basic hunting/hiking/fishing pack contents

[Armored farmer]

What "bare minimum" items do you always carry when hunting, fishing, or hiking an unfamiliar area.
I grew up hunting here in the midwest where you are virtually within 2 mi of a house at all times...usually within 3 mi of my house, so I could carry whatever comfort items I wanted. Sometimes filling my pack with unnecessary junk.
After nearly exhausting myself on a moose hunt in the Canadian bush, I slashed the contents of my pack to the bare bones. In fact, I rarely take more than will go comfortably in my pockets.
When I asked an old trapper friend of mine what he carried in the bush of Canada he said, "gun, ammo, knife, binoculars. All that junk you carry will kill you someday" He was right!!
Going light as actually made my adventures so much easier and more enjoyable.
My hunting kit: (go bag, pack, whatever you call it)
compass, knife, lighter, flashlite, multitool, and sometimes my Ruger Single Six 4 5/8 barrel .22 mag or my Taurus 627 Tracker .357 mag.

What's in your pack??

 

[jbkebert]

Well I seem to be alot more weighed down than you. I carry a camel back striker for my day pack. It has a 100 oz bladder that is always full of water before I leave. Inside the pack I carry the folowing.

compass and sometimes a GPS as well
first aid kit small
a couple granola bars
extra knife
outdoor edge t-handled saw
swiss match with vaseline smeared cotton balls
flashlight with extra batteries
whistle, mirror, safety pins, triangle bandage
couple zip ties
few rounds of extra ammo
55 gallon trash bag
couple gallon zip lock bags
para cord

 

[WTBguns10kOK]

since in the mountains...

Garmin hi sensitivity GPS, SPOT, compass
food (high calorie preferably), water purification tablets or filter
gauze/band aids etc
superglue, electricians tapes
tp, hand sanitizer
lots of para cord, zip ties
emergency blanket
Altoids can emergency kit
walkie talkie, other one at home for helper
flashlight and headlamp
leatherman
area elevation map
hand/foot warmers
pain reliever, heartburn chalkie tabs
other fire starters, lighter, wateproof matches etc
grip gloves, maybe super light rain coat/windbreaker

that's basic starter for summer, other various things mixed in

 

[vett3v]

Add a roll or two of TP. For the runny noses and, uhm other issues that may crop up..

Ah.. LOL.. WTBguns beat me to it..

 

[CoRoMo]

I have a small tin that I packed full of survival essentials. Building it was fun. I got the idea from this article in Field & Stream. It is the type of survival kit that I don't ever want to open up, ever in my lifetime. I went a ways further than what the article entails, and my tin is a few times larger than an Altoids box too, and it is sealed shut. Once you get to packing in the basics, you find that there is plenty more crannies for razor blades, needle and thread, finish nails, band-aids, and the list goes on.

I also have a 'possibles' pack. It is a small pack of little items that I will most likely get into during my hike/hunt. Stuff like a lighter/matches, OFF! wipes, moist/wet wipes, a small bar of soap (like you get in a hotel), compass, etc. I always carry a bit of food, drinking water, a firearm or two, toilet paper, handkerchief, a dollop of sunscreen in a plastic bag, multi-tool, few good lengths of cord, a couple knives, and whatnot.

 

[Jorg Nysgerrig]

I usual take a camera. You never know what cool stuff you may want to take a picture of.

 

[MCgunner]

Hiking and hunting, I wear my "survival belt" with compass, multitool, mini mag flashlight and spare batteries, magnesium metal match and a Bic lighter, string, large trash bags, emergency space blanket, holster, canteen/filters/water treatment tablets, and a few other items. Fishing? Let's see, outboard gas can, trolling motor battery, ice in ice chest, rods, tackle box, cell phone, bait, perhaps my wade fishing belt. I don't fish around here without the boat or maybe my kayak to get me where I need to go.

You can go here for more feedback, too......

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=355103

 

[Daveboone]

When hiking:Compass and map, Canteen of H20, high energy snack, strike anywhere matches in waterproof container, paraffin soaked cardboard for firestarter, bic lighter, headlamp, 25 feet paracord, emergency blanket, swiss army knife, rainjacket, mini firstaid kit, bug repellent, whistle.
When hunting I add 10 spare rds of ammo and a hunting knife, 8x8 tarp, 2 way radio if hunting with friends.

 

[usmc1371]

My hunting pack is a largish fanny pack with good sholder straps, I have a 3 liter camle back atached to the upper sholder straps. I used to load this thing with all kinds of fancy "survival" crap, now I have figured out that the more I know the less I have to carry.

Small first aid kit, mostly gauz and tape.
good lengh of 550 cord
orange trash bag, large
good light knife- spyderco mule S90V and I always have my benchmade in my pocket.
surefire L4 and 2 extra battries
cheap LED head lamp
hand full of extra shells
compas and topo map of the area I am actuly in.
radio caused I am usuly hunting with a partner
Orange stocking cap
some snack food
wind proof lighter, fire steel, tender

If I am hunting alone or in really crapy weather I will add a couple extra items.
GPS because I can get lost, it has happend and I will admit it.
extra socks and heavy gloves
packable rain gear, also good for bitter cold wind protection.
Bigger hand full of extra shells
survival blanket
double ration of snack food

I don't pack a pistol when I am hunting very often, anything I can't kill with a 300wm will probably just pick its teeth with my glock.

 

[dagger dog]

15 minute quad map of the area I'm hunting and compass or gps usually both.
cell phone
binocular
space blanket
butt wipe
hank of parachute cord 20-25 feet
head light with spare batteries
matches in a water proof container
fire starter( flint and steel) and tinder(clothes dryer lint)
fixed blade and pocket knives with a stone
small first aid kit
signal mirror
hydration bladder that fits in my small daypack
water purification tablets
bug dope
3-4 "PowerBar" type nutrition bars.
the above stuff is stickeys it's always there in my pack

clothing per the season including rain gear, I tend to over dress for cold, you can always take it off
lunch, if I'm staying out for the day, if not it's left in the vehicle
.22 or .45 caliber revolver if hunting regulations permit

 

[Gritacular]

Deleted: misread OP.

 

[publiuss]

I usually hunt out of a deer stand here in MS. Rifle, revolver, flashlight, primos "can call", grunt call, binoculars, tobacco, 5-6 diet cokes, rattling horns(sometimes).

 

[Armored farmer]

I have a Climber stand from summit that I really like. It's big an comfortable, and I can spen lots of hours in it at a time. I zip-tied my old fanny pack onto the safety rail and fill it with coffee, granola bars, thermos of soup, etc. etc.

 

[Pony Express]

for a day pack,
Ammo
Knife
plastic gloves (for field dressing)
magnesium/flint firestarter
water bottle
candy bar
calls, depending on the game

I use an old army surplus medic bag, about 10"x4"x4" when stuffed. Worn over the shoulder, its quite comfortable and barely noticable

 

[bear375]

basic pack for day hike=
water
compass
map
550 cord
space bag
matches or some firestarter
roll of vetwrap
flashlight
i keep it light and simple

 

[Art Eatman]

I've never had any problem knowing which way was toward camp. Most of my hunts were circles of three to twelve miles, generally. All I've ever needed was a little spare ammo, a decent knife, and some toilet paper to flag the brush so I could come back in the Jeep and collect my deer.

I eat and "water up" before leaving camp.

I've carried other stuff in a day pack or fanny pack, but it was just wasted effort.

 

[waffentomas]

I got stranded out in the boonies a couple times due to other hunters in my party getting injured, and once from a flash flood, and so I pack my pack. A couple of the newer guys in our hunting group asked me what all I had in there..."peace of mind", I said. "wait until you have to spend a night out in the snow".

Water
GPS
map
compass
paracord
hurricane matches, butane lighter and a zinc firestarter thingy
votives and hand sanitizer (accelerant)
paint stir stick (made of balsa, an awesome heat source for drying out wet wood, and it just slides in anywhere)
large garbage bag
emergency blanket
extra batteries
headlamp
small axe
3 meal replacement/energy bars
package of smoked salmon
MSR firefly stove and fuel with a small stainless pot
thermos with hot coffee (I don't drink this, but if [when?] you get stranded and you don't drink any during the day, it will still be piping hot at midnight when you are freezing, provided the thermos is worth a darn. Plus, once you finally get settled in for a long, cold night, a cup of joe is as comforting as the fire itself)
Zipties - a MUST out there and they don't take up any room.
wound closure kit
peridex
MIOX
walkie
Ruger SP101
two game bags AND A
partridge in a pear tree

It doesn't weigh that much really, and my pack is very good at distributing the wt. I've tried lots, and really like the Sitka Ascent pack.

Also, I was in the infantry [USMC], so a pack that weighs anything less than 60 lbs is gravy.

 

[Leanwolf]

I grew up in north central Arkansas where hunting areas in the Ozarks never took one far beyond "civilization." At that time, I carried a Camillus Stockman pocket knife and sometimes a Marble's 4" fixed blade, a compass, some rope, strike anywhere matches sealed in wax paper in a Prince Albert tobacco can, toilet paper, and a few candy bars. Also, if deer hunting, carried a few extra .30-30 or .30-40 Krag cartridges, and an Army surplus poncho. Worked fine for that area.

But ... I've been hunting in the Sierra, the Cascades, and the Rocky Mountains, for 47years, sometimes completely alone; other times with a partner or two, but never actually "together," and several times in several western States with commercial outfitters. In the western mountains I learned almost from the beginning to always be prepared to stay out at night if necessary, and to never, ever count on the weather in the mountains to remain "blue bird" forever. I've seen "beautiful" mornings turn into blizzards in a couple hours.

Therefore, I carry enough essential stuff in my day pack to get me through a night on the mountain in inclement weather, if necessary. Twice, I have had to stay out on a mountainside, overnight, in very cold, snowy weather. Can't say that I enjoyed it, but because of my "stuff" I got through the night with no great discomfort, and no danger.

Both times I was far, far from camp and had killed a Mule deer late in the afternoon. By the time I got them gutted, etc., it was dark and I was not about to try to walk down a steep, slippery, rocky mountainside at night. That is an easy way to break a leg... or be killed in a fall. So, I fixed a rough camp by my meat... which tasted mighty fine roasted over a campfire!

My daypack, with what I consider necessary for my comfort, weighs about 10 or 11 pounds.

4" fixed blade drop point knife (always on my belt).
Camillus Stockman pocket knife (always in my pocket).
Zippo lighter, with two 1/8 oz. Tabasco bottles filled with Zippo fluid, (in my pocket).

Day pack:
Toilet paper in Ziplok bag.
Whistle.
Compass (2) Topo map.
Ferro rod & tender, plus wax balls wrapped in wax paper.
Strike anywhere matches in waterproof matchbox.
Small First Aid kit.
Army one qt. canteen & canteen cup.
Iodine tabs for creek water.
Flashlight, extra batteries and bulb.
Digital camera.
Heavy duty space blanket (tarp for shelter).
Lightweight space blanket.
50 feet genuine 550 parachute cord.
4 tea bags & 6 cubes sugar.
2 four ounce packets Mountain House freeze dried Chicken & Rice meals.
1 large commercial blaze orange trash bag.
Couple power bars and couple Snickers.


Rifle, loaded, plus 10 extra rounds (in my jacket pocket).
Tags and license in pocket.


Way I figure, if I have to stay out, for whatever reason, I need shelter, a fire, and some pine or spruce boughs to keep me off the ground. A hot, canteen cup meal is most refreshing. Next morning, I'm outta there. If hurt, by that time, my buds will be looking for me.

Works for me.

L.W.