Thread: Minimum pack contents

Great thread! Already got some adjustments to make!

Been slowly working on this, and still think I have a slight issue with just-in-case-itis, but below is for day trips from car or camp. Bush shirt worn or tied around waist. Would have a day pack if on tops.

Bino harness:
- binos
- rangefinder
- plb
- radio (if out with others or I forget to take it off)
- headtorch - USB rechargeable (18650 Ali-express special)
- compass+A4/A5 laminated section of map
- poo tickets
- car key (if leaving from car)
- flint stick/spark machine thing
- bit of polystyrene dissolved in petrol (at the right mix it sets hard, lights easier than rubber, and burns like buggery)

Belt kit (webbing belt and steel buckle that will hopefully not come off in a good tumble)
- Pouch 1 (schnack pouch - enough for a day more than planned)
- emergency jellybeans
- OSM bites
- meusli bars
- Mini chocolate bars (currently on Whittaker's mini slabs)
- homemade scroggin from bulk bins (nuts/dried fruit/choc)
- pillow case meat bags
- Pouch 2
- Rain jacket
- FAK
- back-up head torch (usb rechargable)
- powerbank + cables
- lighter
- poo tickets
- hat/gloves
- Pouch 3 (can take this off if with others or close to camp, but have been carrying it since it's got colder)
- emergency bivi bag
- homemade pikau
- hat/gloves in dry bag (just realised I've doubled upon these)
- icebreaker mid-layer in dry bag
- Knife + steel


FAK:
- emerg foil blanket
- zinc oxide tape
- plasters/gauze/sterile dressings/crepe bandage
- superglue
- tweezers
- ibuprofen + paracetamol
- Levrix antihistamine
- anti-squirts imodium
- salt
- 50+SPF lip stuff.

Bino harness - 3.4kg

(Phot doesn't show compass/map, fire starting stuff, poo tickets, phone)

Belt kit 3.6kg

+1 for ecoply tape it looks like dull fabric tape and is great stuff

Another trick for carrying plastic tape like electrician's tape but about 50mm wide, the sellotape brand one is good but whatever you use, wrap about 2m of it around your bic lighter, that way you have a 2 for 1 deal

The other thing I carry that no-one else I know does is a few lengths of steelfixer's tie wire - you can buy it by the bundle at builders depots but it's easy to tie and retie without snapping
The non-galv one doesn't snap as easy as the galv

Dropped a pin out of a rifle sling mount in the Tararuas once and tie wire saved the day

man some of you guys carry a lot - if in a camp for a few days do have a little more at camp - but on the hill always just been ammo - a pull thru - about 8 metre good quality cord ( had same piece for over 25 years ) a mercator as extra knife - cigarette lighter - couple pieces of inner tube -compass- two bandages- and now LED Lenser torch (two- one head lamp -one small torch ) one light survival sheet - carried in two pouches on belt - when we were culling in seventies we did not carry torches as the ones available then simply did not trust them -torches now are much much better quality and have changed my hunting - back in seventies would not have thought of heading home in dark- now no problem - pull thru a must but if you are running .222-.223 make bloody sure of your rag size - have seen some horrible stuff ups with pull thrus and .222 caliber - but with those you really need them if one suspects water in barrel - compass get a good one I have a cheap one I have kept for years as a display piece when teaching map and compass the needle has an arrow for north but points dead south

Replace your survival blanket occasionally. I needed mine one night after it being in my pack for ever and just confetti fell out of its bag. Fortunately my mate had one. That over us and all our clothing and we were fine.

Cripes you guys cart some stuff around with you. I've got a tiny basic first aid kit, a survival blanket, little pocket knife, spare batteries and consumables. Fits into a small belt pack and lives in the bottom of my pack. Have only ever used the bandaids from the little first aid bag. And of course my PLB is always on me.

Consider adding a laminated family photo with your name and your ICE person's contact details on back. Tuck it in the PLB or tape it to your PLB. Very light but might help a lot if shit hits fan.
Spoke to a person a few years ago who had bad fall and overnight wait for rescue. He said the photo really helped him survive the night.
Knowing your name helps rescuers, and it'll help you too if they're using your name while dealing with you.

When I was a NZ Mountain Safety Council bushcraft instructor, a weekend course was organised for instructors. It was in May, and during a wet weekend. The course was based in a residential camp. After dinner on Saturday night, we were sitting in front of the fireplace enjoying the warmth, when the course organiser told us to quickly go and return with our survival kits. When we were assembled in the hall clutching our kits, he asked: "How many of you have ever had to use your survival kit? Put you hand up!" I put my hand up, as did another instructor (like me, he was a hunter). "Right", said the organiser, all of you follow me". He strode out into the darkness and rain. We walked into the bush surrounding the camp, then he pointed out spots where 2 people at a time were to spend the night! We were told that the camp would be locked as soon as he returned to it, and told to assemble in the hall at daybreak, when the doors would be unlocked.
Back in the hall, next morning, he asked: "How many of you will now alter the contents of your survival kit? Put your hand up!" Everybody, except we 2 hunters, put a hand up. Most of those people had based their survival kit contents from a list they may have seen in a book.

In order to plan what you should carry in your pack, imagine this: You have had an immobilising accident (very likely for hunters), it is raining (or about to rain), cold, nearly dark, and you haven't eaten since breakfast. You are obviously going to be at that spot at least for the night, and nobody knows where you are. What equipment would you want to have with you?

In NZ, searches of 3-4 days, and sometimes up to 10 days, occur.

Originally Posted by Ranger 888

When I was a NZ Mountain Safety Council bushcraft instructor, a weekend course was organised for instructors. It was in May, and during a wet weekend. The course was based in a residential camp. After dinner on Saturday night, we were sitting in front of the fireplace enjoying the warmth, when the course organiser told us to quickly go and return with our survival kits. When we were assembled in the hall clutching our kits, he asked: "How many of you have ever had to use your survival kit? Put you hand up!" I put my hand up, as did another instructor (like me, he was a hunter). "Right", said the organiser, all of you follow me". He strode out into the darkness and rain. We walked into the bush surrounding the camp, then he pointed out spots where 2 people at a time were to spend the night! We were told that the camp would be locked as soon as he returned to it, and told to assemble in the hall at daybreak, when the doors would be unlocked.
Back in the hall, next morning, he asked: "How many of you will now alter the contents of your survival kit? Put your hand up!" Everybody, except we 2 hunters, put a hand up. Most of those people had based their survival kit contents from a list they may have seen in a book.

In order to plan what you should carry in your pack, imagine this: You have had an immobilising accident (very likely for hunters), it is raining (or about to rain), cold, nearly dark, and you haven't eaten since breakfast. You are obviously going to be at that spot at least for the night, and nobody knows where you are. What equipment would you want to have with you?

In NZ, searches of 3-4 days, and sometimes up to 10 days, occur.

So can you list your items I think I have what I need but I've never had to use them yet.

Sent from my CPH2145 using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by 25/08 IMP

So can you list your items I think I have what I need but I've never had to use them yet.

Sent from my CPH2145 using Tapatalk

If you read the second to last paragraph of my post, think of: pain relief, shelter, warmth (fire, clothing), light (if you haven't got any light, you can't do diddley on a dark night in the bush), food, water (you may not be close to a stream), signalling equipment (a whistle is great- it can be heard well beyond the range of a human voice).
Be aware that the combination of an injury, and wet and cold conditions, can be fatal.

And consider this: you may not be found for a day or three: a search won't take place until you are notified as overdue (will somebody do that? People who live alone often don't tell anyone when/where they're going bush). Also, SAR will need a general location of where you are operating.

There are some great suggestions in the earlier posts..

Originally Posted by 25/08 IMP

So can you list your items I think I have what I need but I've never had to use them yet.

Sent from my CPH2145 using Tapatalk

I was a Mountain Safety Instructor for over 30 years and would never have pulled that stunt on anyone - I would have told him to get fucked and walked back inside

Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

I was a Mountain Safety Instructor for over 30 years and would never have pulled that stunt on anyone - I would have told him to get fucked and walked back inside

It was actually a very good teaching technique..the course participants were instructors who taught their "clients" about survival kits, but had never actually used one...how much credibility would they have? The fact that most of them decided they needed to change the contents of their survival kit when they got home proves the message was conveyed to them.
I managed an instructor group for 22 years, and recruited people who had done the hard yards, had done dumb things in the bush and learned from them. I wanted course participants to be able learn from the instructor's experience. I had a favourite mantra: Good judgement comes from experience; experience comes from poor judgement. One of my instructors, a former Urewera culler, had developed hypothermia as a 20 year old and nearly died, 30 metres from a hut. He would tell the clients on a course the story of his near miss, sitting in the bush, leaning back against a tree, and have the whole group spellbound by the saga. So here was a man who had mana, that you knew you should listen to. Compare him to a bushcraft instructor I saw who took a session on hypothermia by reading aloud the contents of a pamphlet on the subject. Who had the most credibility?
Barry the hunter: if you had stormed off and gone back to the camp...the doors were locked! The course organiser had covered that! He was the legendary Bob Badland, MSC Firearms Programme Manager for ages, and one of the best hunters I ever came across.

Originally Posted by Ranger 888

It was actually a very good teaching technique..the course participants were instructors who taught their "clients" about survival kits, but had never actually used one...how much credibility would they have? The fact that most of them decided they needed to change the contents of their survival kit when they got home proves the message was conveyed to them.
I managed an instructor group for 22 years, and recruited people who had done the hard yards, had done dumb things in the bush and learned from them. I wanted course participants to be able learn from the instructor's experience. I had a favourite mantra: Good judgement comes from experience; experience comes from poor judgement. One of my instructors, a former Urewera culler, had developed hypothermia as a 20 year old and nearly died, 30 metres from a hut. He would tell the clients on a course the story of his near miss, sitting in the bush, leaning back against a tree, and have the whole group spellbound by the saga. So here was a man who had mana, that you knew you should listen to. Compare him to a bushcraft instructor I saw who took a session on hypothermia by reading aloud the contents of a pamphlet on the subject. Who had the most credibility?
Barry the hunter: if you had stormed off and gone back to the camp...the doors were locked! The course organiser had covered that! He was the legendary Bob Badland, MSC Firearms Programme Manager for ages, and one of the best hunters I ever came across.

Bob Badland now theres a blast from the past - had quite a bit to do with him - but still would not have expected people to camp out overnight on any course I ever ran - just me - to much could go wrong and quickly - but then so many of the groups I took were school age - bit young to chuck in deep end - I used to spend a lot of time getting them to get a fire going and what would burn and what would not

PLB, anti inflams, spare lighter, survival blanket, tape and Israeli bandage for me. The Israeli bandage works as both a tourniquet and bandage to stop you hemorrhaging, I just use tape for smaller cuts.

I did a stint at it too.... and now in landsar....
I can see why he did it..but what a dumb arse WAY to do it....
one of the biggest tips I would give someone in a dire situation particularly someone who is geographically embarrassed or just not going to make it back to camp for night... stop early and make decent effort to sort your shit BEFORE it gets dark...

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

I did a stint at it too.... and now in landsar....
I can see why he did it..but what a dumb arse WAY to do it....
one of the biggest tips I would give someone in a dire situation particularly someone who is geographically embarrassed or just not going to make it back to camp for night... stop early and make decent effort to sort your shit BEFORE it gets dark...

yup and get a fire going

I have enjoyed the company of a warm fire on those occasions I wasn’t intending spending the night

What always amazes me is how big the “ clearing” is in the morning once everything near me went into the fire to keep me warm

Once the sun hits the ground it’s so easy to have a wee sleep