The 2024 Mammoth Sniper Challenge has been over for two days now, and my body still hurts. My partner and I earned the finisher patch, but were not in any danger of being on the top of the list.
Things that worked well for us:
Rucksacks: My partner used a USMC rucksack, I used an Alps Outdoors elk hunting pack, and both did fine carrying our rifles and gear. A lot of teams used smaller packs by Osprey or Eberlestock, but because we weren’t carrying super compact ultra-lightweight hiking gear we kinda needed the extra room. We both strapped our rifles to the outside of the pack in a vertical position, muzzle up.
Optics: I used an Athlon Talos BTR 4-14×44 with mil/mil reticle and adjustments, partner used a Vortex Diamondback 4-16×44 with moa/moa adjustments. Honestly using different angular measurements didn’t hurt us at all as we communicated pretty well when one spotted a target on the range, we generally talked the other on. Between the two the Vortex had a much better eye box for some of the weird head positions you end up in at events like Mammoth. The Talos has a better reticle for getting on target at distance, but if I had to do it again I’d take my Vortex Diamondback 4-16×44 in mil/mil as the better eye box would have helped me more than anything else this year.
Rifles: We both used 20″ heavy barrel AR-15 rifles. Hits out to 800 happened, but I couldn’t land a hit at 1100 yards. Partner’s was a Palmetto State Armory commercial rifle, mine was home built. No real issues with accuracy from either.
Ammunition: We both used 77gr SMK bullets, I used 23.8gr of Ramshot TAC for a muzzle velocity of 2,700 fps as measured by a magnetospeed, he used 22.3gr of IMR 4064 for a muzzle velocity of 2,650 fps as measured by magnetospeed. At one point I shot one of his rounds, got a first round hit with it from my rifle.
US Army surplus Gortex bivy covers. These work, they were the only thing keeping us alive when the sky opened up Saturday morning and dropped down buckets of rain our our dumb asses. We were sleeping half under a tarp, but everything still got soaked.
Boots: We both used Garmont combat boots. Partner developed blisters on the bottom of his feet and back of his heal, I developed blisters on the ends of my “index toe” on each foot. Still, this level of performance was much better than the Army issue boots I used for Mammoth 2023.
Winter coats: I use a 32Degree Heat down puffy jacket I bought for 30 bucks on end of season clearance, partner used a Sitka lightweight hunting puffy jacket (no idea what he paid). A couple other competitors were using the same Sitka jacket, and a lot of other competitors used various commercial puffy jackets. They ball up real tight inside of a dry bag, so are a great piece of kit.
Titanium cook sets. Both partner and I used a 14 gram iso-butane burner, and I used two titanium cups with lids. Partner used a stainless steel Stanley camping set. Partner agreed titanium is the way to go for him next year. The weight savings is only ounces, but the space savings of having my entire cookset fit inside the bigger cup was an added benefit I had.
Hot Hands hand warmers. If you have to camp in the cold, get the stick on kind and stick them to the bottom of your feet right before you get into your sleep system. The ounces they weigh in the pack are paid for in extra hours of restful sleep (or as restful sleep you can get outdoors). We also used the pocket warmer size to put in our boots at the end of each day, then plugged the top of the boot with a sock to help dry the boots out overnight. Didn’t always guarantee perfectly dry boots in the morning, but they were always drier than the night before.
Pre-Workout: I’d never had “Pre-Workout” before in my life, but evidently it has nitrous oxide based vaso-dilators which helped my lungs open up, and on Sunday when Partner gave me half a packet to drink before our first 5 mile ruck, I had no idea what it was going to do to me. We went from being the last team in, to the third team in. On the final ruck Sunday Partner gave me another half of a pre-workout, and we came back first, two minutes ahead of any other team left in our squad. I’m not saying you’ll have the same results, but it might be worth checking out.
Food: Partner and I aimed for 2,000 to 2,500 calories per day. We did this with a mix of freeze dried camping meals, nutrition bars, Lenny and Larry Complete Cookies, oatmeal, fruits, nuts, and rehydration mixes (Propel, Drip Drop, Liquid IV, Gatorade). My food load started at 8.4 lbs in three different gallon ziplock bags, and I had food (snacks) left over at the end.
Gear that we plan to improve on as we can.
Sleeping bags. I used an Ozark Trail 30 degree mummy bag, same as last year. Partner used an Army surplus modular sleep system winter bag. We were both very happy with the warmth, but the weight and bulk left a bit to be desired. We’d both like to find some down bags we can put inside our gortex bivy covers, since down bags are lighter, and can get compressed down much smaller to save space.
Laser range finders: Partner took his handheld 1500 yard LRF, it worked fine when we used it. A lot of teams were rocking scope mounted Vortex LRFs which are really a whole ballistic computer as well. For 2,000 dollars (or more) that would be a real “splurge” for either of us, but we do need to get something different that works better for us.
Buttstocks: We both used M4 style carbine stocks, as they are very light. We should both have spent the money to get Magpul PRS Lite stocks, just for a more consistent cheek weld.
Triggers: We both used 2 stage, 4.5 lb triggers. They work fine, and are a requirement for Service Rifle competition. However I’d like to try to get a 3 to 3.5 lb single stage and see if that can’t help, especially in the cold morning when my trigger finger was numb. Having the rifle go off earlier might have turned some near misses into hits as I shivered on the frosty ground…
Freeze Dried Meals: I used mostly “Good-To-Go” brand freeze dried meals and they gave me pretty awful gas. I don’t normally consume a bunch of grains, so my gut wasn’t happy. Partner used mostly Mountain Home, and had a much better experience. So I recommend trying out a few different brands to see what works for you. The one “Readywise” brand meal I used tasted better than the “Good-To-Go” brand and had more calories.
Final Thoughts:
This Mammoth was a straight kick in the junk. The weather was awful on Saturday, and we saw more teams drop that day than ever before. Only the three “S’s” of spite, stupidity, and stubbornness kept partner and I in the competition to the end.
If Partner and I get better sleeping bags, that would likely allow us both to use smaller, lighter rucksacks in the future. Stepping off on Friday morning we both had 59.5 lbs on our backs, and even shaving an additional 5 lbs would have been a great advantage. Over the course of 30 miles, that 5 lbs difference saves over 100 calories of effort. Secondly, we didn’t take a tent, and that didn’t stop us from finishing. We should have taken a tent for a bit of comfort, but we didn’t. So even if we get better, smaller, lighter gear, we may end up offsetting with a tent (we both have 4 lb lightweight two man tent systems).
Wandering Through The Night 