Great thread, I have posted this on lots of forums and gotten more ideas on what to carry. My lists keeps getting upgraded as I get better or lighter gear. Here are my current lists, the pocket kit, the bag that is always in my daypack, and the items I add for western hunts, bad weather, or coonhunting. These are in addition to my regular hunting gear. I counted GPS, clothes, knife, food, water bottle, etc as hunting gear not survival gear.
Altoids tin pocket kit (4.4oz total) -Reynolds oven bag � (water boiling & storage) -small firesteel & striker -small bic lighter -2 vaseline coated cotton balls -fish hooks 6 small 6 medium -fishing line 30ft 25lb Big Game -repair needle to fit fishing line -15ft green 152lb braided nylon bank line -Leatherman mini (blade, scissors,tweezers, file) -Leatherman mini flashlight (batteries backward, 30hr life) -4 1qt water purification tablets -6 18" 30lb wire fishing leaders (snares)
Full-time daypack kit (2lb 4oz) -spare wool socks -Adventure medical heatsheets bivy the (3.8oz one) -MPI red/silver hooded space blanket 5'x7' (tarp, poncho, or blanket) -compass -bandana (red for signal, pre-filter water etc) -Mammut S-lite headlamp (1 AA lithium battery, 60hr life, 2oz) (this is part of the kit, and in addition to the bigger headlamp I count as hunting gear) -Victorionox trekker knife (decent saw, 4" un-serrated blade, tools) -little whistle from my Bear Grylls knife -fire kit: firesteel, lighter, vaseline coated cotton balls, 2oz bottle coglans fire paste, 4 wetfire cubes -50ft roll 2" duck tape -frontier water filter straw -4 tabs potable aqua -30yds 152lb bank line -15yds 350lb bank line -blank CD (signalling) -little bag with 12 leader snares & 30ft 25lb fishing line, 12 hooks, repair needle) Medical: (stop bleeding, make splints) -quick clot sponge -1 roll hot pink vetwrap (bandaging with duck tape, marking trail, etc) -small tube neosporin -4 3"x3" gauze pads -rubber glove -6 pills immodium -2 pills claritin -1 packet sunscreen -1 packet lip balm -4 safety pins -1 antiseptic towlette
Additional gear for western hunts -Kifaru paratarp with 10 1/2oz aluminum stakes (18.4oz total) -50ft bright yellow paracord -cheap thin silver space blanket (for using as a reflector for fire heat, or for my hunting buddy who didn't bring one) -Snow peak titanium mug (12.9oz total) with: -esbit stove (4 fuel tabs) -2 oatmeal packets -6 tea bags -cut down spork -1ftx2ft aluminum foil folded down - Bic lighter
My survival gear adds up to about 4.5lbs when packing it all, but it's really not much weight when you look at what it includes. The Kifaru paratarp was expensive, but it's sure quick to put up and big enough to have plenty of room to keep me and my gear dry. The stakes add 5oz for it, but are way quicker than trying to cut them if a rain is coming. I also have the larger 9oz SOL thermal bivy or a little 1lb fleece sleeping bag I can stick inside the bivy sacks I can throw in if I feel it's needed. I've stayed out testing my kit at temps right at freezing and have been fine, and that was with a ponch lean to instead of the paratarp. I figure anytime I'm leaving a trail for a long dayhunt I want to have enough gear to spend the night if I decide to hunt until dark, or kill miles from anywhere. I took the fishing and snare kits out for a while, but then I weighed them and threw them back in. They don't take up much room and don't weigh 1.5oz all together. I make sure to test everything before I add it to the pack. I'll also go out to one of our pastures at least a couple times a year with 30-45 minutes of light left and make a quick camp. I feel it's important to be familiar with my gear so I don't waste precious time and energy getting set up to ride out a storm or spend a night out. I know people who carry gear that they have never tried to use and that's not for me.
