Thread: Overnight Hunting Kit - Basic list

This is awesome info, will be utilising a lot of what i have read here today.
Thankyou for your time and effort to share.

Good info guys. Similar to what I take but I tend to also take a bunch of heavy camera gear which I either don't use as I'm busy hunting, or use the whole time and don't really hunt

What are you guys doing while you're actually hunting - dumping all your gear and hunting with your main pack, or using a bumbag / pikau etc for your day gear? I've been running a 25l HE pack which is very tired but not sure what to replace it worth as it's quite a bit of extra pack space carrying in a day pack on an overnighter / multi-day hunt.

Haven't done many overnight hunts lately, but sold on the bumbag for hunting, so will take it next time and keep the hunting gear separate from the camping gear which obviously goes in a backpack. Hopefully, I'll have room to sit the bumbag in the top of the pack at the start of a trip. Just hunt with the bumbag, leaving the backpack/camp behind.

After setting up camp, or getting into a hut almost always hunting wearing my main pack. Besides carrying necessary items I take hydration bladder and tubing and sometimes a spotting scope. I've often though just a bumbag would be ideal, and would allow me to roam a bit further and faster when warranted, but there would be insufficient room to carry the gear I like. I always hunt on foot and never by motorised means unless only for access.

If I’m hunting the tops I use the main pack. If bush hunting take a day bag or similar.

I've just finished packing for one night bush hunt tomorrow. Look back at post #22 Same kit but have dumped bivy, puffer, spare socks, jocks, binos, bipod and range finder. Have added pikau and light jersey.

As it's only one night and through thick nasty bush I'll carry the dog food.

Once I get to my destination and start really hunting I will only carry the Pikau with belt, pouches and food for the day.

I only use a 40l pack for camping 3-4 nights so just use that pack but if I'm walking in along way I don't set up a base I just camp when I gets dark wherever I am then hunt fresh ground the following days

Originally Posted by hunt08

I only use a 40l pack for camping 3-4 nights so just use that pack but if I'm walking in along way I don't set up a base I just camp when I gets dark wherever I am then hunt fresh ground the following days

Can't get lose your camp that way

Originally Posted by MB

Can't get lose your camp that way

Don't you hate that. Always happens at worst possible time.

Looks like a good set up and I particularly like how you've got your waist pack set up separately (from your main pack) with the essentials. The only thing imo would be to add to your first aid kit the following:
A good tourniquet, a thoracic cavity wound seal and some wound packing material (along with doing a hunt/gun orientated first aid course because gear without the knowledge is useless), these things will keep you alive far longer whilst you're waiting for response to your plb....oh and some imodium and some powdered electrolyte, cos if you get the shits out there, you're gonna need to be right on your hydration game.

Originally Posted by hunt08

I only use a 40l pack for camping 3-4 nights so just use that pack but if I'm walking in along way I don't set up a base I just camp when I gets dark wherever I am then hunt fresh ground the following days

How do you carry out your meat? I could barely fit my overnight gear in a 40L pack

Originally Posted by TimC

How do you carry out your meat? I could barely fit my overnight gear in a 40L pack

I use a SPIKA Drover 40L Pack that has a meat shelf so you don't need any room in the pack to put meat in I really like the set up with the meat shelf along off packs are going that way

Originally Posted by Zedrex

Looks like a good set up and I particularly like how you've got your waist pack set up separately (from your main pack) with the essentials. The only thing imo would be to add to your first aid kit the following:
A good tourniquet, a thoracic cavity wound seal and some wound packing material (along with doing a hunt/gun orientated first aid course because gear without the knowledge is useless), these things will keep you alive far longer whilst you're waiting for response to your plb....oh and some imodium and some powdered electrolyte, cos if you get the shits out there, you're gonna need to be right on your hydration game.

Unless you’re trained in how to apply a thoracic cavity wound seal, vented or non-vented, and know how to manage developing pneumothorax you’re deluding yourself about the usefulness of carrying such things. Tourniquets are similar, not much use if you don’t know how to apply correctly under duress. Try applying one to yourself one handed with your offhand for example, see how that goes. For that matter try doing that with an ‘Israeli bandage’. You can carry the flash as gear but basic dressings, bandages, tape etc still do the job plus training and practice. I’m reasonably experienced in dealing with medical trauma and tend to keep it simple what I carry hunting. Just my 2c.

Absolutely, without adequate training, any first aid kit is pretty useless BUT if you've got a massive bleed on a limb, you want a tourniquet, the SOF tourniquets, specifically Gen5 are designed for one handed application. I do Get your point about thoracic wound seals, it's all about good training BUT this, I'd rather die trying than just sit there and watch myself (or someone else) bleed out or suffocate because I didn't have the gear to make a "try" have some chance of success, back in the day we were trained to seal sucking wounds with a credit card and some tape...... asked what we should do if the wound was too big to be covered by just one the answer was "use a plastic bag"
And just to clarify, I'm not advocating having a massive kit, I agree with you on keeping it simple but I'm particularly stuck on having a tourniquet (and the training) and in our training it was impressed on us "it's up to you, you can just sit there and watch someone die, or you can try your best to keep them alive....and understand that you might not be able to despite your best efforts" I'm not experienced in dealing with trauma but I've been first on scene to a few incidents and yep, training is everything

I am the guy that cuts my toothbrush in half and sands the end off, and has sleepless nights over the amount of toothpaste I've packed. Nerd. But, I reevaluated my medikit recently and added Celox and an Israeli bandage to at least have some means of stemming bleeding. I'm a parent, and have gone to two St John's medical day courses. I travel a lot and carry first aid kits in all the family cars and at home. Rounding a bend to a straight a couple of years ago, there was a car crash in front of me. A head on, in the middle of the country side. I grabbed the medi kit. There were people attending to critically injured people in a couple of cars, and a couple of dead people. Point being, you just never know when a medi kit might be of use.

The biggest risks I've encountered hunting in the bush and mountains is taking big falls. I've had a couple of end over ends in both environments and pack a garmin gps and the medi kit which always travels in my main bag or belt bag, accessible by hand. The thing I've learnt, is "make the right call early" when facing dodgy navigational choices and go the long way around, particularly hunting solo. But, if I get shot, well, my hope is whoever does it has a medi kit with at least some blood stemming gear, or can access mine (I think this is how the military do it - use the downed person's medi kit). I've run into hunters in the bush during the roar which was quite scary, but fortunately they spoke english upon seeing me "Hunter", works a treat as deer haven't mastered human language yet.

So here's mine, it's 200g. The most used items are band aids (get Electoplast, everything else sucks), panadol, ibuprofene and antihistamines. I reckon anyone who is into the outdoors should do a St John's day course and have a well thought out medi kit. That and remember good decision making for what you can control