Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Bow Hunting => Topic started by: sdwwaverider on December 08, 2010, 12:52:31 AM

Title: What Do You Carry In Your Pack?
Post by: sdwwaverider on December 08, 2010, 12:52:31 AM: Just read the "getting turned around" thread and maybe this has already been done but I thought a What do you carry in your pack might help some guys & gals out there be better prepared. I get some are you crazy looks sometimes because I always carry my pack. Barring disaster I feel I should be good out there for at least 3 days. Here's the important things I carry.

1. GPS & Compass
2. Radio
3. Extra Socks
4. Extra Shirt
5. Batteries
6. 2 headlamps
7. Combo Knife w/saw
8. Pitchwood
9. Lighter
10. Flint
11. Marking Tape
12. 100' Rope
13. 1 - 6X8 Tarp
14. Space Blanket
15. 2 sets Gloves
16. 2 Ltr water bladder filled every morning.
17. Knife sharpener
18. Cell Phone (I do not rely on it)
19. Various food items + 2 freeze dried meals
20. Metal cup

I have been turned around before and it's taken me a few extra hours in the dark to find my way out. But in doing so I was secure in knowing I could stop at any time and wait till light. That being said it's still frustrating and unnerving when you are lost I imagine it's worse without the proper supplies. I'm sure I've missed a few things as I was going over the mental checklist in my head. Be interested to see what others carry.
Title: Re: What Do You Carry In Your Pack?
Post by: chester on December 08, 2010, 01:01:01 AM: I really didnt think id have that much of a list
Headlamp
100' of rope
Skining knife
gut hook
emergency blanket x2
first aid kit
couple Bic lighters
Matches
MRE
Game Bags
Pen
Ammo
Water Bottle
extra gloves
Baby wipes
Electrical tape x2 (1 red for marking 1 black for tags etc...)
Copenhagen

I guess alot of little stuff adds up.
Title: Re: What Do You Carry In Your Pack?
Post by: wildmanoutdoors on December 08, 2010, 05:56:01 AM: I don't even list the ten essentials as they are a must no matter what IMO.

GPS
Pistol
A bit of extra food but you can go along time without.
Water purifier tabs
TP
cord
duct tape
extra emergency blanket for a shelter.
extra warm layer

Then add the hunting items, knives, game bags ect.
Title: Re: What Do You Carry In Your Pack?
Post by: bobcat on December 08, 2010, 07:36:49 AM: Chester got the #1 thing that I was going to add: baby wipes. :chuckle:
Title: Re: What Do You Carry In Your Pack?
Post by: BlackRidge on December 08, 2010, 07:43:00 AM: Its eerie... chester pretty much described my bag contents

only other thing would be my zune/camera/spare release
Title: Re: What Do You Carry In Your Pack?
Post by: BLKBEARKLR on December 08, 2010, 07:54:24 AM: lot of same things I carry, some other things to consider

Chem lights x 5 ----- Batteries can go dead, wood can be to wet to start but a chem light always works!!!!! I have marked elk with them at night and then went back to the trail 3/4 mile away hung them up high in the tree and been able to shuttle back and forth without no issues.

2 books - Yep I love to read when I am out hunting, it is my alone time
Title: Re: What Do You Carry In Your Pack?
Post by: halflife65 on December 08, 2010, 07:56:08 AM: 1. GPS & Compass + Map
2. Super lightweight raincoat (Cabela's Space Rain) unless it's going to rain all day and I'm already wearing some heavier duty waterproof clothing
3. 2 headlamps (1 Tikka and one small Black Diamond)
4. Knife (one in pack and one in pocket)
5. Cotton balls/vaseline
6. Lighter
7. Flint striker
8. Marking Tape
9. 50' parachute cord
10. Space Blanket (not a little silver one but the heavier Adventure Medical Kit orange one)
11. Gloves
12. Stocking hat
13. 60oz or 100oz water bladder unless it's really cold and I use a 64oz Nalgene bottle - it looks like a tall boy water bottle. Sometimes the water bladder hoses freeze and even if you blow the water back out of it the nozzle freezes and won't work
13. Cell phone and wallet (more of a function of not wanting to leave them in the truck)
14. Small Adventure Medical Kit with some additional ibuprofen and Tums added
15. Game bags (elk quarter bags - I generally bone out deer so it works for both)
15. Food for the day plus a couple of extra granola/power bar type of things in case I'm out longer than planned
16. A couple of packages of Gu or Clif Shots (very rarely ever used - just in case I need a boost to get out of some hell hole)
17. This year my dad bought me a saw - really good one (really just started carrying it this year and might not have if my dad hadn't showed up and handed me one). Kind of an unsolicited request but I can see how it might be useful. Doesn't weigh much.
18. Small point and shoot camera
19. Sometimes a Leupold 25x fixed spotter (need to upgrade) and small tripod
20. Some paper towels

In the winter, I sometimes carry a MSR Pocket Rocket + titanium cup or Jetboil stove, a freezed dried meal and some of those Starbuck's Via coffee packs (used to carry tea bags before the Via stuff.) Pretty nice to have a warm meal when on top of a cold ridge somewhere.

I'm probably forgetting some stuff that goes in my pack - I have everything divided up into bags so I can just stuff them easily into a pack and take off without having to assemble everything, except food and water, every time I go hiking/hunting.

Pretty much the same stuff goes into my multi-day pack with a few additional things (sleeping bag, tent, sleeping pad, water filter, additional food, duct tape, a few other little things.)
Title: Re: What Do You Carry In Your Pack?
Post by: high country on December 08, 2010, 08:02:31 AM: you guys should add a whistle to yur list. if you are ever totally screwed you can save a lot of heartache by having one.....yelling won't cut it. another good to do is to leave an adjenda in your rig or with someone......gives a good starting point for s&r. add a cat can stove or pop can stove and some cocoa or coffee and oatmeal put it all in a small ti cup and you have warm eats and drinks for a 3 oz. weight penalty.

also, know where to pitch a camp......not too high, not too low, not wind exposed or under a deathtrap tree. know your signals for aircraft. I heard a story where a lost guy signaled a plane that all was well. he spent another few days out there because of that.
Title: Re: What Do You Carry In Your Pack?
Post by: halflife65 on December 08, 2010, 08:24:25 AM: Oops - forgot to mention. I actually carry a whistle and signal mirror and just made it part of my first aid kit. I knew a few things would come up that I forgot to mention.

Probably should learn the airplane signals, though. I was just going to try to blind the guy and hope he didn't crash.

Do you use a Nesbit tab in that cat can/pop can stove?
Title: Re: What Do You Carry In Your Pack?
Post by: Cylvertip on December 08, 2010, 08:43:37 AM: About the only thing I see missing is forceps - have read a couple of stories where a slip of the knife while skinning hit the femoral artery - one turned out good cuz they had a set of forceps :twocents:
Title: Re: What Do You Carry In Your Pack?
Post by: bobcat on December 08, 2010, 08:45:18 AM: One thing I see missing from everyone's list is the kitchen sink ??? :dunno: :chuckle:
Title: Re: What Do You Carry In Your Pack?
Post by: shoot-em-dead on December 08, 2010, 08:50:06 AM: You better hope the YAR doesn't get ahold of this one. The contents of a pack for three days to help other guys and gals. :yike: :yike:
Title: Re: What Do You Carry In Your Pack?
Post by: Pathfinder101 on December 08, 2010, 08:56:02 AM: I carry a survival kit in my camelbak (that way I am always carrying water). It is organized into shelter, water, fire, food, first aid and rescue.

Shelter:
space blanket
zip ties
black electrical tape
knife
wire saw
Parachute cord

Water:
iodine tabs
unlubricated condom

Fire:
Magnesium Match
pitchwood
vasaline soaked cottonballs

Food:
MRE Peanut Butter
Snare wire
Bullion Cubes

First Aid:
Small commercial first aide kit with band aides, etc..
2 Large Army field dressings for serious wounds

Rescue:
Whistle
Signal mirror
LED Headlamp

All this is enclosed in two waterproof bags, and fits in the bottom pocket of my Camelbak. In the top pocket is my rangefinder (that way I never leave the truck without my pack ;) )
Title: Re: What Do You Carry In Your Pack?
Post by: halflife65 on December 08, 2010, 09:20:47 AM: Who are you going to be meeting in the woods? Do just divide the load? You carry the KY and I'll Cary the condom kind of thing?

I know the lust of stuff to carry seems like a lotbut it really isn't that much in the bottom of a pack.
Title: Re: What Do You Carry In Your Pack?
Post by: Magnum_Willys on December 08, 2010, 09:33:45 AM: vaseline and condoms ? What are you hunting for ? :chuckle: :dunno:
Title: Re: What Do You Carry In Your Pack?
Post by: Pathfinder101 on December 08, 2010, 09:40:49 AM: Quote from: Magnum_Willys on December 08, 2010, 09:33:45 AM
vaseline and condoms ? What are you hunting for ? :chuckle: :dunno:

Yeah, I know. Looks creepy. :chuckle: But an unlubricated condom is the best small water collector you can carry (though I will admit, I have never had to actually use it), and nothing starts a fire more reliably than cotton balls covered in vasaline.
Title: Re: What Do You Carry In Your Pack?
Post by: rasbo on December 08, 2010, 09:48:54 AM: this time of the year the pack stays in the trruck,its got all the goodies,trapping pack has lure rebar cable,hammer snippers,wire pliers...carry a tater rake,thanks dekalb and hannibal...eyecatchers,,,feathers gloves,fishing line....
Title: Re: What Do You Carry In Your Pack?
Post by: Yeti on December 08, 2010, 09:55:07 AM: 1. GPS
2. Survival Kit
3. headlamp
4. Knife (one in pack and one in pocket)
5. First Aid Kit
6. Lighter
7. Stove/Fuel
8. Marking Tape
9. 100' parachute cord
10. 1 Freeze Dried Dinner
11. Gloves
12. Stocking hat
13. 2 Liter water bladder and two 16oz nalgene style bottles
14. Cell phone and wallet (more of a function of not wanting to leave them in the truck)
15. Small Adventure Medical Kit with some additional ibuprofen and Tums added
16. Game bags (elk quarter bags - I generally bone out deer so it works for both)
17. 4 AA spare batteries for GPS and Headlamp
18. Game Calls
19. Saw and Shears
20. Toilet paper in plastic bag.(Biodegradeable kind)
21. Water Tablets
22. Rescue whistle is built into my pack.
Title: Re: What Do You Carry In Your Pack?
Post by: jstone on December 08, 2010, 10:27:01 AM: Everything that i would need to survive a while. Extra clothes. I love hunting in the late season snow. Way away from other hunters. Need those survival supplies. Asked one of the guys that trys to tagalong with me this year if he had fire starter. He said No :bash: :bash: DUMD A$$.
Title: Re: What Do You Carry In Your Pack?
Post by: BuckHunter23 on December 08, 2010, 11:16:17 AM: Good to know I am not a *censored* for carrying most of what everyone has listed here. I may not hike 50 miles into the back country when I go out, but you never know what might happen even 100 yards off the trail. My buddies have joked with me that I carry too much considering I don't go far. I subscribe to the better safe than sorry mentality. A little extra weight and a few extra items can make the difference between you getting out alive if you are stuck/lost. Great lists and a few ideas I can add to my pack, thanks for sharing. :tup:
Title: Re: What Do You Carry In Your Pack?
Post by: wsucowboy on December 08, 2010, 11:23:08 AM: toilet paper, food, usually a few apples, granola bars, etc..., couple bottle of water, two good knives, one in the pack one in my pocket, knife sharpener, lighter, extra pair of socks, electrical tape, if i have a gun with me extra bullets, there's more i just can't think of it now.
Title: Re: What Do You Carry In Your Pack?
Post by: sdwwaverider on December 08, 2010, 01:26:59 PM: Well I see a couple of things I carry I forgot to add on the list. Uh TP, Hello!! Need to add a whistle, signal mirror is part of my camo paint. I pack a stocking cap, bandaids. Vasoline & condoms, well now I know why I posted the question. I believe that qualifies for YAR. :rolleyes: . Also depending on location will throw the spotting scope in. The phone camera has basically replaced carrying a reg camera in the field.
Title: Re: What Do You Carry In Your Pack?
Post by: Pathfinder101 on December 08, 2010, 01:33:12 PM: Oh yeah, I forgot. There are two packs of MRE Toilet paper in my survival kit as well. Not my primary TP (usually carry some in my pocket or pack if I have a feeling I am going to need it), but always nice to have an emergency supply...(if you've ever used MRE TP, you know why it's not my "primary".. :chuckle: )
Title: Re: What Do You Carry In Your Pack?
Post by: alecvg on December 08, 2010, 10:17:28 PM: Quote from: Magnum_Willys on December 08, 2010, 09:33:45 AM
vaseline and condoms ? What are you hunting for ? :chuckle: :dunno:

He is hunting cougars :chuckle:
Title: Re: What Do You Carry In Your Pack?
Post by: halflife65 on December 09, 2010, 05:11:47 AM: Good cougar hunting in Cle Elum, I hear. For the indiscriminate sort, anyway. Meat hunters can do well there, I think. :chuckle:
Title: Re: What Do You Carry In Your Pack?
Post by: ICEMAN on December 09, 2010, 05:32:00 AM: Aside from alot of the stuff I see posted, I took a foam backpackers sleep mat, and cut about 3" from the side of it off. I use the remainder to stiffen the inside of my pack, and it will be used to lay on if I go down from injury or have to sleep out the night. From what I have read about injured guys getting hypothermia cause they are stuck to the ground, I figured I could afford the extra weight in the pack.
Title: Re: What Do You Carry In Your Pack?
Post by: sakoshooter on December 10, 2010, 01:15:48 AM: This stuff pretty much stays in my huntin pack no matter where or how I'm hunting - Gun or Bow.
16"x16"x1"thick soft foam pad for sitting on(warm & dry)
Fire Starter, Lighters, Matches, Compass, Disp Handwarmers(2)
Water(2 pts for all day hunts)
Ready to eat food
Flashlights(2)w/good batteries
Knives(3)Main knife, Skinnin knife &Lil knife for capin the head
Toilet Paper(should be at the top of the list, sorry)
Down Vest, Extra Gloves w/finger covers
Gortex Jacket(lightweight shell)
Rope, Space Blanket, Hot Pink Surveyors Tape(1 roll)
This gear doesn't include my gun, binos, spotting scope, camera, tripod, meat bags, extra shells or archery stuff depending on hunting season and style.
I just copied/pasted this from the 'Lost' post.
Title: Re: What Do You Carry In Your Pack?
Post by: danrabe on December 12, 2010, 11:16:49 PM: I have a basic setup, but one thing I havent seen mentioned (unless I just missed it) was a sewing kit, alcohol, and superglue. More than once have I had to stitch someone up because of a good slice. After you make a good cross stitch, you put a little superglue over the wound (hurts like hell), but seals it up real well.
Title: Re: What Do You Carry In Your Pack?
Post by: chester on December 13, 2010, 12:18:09 PM: Quote from: danrabe on December 12, 2010, 11:16:49 PM
I have a basic setup, but one thing I havent seen mentioned (unless I just missed it) was a sewing kit, alcohol, and superglue.

I forgot that off my list. there is a Flask of pendleton that comes along in case i get something down. ;)