Thanks for all the great tips everyone. It sure gave me some more to think about and confirmed a couple ideas I'd already had. I will get one of the bags instead of the blankets. I've sandwiched in between 2 blankets and been alright, but the bag would be warmer. Also I always carry a lighter in my pack and a compact lighter in my pocket. I always have a knife and lighter with me everywhere I go, even around home. If you have a knife and a way to make fire in a bad situation you have a chance.
Mountain hunt daypack essentials
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jmden
Well-Known Member
I carry two lighters as well (one in the cookset and one of the 'stormproof' versions with me at all times - Windmill Delta Stormproof Lighter at REI.com - all they are is a glorified version that uses the pressurized butane--I took bulky cover off of mine as I don't like any unecessary weight or bulk).
But they both have their pitfalls. If either one gets too wet, they won't work well or at all, so I always carry backup 'stormproof' matches in a watertight match container. Coghlan's Plastic Matchbox at REI.com and REI Storm Proof Matches at REI.com .
I'm usually hunting overnight by myself for several days at a time and have a young family, so you might start to see why I think the way I do. Better to be prepared. I also carry a GPS enabled PLB registered to me for the above reason and absolutely do NOT want to have to call for help especially due to my own poor juedgement--I see enough of that on my job as it is. But, invariably, we all get stupid at some point as, for some reason, good judgement breaks down,and hopefully a couple of these items will keep me from having to worry anybody else when/if that happens.
But they both have their pitfalls. If either one gets too wet, they won't work well or at all, so I always carry backup 'stormproof' matches in a watertight match container. Coghlan's Plastic Matchbox at REI.com and REI Storm Proof Matches at REI.com .
I'm usually hunting overnight by myself for several days at a time and have a young family, so you might start to see why I think the way I do. Better to be prepared. I also carry a GPS enabled PLB registered to me for the above reason and absolutely do NOT want to have to call for help especially due to my own poor juedgement--I see enough of that on my job as it is. But, invariably, we all get stupid at some point as, for some reason, good judgement breaks down,and hopefully a couple of these items will keep me from having to worry anybody else when/if that happens.
338 bruce
Well-Known Member
I always carry 2 cans of chile beans and 12 oz diet coke in bottles wich make very good canteens after empty. Nothing is quite as satisfying as hot chile at the top of the mountain. I also carry snickers and salted peanuts. I allways carry way more water than than needed and 12 oz bottles can be put anywhere.
HUAINAMACHERO
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Ok, so I got interested in the
On the left the vaseline coated cotton ball still burning while the dry one is off.
The Iphone chronometer shows the time the tightly packed cotton ball lasted on fire!!!.
So I made a little experiment. I compared the burning time of a dry cotton ball, and a vaseline impregnated cotton ball. The dry one burned for only 40 seconds, while the one with vaseline burned for 3 minutes 30 seconds. As with everything in life there are a lot of variables around this, and what I found is that if you burn the cotton balls with vaseline making the fibers to be loose, they will burn very fast, but if you tighten the cotton ball with vaseline very tight it will burn for 5 minutes 40 seconds!!!. Great little tip I learned reading this thread. Thanks guys. Here are some pics.
On the left the vaseline coated cotton ball still burning while the dry one is off.
The Iphone chronometer shows the time the tightly packed cotton ball lasted on fire!!!.
dogdinger
Well-Known Member
thought i would throw in my 2cents here....15 yrs of lion hunting in Colo taught me what someone said earlier..."cotton kills" . lose the jeans and find a lightweight pair of wool or fleece pants. Keep your feet dry....wool works best for me here. When you get in a jam it will be when you can least afford the time it takes to build a fire. IE: a slip and fall with a bad break. you will need the easiest way to start a fire. I carry a 1/4 stick of a road flare with the striker end attached. weighs a couple ounces, but by god it will start a fire! Carry a metal canteen or a cup that you can heat water in. A warm drink when you are hypothermic works the best... Carry a few tea bags or instant coffee. I also carry a few feet of aluminum foil folded and some salt and pepper.easy to cook with. Ditto on the ace bandage in the first aid kit. works great for making a splint. ditto on the bivy sack instead of space blankets...same weight for more heat. I would whole lot rather pack a couple extra lbs for the added piece of mind. the boy scout motto comes to mind...."be prepared"...AJ
You have a really good head start on alot of things that you might need. You may want to add a whistle. It can be heard along way off and you won't have to waste your ammo if you get lost.
A friend of mine and I decided we were gonna walk back into a remote hunting area, we packed like you wouldn't believe. Both of our packs weighed in at 70 lbs a piece. I was glad taht I didn't shoot a deer after hauling that thing around for that many miles, lol.
I don't have any wool yet but I hear that it is worth its weight in gold in the mountains. Good boots are a definate plus too.
A friend of mine and I decided we were gonna walk back into a remote hunting area, we packed like you wouldn't believe. Both of our packs weighed in at 70 lbs a piece. I was glad taht I didn't shoot a deer after hauling that thing around for that many miles, lol.
I don't have any wool yet but I hear that it is worth its weight in gold in the mountains. Good boots are a definate plus too.
LRSickle
Well-Known Member
I heard it as "cotton kills, wool works" and boy is that the truth!!. I'm a big, big fan of wool especialy in wet cold weather. I've got some Filson, Sleeping Indian, SwannDri and Pentleton wool. Well worth every penny.
I would lose the knife set and sharpener and buy a box cutter and a pack of replacement blades. It works 10 times better than any knife for boning out an animal in the backcountry, cost 5 bucks, weighs a couple of ounces and you don't have to sharpen it just switch the blades and get it done.
I wear wool, also, pack 2 lights, I carry a non fog cloth for my optics, picked that up from ski racing. I also pack a roll of bright survey tape. It is great for marking shot location, looking back,markiing game location on the mountain, or a trail fork you dont always remember. Once I used a strip across a horse trail, while bow hunting, when I had a elk down and my buddies located me on way off mtn.
Bobcape
Well-Known Member
I always carry an Esbit pocket stove. I rarely use it, but if I need it, it's great to have. Barely bigger than a deck of cards, with the fuel tabs stored inside. Weighs about 4 or 5 ounces. They sell for about $15 with fuel. I have several that I have vaccum sealed and stashed away.
Look here.
Bob
Look here.
Bob
FAL Shot
Well-Known Member
You should be wearing most of what you need for a night of survival. Don't skimp on clothing.
If you really worry about what might happen to you, then a copy of your last will and testament, signed by at least two witnesses, properly notarized, and double sealed in plastic bags, taped to your body with waterproof tape. If you decide at the last minute you made a mistake, it can still be used as tender to start a fire.
I would take a bottle of Laphroaig scotch whisky, or at least a pint flask, but that's just me.
It's interesting to note that during the battle of Stalingrad, a Russian general always under reported his losses. It wasn't to make his battle performance look better than it was. The main reason being, was that his vodka ration was based on the number of surviving soldiers he had left. The more vodka his soldiers had, the better they survived the harsh conditions, and the harder they fought. Survival is 90% attitude, and it's the first thing you will read about in military survival training manuals. Anything that prevents you from having a defeatist attitude is worth having, doesn't matter what it is, even if it's considered worthless by most other people.
If you really worry about what might happen to you, then a copy of your last will and testament, signed by at least two witnesses, properly notarized, and double sealed in plastic bags, taped to your body with waterproof tape. If you decide at the last minute you made a mistake, it can still be used as tender to start a fire.
I would take a bottle of Laphroaig scotch whisky, or at least a pint flask, but that's just me.
It's interesting to note that during the battle of Stalingrad, a Russian general always under reported his losses. It wasn't to make his battle performance look better than it was. The main reason being, was that his vodka ration was based on the number of surviving soldiers he had left. The more vodka his soldiers had, the better they survived the harsh conditions, and the harder they fought. Survival is 90% attitude, and it's the first thing you will read about in military survival training manuals. Anything that prevents you from having a defeatist attitude is worth having, doesn't matter what it is, even if it's considered worthless by most other people.
