Thread: Overnight Hunting Kit - Basic list

After doing some reading of another thread - https://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co....advice-100783/ I made the comment Id put up a gear list of what I take hunting. I did this because there seems to be some extra heavy pack weight's and unnecessary gear being carted in .
So before I start here is my disclaimer. I am not the gear guru by any stretch of the imagination. I am not interested in going ultralite everything either. This is just what works for me.

My Gear is basically divided into four section's -
1. Hunting gear
2. Camp, Sleeping and cooking
3. Food
4. Pack rifle and gear im wearing

HUNTING GEAR

Everything goes into my bum bag which is with me at all times when hunting or walking .
1. Binouclar's - dont leave home without them
2. Knife , sheath and steel , Also have an extra diamond edge and head torch
3.Scope cover , Bipod , Bog roll , Meat bag
4. Boresnake for cleaning
5. 3 spare round's , A lighter , Rubber strips for starting a fire , Paracord for hanging up deer , drop chart
6. Bushman's friend ( sandflies and sun )len's cleaning cloth's , Spare beanie and gloves ( polyprop )
7. PLB abd first aid kit ( first aid kit is very basic and consits of emergency blanket , painkiller's , electrical tape and a couple of bandage's). I figure if I need anymore than that im in deep shit anyway.
8. hunting permit, dog permit and a pen .
TOTAL WEIGHT 2457 GMS

CAMP,SLEEPING & COOKING

1. Clothing and sleeping bag which all lives in the blue dry bag and stays dry no matter what . This consists of -
polyprop uppers and lowers, Swazi HD fleece singlet , Lightweight shorts, Macpac puffer jacket with hood , Spare woolen socks, Woolen beanie , Spare underwear and a swzi ultralite Tahr coat .
2.Croc's for around camp , Sleeping mat , Pillow and Stoney creek fly , Pot frying pan cooker & gas with spare lighter , Cup Spork and a knife
3. Toothbrush, Paste , contact,s and any med's
TOTAL WEIGHT 5030 gms

FOOD

This is 24 hour's food for me and weighs 720 gms
Back country for tea , Couple of muesli bars and rice for throughout the day , Cooked breakfast ( although i quite often mix up Granola and protein powder in a zip lock plastic bag- just add water , shake it up and youve also got a readymade bowl.) Teabag's and coffee. chocolate. Its pretty spartan but can be supplemented with venison and will get you through.
I do try and cook on fire's where I can . All camp's I stay at have billy's and chains to hang them etc. Im just tring to stick to basic's here. Cooking on fire's is good to save gas but.

PACK & RIFLE ETC

My rifle weigh's 3420 gms with sling bolt and full mag

The pack and lightweight trekking pole pictured weigh 2200 gms all up

This is what Id typically wear into the southland bush ( again wx dependant )


Boots , Socks , Gaiters , Shorts , Singlet , Jungle hat , If its cooler I have the stoney creek breathable top and the swazi sevren top . So if i was just wearing the basics and the other tops were in my pack with my iphone ( which i use for mapping systems ) id be at 13827 gms with my rifle strapped to me pack . I also always drink a powerade on the way up and carry the empty bottle with me to refill at stream's etc along the way. Hydration is very important.

The only real variable to this gear list is ammo and food . If your going for a week or more nothing really changes. The depths of winter maybe some fleece pants and a tent ? You get the idea anyway . The only other item i may take depending on the length of stay is solar charger for the phone .

Ruby carries her own food usually .

thats very complete - I would add a very small bottle of breakfree - yup you carry a bore snake - I carry a pull thru in my belt packs - but breakfree is good if sadly ya do get barrel wet - your first aid kit is right so many carry way to much - no well done and would not change anything really - good of you to make the effort a lot of new hunters on here can read that and is a real head start

just added up your list with food for 10 days, and thats about similar too where I sit for a decent length trip at 17kg. Im usually trying for 15kg but usually fail.

Originally Posted by whanahuia

just added up your list with food for 10 days, and thats about similar too where I sit for a decent length trip at 17kg. Im usually trying for 15kg but usually fail.

Bugger me, that's what my pack weighed for a 4 day tramping trip (no rifle, ammo etc) and no risk of increasing the weight by loading it up with meat.
What you guys manage to carry is impressive.

Originally Posted by No good names left

Bugger me, that's what my pack weighed for a 4 day tramping trip (no rifle, ammo etc) and no risk of increasing the weight by loading it up with meat.
What you guys manage to carry is impressive.

some of my kit will be lighter than Nathans, my pack weighs 1kg for example, But I always mentally struggle to limit the clothing I carry- I always take too much and find some doesn't get used.

Originally Posted by whanahuia

some of my kit will be lighter than Nathans, my pack weighs 1kg for example, But I always mentally struggle to limit the clothing I carry- I always take too much and find some doesn't get used.

same - so now spare clothing for overnight - just undies a thermal singlet and one light thermal top thats it - my theory is have some dry inner garments to sleep in - stick on wet outer next day to hunt and come out

Yikes!

Mid to late 1970's a 10 day Xmas trip into the Kaimanawas or Nelson Lakes would see us carting a pretty standard 65lb pack. Thats 29.5 kgs.

Just shows the weight savings that modern lightweight gear and food have brought to the party. We would carry pretty much everything you have listed there. Just made of different stuff. Except crocs. They hadn't been invented yet.

Mind you, I still have my 1970's pack, sleeping bag and rifle. Not sure if some of this ultralite gear bought today will be around in 50 years time. Then again your back and knees will have thanked you many times over by then!

thanks for sharing. will be comparing to my list and making some amendments

Only item I would ad would be a leather man multi tool.

Originally Posted by The bomb

Only item I would ad would be a leather man multi tool.

well yes and no - what is one actually going to do with it - do you really need it - I carried one around for some time and gave it up - never used it - certainly anyone who takes to a rifle or scope with the screw driver on a leatherman needs whipping with a length of alkathene - the screw driver just not suitable at all - use proper fitting screw driver for that job - so what do you really need it for - worth thinking about

That was a lot of effort to put that up - thank you!

bout the same as me

I'm such a goddamn packrat, I can't mentally deal with not being prepared for so many possibilities that the weight creeps up on me, so normally i end up with 18kg plus food and water.

That's winter, assuming staying in a tent.

Good.
You forgot marshmallows and hot chocolate for your mini-me.

Originally Posted by Tahr

Good.
You forgot marshmallows and hot chocolate for your mini-me.

Haha yep. He carries his own now.