What's In Your Pack ?

[Guest]

Geez some of you guys haul alot of gear. I guess it depends on terrain and duration. I pack as light as i can . I outfit what i can from army surplus as well. I don't go for all that crap shinny gear from china either.

I use a basic med sized military back pack and outfitted with the usual below for a solo trip into the woods.

water bottle

dark green poncho which doubles as my night layer

sm binnocs and compass and printout maps

small digital camera and maybe my two trail cams if doing over nighter

casting mix in a zip lock

sm measuring tape

bars and some premade sandwiches in zips

matches in zip

sm coil of rope

bug juice

small combo knife and sharpening stone

extra pair of socks, sweater or t shirt and a hoddie suitible for the current weather

All in total maybe 5lbs in the pack.

Also a large hunting knife either on my belt or strapped to my leg.

At night I hunker down under cover (Cedar tree with low branches) with my poncho, extra sweater and hat on. No flashlights, no campfire, no excessive noise and wait it out. I am a light sleeper so if I do nod off the slightest noise at a distance puts me back on alert. I don't get much sleep anyways 3-4 hours tops. So i can go without until it until I get back to my home. Or if needed crash in my van after if I've gone a couple of nights without sleep.

I'am getting the feeling that this is a little different than what most others do ?

tracker

Seems heavier than 5 lbs.

[Guest tracker]

Maybe not but it apparently it works. Your is more of military recon set up which makes sense to me. It's that or set up base camp snoop around and try to draw them in. I'm still dragging a tent around and it's getting old!

Yea it's alot like recon which is prefered if I go out alone. I treeknock but i just don't build a fire at night. Nor do i sleep near them if i get one going during the day. I usually relocate down wind under cover and watch the critters go by.

Okay my pack could be between 5-10 lbs Ace ? But I don't usually take everything on that list it depends on the eliments.

[Guest young sasqua]

day pack: small first aid,headlamp,machete,climbing rope,compass,map,cell phone,digital video camera,digital camera,walkie talkies, buck knife,extra socks,rain coat,zip lock bags(large and small),plaster,small hammer and chisel(fossils and gems),ten feet of nylon measuring tape,extra batteries,journal,pencils,2 bic lighters,magnesium fire stick,small binoculars,water purifier(everyone get one of these)coffee,metal coffee pot,pipe,tabaco,cup, 2 liter bottle,tick spray,dryer lint soon to come : bear spray

this day pack is loaded and ready to go at all times , sometimes in my trunk, just add food

weekend pack: ask my sherpas

ideas for saving weight: buy 100 foot nylon construction tape measure and cut it up (share with friends)

water purifier (if you come acroos a track youll use all your water)

machete instead of hatchet (bow saws are good for only cutting wood)

Id be fiine with almost nothing , id just hate to need it and not have it!

[Guest]

I use military gear if at all possible. I have tried the stuff from Bass Pro, etc., while surveying & redoing the National Forest lines, and the military stuff is the only gear that held up. I take a compass (quadrant, not azimuth), and I use the "look thru" kind because of accuracy & ease of use, not the cheap plastic kind.

I take weather-proof quad maps, as well as the hand held portion of one of my survey grade GPS units. They are very high accuracy, and allow me to store unlimited data and add descriptions to each point on a map, which I can download on my laptop and create a detailed map of what I found and also create my own GIS database or add it to an existing one.

I carry a Ruger Blackhawk stainless .357 Mag holstered on my side, but am considering a larger caliber before heading to the PNW because of potential encounters with grizzlies. I take a pocket knife, small 8" sheath knife, and a 24" machete. The machete I use is an Ontario Knife, which is the best you can buy. In 20 years of cutting brush while surveying, I have used practically every kind made. Ontario Knives are very durable, and have a very thick spine. They do not bend or "wiggle" like other machetes, and I have cut trees down with them. I keep mine razor sharp. I got in the habit of carrying one from all my years surveying.

I wear Irish Setter pull on snake boots that zip up on the inside of the leg. They are snakeproof and waterproof, and are 18" high. They are the most comfortable boots I have ever worn. The first pair I had lasted for the entire survey I did of a 135,000 acre National Forest, in which I ran over 400 miles of line over rough terrain, so I highly recommend them.

Sometimes I take pink flagging with me (pink is the most visible flagging in the woods, bar none, even in low light), and sometimes reflective tacks.

I usually throw a mag lite and always have water, toilet paper, and snacks.

Nowadays I have to take my mobile pharmacy in case I have a relapse out in the middle of nowhere, and in warm weather I will have a cooling vest.

Other than that, I only take a communication device such as a cell phone for texting (I like to keep silent), a notebook, camera, tape measure.

I am working on designing an electronic tool that will combine a gps, digital compass, laser measuring device, digital camera, and the ability to record text notes that can be used in the field to record data (track info, signs, forensic sighting info) and then download that data into a computer to be manipulated. I had already been bouncing the idea around for my Forest Service contract and after talking to some of my friends in the forestry field. Adding a clinometer would allow it to calculate height as well.

[Guest wild eyed willy]

My Pack: Mirrior, Cig lighter, tube of Neosopen, compass, map, Hand towel, two bottles of water, can insect repellent, Binoculars, sneakers. Large Knife, 32 auto, extra clip, camera and cell phone. Day Pack

Don't have extended pack yet.

[Guest Tracksquatch]

72 hour pack that I use for SAR and a kit I just found. Laser pointer is perfect for not screwing up evidence.

[Guest Tracksquatch]

Sorry. Here's the kit I found. Best thing is the chalk and pointer.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Bigfoot-Tracking-Animal-Tracking-Mantracking-Kit-/140575856897?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20baf95901

Edited July 13, 2011 by Tracksquatch

[Guest spoiler]

Im a hiker and Peak bagger, I hike to the summit of mountains and sign my name on the summit log, Too often I get the the top of an 8 or 9 hour hike to find the Summit Log missing or damaged, I carry in my pack an extra summit log and and pencil so i can replace anything that might be bad.

[Guest]

BUMP

[Guest RedRatSnake]

Hi Guys

Here is a pic of last years Awesome set up i had ~

Tim ~

[Guest wild eyed willy]

Hi Guys

Here is a pic of last years Awesome set up i had ~

Tim ~

I hope you got bandaids there somewhere

[Guest]

Maxpedition Jumbo Veripack

I keep this with my at all times when I'm out in the woods.

In this I carry:

Digital HD Video camera

Digital still camera

Water bottle

Compass

Mini mag AAA light

Surefire AA light

2 head lamps (one with red LEDS)

Leatherman

Heavy duty lighter

Swiss Army knife

Small folding knife

Large camping/survival knife

Bear spray - clipped on (when I remember to bring it)

Handgun and clips (depending on where I'm going / what I'm doing)

I'm never very far from my Jeep, in there I keep the camping stuff, clothes, food, emergency/survival gear, audio/video gear, BF'ing electronics, etc.

[Guest 11BRAVO]

my new toy. fluke TiR1. Thermal camera.

Edited March 5, 2012 by 11BRAVO

[salubrious]

2 pairs of Smartwool socks, the pair I am wearing and one more.

The best shoe I have found is called the Feelmax. It is very light, super flexible on account of it has a 1 mm Kevlar sole and no padding. This is the quietest shoe you can have other than a set of brain-tanned moccasins.

I usually have a knife in a sheath with a 5-6" blade, on my belt.

Much depends on the terrain, but for the most part I have a small pack. I carry the spindle, bearing and fireboard of a bow-drill set for fire. Bowdrill is great because you can make a fire more easily in the rain than you can a match or lighter. Plus it does not matter if it gets wet. I usually make the bow on-site.

50' paracord

1 spool of black thread (useful for traps, snares and alarms)

small vial of tea-tree oil

scentless deodorant/babywipes. Very handy for cleaning up- the less you smell, the better.

triple-filtered water bottle. This allows me to get water anywhere.

water bottle

If I bring a jacket, its wool. I have King of the Mountain wool camo pants, but they are too warm most of the time. I made a T-shirt out of brain-tanned deerskin. Its really comfortable but can be a little warm. However you can get it wet as much as you like even wash it in the washing machine without damage. This is nice if you have to creep through a cedar swamp.

Chigger-X!

anti-bacterial hand cleaner

lip balm

A metal cup is nice for about any sort of cooking.

spare knife, like a fixed-blade Frost knife.

stainless spoon, fork and butter knife

fish hooks

small jar of peanut butter- good if you can find food, but good for baiting snares and traps too

native American flute (been playing for 20 years)

Most of this stuff fits in a pretty small pack or shoulder bag. Its good to have extra pockets so I can collect plants along the way if I need them. The four essentials are shelter, water, food and fire. Fire is easy, shelter is tricky. sometimes I bring a heavy wool blanket if I don't think I will find the right grasses, but otherwise I make a grass mat which I can wrap around myself. You would be amazed how warm and comfortable a good grass mat can be! Water is easy if I have the filter bottle (got it at REI). Food- if there are plants around that is not too hard. But for the most part you can go for weeks without food- I know I can- plenty of gut to go on

With all this I can stay out in certain environments indefinitely. I always have the pack in my car.

I don't carry a tent anymore (unless I have to be social). One time recently I was awakened at 3:AM by a *very* stealthy footstep by something really heavy outside my tent, only a few inches from my head, same night that I heard a bunch of what sounded like vocalizations. You have no idea how creepy that can be! Or maybe you do... So if I am going to be in an area for a while I build a debris hut. It will keep you warm and dry even it goes below zero or if its raining cats and dogs. Plus its a lot harder to make out on the landscape. Takes longer to build, but you don't have to carry anything with you.

I stay away from flashlights too. The new LED ones are particularly bad at messing up your night vision.

For bigfoot add GPS, Hi def camera and GoPro with spare batteries and SD chips.

[MagniAesir]

Another good thread