather might be “better”

You will NEED a pistol holster because you may need to transition to a pistol in the middle or end of a stage. Some people will opt to throw it in their pack for rucking. I often throw mine in the ruck just because if your pistol is dropped, you are done. The most common time ive seen pistols pop off are putting on and taking off rucks, so I throw it in my ruck to remove that possibility, since it wont affect anything time wise and is a good safety measure in my opinion. We also will bring a lot more gear with us to georgia than what we will need, and then depending on weather we may leave wet weather gear, or colder gear in the vehicle for the weekend. So don't hesitate to bring something you think you MIGHT need because you can always leave it in the vehicle friday morning before the first step-off. You can message me on here if you want and I will give you my cell number or facebook page if you have any other questions. the more research and information you can gather, the better prepared you will be. Also, dont put too much thought into weight. Ive heard the ounces = pounds, and pounds = pain, but honestly its not that hard to make the times if you come in with good conditioning, good footwear/socks (darn tough socks are fantastic), and a well packed ruck.. as in properly putting the weight where it should be and making sure everything is tight to the frame and your back.

 

[Bushcat747]

You will NEED a pistol holster because you may need to transition to a pistol in the middle or end of a stage. Some people will opt to throw it in their pack for rucking. I often throw mine in the ruck just because if your pistol is dropped, you are done. The most common time ive seen pistols pop off are putting on and taking off rucks, so I throw it in my ruck to remove that possibility, since it wont affect anything time wise and is a good safety measure in my opinion. We also will bring a lot more gear with us to georgia than what we will need, and then depending on weather we may leave wet weather gear, or colder gear in the vehicle for the weekend. So don't hesitate to bring something you think you MIGHT need because you can always leave it in the vehicle friday morning before the first step-off. You can message me on here if you want and I will give you my cell number or facebook page if you have any other questions. the more research and information you can gather, the better prepared you will be. Also, dont put too much thought into weight. Ive heard the ounces = pounds, and pounds = pain, but honestly its not that hard to make the times if you come in with good conditioning, good footwear/socks (darn tough socks are fantastic), and a well packed ruck.. as in properly putting the weight where it should be and making sure everything is tight to the frame and your back.

Excellent advice - especially with regard to the pistol (well noted).
That is a great idea about bringing extra items and checking the weather and adjusting as necessary.
Narrowed down my pack choice to the AttackPak Paladin, Little Brother (Eberlestock) or a Vorn E45. Really appreciative of the wisdom shared.

 

[ClangClang]

I shot Mammoth 2018 and did reasonably well. Finished around 20th (IIRC) out of 60 teams in hard-core division (or whatever it was they called it). It was the first time in my life I had ever shot beyond 301 yards. However I've spent a good portion of my life living out of a backpack and hiking fast under heavy loads. Even though other guys there were far more skilled shooters, I had much better systems and procedures which helped me and my teammate be successful beyond our skill levels.

I would not recommend LBE. One of the biggest places I saw people struggling (besides the shooting) was simply packing and unpacking their rucks before and after every stage to be ready for the start signal of the next timed march. Everyone who struggled the most had smaller packs where everything needed to be loaded and inserted perfectly. They fell further and further behind on gear management, food/hydration, repairs, etc because of all the wasted time struggling with their packs. Meanwhile, the guys with oversized packs could just drop everything in haphazardly and be ready to move much, much faster. Going with an LBE and a small pack will require much more faffing about, as the Brits like to say. And it's unlikely that a belt kit and a pack will ride nicely together - sometimes they do, but my experience is they generally don't. There actually was a team on my squad of two guys who were ex UK and Irish SOF and both had standard rucks, not belt kits.

There's a thread here from a couple years ago where I (and many others) wrote up our experiences fairly extensively and the primary focus of the thread was load carriage/backpacks. It should be easy to find with a search. I recommend reading through it.

Fitness prep can't be overstated. Lots of teams dropped because they couldn't make the grind. You need to be prepping absolute minimum 6 months out if you're not used to carrying heavy packs over long miles. Start slow and light, e.g. 2-3 miles with 40 lbs and build up over time from there, adding a couple pounds and 1 mile every other week. There is simply no way to prepare adequately except logging the time moving under weight. The gym is a not a substitute.

A good goal is to have your final prep weekend (around 2-3 weeks before the match) be two days of back-to-back 15-17 miles days at 14:00/mile pace with your exact match load out on your back. If you can do that without being wrecked the next morning you'll be in good shape for Mammoth.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[TACC]

Great info and experience right there!

 

[Burdy]

subbd

 

[tyrider427]

You will NEED a pistol holster because you may need to transition to a pistol in the middle or end of a stage. Some people will opt to throw it in their pack for rucking. I often throw mine in the ruck just because if your pistol is dropped, you are done. The most common time ive seen pistols pop off are putting on and taking off rucks, so I throw it in my ruck to remove that possibility, since it wont affect anything time wise and is a good safety measure in my opinion. We also will bring a lot more gear with us to georgia than what we will need, and then depending on weather we may leave wet weather gear, or colder gear in the vehicle for the weekend. So don't hesitate to bring something you think you MIGHT need because you can always leave it in the vehicle friday morning before the first step-off. You can message me on here if you want and I will give you my cell number or facebook page if you have any other questions. the more research and information you can gather, the better prepared you will be. Also, dont put too much thought into weight. Ive heard the ounces = pounds, and pounds = pain, but honestly its not that hard to make the times if you come in with good conditioning, good footwear/socks (darn tough socks are fantastic), and a well packed ruck.. as in properly putting the weight where it should be and making sure everything is tight to the frame and your back.

Im 5'5" 155lbs. I'm in decent shape but struggle to maintain 16-minute miles. I think It's because of my short stride. Guess I'm running the downhills for mammoth!
What shoes/boots is everyone running for mammoth?

 

[Bushcat747]

Anyone using the Vortex Impact 4000 at previous Mammoths ? Was it useful or better just having quick ref dope cards on your forearm ?

 

[tyrider427]

I ran my dope on my arm, but quite a few guys had the Impacts. I think it would be very useful, but there are stages where it didn't work for them due to the high brush in front of them, affecting getting a range while in prone. I also saw a few guys who had their turrets marked in yardage.

I would say, have a back up way to have your dope as a failsafe either way.

 

[DTF370]

Got a wild hair up my ass to do this. Following and will see ya in January

 

[blbennett1288]

Teammate and I plan to register for Mammoth 2025 in Augusta, GA

 

[DTF370]

lightweight handheld LRF, rail mounted LRF (impact 4000), or LRF Binos (kilo 10k). Any suggestions/advice?

 

[clefairy]

lightweight handheld LRF, rail mounted LRF (impact 4000), or LRF Binos (kilo 10k). Any suggestions/advice?

Spotting targets through binos is easier then looking through scope

 

[Burdy]

lightweight handheld LRF, rail mounted LRF (impact 4000), or LRF Binos (kilo 10k). Any suggestions/advice?

If it's one or the other, the binos. If both is an option, do that.

 

[DTF370]

Down the road it is certainly an option to have both. But I think for 2025, I will be limited to one or the other based on my budget

 

[gDP]

It's much easier to regret buying a wmlrf than lrf binos. Since you mentioned you're on a budget, I would consider the kilo 3k or maybe the kilo 6k compact which are slightly smaller and lighter. I got the 3ks and I have not regretted it a minute.

 

[blbennett1288]

Would y’all go mid boots or a trainer / trail shoe?

 

[DTF370]

Would y’all go mid boots or a trainer / trail shoe?

I have the exact question. Right now I’m in mid boots, but a lot of people are running trail shoes based on forums.

 

[j-moose32]

Trail shoes were by far most common. I went full send and bought a pair of trail shoes the day before the event. WAY better in trail shoes and you’re not gonna have such a heady loadout that you “need” boots.

I used topo shoes , mountain racer 3. They aren’t a 0 drop shoe, but have the wide toe box like you typically see in 0 drop stuff. Really really liked them

 

[DTF370]

Trail shoes were by far most common. I went full send and bought a pair of trail shoes the day before the event. WAY better in trail shoes and you’re not gonna have such a heady loadout that you “need” boots.

I used topo shoes , mountain racer 3. They aren’t a 0 drop shoe, but have the wide toe box like you typically see in 0 drop stuff. Really really liked them

How do you feel about trail shoes for this comp for people with dainty (lol) ankles? If I roll an ankle, it is sprained.

 

[j-moose32]

How do you feel about trail shoes for this comp for people with dainty (lol) ankles? If I roll an ankle, it is sprained.

I can only comment from the one I did in April, but the times you were doing movements, it was all on maintained hardball type road. I was a little nervous at first cuz I have a ton of miles in boots, but I didn’t miss them at all.

To me, this is an endurance event with shooting mixed in, and shoes give you a big advantage over boots in how your feet and body feel at the end of the day after 12 miles

 

[j-moose32]

And to add, you have plenty of time before mammoth, Google ankle strengthening exercises. Sounds dumb but in 5 minutes/
Day a few times a week, you could fix any issues you have and strengthen a ton. It will pay off huge for you

 

[DTF370]

I can only comment from the one I did in April, but the times you were doing movements, it was all on maintained hardball type road. I was a little nervous at first cuz I have a ton of miles in boots, but I didn’t miss them at all.

To me, this is an endurance event with shooting mixed in, and shoes give you a big advantage over boots in how your feet and body feel at the end of the day after 12 miles

This is good to know. If it’s pretty much just roads/maintained trails that sounds like a good way to go. Now I guess I’ll be going down a rabbit hole of trail shoes and pack…

 

[blbennett1288]

This is good to know. If it’s pretty much just roads/maintained trails that sounds like a good way to go. Now I guess I’ll be going down a rabbit hole of trail shoes and pack…

I got a Kuiu Pro 3600 with the Quick Draw Rifle Holder in one of their 40% off sales and I am really pleased. Super light. Carries weight well. Lots of options. Very adjustable.

If I had to pay full price I would probably go with a EXO MTN or Kifaru pack

 

[j-moose32]

This is good to know. If it’s pretty much just roads/maintained trails that sounds like a good way to go. Now I guess I’ll be going down a rabbit hole of trail shoes and pack…

Check out those topo shoes. 0 affiliation with them. I looked a ton and I didn’t want to go to a 0 drop because I’d definitely have issues with never having used a 0 drop, but liked the big toe box. Topo has some heel lift and big toe box.

For packs , 95% if not more were running light weight packs. Osprey, Stone glacier, and exo packs being most prevalent

I got a deal on a stone glacier pack and was very happy with it

 

[DTF370]

I’ll check out those packs. I will be limited to OCP/Multicam. I have no problem investing in a decent pack, but if I do, I’d like to be able to use it at work. So far I was looking at the attackpak paladin. Using an eberlestock gunslinger 2 currently, but I’d rather have something lighter and with more capacity.

I’ll check out topo. Solomon seems to have a few offering in this area too? Not sure how their trail shoes/hiking shoes are but I’ve worn their boots and was fairly happy.

 

[j-moose32]

I think SG and exo both have camo options of some sort. They definitely have the coyote tan color. Not sure what “work” is but SG has discounts if you qualify

 

[j-moose32]

I’ll check out those packs. I will be limited to OCP/Multicam. I have no problem investing in a decent pack, but if I do, I’d like to be able to use it at work. So far I was looking at the attackpak paladin. Using an eberlestock gunslinger 2 currently, but I’d rather have something lighter and with more capacity.

I’ll check out topo. Solomon seems to have a few offering in this area too? Not sure how their trail shoes/hiking shoes are but I’ve worn their boots and was fairly happy.

I think SG and exo both have camo options of some sort. They definitely have the coyote tan color. Not sure what “work” is but SG has discounts if you qualify.

I think Solomon has trail shoes, but I didn’t find anything with wide toe box. Solomon’s also seemed to get pretty mixed reviews in that area so I went to a dedicated runner type company. Not subtle looking at all with a bright green sole

 

[DTF370]

I think SG and exo both have camo options of some sort. They definitely have the coyote tan color. Not sure what “work” is but SG has discounts if you qualify.

I think Solomon has trail shoes, but I didn’t find anything with wide toe box. Solomon’s also seemed to get pretty mixed reviews in that area so I went to a dedicated runner type company. Not subtle looking at all with a bright green sole

That would honestly make sense. I normally need wide shoes, so a tight toebox wouldn’t work for me.

 

[DTF370]

Question for those of you who have gone before. Is there any substantial benefit to access your rifle quickly from the pack? I have two mounting options, one would be between my frame and my pack vertically, and the other would be mounting on the side of the pack at my 3 o’clock. Between the pack and frame would balance my pack much better but it would take me probably about 10 to 15 seconds to retrieve it. Versus the 3 o’clock position would probably take me 2 to 5 seconds to retrieve.

 

[Krazy Korean]

There is zero need for quick access. After the ruck you will have a minimum of 10-15 minutes unless you are the very last Rucker and shoot first.. but you will have time. Do whatever balances your ruck and is easiest to carry.

 

[DTF370]

There is zero need for quick access. After the ruck you will have a minimum of 10-15 minutes unless you are the very last Rucker and shoot first.. but you will have time. Do whatever balances your ruck and is easiest to carry.

I suspected this. Thank you!

 

[j-moose32]

Agree with @Krazy Korean. 0 need for any type of speed access. You will have time to get it, less time if you finish the ruck last, but still will have 3-5 minutes to gather your crap after finishing the ruck

 

[j-moose32]

I honestly think that staying someone what organized and knowing where in your pack that your gear is, is more important. IE, where your magazines are, ear pro, pen and notepad etc

 

[KeithStone]

How fast do the slots fill up typically? Looking to make mammoth 2 this coming year but need to get some dates figured out and I was wondering if it typically fills up the day preregistration opens.

 

[j-moose32]

How fast do the slots fill up typically? Looking to make mammoth 2 this coming year but need to get some dates figured out and I was wondering if it typically fills up the day preregistration opens.

Typically fills up fast. BUT I will say that this years Mammoth I seemed to have slots for about 5 days. Economy is rough and it’s not a “inexpensive” match by any means.

 

[jps24]

I got a Stone Glacier Solo 3600 pack, and attached one of their Hydro Holster pouches to the lower compression strap to retain my tripod. I plan on carrying the rifle on the load shelf