What's in your pack?

[Clay Hayes]

#3134

I thought It’d be interesting to see what everyone caries with them on a hunt. Since gear varies so much by region and species, let us know what you’re hunting and where. For elk in east Idaho ( I most often hunt alone in remote mountainous country), I always have the following (bare necessities):

Light weight rain gear (you never know what the weather will bring)
Lighter/fire kit
Knife & sharpener
Game bags
Water (in camelback)
Down vest (packs small but very warm)
Head lamp
Various calls
Paracord
Compass & various maps
Extra socks
Bread bag (to cover fletchings in wet weather)
Camera
Extra bow string
Cell phone (turned off)

[SteveMcD]

#16985

Rain Gear
Extra Socks
Extra Wool Jac Shirt (in Late Fall / Winter)
Extra Gloves
Extra Hat
a couple of Bandannas
Hand / Boot Warmers
Maps
Compass
Backup Compass
Binoculars
Waterproof Matches
Flint & Steel
Candle
parachute chord
game bag
Flashlight
Extra Knifes
Whetstone
2 Bottles Water
Snickers (several bars)
Sandwich (sometimes)
Cell Phone (OFF)
Walkie Talkie (if hunting with someone)
St Hubert Medal
Book of Psalms / New Testament
Extra pens for filling out game tags

I like the “Cell Phone (turned off)” part. 😛 I had a slow morning a few years back, so I thought I’d text my better half. I got a reply – “Honey can you come home”. I laid down the law after that. Cell Phone is off! And only carried for emergencies (in the woods)!! 😆

[Ken Schwartz]

#18231

Don’t forget the first aid kit!

[M]

#18273

Pretty much all the above but rotate some of the stuff in and out like rain suit if forcast is good. I always carry my time warp continueum cordinater for time travel in case I miss my first shot. I also always have my prismatic light bending suit so i can be like that alien dude in predator. Has anyone gone to outfoxedproducts.com? If I get a gigger pack I could carry the Trojan Cow they sell! Not kidding a Trojan Cow who would have thought.

[SteveMcD]

#18452

Ken! Gimme a break! I’m already carrying an awful lot of stuff just for a 40 yard walk off the road!!! 😆 Only kidding!!! 😛 I got more stuff in my pack then I can remember to list!!! And yes… a few gauze packets, a few bandaids, some iodine and a needle and thread are also in my pack. 8) Nearly sliced my thumb in half last year and all I was doing was cutting a cold hard snickers bar with my knife, 😯 but I was surveying the woods instead of looking at what I was doing! 🙄

[William Warren]

#18470

Since my quarry is whitetail I can get by with a decent butt pack.
Heres what’s in it.
small pruning shears
Gerber folding saw
50′ of parachute chord
rain poncho
space blanket
fire starter, matches, or lighter
pocket first aid kit
snake bite kit in warm weather or for Eastern hunts
Compass – if it is not in my pocket
Grunt / Bleat calls
Extra folding knive
Iodine tablets
Snickers bars
Cookies
Sandwich
Water bottle on the belt
Empty bottle to go in so I don’t foul up my hunting spot
small roll TP
2 small flashlights with fresh batteries
Binoculars unless I’m wearing them
Tri-pod stool strapped to the outside.

Maybe I’ll post a pic later.

I think that is about it.
If I’m carrying rattling antlers I put them in a small day pack for safety purposes and that pack might also contain an extra shirt jac.

[Bert]

#19168

Too much, after the first hundred yards of the first hunting outing! Remember, pain is weakness leaving the body and get your sorry you-know-what in shape before the hunt! I concur with most of the lists above so won’t go detailed but out here in the PNW of western Washington we have some unique requirements- such as, get a wetsuit- just kiddin’ but am seriously considering some lightweight hip waders as the river bottoms and low hills have some nasty swamps and you know exactly where your arrowed quarry is going to flee.Query?-quarry?- the elusive blacktail deer, black bear and more than usual cougars lately.
Some reccomendations-
Gerber brush axe- lightweight machete with a sickle end- indispensable in the local blackberry and devils-club thickets- wrap handle with paracord. Don’t leave home without it.
Altoid survival tin- Diy kit- check out Field&Stream- oldjimbo websites for ideas- do not place in pack but carry in pocket for the just in case scenario.
Ditto on the toiletpaper- there is no substitute! Bury, burn and cover, please. I hate white flags in the woods.
Along with a regular water bottle, canteen, or camelback and instead of iodine, bleach, a small water bottle with a purifying filter inside can be purchased easily and would work to keep that nasty giardia and various assorted crud from your gut.
A backpacker type Sierra cup with some tea bags(Starbucks recent Via instant coffee is actually drinkable) and a small fire, DIY penny alcohol or can stove can brighten up a dismal afternoon.
Flashlights-the plastic Surefire with 2 lithiums and LED runs longer and cooler than a regular bulb and will really light up your life.
For SteveMcD and the rest of us who are sometime magnets, through stupidity, to sharp instruments- some butterfly bandages and a small tube of superglue will come in handy. There’s also a clotting product available at most drugstores- break the ampoule and pour brown powder on bloody cut and it will clot- it works(ask me how I know!)
Also for SteveMcD and St. Hubert(Patron saint of hunters et al) a small flask of Jagermeisters is appropriate for medicinal and ritual purposes only, of course!
For those with floppy ankle(s), don’t forget the sports wrap and/or airsplint.
Lastly, since many of us hunt alone, far from the beaten track, I have made the choice(now legal in WA. and national parks) to pack a large caliber concealed handgun and reloads- technically not in my pack but easily accessible on my person should the need ever arise- tracking an arrowed black bear is a somewhat daunting task in the best of circumstances and besides the four-legged, we unfortunately have the two-legged methlab tweakers and drug-cartel marijuana growing operations more prevalent in our local and national parks. It’s a personal choice with attendant responsibilities that only you can make-why do I carry a gun? Because a cop is too heavy!
At least, especially in Grizzly country, get some real bear pepper spray- check out UDAP bear spray on the web, developed by a bowhunter mauled by a bear- some sobering pictures and good info.
Thanks for the lists, guys- you got me motivated to get my feces cohesive, packwise and I can’t wait to read Dave’s list- hopefully we have enough server space left!
Good shooting and hunting- Bert
P.S. If you ever see a cross or crucifix between the antlers of a stag, SteveMcD, HEED THE VOICE!!!!!(I will!!!)

[Patrick]

#19209

Bert wrote: why do I carry a gun? Because a cop is too heavy!

😆

[Mark Turton]

#19478

Can’t add much to the above, I have a huge rucksack it the truck that rarely sees the light of day but holds everything needed to support an infantry squad for ten days, I decant into a 30 ltr. Pack whatever I feel is necessary as and when. Only things of interest are:
1 Ltr trauma pads 2 off, any more than that and I’m beyond caring, truth to tell more than a ltr. and I’m history don’t do blood lose well.
Rubber inner tube cut into ½” x 4” strips, burns well even when wet, best fire lighter known to man.
Bivvy sheet, my comfort blanket.
Dried sausage and bread, tea and an old metal mug to brew up in.
Note book, pen and pencil.
Water bottle with a 2 mu. filter.
That’s about all I can add, oh camera I keep forgetting the thing.
Mark.

[Bert]

#19564

Mark-Sounds suspiciously SAS(SBS)-You serve? Where and when?
From an American aficionado, just read Stephen Pressfield’s ‘Killing Rommel’ about the WWII Long Range Desert Group- fictional but based on fact- what a bloody amazing group of blokes! And on the subject, the SAS survival book should be required reading and study for everyone who ventures from their couch. PM if you want to keep it private( and proud owner of a legal semi-auto FNFAL and a few Enfield MkIV’s. a MkV jungle and a MkVI revolver converted to 45ACP- all good, rugged shooters).
Cheerio-Bert

[Ken Schwartz]

#20295

SteveMcD wrote: Ken! Gimme a break! I’m already carrying an awful lot of stuff just for a 40 yard walk off the road!!! 😆 Only kidding!!! 😛 I got more stuff in my pack then I can remember to list!!! And yes… a few gauze packets, a few bandaids, some iodine and a needle and thread are also in my pack. 8) Nearly sliced my thumb in half last year and all I was doing was cutting a cold hard snickers bar with my knife, 😯 but I was surveying the woods instead of looking at what I was doing! 🙄

Sorry Steve!
I didn’t mean to cause more back pain but with newby hunters we can’t assume anything. Right? I do like your list and will change some things in mine because of some things you carry. I hunt where I live,so distance from the house to hunting plot is 1 1/2 miles at most so I try to only keep the bare esscentials. Thanks for posting these lists guys .

[SteveMcD]

#20347

No problem, Ken! You’re absolutely right. There is one other item I forget to mention – my gerber pruning saw.

I see Iodine tablets were mentioned (I assume for water). I carry water but if I was on a prolonged pack in… I would invest in a portable water purification system. 1) because they are very small and portable; and 2) because Iodine tablets are the most gosh awful stuff to put in water there is. 🙄 I got sick once in the military due to purposely avoiding the iodine tablets. You should use them if that is all you have, but there are better alternatives.

[William Warren]

#21789

SteveMcD wrote: No problem, Ken! You’re absolutely right. There is one other item I forget to mention – my gerber pruning saw.

I see Iodine tablets were mentioned (I assume for water). I carry water but if I was on a prolonged pack in… I would invest in a portable water purification system. 1) because they are very small and portable; and 2) because Iodine tablets are the most gosh awful stuff to put in water there is. 🙄 I got sick once in the military due to purposely avoiding the iodine tablets. You should use them if that is all you have, but there are better alternatives.

Yeah, the iodine is just in case. Typically, I would not expect to spend the night in the woods where I hunt. I have got turned around a couple of times. But then I decided to believe in my compass and I got out. I have thought about getting one of those filters because I know that iodine is bad tasting stuff.

[David Petersen]

#22324

Hunting pack with shelved Kevlar frame and detachable bags for meat packing
Layered clothing (camo and dark plaids)
Rain gear
Water filter bottle(s)
High-energy food: jerky, fruit, cheese, candy (no noisy wrappers). TP, ziplock bags for trash
Sitting/kneeling foam pad
Success kit: 2 big cloth game bags, 2 knives (medium and small), sharpeners, folding Gerber bone/wood saw, rubber gloves
Wind-up flashlight and headlamp; extra batteries
Map (in unfamiliar terrain) and compass (always)
Emergency kit: lighter, waterproof matches, first aid basics, dental floss, coach’s whistle
Hunting accessories: extra bowstring, extra shooting glove, shirt-pocket binocs, small camera, etc.
Back in truck or camp: 2 more game bags, frame pack
Average weight, 30-35lbs. (In this photo, from last year’s timberline deer hunt, the hunting packing is hanging on top the backpack.) 🙄

[Brian Dennis]

#22861

I tell other non-trad guys that all I need is a hat & a flashlight. If I’m climbing a tree, I pare the list as light as I can get it but if I’m on the ground I need a wheelbarrow. Unless it’s in the teens, I bring an extra t-shirt & gallon baggie to put the sweaty one in after I get to my area, extra socks, small Thermos (or water if it’s early season), Leatherman, pocket saw & briar nippers, face paint & bug dope, 15 feet of doody paper, 5 or 6 feet of orange ribbon, one hat flashlight & one mini mag light, candy bar & sandwich (you never know when you might want something to eat, my dad used to preach) and Stephen King or John Grisham just in case things get slow.

[George D. Stout]

#32674

1. Can of Spam.
2. Extra string and arrow rest (Hoyt stick on).
3. Bottle of Lipton’s white tea.
4. Leatherman tool..
5. Buck knife.
6. Milk weed pod.
7. Two dried wasps.
8. Digital Camera.
9. Compass.
10. Toilet paper.
11. Dental floss.
12. Tooth brush.
13. Assorted nocks, and accessories, and something that looks like a dead mole. May be an old tab.

[rayborbon]

#32937

I carry Green Eggs and Ham.

[Author]

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