Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Day pack load?

Packs vary based on terrain but I usually have fire starting capabilities, a Snickers, water, ammo, and a spotting scope.


Travis

And a headlamp...



Travis

I usually have a poncho/tarp which can be rigged as a shelter. A length of cord for rigging. A fire kit in an Altoids tin, (which we've discussed on here in other dedicated threads) and usually a large trash bag and one of those cheap mylar "space" blankets. It would be a last resort insulation and could be rigged as a reflector if I built a fire. I have an extra headlamp. I also usually carry a titanium emberlit stove and a stainless steel cup. A ziplock baggy with tea and or cocoa mix, instant oatmeal, and a packet of cup-o-soup completes my "basic necessities if I had to stay out overnight" kit.

Now, typically I have a lot more than that in my hunting pack.

If it's cold, I have an LL Bean down vest that will stuff down small and weighs very little.

Speaking of the Emberlit stove, this thing weighs about 5 1/2 ozs. and goes with me everywhere, even as a backup when I'm using a canister or white gas stove. It's flat and actually throws out some heat. It boils water with twigs and could be used with some type of reflector(cheap mylar space blanket) to provide a little heat without having to gather a night of firewood. You would have to constantly feed it small sticks but could be a lifesaver. Heck, I take it with me on cold hunt days and sometimes take a midday break and have a cup of coffee.
We've discussed it before but here's a link: http://www.emberlit.com/

For late fall in the mountains w/ potential for wet snow or rain.
1. goretex rain suit, outer layer moving or sitting.
2. 1/2" ensolite pad to fit inside pack.
3. survival kit/firestarters appropriate for the conditions in a small aluminum pan w/ lid. Add trioxane heat tabs wrapped in vaseline soaked cotton.
4.personal 1st aid kit w/quickclot gauze, 3 triangular bandages,moleskin and bandaids.
5.Best headlamp you can find w/ extra batteries.
6. Primaloft vest and puffy jacket in waterproof bag.
7. smartwool neck gaiter, balaclava, and fleece gloves in waterproof bag.
8.hd space blanket or tarp.

put on everything, sit on your pad, make some coffee and glass for hours in comfort or spend the night w/ a broken ankle.

I wear wool and synthetics. I always have a hat, gloves, gaiter etc. with me if not wearing them. I'm a still hunter so wearing gortex or other types of shells in the Northeast means they are not an option to me due to noise unless the wind is howling.

With regard to gathering fire wood, I will if I have time but that is why I carry a heavy duty emergency blanket and candles. If push comes to shove, I will sit under my emergency blanket, prop a stick or two on my back/shoulders to leave an air gap between me/blanket and have my candle creating heat inside. I carry enough candles for 16 hours of constant burn.

Just my 2 cents - and you get what you pay for, but different regions require different equipment due to hunting conditions, etc. But I'm preparing for survival not comfort.

Very interesting thread and some very valid points.

I can see almost two schools of thought shaping up..In one school you have the folks who don't plan to stay out over night and carry enough kit to cope with an "emergency".

On the other, you have folks envisage they might want to stay out, so are carrying a little bit more to enable them to be a bit more comfortable..As RC mentions, they are almost straying from a day pack to an over night pack..

I tend to be in the bare bones emergency camp, but would carry more depending on the terrain & predicted weather conditions..

Nobody so far has mentioned emergency signalling kit..In addition to a cell phone and/or an FRS radio, I also carry a whistle, a small double sided signal mirror and a strobe. Previous experience has shown that a strobe and spar e batteries can be a real life saver..

Yes, what Lanche does is called "spiking out" or preparing to make a "spike-camp" away from another camp. In that case, he has the option of taking some of his overnite kit with him. A day hunter, hunting from a truck at a trailhead, will not likely be so equipped. That is the guy that needs something like the Blizzard Bag/Blanket, a solid rain-proof shelter, and a no-[bleep] fire kit. He's also the likely a lot less prepared than the former type.

Lanche and I carry pretty similar but I don't know if i would call it a spike camp. I usually carry the torso pad so the only real difference is the quilt which is sometimes carried. Sometimes if I find animals it might be just sit and wait strategy and sometimes it is not warm period , so it has its uses as the sun goes down and the wind kicks up regardless of spending the night

Just curious, but why do some many here favour quilts over a light weight sleeping bag?

I'm kinda in between.

I love me my Kifaru Doobie because it is dual use and I thus tend to bring it anyway, being both sedentary, coverall, warm clothing and also very good sleeping gear. It's one of the best, useful and important pieces of gear I have. I would take a proper sleeping bag any night over just a quilt though.

I agree that it all depends on one's own, specific locales and personal assessments of skill and risk... and tolerance for latter. A lot of the danger factor for me is obliterated if I just bring an overnight camp kit. The big bogey of "can I start a fire" is removed from the equation. There is less overall stress and thus more likelihood of clear thought. You may need it or not. The overriding factor is can you make the overnight gear light and unobtrusive enough to always bring with you. That's the fun part

Above freezing I favor a quilt. Below freezing a bit I could go either way. Day hunts possibly staying out I favor it's utility. Single digits and below I favor my house

When elk hunting in CO, I carry a space blanket, a 5x7 tarp and a lightweight bivy sack along with stuff to start a fire. All this weighs around 2.5 lbs and fits nicely with the normal items I carry in my day pack. On my more "local" deer hunts, I carry only a space blanket. I always carry a first-aid kit.

With the right one you can do this:

http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Ultralight-Sleeping-Bag-Reviews/Jacks-R-Better-Sierra-Sniveller

Their quilts can now be ordered with Active-Dry down. My next will be a summer weight with dry down. I envision using it year round.

I carry one of those SOL things, or something like it. Strikes me as an appropriate name, but I've never used it. We usually have a bunch of layers with us (insulation, rain gear). That stuff is so light now that it just makes sense, and I could likely survive pretty cold temps with it overnight, but I hope I don't have to.

That being said, plan A is still to get back to whatever camp, and sleep in a tent. Headlamp and a backup light are easy to justify, especially if you've been without one. I carry firestarters (VSC), but have never had to use it in a real emergency. Fire is frequently impractical in sheep country, although moose country usually has lots of good wood.

I'm planning to sew up some silnylon tarps this winter, and will probably add one of those to my "always in the pack" list.