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What DON’T you need?

Jammintree

Jammintree

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2021
Messages
3,712
It feels like we are always talking about things we need to buy. With the season rapidly approaching, what items did you carry last year that you now realize you don’t need to carry?

With all of the water filtration options out there, I’ve resolved to carry less water and less water storage containers.
 
Jammintree said:
It feels like we are always talking about things we need to buy. With the season rapidly approaching, what items did you carry last year that you now realize you don’t need to carry?

With all of the water filtration options out there, I’ve resolved to carry less water and less water storage containers.
Click to expand...

What’s the best option(s) in water filtration to do that?
 
I've thinned my gear quite a bit over the years. For instance I no longer carry either binoculars or a range finder, both of which used to be "necessities" in my pack.

That said there are things I could dump if I really needed to, my rappel setup is one example. I am fully capable of one sticking back down the tree, its not hard, but the fact of the matter is I still enjoy rappelling down at the end of the hunt.

Another set of gear I carry that's not really necessary is my camera gear. But once again, I still enjoy trying to self film my hunts. I did upgrade my antique phone this year and the camera on the new one is pretty good so I bought a lightweight plastic phone mount for my camera arm. I'll probably leave the camcorder behind this year and film using the phone I'd be carrying anyway.

One other thing I carry around that adds a fairly significant weight penalty is my pistol. Its not that I really feel like I need it out in the woods but I hunt remote a lot and frankly I want it in camp and I can't leave it behind when I head out to hunt so it comes with.
 
I Carry Too Much Stuff to Also Carry My EDC Pistol. I Hardly Go Anywhere W/O it Except to the Woods. You Could Bury it in a Bag Near Camp When You Leave!
 
I've gotten very much minimalist in recent years. I agree with boyne in that I leave my Swaros at home alot anymore. I only have them because I got a ridiculous deal on them, but to get that deal I had to get them in 8x42s. If I had the cash to buy full price I'd have gotten them in 32s. I hate carrying them because of the bulk.

I tend to leave snacks and food at home anymore. Just bring 1 16oz water with me.

All I carry is my backpack, all the needed climbing ropes. I always walk in with the saddle on my waist. Platform. Knife. Rangefinder. And headlamp. That's about it.

Edit: I also carry a grunt tube and phone charger
 
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This is everything I take with me. I stare often at it thinking of dropping something and can’t seem to eliminate anything else. Battery backup only comes during the rut. Thermacell gets dropped once we get a good frost or two. The green little bag above the back band is a waterproof bag in case I get stuck in the rain to protect my wallet and phone. Vacuum sealing your TP is the way to go. Makes it pack down to nothing and keeps it from getting ruined.
 

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After reading the title I was ready to come in here and post “sights on your bow” but, your additional explanation made that not make sense. :)

@Plebe I don’t use it for whitetail but the water filter I’ve been using out west is the Katadyn BeFree. It’s simple, light and has worked well for me the last couple years.
 
Jammintree said:
It feels like we are always talking about things we need to buy. With the season rapidly approaching, what items did you carry last year that you now realize you don’t need to carry?

With all of the water filtration options out there, I’ve resolved to carry less water and less
Click to expand...

Jammintree said:
It feels like we are always talking about things we need to buy. With the season rapidly approaching, what items did you carry last year that you now realize you don’t need to carry?

With all of the water filtration options out there, I’ve resolved to carry less water and less water storage containers.
Click to expand...
I feel like one of the best improvements I made in recent years when it comes to water was installing a valve to push filtered water directly into my water bladder without removing it from my pack, and carrying a "dirty water" bag of course. Yet I still stuff a full Nalgene bottle in there at times.
 
Before I read further my answer was going to be "extreme heat, extreme cold, redbugs, ticks, and mosquitos". That said, I have paired my kit down to pretty much the bare essentials.
 
Plebe said:
What’s the best option(s) in water filtration to do that?
Click to expand...
Kinda pricey but one of the best options for fill as you go if you are in an area with plenty of water is a Grayl.

grayl.com

GRAYL® OnePress® Global Protection - Purify water. Anywhere on earth.

GRAYL® Water Bottle Filters & Purifiers make clean drinking water anywhere on earth! Unrivaled ease, speed and versatility – simply Fill. Press. Drink.® OnePress® Virus Global Protection empowers international travelers, outdoor adventurers and survivalists to drink from the world's sketchiest...
grayl.com grayl.com
 
I run pretty minimally as is. Thermacell, headlamp, magsafe battery backup, pocket knife, and of course climbing gear.

I do a lot of ground sits on my georgia lease and we have some long shots on logging roads, so I do carry in a Bog tripod when I'm doing that, which sucks but is invaluable when it comes to shooting a fast crossing deer at 200+ yards.
 
One thing I don't carry when saddle hunting is binoculars. I will carry a monocular when hunting from the ground. I've never been in a stand and needed to see something far away really badly. However, I do not use deer calls, as I don't think they work here, and so that is likely a factor.

EDIT ADDED: PS and when rifle hunting I carry my nice binos because of shots at distance and not wanting to "scope" a human
 
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boyne bowhunter said:
One other thing I carry around that adds a fairly significant weight penalty is my pistol. Its not that I really feel like I need it out in the woods but I hunt remote a lot and frankly I want it in camp and I can't leave it behind when I head out to hunt so it comes with.
Click to expand...
Blacksmith said:
Also Carry My EDC Pistol. I Hardly Go Anywhere W/O it Except to the Woods.
Click to expand...

Don't underestimate the need for something like that.

I live in NJ - only recently (thanks to SCOTUS) NJ has been forced kicking and screaming allowing us law-abiding citizens to even get a carry permit, and now NJ has even passed a law allowing those with a carry permit to carry in the woods. I plan on spending $400, and spending months to go through the application process, and training (yes, I know - we don't really live in America in NJ) to be able to carry in the woods.

Why? This happened in my area a few years ago - literally just a few miles from where I sometimes hunt. You just wish this bow hunter had the opportunity to carry a self-defense weapon with him, but at the time NJ refused to grant us citizens the permission to exercise that right:

https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/new...oned-to-death-at-boy-scouts-campsite/2646151/

https://www.anjrpc.org/page/HunterMurderedSportsmenUrgedtoBeExtraVigilant

https://www.courierpostonline.com/s...y-joseph-bottino-pine-hill-murder/4206879001/
 
raisins said:
One thing I don't carry when saddle hunting is binoculars. I will carry a monocular when hunting from the ground. I've never been in a stand and needed to see something far away really badly. However, I do not use deer calls, as I don't think they work here, and so that is likely a factor.
Click to expand...
Yep I'm starting to agree. I hate the bulk
 
bigmike23 said:
Yep I'm starting to agree. I hate the bulk
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I simply don’t understand why people who are sitting a stand with maybe 40-50 yards of visual range need a pair of 10x50 binoculars strapped to their chest at all times. I can’t shoot a shoot well with a binocular harness to begin with. Probably a mental thing, but I would be pissed if I were shooting and it caught on my bowstring - weight arguments aside.


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