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Backpack must haves

ShooterMike said:
Really depends on where you’re hunting.

For example, I hunt in 10 different specific spots, and 8 of them are less than 100 yards from where I park the truck. Snacks/water, cell phone charger, light, Thermacell, and a deer drag is all I need for those.

As a critical care flight paramedic, I know enough to know there’s really nothing in a medical kit that’s practical for a 6 hour period in the woods. Most important is knowing how to use my phone to find my exact GPS coordinate in case I end up in pickle. There may be a case for a tourniquet and hemostatic gauze, but when I hear the term “med kit” that’s not what comes to mind for me.

For those of you who use On X, if you don’t know how to find your GPS coordinate, here’s how you do it:

1) Open the app and push the location icon in the lower right corner of the screen. The icon is the one that looks kind of like crosshairs.

2) Once it hones in on your location, push the blue dot and a screen will slide half way up the screen and it will display your grid coordinate. Take a screen shot of that. Send the screen shot to whomever you need to, or if you’re calling 911, give the coordinates to dispatch.


Semper Fi,
Mike
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The biggest issue with this for me, because I haven't bought a satellite communicator yet, is 99% of the places that I hunt have little to no service. Sometimes it takes multiple hours to send a simple text... Gotta love PA...
 
bowhunthard88 said:
The biggest issue with this for me, because I haven't bought a satellite communicator yet, is 99% of the places that I hunt have little to no service. Sometimes it takes multiple hours to send a simple text... Gotta love PA...
Click to expand...

Perhaps a Garmin watch? By holding down the right upper button on the Garmin Fenix bezel, it activates the MOB function which displays a GPS coordinate. For your case though, you may need something like an inReach.


Semper Fi,
Mike
 
ShooterMike said:
Perhaps a Garmin watch? By holding down the right upper button on the Garmin Fenix bezel, it activates the MOB function which displays a GPS coordinate. For your case though, you may need something like an inReach.


Semper Fi,
Mike
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It's easy to get my coordinates currently, just an unknown level of difficulty to relay them... I'm going to need a inReach or something at some point. I keep looking at them...
 
bowhunthard88 said:
It's easy to get my coordinates currently, just an unknown level of difficulty to relay them... I'm going to need a inReach or something at some point. I keep looking at them...
Click to expand...
Inreach mini or zoleo both work very well. Zoleo has a "deal" running right now. I put a link in the coupon forum. They both have the straight SOS button too if it sho nuff hits the fan.
 
Kill kit pics. Total weight for kit, minus the fixed blade knife of choice and sheath (normally carried on my chest rig/pack/person), is 1lb. 1oz. Both fixed blade knives pictured are for style reference as I would only carry one of those (in a kydex sheath) at any given time. I did switch the Havalon to the larger bag, as the smaller bag is for a short duration sit within easy access of truck/house/etc. and I would be ok with just my fixed blade because I would be dragging, not packing.
 

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I added a first aid kit to my pack a few years back when I started taking kids out with me.
 
TP, first aide, kill kit, and extra release or tab.
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
bowhunthard88 said:
The biggest issue with this for me, because I haven't bought a satellite communicator yet, is 99% of the places that I hunt have little to no service. Sometimes it takes multiple hours to send a simple text... Gotta love PA...
Click to expand...

Love my Garmin InReach. Bought it for backcountry camping and hiking. Sends my location automatically to my wife. My buying decision was based on her being able to contact me, should she need me, more so than me being able to contact her.
 
Red Beard said:
Is that 3 knives and 2 extra blades for the kestrel? Man... I'm doing it wrong.
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It all stays the same except for the game bags might get a little bigger. There’s been times I’ve had multiple pigs or a buffalo (bison) to break down. I keep different blades for different purposes. For basic whitetail it’s a bit overkill but you never know what might happen. Haha


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Must haves for how I hunt… much more than this and you’re just piddling….
1 frame pack
1 game bag
1 knife
1 platform
1 saddle
2 tethers
1 Garda footloop
1 50ft 8mm rope with two hitches
1 light
1 thermacell
1 10ft roll of TP
1 bottle of water
Add
1 rain jacket and rain pant for expected weather
1 rain pack cover
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Lucky for me I park fairly close to the locations I hunt so my load isn’t that heavy. But it’s nice to see I’m not the only that over prepares for a hunt.
 
Man, I’m not looking for stuff to put IN my rig, I’m trying to get stuff OUT of it. I go through my rig at least 3 times a season playing the MUST HAVE? or NICE TO HAVE? game. If I’m honest with myself I usually find that that most of the must have stuff is really nice to have stuff that somehow made it’s way back into my bag. You guys aren’t helping the situation. Lot’s of great ideas.
 
2Sloe said:
Man, I’m not looking for stuff to put IN my rig, I’m trying to get stuff OUT of it. I go through my rig at least 3 times a season playing the MUST HAVE? or NICE TO HAVE? game. If I’m honest with myself I usually find that that most of the must have stuff is really nice to have stuff that somehow made it’s way back into my bag. You guys aren’t helping the situation. Lot’s of great ideas.
Click to expand...

This is the wrong thread to look at lol! Not saying that you're wrong...
 
I’ll admit in my 20s and 30s I didn’t carry a trauma kit but there’s no way I’d go out without it now, tourniquet / israeli bandage / etc is ounces.

One thing to add that I think is new, I always have some medium to long releasable zipties looped on my pack somewhere. I can’t even list the primary uses bc somehow they seem to get used all the time. Handy around the garage too, weigh nothing, don’t rattle.
 
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