What do you carry in your daypack?

[peterrum3]

90% of the time i hunt on my own. Thought it would be interesting to see what everyone feels they need with them for a solo day hunt. Here's what I take. 30ft. of 1/2" rope, 20ft. of parachute cord, GPS, silver suvival blanket, lighter, 2 knives, 1/2L of water, licence, cel phone, spare wool gloves, and a peanut butter and jam sandwich which is usually all squished by noon but sure tastes good.

[Avalanche123]

Well cell phone coverage doesn't really exist where I live so that is not an option. I am fortunate as I can manage any kills by myself anyway although it isn't easy at times. I use a map and compass over a GPS although the GPS is a great tool. Not sure how much rope I carry but probably close to 20'. I have a bivy bag that lives in my pack and first aid kit. I do have a pair of gloves and wool hat and 2 knives.

I generally carry more food and water than that. (1.0L) I hate not having enough food and if I am out for the day, I tend to eat alot.

Depending on the season, I may throw in a down jacket that compresses down to nothing too.

[Bow Walker]

Spare knife (skinner), spare release, serving thread, broadhead sharpener, spare set of strings, Bowmaster portable bow press, small first aid kit w/ needle and thread, fire starter(s), water purifier tabs, para cord, survival blanket, compass, phone, T.P., granola bars, water,....did I mention T.P.? Some on here think I'm full of it.:eek:

[Nalidixic]

I carry bullets, bino's, stone, knife, matches, firestarter, 2 saftey foil blankets, GPS, lighter, LED head lamp, regs, liscence, food, water, TP. THere might be a bit more, but those are the basics. Mostly stuff to be prepared to spend the night if something were to happen.

Nalid

[tuchodi]

I carry my License, Rino GPS, Lighter & Fire Starter, Space Blanket, First Aid Kit, 2 Knifes & Sharpener, 40' Parachute Cord, 8 Bullets, Assortment of Snacks, 1 Sandwich, Litre of Water, Camera, TP, Wyoming Saw, LED HeadLamp, 1Pair of Gloves. I don't consider my Bino's, Rifle, or Jacket as part of my Day pack but they are always with me.

[hunter1947]

Water ,GPS ,Compass ,Survival blanket ,some first aid gear ,Knife some fruits ,can sardines ,trail mix ,lighter matches that are sealed ,some fish hooks ,some nylon line and a flashlight with spare batteries.

[sfire436]

Licences, night and day worth of food. A Hatchet, GPS, first aid and survival kit in a coffee can (You can use the can to carry water if you have to and you can use it to boil water in an emergency) Good knife with sharpener, basic fishing tackle, Emergeny blanket, small tarp for a shelter, spotting scope, tripod chair, extra rounds, water bladder, head lamp and flashlight, gutting gloves, radio, flask of scotch and Binos. And of course my boom stick. I have a heavy pack I know but I do choose to head into the bush quite alot so best to be prepared.

[Ciskman]

Im thinking about packing one of these this year as I also always hunt on my own. www.findmespot.com (http://www.findmespot.com)

[Bow Walker]

3-point chair sfire346??

[sfire436]

Yep, just about a foot and a half high, sits pretty good anywhere since it's a tripod style, and fist inot mp pack just fine, I also forgot to say that I also carry blind material and 50ft of synthetic rope

[Icedog]

I usually travel fairly heavy as well. Along with most of the items already mentioned, I also carry shooting stix, a couple partial rolls of flagging, extra batteries for the head lamp, pencil and paper, extra socks and head wear, full or partial rain suit, insect repellent, extra plastic baggies (the t.p. is always in a baggie) and like sfire436, I always carry a tripod chair. Some of the stuff of course is weather/season dependent.

[Avalanche123]

Reading through the list makes me realize I forgot to include a few things.

We are looking into using the "findmespot" technology for work. Not so sure I want one for hunting as I am not really into techy things. That said, I do see the merrits of it.

[kishman]

I carry knives(2) compass/map, first aid kit, 2 space blankets, lunch, fire starter w/a tiny ziploc holding an oiled cotton ball, lighter, led headlamp/mini flashlight, spare aaa's, bullets and I'm sure I've forgot a thing or two, I'm using a Badlands 2200, what are you all daypackin' with?

[open-sights]

xtra ammo, knives, bonesaw, gamebags, calls, mouthreeds, batteries, flagtape, parachute cord, food, bladder, compass, t.p. flashlight, rangefinder.

[todbartell]

GPS, Knife, Flagging tape, waterproof matches, headlamp, emergency blanket, 1L water hydration bladder, camera, Browning DryLite packable rain jacket, extra ammo, TP in ziploc...

thats all I can think of right now Im sure Im missing something


PS I use a Badlands Superday

http://usera.imagecave.com/ws6/SuperDay.jpg

[Avalanche123]

My day pack is ancient, over 25 yrs old and owes me nothing. I just purchased a 50l Arctery Naos (fully waterproof) for my winter activities however it would be incredibly noisey in the bush.

I may consider actually getting a pack made for hunting this time around.

I generally am not a fan of a hydration bladder as I cannot monitor my fluid intake. I have "over drank" during the day and run out where as with a solid nalgene container, I can ration my h2o intake easier.

I just recently ripped my plastic tube out of its bladder while mountain biking and ended up pretty wet as my bladder drained instantly. No big deal but it would suck to have that happend hunting. I am sure mine was not a great design so.......

bit of a thread drift on my part....

[moosinaround]

I kinda have a day/overnight set up. If I leave the truck or quad I take license, knives compass, flashlight, tp, sharpener, spare shells, fire starter, multi purpose tool, wyoming saw, black elc tape, 20 ft of cord. It is in a fanny pack. I put it inside my bigger overnight pack which has my 1st aid kit, water, extra grub, emegency blankets, more tp, bug dope, spare socks, shirt, and probably a few things which have slipped to the bottom. It goes with me everywhere, truck quad or longer hikes. Moosin

[todbartell]

I generally am not a fan of a hydration bladder as I cannot monitor my fluid intake

I hear ya, but personally I don't like the half full water bottle sound throughout the day. I find with the bladder I tend to drink smaller amounts of water more often rather than slamming more of it less often. I think the body runs better off of constant small amounts rather than large amounts periodically. :D

[Avalanche123]

"I think the body runs better off of constant small amounts rather than large amounts periodically"....

I agree 110%. I am just too lazy to keep checking my bladder to see how much is left. Plus mine is a PITA to take out, clean, put away etc...hence me being lazy. :)

[peterrum3]

Ciskman, thanks for the information on the findmespot. I had no idea that product was out, been away from Canada for too long I guess. It looks like a good product. Other posts here have reminded me to get rid of the mini mag that I carry and change over to an LED. Batteries are not reliable for long in the old style lights. I travel pretty light and only use an older style fanny pack but it works for me and i can also strap on a tripod chair or a small wool blanket on the outside of it depending on what I have planned for the day.

[SLIK]

My day pack is ancient, over 25 yrs old and owes me nothing. I just purchased a 50l Arctery Naos (fully waterproof) for my winter activities however it would be incredibly noisey in the bush.

I may consider actually getting a pack made for hunting this time around.

I generally am not a fan of a hydration bladder as I cannot monitor my fluid intake. I have "over drank" during the day and run out where as with a solid nalgene container, I can ration my h2o intake easier.

I just recently ripped my plastic tube out of its bladder while mountain biking and ended up pretty wet as my bladder drained instantly. No big deal but it would suck to have that happend hunting. I am sure mine was not a great design so.......

bit of a thread drift on my part....

I just picked up one of those military load bearing vests. I'm gonna add a camel back to it and a couple other small pockets probably.
I'm not really a fan of backpacks. It's ussually such a nuiscance having to take it off and dig through it. Anybody else every tried one of these?

The base vest only cost me $25 shipped so I figure I'd give it a try.
I ussually carry a knife, water, GPS, compass, camera, shiny blanket, granola bar, lighter/waterproof matches and a few other things I can't remember.

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee142/SLIK80/5b0e_1.jpg

[SLIK]

^oh ya and I forgot.....toilet paper I hate pinching it in the woods

[Mr. Friendly]

you know Slik, your idea is something along the lines I've thought of with a tactical vest in mind. a bag that bounces around on your back would become a pain if/when you ever needed it...tho a bag would make a better pillow then a rolled up military vest like yours pictures, LOL!

[SLIK]

Good point, but the blanket I bring is one of those tin foil ones. If I ended up going on an overnight trip, I'd backpack it.
The part about backpacks that annoy me is it seems like every half hour, 45 minutes I'm taking it off to get to the GPS, camera, water, granola bar, TP etc.etc. Everytime I take it off I gotta take off my over the head and shoulder gun sling and my bino straps around my neck and chest.
I'm undressing myslef I don't know how many times in a day and really slows the pace down.

[dumprat]

SLIK I tried the webgear thing a while ago. I found the only way it works is to use the front two bags and the harness under your coat. Otherwise it snags on every branch and makes too much noise. I carry all my stuff in a soft canvas shoulder bag or in my pockets. Head lamp,bone saw,parachute cord,bore snake,space blanket,ammo,lighter,matches,
choclate bars,flagging tape,scent,GPS,large plastic garbage bag,water. I also have a pin on compass and 10" of black tape on my rifle barrel.

[BigSlapper]

Good on ya PeterRum with the Peanut Butter & Jam sandwich .... for me it's Peanut Butter & Honey ! :-P

Using the Badlands Hypervent I carry: lunch, 2 knives (buck 110 & Russell skinning), garmin GPS, space blanket, TP, a few lrg ziplocs, lrg black garbage bag, game bags, water bladder, xtra cartridges, bug juice, small handheld flare, compass, 50' of parachute chord, deer call, whistle, spotting scope & tripod, tarp, lighter & WP matches, small flask of cognac (for medicinal purposes of course!), small 1st aid kit, 1/4 role of orange flagging tape, spare socks, lt. weight rain gear ... about 22 lbs

[SLIK]

SLIK I tried the webgear thing a while ago. I found the only way it works is to use the front two bags and the harness under your coat. Otherwise it snags on every branch and makes too much noise. I carry all my stuff in a soft canvas shoulder bag or in my pockets. Head lamp,bone saw,parachute cord,bore snake,space blanket,ammo,lighter,matches,
choclate bars,flagging tape,scent,GPS,large plastic garbage bag,water. I also have a pin on compass and 10" of black tape on my rifle barrel.

Huh I never thought about snags. Thanks for the heads up eh

[anglo-saxon]

My rule is: Minimum weight/maximum self-reliance.

I carry a belt kit and my day pack.

The belt kit has absolute essentials to hunt, while the day pack has additional "snivel kit" and handy items.

Map, compass, knife, and survival tin stay on the body at all times (never placed in the belt kit or day pack). The survival tin is an old tobacco tin slightly bigger than a deck of cards and easy to fit in the pocket (I won't go into the contents of it here as that is probably a thread unto itself).

My belt kit has: Ammo, rifle cleaning kit and lens cleaner. Binos, GPS, and strobe. Small flashlight (LED). Licence/s and regs. Gerber combo tool, para cord (40+ feet), bright survey tape, latex gloves, bug juice, small water bottle, ziploc bag of trail mix, strike-anywhere matches in waterproof container, tinder, space blanket, toilet paper (packed flat in a ziploc bag), small bottle of alcohol hand sanitizer (nothing worse than getting a dose of the galloping trots in the bush from having dirty fingers!), game bag, signal flares, whistle, pencil and notebook, small digital camera, warm gloves. Ballistic sunglasses. Wildlife calls, as appropriate per species.

All of the above weighs only a few pounds, despite being a long list.

My day pack ... The pack itself is about a 20 liter camo pack with side pockets and space in the lid, too. It contains: More ammo, plus my bipod. Light fleece jacket. Spare socks in ziploc bag. First aid kit. LED headlight. Food (jerky, trail mix, biscuits), water (2 liters), water sterilization unit, extra toilet paper in ziploc bag, cell phone, spare batteries for everything that needs them, small but super thick tarp (can be used as a bivouac or to drag out game), Goretex bivi bag and Thinsulate "sleeping bag" (I've foundthis useful not only for the peace of mind of knwing it's there if I get caught out overnight, but I have also napped during the day when very tired). Scent neutralizer, "brew kit" (Brit Army term, meaning a small container in which is carried tea/coffee sugar and powdered milk, and perhaps a couple of OXO cubes - very handy!!!). Metal cup to "brew up" in. Tiny thermos (half litre) if hunting in very cold conditions - the first "brew" of the morning goes in me, the second rigt after goes into the thermos and is available several hours latr as a hot morale-booster! Rope (30' minimum of robust hauser-laid 1/2"-5/8" rope). Knife sharpener, spare gloves/toque. Sewing kit. First aid kit (as a minimum containing, Gravol, Imodium, Extra strength Tylonol, sterile whipes, gause, various-sized Band Aids, anit-septic cream, non-drowsy anti-histamine, sutures, razor blades (sterile), latex gloves (sterile), ankle brace bandage, knee brace bandage, . Spare boot laces. Garbage bags X 3. Rain suit. Big knife (I carry a kukhri, the Nepali curved knife that the Britsish Army Gurkhas carry - an outstanding piece of kit!). Keys are usually packed inside a spare pare of gloves in a ziploc bag with the air squashed out so they don't rattle. Large square of closed cell foam (similar to sleeping mat material) - handy inside the pack against the bak to make for more comfortable carraige, plus can be used as a seat to insulate from the cold ground.

A couple of points:

Coffee v. tea. Coffee will dehydrate you if you let it (it's a natural diuretic) . Tea won't.

Salt is not vital, but the trace elements in it which enable the body's electrical nervous funtion are. Electolite powder can be obtained at a phramacy. Alternatively, buy Pediolite, used for re-hydrating babies. Put a little fruit-flavouring powder in it to make it taste like Gator Aid (don't drink Gator Aid, etc. in place of water as it has a LOT of sugar in it and the body will use a lot of sugar to process it, hencedefeating the objet of it in the first place.

Glucose: Avoid taking glucose tablets into the bush with you. If you get run down and pound back glucose, you will risk hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia is a state of very low blood sugar. To slam-dunk a bunch of glucose (a mono-sacharide that is very quickly absorbed into the blood stream) when tired and run down would create a briefe "high", wuickly followed by a massive reaction by the pancreas to over-screte insulin to cope with the large influx of sugar, the result being that often in the end the blood sugar level is lower than when you felt run down before. In extreme cases this can send the body into shock, casusing possible feinting (the hazards of whcih in the bush are obvious), coma, and even death. Hypoglycemia is a decidedly unpleasant experience that I would recommend you avoid, so please leave the glucose tabs and drinks at home. A far better thing to eat would be some crackers or a small baked potatoe. The carbs are compex sugars that break doen far more steadilly and don't create the havoc that glucose would.

Socks: A hunter is as good as his feet. No good having the best kit and firearms money can buy if you can't walk! Hence, blisters and cold should be carefully considered. Never pack cotton socks (or pretty much anything cotton these days).It is just asking for trouble. Cotton holds the moisture next to the skin and on hot days will cause chaefing leading to hot-spots and blisters, and in cold weather will sap the heat right out of your poor feet. That willl also contribute to the cooling of your body core as the cooler arterial blood is chilled in the extremity of the foot and then sent back towards the core along the veins, onlyto pick up more precious core body heat and take it right back to those frozen extremities again, and so on. The best socks I have come acros are a 60/40 wool/nylon mix, with loop-stitch soles and heals. 2% -or-so of Spandex will make them tougher. Marks Work Wearhouse has a very good selection. Mountain Equipment Co-op does, too. Polypropylene under sock work very well for many people as they rub soack-against-sock and thus reduce friction afains the foot. Thay also helpt to remove moisture away from the foot. Helly Hensen make them and Mark's sells them. Great kit! As an asside, they make very good inner gloves of the same material - great for hadling things in the extreme cold where bulky gloves won't do, without having to use bare hands.

Baggies: Just about everything in my day pack goes into a plastic bag (ziploc or otherwise). Some things (like my cell phone) are double bagged just to be on the safe side. The whole shebang goes inside a heavy-duty garbage bag which lines the inside of the day pack. Properly packed, the day pack has eveything readlly to hand when needed, keeps it all dry and safe, and will even double as a flotation device if necessary.

Overall, my day pack weighs around 20 pounds. With my belt kit, I'm carrying about 25-27 pounds. Not much, really, considering the value of it all regarding safety and self-reliance in the bush, especially as I usually hunt alone.

[dougan]

jerky compass and a lucky