Hunting, hiking, etc bag checklist?

[clearconscience]

So I've been looking at getting my bag together for hunting season and thought I would ask what items you guys like to take for a hunting trip or even a hiking trip.
When I was a kid I was in an explorer group that did search and rescue and we would pack in somewhere and live out of our bags for the weekend.
I used to have a checklist of what survival items to keep in my pack.now I'm trying to build my pack back up.
Looking for survival items that are light weight.
A few things I usually keep are:
A ziplock bag of dryer lint. For fire starting
A small plastic bottle of gas. For fire starting.
Small road flare. Fire starting.
Water chlorine tabs.
Small mirror.
Compass.
Binos.
Couple different sizes of knives.
A handgun, couple extra mags, also carry full size on hip.
Emergency blanket, tarp kind.
Paracord at least 100ft.
Boonie hat.
Water proof matches.
Map of area.
Leatherman.
Ace bandage, and splint.
Small first aid kit, with small bottle of iodine or hydrogen peroxide.
Chapstick.
Extra pair of socks.
MRE or freeze dried meal (2)
A couple protein bars.
Canteen of water.

Anybody have any other tricks or special items they pack?

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[rick benjamin]

good list, similar to my kit
I don't carry the handguns.
In a student's daypack:
Poncho
Socks 1 pr, tee shirt, skivvies in a ziplock
Six extra rifle cartridges
Tincture of Iodine can treat a wound, purify water. bandaids in ziplock.
Roll of black electrical tape
Roll of Surveyor's ribbon
Parachute shroud cord
Survival blanket (mylar)
Stainless steel signalling mirror
Dry wood shavings with wax candle stub and magnesium fire starter in ziplock
Small hatchet, 2 knives (Buck), diamond sharpener
One MRE
Some fruit and nuts to munch on
2 quart canteens, canteen cups

 

[Jamie6.5]

I'd add or substitute,...

Dump the bottle of gas and replace with non-synthetic motor oil, or drop it altogether, and substitute paraffin (wax) impregnated dryer lint.

The road flares/fusees (should have at least two) will start most anything flammable on fire.
I carry at least two because I may need the second one for signaling at night.

A large garbage bag/lawn and leaf bag works well for an emergency rain poncho.

Maybe I missed it, but I'd throw a magnifying glass in there too.

Leatherman and pistol should be on your hips/belt, along with spare mags. Get a mag holster/carrier, and save space in the backpack.

I carry small bags of peanuts and jerky instead of protein bars.

 

[deadeye]

A flattened roll of TP in a zip lock bag works for several things.
cleaning scopes, wound dressing, fire starting, and of course it's intended purpose.

Also a survival blanket takes up little room and can be used as a signaling device to searchers if needed.

 

[nwwoodsman]

Your list looks A LOT like what I keep in my kit. I carry a water proof box, about size of a small text book and about the same weight that fits most of my stuff. It's packed tight so it doesn't make a lot of noise in the woods.
I would also include a roll of surveying ribbon and a sharpie. Good for marking a path if you're lost and you can leave notes on it to search and rescue.
A couple of cotton balls smeared with petroleum jelly will instantly ignite with the smallest spark from a flint or lighter. I keep mine in a small container about the size of a medicine bottle.
A flashlight and GPS with extra batteries for both.
I also carry a few of the small packets, the kind you get from any quick mart, of anti- diarrhea medicine and some anti inflammatory/fever reducer such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen.

 

[safooma]

This what's in my carry bag, which i take everywhere, including hunting:

UTG messenger bag
keltec p11 10+1
extra loaded 10 rd mag
Swedish military mora knife(fixed blade)
Cheap *** S&W locking folder
Gerber suspension multi-tool
fire starter
emergency blanket
knife sharpener
nail clippers
extra pair of glasses
sas survival guide waterproof
120 lumen head light
200 lumen nightstick tac-200 hand held flashlight
5 sets of cr123 batts
extra charged cell phone battery
24 AA duracells
folding saw
50 water purification tabs
12 fire starter sticks
hand cleaner
10x monocular
all meds(diabetic)
glucose pen
epi pen
plastic rain poncho
1 liter water
Brunton Classic compass
100 ft 550 paracord
small 1st aid kit
small mirror
several lighters

 

[HuntingCherokee]

A lot of the things you have listed are what I already carry.
But instead of water chlorine tablets, I have a Catadyn which is surely worth the investment.

While Hiking I will bring a large hard cased canteen of water, but hunting I will bring a soft canteen that you can squeeze the air out of so it won't make any noise while moving if you do it right.

Oh and Hiking, I usually bring a small pot and a few of those instant coffee bags!

 

[Velzey]

I carry trioxane for starter, and a few small bits of pitch wood, and about 50 strike anywhere matches in a film container.

Best thing to do is load it up with what you think you will need, and then after a few days of packing it around you will start to think. My hunt pack use to look like some of the above. Now its the bare minimum.

One good knife with sharpener
rifle ammo
TP/ unscented baby wipes
Jerky
Flex wrap tape
para cord
small first aid kit
mole skin


in the bottom of my bag I have a pad. The kinda pad they use to place newborn babies on. Its warm to sit on and waterproof, this little thing is so very usefull. You can get them at Babys r us. And swiss rain poncho.

 

[hermannr]

Make a list with everything you think you may need. Carry it with you. With certain exceptions (like a first aid kit) check off every time you use something, write down whatever you did not bring, but wanted (at the time you wanted it). Next you bring what you used, add what you wished you had, and leave the things home that you did not use.

Repeat.

After about 10 years you will have a good idea of what you use/want, and what you only think you need. Especially with the things you use more than once you really want to find how much you need to bring. Never go without some sort of compact first aid kit, and then hope you do not need it. A first aid kit is the one thing you always bring.

There are things that have changed since I was active. Like a GPS instead of a compass. Remember that GPS needs batteries and carry spare batteries if you don't carry a backup compass and a 7 1/2 min or at least a 15 min topo of the area you will be in. My fire starter was always a small cupcake paper filled with cedar shavings, and the whole thing soaked with paraffin. Very light, very compact, and always works. I also carried a couple solid alcohol tablets as backup. Openly Carry a pistol on a holster, and a good knife, my knife is also in a holster.

 

[AMProducts]

It's kinda hard to come up with a "always carry" list, because there are so many variables. I don't know that I'm getting old, but I sure get picky when it comes to the gear I have to carry (mostly because I spent too much of my life carrying around a lot of extra crap).

If I'm going on a hike, I typically carry my camelbak, some trailmix, and a headlamp. If I don't know the area, I am sure to bring along the GPS, and a set of spare batteries (usually the high power lithium AA primary cells). If the weather is inclement, I'll bring a rain suit. I usually have my handgun with me, and a pocket knife. I smoke so I already have a lighter. I usually bring my ham radio and a spare battery (just in case).

For a longer hike/stay, I usually carry my backpack in addition to the stuff above. This has a tent/tarp (one or the other), a sleeping roll, two bivvy rolls (shirt, socks, underwear), some more substantial food, a hatchet or saw (depends on climate), some paracord, and my canteen set (canteen, cup, stove, lid and spoon), and usually some teabags. Don't forget the toilet paper, I think I have several lifetimes worth of MRE toilet paper courtesy of some friends in the service.

I think your list has too much stuff, let me go through it and pare it down a bit:

A ziplock bag of dryer lint. For fire starting
A small plastic bottle of gas. For fire starting.
Small road flare. Fire starting.

You can dump all three of these in favor of a film canister (or other small container) full of cotton balls soaked in either wax or vasoline, vasoline tends to work best.

Water chlorine tabs. (eh, it's lightweight enough)

Small mirror. (shaving? This could work for emergencies, but is very dependent on weather)
Compass. (you should get a map also)
Binos. (good for hunting, good for scouting and looking at "pretty stuff" otherwise not useful)
Couple different sizes of knives. (For gutting and butchering animals this is good, but leave them at camp)

A handgun, couple extra mags, also carry full size on hip. (define 'couple' 2 is enough, 3 is just too many, unless you're fighting zombies but that belongs on a different forum)

Emergency blanket, tarp kind. (I like these way better than the crap mylar ones)

Paracord at least 100ft. (While it's good to carry cordage, consider chopping it up into 5 20ft sections)
Boonie hat. (I'm also a fan of hats)
Water proof matches. (consider a magnesium flint combo, you can light a cotton ball with just the flint)
Map of area. (this should go with the compass)
Leatherman.
Ace bandage, and splint. (I would dump the splint, there are plenty of sticks to make splints with)

Small first aid kit, with small bottle of iodine or hydrogen peroxide. (I would drop the hyper and iodine, all I carry are allergy pills, ibuprofen and 3 bandaids, I've never used the bandaids)

Chapstick. (if weather warrants)
Extra pair of socks. (might consider a bivvy roll instead)
MRE or freeze dried meal (2) (seems like a bit much, depending on distance and time)
A couple protein bars. (good, but you're already carrying a bunch of food)

It's a good starter list you got going, but you should try carrying it for a while. Another thing I do is I bought a bunch of lightweight "waterproof" nylon bags, so each little bit of stuff gets jammed into one of the bags (they're all labeled and color coded) that way you don't have to spend a bunch of time digging through your pack trying to find whichever little gizmo.

Also, you need something you can boil/treat water in. I personally prefer boiling, with which I make tea, you can also heat up MRE pouched food in hot water, which allows you to drop the MRE heaters.

When it comes to hunting, I'm notoriously lazy, in that I usually don't go much further than a mile or two from the vehicle (who wants to drag a 300lb pig more than a mile?) Usually I'm not even that far away when I make a kill.

 

[2506]

You all should consider carrying a small tube of superglue. Stuff works wonders in an emergency in lieu of sutures. Stings like a mother, but it works quickly and seals a wound fairly nicely. And it's also useful for its intended purpose.