Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting What items are always in your pack?

Curious what items you always have in your packs that you would never consider going without? I’m talking a daypack. This will give me something to hopefully build off of.

First Aid kit with 2 Tourniquets. Water filter, Knife, head lamp, flash light, matches, protein bars.

tag

GPS and a backup compass. Emergency blanket and several methods of starting a fire.

Toilet paper. And water.

Wet wipes, leukotape

Knife, rope, first-aid kit, space blanket, fire starter, 2-way radio ( I always leave the other one in my pickup set to the same channel I am on.) flashlight w/spare batteries, game bags, 2 garbage bags ( in case I need to make a waterproof shelter, toilet paper, powerbars, and water.

Water + filter, flashlight, lighter/matches, and ass-wipe. Everything else shifts for season and location. I always (ALWAYS) have a knife in my pocket so I might or might not have a 2nd in my pack. Ammo, but it depends on which gun I'm carrying. Seasons vary wildly here. In my little area, we'll generally always have at least one day a year between 105 and 110. It can go 3+ months without a drop of rain but we might get torrential downpours from t-storms. It can ran upwards of a foot a day in some of the canyons (most I ever saw was 13.5 inches in the rain gauge for 24 hours). My favorite trailhead for summer hiking is under 9 feet of snow this morning according to the SNOTEL station. There just isn't a year around set of gear suitable to all conditions that isn't equally excessive for all conditions. Do not need bug spray at 15 degrees. Do not need a 0 degree bag at 105. Etc.

That said, I do often carry most of a year-around kit of stuff in my truck so I can shift stuff into / out of my day pack at need.

Tom

good stuff posted already.

I'd add an extra whistle (assuming you already pocket carry one) in case you get injured and lose your voice. It would suck to see SAR 30yds away from your position and not be able to call out to them. If you can exhale, you can signal with a whistle.

In an emergency, food is way down the list as a requirement. You can live for a month without it, although you'd be darned uncomfortable. Water is much more important.

First aid kit, headlamp, space blanket, whistle, fire starter, matches, pieces of bike innertube, 18”x18” square of heavy duty aluminum foil, 50’ para cord, small flashlight, compass, map, TP, energy bar or two, spare glasses, water purification tablets, light goretex shell, leatherman multi tool, spare battery pack for phone (I use Gaia mapping on phone), water bottle(s), bear spray.

Other items may vary depending on seasons: dry bags, havlon knife, puffy type down jacket, knit hat, gloves, small tyvek sheet, 50’ light nylon twine, spare dry socks, heavier goretex shell, folding saw, extra ammo, pistol.

Alos, if you take daily meds (like for blood pressure, insulin, etc) be sure to have a few in your FA Kit. If you carry an EPI pen, keep it in your pocket.

Lot of good items listed already. For extra water, while I'm out, I like my Sawyer.

My "day" hunts are typically in remote country with at least a fair chance of an unexpected overnight.

Obviously good navigation bits- compass, map (usually printed off the computer via Caltopo) and a gps (my iPhone w/ Gaiagps app)
I bring an inReach Mini with and always leave a detailed as possible itinerary w/ my better half for communication.
For shelter I carry an Apex quilt, it has a "poncho" hood so does double duty as a insulating layer when glassing for very long; a short section (~50") of ccf pad- doubles as a sit pad; and a SOL Escape bivy, Silky Saw- helps construct a shelter, firewood, etc, but I carry a bone blade with it as well- these items would mean a miserable night out, but one that I would survive
Fire kit- a pretty bombproof kit that in addition to normal fire bits (lighter, sparker, reliable tinder)- a small flare and two packs of Trioxane.
First aid kit- more full stocked than what I use for "summer" backpacking that includes items for major trauma that are normally not carried.
Water is usually carried in wide mouth Nalgene as I can worry less about freezing, than other bottles- a half dozen Aquatabs.
Additional clothing- a mid-layer, an insulating layer, if it's early season- a rain jacket, heavy fleece mitts, heavy fleece balaclava
Food- usually a dozen bars (200-ish calories/per), a pretty large lunch- the most I eat on the bars is usually six, the other six are there just in case
Kill kit- two knives (one a replacement blade knife w/ extra blades), small sharpener, bags, 100' of cord, marking ribbon, a 3x6' of Tyvek to process meat (this also doubles as a groundcloth if needed), two pairs gloves, licenses & tape
Headlamp - two headlamps w/ a set of spare batteries, I take two headlamps as they are used almost every hunt- going in and coming out
around my neck I wear a lanyard with a Photon light and a whistle (signaling)

all fits in a 20 liter pack

anybody carry a folding saw? had a couple occasions would have been damn handy but dont know which one to get? typical challenge light but big enough sturdy enough

Silky F180 is worth looking at, 5 oz and cuts like the dickens! Can also get a bone blade for it

thanks ill look into it!

Always: 2 headlamps. GPS and compass. Extra batteries for headlamp and GPS. My primary knife and a back up Havalon. (light) Extra tape for barrel, ammo. TP. Tags for all available species. Game bags for two animals. (it happens) Cell phone. In my area, you climb up, you have signal. Binos. Iodine tablets and a few water bottles. Minimal food. Iodine tablets. Probably forgetting a few things.

Usually: range finder, spotting scope, extra clothes.

Sometimes: VHF radio

Very hard to not bring the kitchen sink. I cut things like saws and lots of heavier food.

2x headlamps, wipes, compass and small first aid/trauma kit. Everything else is situational.

For back country hunting:
Kill kit
Small bag of supplies
In Reach
Water purification

The Ten Essentials for hiking include:

Map & Compass
Extra clothing (rain gear, hat, gloves, warm light coat or sweater).
Headlamp or flashlight
First-aid Kit (more than just a few Bandaids)
Fire Starter Kit (matches + butane lighter + fire starters)
Pocket Knife (Swiss Army Knife or Leatherman Multi-tool)
Water in an unbreakable container
Small metal pot or big metal cup (for melting snow)
Siltarp or Space Blanket + 50' x 1/8" Woven Nylon Chord
1/2 Foam Pad

In addition I always carry a Bandanna, Toilet Paper and Sunglasses.

A bit much imo. I would cut the pad and cup. Extra clothing is bulky and not very necessary if you have good clothes.