Lots of emails over the last year asking what I take in my pack on an extended walkabout hunting trip has prompted me to post up an article on the subject  

But firstly a few tips  
This is mainly for bush hunting trips. ie, Ureweras, Kawekas, Ruahines, Tararuas, West Coast (get my drift / ) with maybe short stints on the tops or traveling over the open tops to get into the next catchment    Tahr hunting trips are a different kettle of fish entirely

Forget about big thick heavy hunting coats/jackets    I for one overheat in them and find the layering system far superior as far as performance and comfort go. Plus they take up way too much room in your pack   The exception may be if you set out knowing it's going to be a pissing wet freezing weekend so want a silent waterproof hunting coat. Then I may take a Swazi Wapiti coat   But this winter I've had a 100% strike rate on wet days using a noisy Gortex coat that only weighs a quarter of my Swazi  

Treat your sleeping bag as a part of your spare dry clothes & keep it dry at all costs  

Use a pack liner

Keep all gear as light as you can   Ditch all packaging before packing for the trip  
Measure items like porridge, brown sugar, milk powder etc into serving sizes using ziplock plastic
bags. Only carry what you need.

24 hours of food should only weigh 1Kg   800grams is all you really need & you can go down to 600grams per day if you choose the right food. Pre portion everything before you pack

Dont be scared to use a fire for cooking to supplement the fuel supply  \ On trips longer than a weekend I use fires a lot  
If you're worried about spooking animals with your smoke then your either camping too close to your hunting or hunting too close to your camp hoping for that perk animal   but if it really worries you then no problems, just carry more fuel  

Sort your gear out by catergary  
Sleeping & accommodation
Cooking & food
Hunting gear
Personal & incidentals

The one big tip is that your gear for a weekend trip is exactly the same as your gear for a 10 day trip.....or visa versa  
It's only the expendables that increase on the bigger trips. ie food, toilet paper, rifle oil etc  


Sleeping & accommodation
Sleeping bag
ground sheet & thermarest
tent fly
camp footwear
Beanie & mitts
Goretex raincoat
Dry bag with spare clothes ( Woolen singlet, long sleeve microfleece top, underpants & socks )
Plus of course....the clothes your wearing  


Hunting gear
Pikau
knife  & ammo belt
camera
PLB
binos
water bladder with sipper tube
rifle cleaning kit ( 1st yellow tin)
first aid kit ( 2nd yellow tin)
torch
the pencil case holds.... Knife sharpening steel, spare lighter, rifle sling, nylon cord, Survival bag, spare compass & whistle, torch batteries, fire lighting rubber, spare ultra light knife & perhaps one or two other small items (army can opener etc)
I don't use a GPS but you would include one here if you do  

Contents of first aid kit
My first aid kit is only designed for major trauma. Primarily to stop major bleeding  
Any injury that stops you from walking out is going to be a biggie  
A first aid kit to cover all scenarios would be far to bulky   and any minor injury wont stop you walking/hobbling out. A small cut or splinter though annoying, can be put up with & wont prevent
you from getting out of the bush under your own steam  
Broken bones can't be treated by a small first Aid kit   but stopping the bleeding from a compound fracture can be   and depending of course on where the break is you may still be able to walk out  
Just a note here, unless you have a mate with you to do it, splinting your own limbs is a difficult job  
Like wise, there's little you can do in the field for a bullet wound except stop the bleeding  
So my first Aid kit is designed to stop major bleeding to allow me to walk out without bleeding to death, or to at least retain enough red stuff until help arrives   and to do so in the most comfortable way it contains lots of Panadeine & anti inflammatorys
So its wound dressing, Plastic electrical tape to bind it securely in place, Voltaren & Panadeine   Oh yeah, and some antiseptic cream to ward off infection
I'm not Rambo   so there's no needle & thread  
Take a look at any feild kit an infantry Grunt carries, it's primarily based around stopping you from leaking and making the hurt go away, or at least tolerable until your free ride gets there and if it's not serious enough for a free ride your told to keep on soldiering on 

The 4 main ingredients, but all condensed into a waterproof container  

I'd probably have 2 full packets of Panedeine in it to get me by until the experts arrive. Note: taken at the recommended dosage over the recommended time frame......repeated as necessary. Not all at once!
And don't forget to class the PLB as part of your arsenal in the First Aid kit   Just make sure you always have it with you  



Cooking & food
gas & cooker (with foil wind shield)
Billy (with chain) & dixie (or fry pan)
breakfast (porridge, milk powder & brown sugar)
Main evening meal ( Pasta & sauce, dehy mince & veges)
Snacks (Traveling snacks, snacks while hunting & lunch) in big plastic bag
plastic mug & spoon
Tea bags & Berroca
Pot scrubber
The food in this photo is for 24 hours & weighs just under 1kg (not including the Berroca)

Contents of lunch & snack bag
Dried bananas & peaches on the plastic bag
Venison jerky in small zip lock bag
Mixed raw nuts in small zip lock bag
Sunsweet individually wrapped prunes
Nut bars & muesli bars & One square meal bar

Personals & incidentals
Map & compass with whistle (dont forget glasses if you need them for map reading)
pen & Pencil (pens don't work if things get a tad damp)
Film cases hold Voltaren & Panadine
bike tube for firelighting
bog paper
toothbrush & toothpaste
Permit & hut tickets & nylon cord
Lots of clean plastic bags for your meat (keeps your pack & gear clean) but take it out of the plastic once you get home  

From about this time of year on you'll want something fly proof for your meat This is made out of mosquito netting and weighs about 200g. Cost was about $21 and that was enough materials to make 3 bags


And there you have it, just keep adding 800g to 1kg food for each day your going for
For trips over 3 days I throw in 250g of dripping/Chefade, more bog paper & thats about it really
Remember, "a heavy pack is full of many light things"
Oh yeah, & not forgetting the Pack & bang stick


Remember the "good old days" ?
We didn't carry a tent fly...... The huts were never full  
We didnt carry billies.............The huts were always stocked with them
We didn't carry cookers.........The huts always had open fires & plenty of dry firewood. Anyway, savaloys were easy to cook......if we bothered to cook them at all

When I'm heading out after a successful trip I prefer to carry my venison out on the bone with the skin still on it. This helps keep it cleaner and lets me hang it in my beer fridge for 10 days without it drying out  

I put a leg down inside each side of my pack, inside a fresh plastic rubbish bag each, and cram all my gear down in the space between them. A 65 litre pack will handle this easily. Any more than 1 deer then I have to bone it all out



[Edit: added first aid kit contents -- blackbunny]

Very informative Nimrod, thank you.  

What model macpac is that? also, nice bang stick.

Brilliant post! 

Loving the Erinmore Nimrod. 

Raging Bull wrote on Sep 12^th, 2009 at 9:27am:

Macpac is a Ravine.......no longer made so I brought another one when I heard they were stopping making it and it's hanging in the shed for when the 1st one wears out  but it's not showing any signs of wear yet after 5-6 hard years 

Cheers  I love these sorts of posts, always learn something new, get some new ideas

What's in the pouch on the belt? And Berocca - what for? 

Spot on mate, very helpful

Very good post Nimrod it will be a great help to new, and not so new hunters, alot of thought and years of experience has obviously gone into that.
I carry a part roll of insulation tape for the end of the rifle barrel, track marking and other uses. And also a needle to dig out prickles in with your first aid gear are about the only other things i might suggest  

Nice post Nimrod. It's good to see what experienced hunters deem as essential and how they pack it all.

Sako75 wrote on Sep 12^th, 2009 at 9:55am:

Very good question  ..... I've overlooked including a long handled pot scrubber in the photo's. Goes with me everywhere. I'll rectify that right now
Clean the pot straight away before everything becomes dried & crusty or if waters not a problem let it soak while your out hunting & it will scrub out nice and easy  

In the Summer months or if water is going to be a real big problem then i'll substitute the porridge with Breakfast Meusli & milk powder  

Great post Nimrod!
I'm off to sort my pack contents out properly now......

How big is your pack? 45L?

Now if i had seen this first it could of saved me shitloads of money buying stuff everybody said i had to have.

Great Post Nimrod

chris wrote on Sep 12^th, 2009 at 11:11pm:


I just use Bic disposable lighters for everyday things but the one in my belt pouch is a $50 jobby, refillable & throws a 1300 degree C blue flame that you can solder with. Also windproof & to a degree, waterproof 
Without a doubt it's THE best bit of gear in my survival kit 

RugerShooter wrote on Sep 12^th, 2009 at 10:43pm:



You are right tho which is why it has been stickied

chris wrote on Sep 12^th, 2009 at 11:23pm:


Here is one of the jet lighters.

Cheers Nimrod This is a really helpful post, there are a few things I think ill have to add now that should be essentials, cheers for that

When using a billy over an open fire, does the black charcoal that forms on the outside make a mess in your pack?

Thats what Ive been using lately.

Sure have  

Not just in there though I hunt like that most places I go

every thing you need for a couple of nights out ( sleeping bag, thermo rest, cooker, tin cup, camera, knife, food and 3l camalbac)



I do the same during the roar for up to 11 days at a time just need to carry a bit more food in a 35l huntec pack
fits every thing I need (sleeping bag, fly/poles/pegs, thermo rest, cooker, tin cup, camera, knife, spare clothing food and 3l camalbac)

I've recently found a youghurt and muesli mix done by Vogels. Nice feed and you just add an equal amount of water.
Last time I tried those flat white coffee mixes which worked well enough.
Can go for an extended trip with just the cup, cooker and desert spoon. Dont need any milk either.

Awesome thread NIMROD.  

May I suggest that you detail the contents of your first aid kit as well? We have had many threads in the past asking what people should have in theirs.

You probably won't be able to edit your original post now so just tack it on the end and I'll move it. Same goes for anything else you want to add. If I forget, just PM me to remind me.

great post

Thanks Nimrod,

What survial tube/bag are you using.  I have one of the orange MSC ones and its pretty bulky, couldnt see it fitting in the pencil case.

Cheers

blackbunny wrote on Sep 14^th, 2009 at 5:23am:


Ok blackbunny, but this is going to disappoint the gear freaks & aspiring Medics amongst us  

My first aid kit is...  [moved to original post -- blackbunny]

bingo!! cheers bc, ive been searching on the nett for one and didnt have much luck, that one looks perfect, cheers for the link! great little gizzmo to have in ya kit i rekon

Excellent post, definately a few changes to be made to the packing

Kooza wrote on Sep 21^st, 2009 at 8:30am:

The Pikau is 700x500......just a standard cheap as chips Ridgeline model with the pocket on the back. They have started making that model again & the new container has just landed. Only around $40 I think 

The torch long ago lost it's name badge through wear & tear but it's a fairly standard model with a green bulb & a white bulb function. Uses 3 AAA batteries. Common as muck 

Quote:


I have just brought one of these: Silva Helios Storm lighter (Trademe new/unused: $15.00)

Specifications:

• Withstands 80mph winds (130km/h).
• Piezo ignition (reliable for over 30,000 ignitions)
• Waterproof (5 O-ring seals keep water out and it floats)
• Refillable (butane gas)
• Adjustable high-temp flame
• Built in fuel gauge
• Security wrist lanyard
• Dimensions: 7.5 x 10.5 x 3cm
• Weight: 119g

https://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/webpoint/webpoint.cfm?fuseaction=productdetail&S...

http://www.lifeviewoutdoors.com/store/survivalgear/brunton-helios-lighter.html

I still always carry the tried and true waterproof matches with striker in a film cannister with some bike tube as absolute backup.

hey nimrod,was just interested as to what you use the inner tube for?does it work well for fire starting fuel or something along those lines?

So assume you hunt with the rifle sling removed (or a spare?) and is that common practise?

Quote:
Yeah me included, no sling means your shooter's where it should be - in your hands.  However I do use a scabbard pack for carrying the rifle when climbing and walking where I can't be shooting.  cheers

I haven't been able to find the orange tube survival bag for a while now (not the pack liner one). Where do you get yours from?

Insect repellant is another essential for me, depends on where you hunt.

Guys,

Does anyone remember the light weight thin plastic orange survival tube? Not the thick plastic, heavy one. It came pre-packed and was about a 4x4 inch square 1/2 an inch thick. Was very light and would easily fit in a jacket pocket.

These where great, but haven't seen one in a shop for years. If someone knows who still has these, please let me know.

Cheers.

Thanks HuntFish.

Nimrod-great writeup.see you got the good old messtins.if blokes keep eyes peeled or are near mil surplus store,pick up an ex yank water bottle.,one that sits in its own cups canteen.In my  TF time you could actually cook a feed of noodles in cup then either drinkthe water as soup or use it for a cuppa.wee bit strange the taste but good if ya wet and shagged.Otherwise ,get a mate who homebrews.those brewmix tins with a wire handle make good wee billy and your gas stove should fit inside.

hi nimrod, great thread. Was wondering what you might normaly take on a day hunt in the way of gear and with pack or bumbag tec.. cheers

Cheers Nimrod- your post has just saved a lot of saw legs and backs for plenty of people, me included. Thanks for taking the time to share

Andy

Jimmy_ wrote on Apr 3^rd, 2010 at 3:12am:




Awesome post though Nimrod. Legend

i don't want to side track a brilliant thread, but,   it was how i was taught in extreme situations to seal a wound.
have only had to use it once.  and the local paramedic commended our efforts.

Spare torch batteries are always a good option too.

Great great post. Very helpful, especially for beginners like me .

nice riffle!
personally, i would biff the rangefinder, the radio and binos, but then i mainly hunt heavy bush so dont need those things, all the rest is pretty much needed ay

i have a macpac neve light weight bag, its small and light but only just warm enough for me, did you see the bags greg duley field tested in the latest mag, they looked pretty good and very small.

insect repelant is on the list!

pack weight has gone down a bit, got  a Monte bell 800-fill #3 Super Spiral. 670 grams
worked  ok last week in west coast in winter, (in a hut)

weight has just gone up 750 grams , just got a 75 litre macpac  Ascent Classic ($200) 

> I'd probably have 2 full packets of Panedeine in it to get me by until the experts arrive.

Hi Nimrod

Great post, I just have a comment about pain relief. Not wanting to get into you so here goes...

Exceeding the recommended daily dose of common over the counter pain relief can kill you. Period.

Not many people know that consuming two packets (48 tabs) of Pandol/Panadeine is highly likely to kill you without prompt intervention - that's 24 grams of paracetemol - hospital admission usually starts at 10-12 grams and >15 grams is getting really serious. Death is from liver failure and extremely unpleasant.

In addition, the LD50 (lethal dose in 50% of cases) of codeine is 800mg and 48 tabs of Panadeine Plus contains 800mg.

Let's say you've accidently shot yourself and are in excruciating pain - it would be tempting to take the whole lot. Would be a pity to die of overdose before help arrives.

If you wanted to increase the codeine dose I'd personally go with a mix of paracetemol/codeine and nurofen/codeine so the paracetemol dose stays lower.

This is just a heads up and I'm neither a pharmacist or a doctor but did work in the industry for ten years. My overall recommendation would be to consult a phamarcist for their advice of what to do when in extreme pain and waiting for a free ride out.

Cheers

Richard

Ravines are back at macpac

awesome thread nimrod. I'm heading in for my first ever 2 night solo mission and after reading through your thread I've added some bike tyre cut offs and some pain killers.