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What's In Your Pack ?


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For those that are out in the woods, for a few hours or a few days, what do you take. What is essential for you, or what do you not leave home without? What gear has failed?

I typically carry a medium sized pack (Mt Hardware), a Gore-tex bivy (Outdoor Research), sleeping pad (Exped Downmat) and a larger than necessary first aid kit. I have a 10-essentials bag which includes three fire starters, plastic trash bags (garden size) and a handful of other items including a knife or two and a change of clothes. I also have started carrying a small axe and I like to wear wool clothing instead of synthetics. I typically do not carry "rain gear". I carry a Ruger Blackhawk in .44M or a Marlin 1895 SBL in .45-70.

This all works well for me in the PNW. How about you?

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I like military surplus for my equipment. It is hardy and inexpensive, compared to the usual commercial backpacking/camping gear.

Here is my list:

1. Alice Pack....I have all three sizes with the pack frame, depending how long I will be in the woods. The small pack is good for a weekend camp here in the South during warm weather. I will usually pack the large one in the winter, because I need the extra clothing and sleeping gear.

2. Hammock in the summer. I use the bivy sack from the Czech 3 piece sleeping bag with either a wool blanket or a sleeping bag in the winter, depending on how low the temperature gets. I use a 7x9 nylon tarp in different configurations, depending on the weather. I use the US military foam pad.

3. I carry a couple of US military 1 qt canteens. One is plastic and the other is aluminum, which will allow me to boil water for purification right in the canteen. Canteen cup and canteen cup stove with a home made alcohol burner to cook with. I carry the fry pan part of the US military cook set.

4. I also carry a ten essentials bag with 3 different fire starting methods, some extra 550 lb parachute cord, folding knife and hunting knife, short machete (12 inch blade) and sometimes a hatchet.

5. On overnight excursions I also carry night vision, an amplified listening device and a digital recorder.

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Guest NWSquatcher

Short Hike Day Pack.

Water

First Aid Kit w/Advil

Power Bars/Granola Bars & Jerky

Waterproof Matches/Fire Starter Kit

Space Blanket

Paracord

Gerber Multi Tool

5" Knife

Fleece Socks (2)

Gum

Orange Flagging

Compass

Pencil/Notepad

Flashlight & Batteries

Duct Tape

Down Jacket

Whistle

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LOL, hey, gum comes in handy B) I use it for Bear Defense, you know, that loud smacking and bubble popping noise, works wonders :lol:

Good thread, I have more in my pack, just can't remember without taking it apart.

I do carry a few safety pins as well.

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"Emergency" food is in my 10-essentials, but really it's only a comfort kind of thing. I loosely ascribe to the rule of threes, three hours without shelter, three days without water and three weeks without food. So, food in my pack is a minor thing. If I'm actually camping my bag gets much more full; however, what I posted above isn't all encompassing, but I don't leave home without it. I also carry a SPOT, a FRS radio, map and compass and other stuff.

What about you?

ETA: Or, if you were asking about what food, I typically take Mountain House Pro Packs (I think that's what they are called). I also have freeze dried food at home that I take to create or supplement meals (freeze dried potatoes, peas, onions, etc.). So, I might take some flour or pancake mix, powdered milk, sugar, clarified butter, etc so I can make mashed potatoes or hashbrowns and pancakes or something along those lines, and instant oatmeal is a big one for me.

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50 cent suitcase that still has the GOODWILL sticker on it, alway loaded and ready to go. Inside I will find...

Digital camera

Old viedo cam

Delorme of Wa state

Garmin Oregon GPS

2 pairs of binocs

200 piece first aid kit

Survival knife (just a basic blade, no tv, no sno-cone machine just a blade)

Compass

Gerber multi tool

Small LED flashlight

Flashlight that uses no batts.

Fingerless gloves for woodknocking (I have had blisters on more than one ocasion)

3 foot roll up tape measure

1 Litre bottle water

Strikr-a-fire kit

Mag fire starter

Fire starter sticks

Digital audio recorder

Parabolic

2 way radios

T-paper

Handwarmers

And use to be model 29 S&W 44 mag with 5" barrel but I JUST traded it for a 15ft pull camper so I will be carrying another gun obviously, probably my 12Ga shotgun with alternating 00 buckshot and slugs.

Not for bigfoot but there are a lot of bear here and we have been jumping Moose a lot more up around the 4000 to 4500 elivation these last couple years so..

This is fun.

Dose anyone know if there is a thread simular to this only with either rig that are out fitted for outdoors (think like safari)

Thats where most of my Bf money has gone the last couple years is getting the rig (2001 Dodge ram) ready and outfitted to travle the hundreds of forest service roads and logging roads that surround us.

Next, the camp trailer.....

S

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No food?

Actually, sometimes no. I like to practice and work on my bushcrafting skills a lot of the time I am in the woods. That means procuring my own food from the field. Wild edibles, squirrel and rabbit.....and most especially a nice big fat catfish from the lake. :)

Procuring your own food sources while in the field makes you keenly aware of what it really takes to live in the woods. ;)

The food that I usually take is something I can add hot water to and stir up, like Ramen noodles with beef jerky thrown in for protein. The new tuna in a package is convenient to carry.

I always take some Tropical Trail Mix from Walmart to snack on.

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Hmm...The daypack is just a down and dirty ozark mountain (I had to look...lol...) fanny type pack that I carry on day hikes "just in case". I've squeezed four emergency blankets, a coil of thin nylon rope, a pocket knife, a "swiss type army knife", a pocket fishing kit (just some hooks and line) a magnesium fire starter, a little bottle with waterproof matches, a compass, a small signaling mirror, a map, a little first aid kit I got at Fred Meyer on clearance (I have no idea what's in there...I've never opened it...lol...)two bic lighters and two rods of fire starter stuff.

It's a pack I made a long time ago and never mess with anymore. It's like I "set it and forget it".....It's not all that big so I can wear it comfortably anytime I plan to leave camp for a few hours. It has a couple of water bottle holders so I usually stick a a couple in em. Thanks for this thread to make me realize I need to stick one of those little bottles of water purification tablets into it. I can probably squeeze it a little more...lol...

My "bug out" bag is a little more complicated and complete. I designed it for a full week self sustaining at a moments notice, with options for longer.

Get my full on "camping rig" going and I can theoretically stay out for a long long long time. Dang, this thread just reminded me that I've been meaning to buy some snares for a while. Gonna be egg on my face if I don't..... :o

Now if ya'll can just convince my sweetie that the bug out bags need to go camping with us I'd feel a lot more at ease...lol.... :rolleyes:

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Dang, this thread just reminded me that I've been meaning to buy some snares for a while. Gonna be egg on my face if I don't..... :o

Yep, I always carry plenty of snares and snare wire. I have better luck snaring rabbits than squirrels, but I do get the occasional squirrel.

For squirrels.....during squirrel season I pack an air rifle. Does just as good as a .22 or .410 with out all of the noise. When I want a squirrel out of season, I usually have good luck with a slingshot.

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NWsquatcher mentioned it but I'd like to reiterate the orange flagging. I carry the day glow orange stuff and a black permanent Sharpie pen. If someone gets lost these 2 things are invaluable. If I get lost they're worth even more. Nothing like letting someone know that you've been there, when you were there and where you are headed. If you have to write on the flagging do it as you pull it off the roll and before you hang it. It's hard to write on while it's hanging there. :P

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norcallogger, you probably see more flagging than most of us. Any particular use for blue, as a color I mean? I carry blue because it's easy to see in the woods. Blue isn't "naturally" occuring, or so I've been told. Whereas sometimes red/orange becomes a color of leaf/needle at certain times of the year. Every heard the same?

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I don't wear a pack usually. I wear a fishing vest with tons of pockets. I find it more comfortable and I prefer to travel light when hiking. I also have a headlamp with red LED because most of our work is done at night. Here is what is usually in the pockets or clipped to my vest. (If we are going to sit and do surveillance I will carry my parabolic mic and my camp chair).

Garmin Rino GPS/Radio

Digital camera with video capability

Digital Recorder

Small mag-light (my back-up light)

Extra Batteries

Compass

Knife

Evidence collection (latex gloves,tweezers, evidence bags,tape measure)

Notebook and pen.

Toilet Paper

Oreos

Water

Edited by JohnCartwright
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Guest NWSquatcher

NWsquatcher mentioned it but I'd like to reiterate the orange flagging. I carry the day glow orange stuff and a black permanent Sharpie pen. If someone gets lost these 2 things are invaluable. If I get lost they're worth even more. Nothing like letting someone know that you've been there, when you were there and where you are headed. If you have to write on the flagging do it as you pull it off the roll and before you hang it. It's hard to write on while it's hanging there. :P

Very true. I always carry a Pen and most times have a sharpie that tends to go missing like a sock in washing machine :P

Ace, with the multiple colors out there now, blue is definitely a color you most likely would see with fall colors - I haven't seen it used here very often. Personally for myself, I have an eye for spotting the orange and also seeing the pink and white polka dot flagging to mark bee and wasps nests. B)

Which reminds me, I do carry benedryl in my pack with my first aid kit.

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