Most common things people pack they dont need??

[Nuke Man]

I packed too many clothes and too much food.

 

[307]

I took too much food. And the cow elk decoy, never used.

 

[I Beam]

I got rid of 130 lbs of dead weight. She was noisy - parasitic weight. Life is much quieter and simple.

 

[napeequa55]

One of the big changes for me this year is a new pair of boots.

I've read (and agree) that a pound on the feet is the equivalent of five on the back when it comes to energy burned. I lightened my boots up from awesome but heavy full-grain leather to a sturdy goretex boot. I think I dropped about a pound across the pair, and I really notice the difference!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[as.ks.ak]

While we're counting ounces, thought I'd share my biggest secret to date. It's all about shaving off those ounces!


Just one more ridge.

 

[AK Troutbum]

While we're counting ounces, thought I'd share my biggest secret to date. It's all about shaving off those ounces!


Just one more ridge.

Hell, while you're at it, you may as well take those eyebrows off also.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[rhunter424]

While we're counting ounces, thought I'd share my biggest secret to date. It's all about shaving off those ounces!


Just one more ridge.

Guess cats out the bag that you manscape in the kitchen too...

 

[as.ks.ak]

Guess cats out the bag that you manscape in the kitchen too...

.....you mean you don't?


Just one more ridge.

 

[blackpowderhunter]

While we're counting ounces, thought I'd share my biggest secret to date. It's all about shaving off those ounces!


Just one more ridge.

this reminds me of a prank we'd pull on the freshman on the wrestling team in highschool...
before their first match if they were close to not making weight, we'd tell them that "if you just cut your hair you'll for sure make weight!"
well...we only ever had the athletic tape scissors for them to use.
needless to say, these "hair cuts" always looked horrific, didn't cut a single tenth of a lb off of weight, and pissed coach off beyond belief

 

[camelcluch]

Apparently my bow...

 

[freebird134]

Apparently my bow...

haha.... i feel ya.

 

[bdaviscoug]

For me it's batteries and power banks. Also things that my hunting partner and I should take one of such as camp stove but it is nice if you split up. No need for two of us to bring a stove and fuel. Share stoves, tape, and no more spare knives as if one person looses one then your partner has one if needed.

 

[freebird134]

Share stoves, tape, and no more spare knives as if one person looses one then your partner has one if needed.

Good point, unless you both lose a knife. Which happened to us 2 years ago!

My buddy lost his havalon, but I had 2. So I gave him one. Then I lost mine!

 

[darcytribe]

I think I'd put a hand warmer in with them before dealing with that. I've never had them freeze, but I mainly hunt the archery season these days. But I have December deer hunt this year, I guess I'll see.

One way to avoid this and save a few ounces as well is to dehydrate them before your trip and then only hydrate individually as needed.

 

[jmez]

This is kind of one of those things you just have to figure out for yourself after a few trips. Your pack will get a little smaller every year after the first few trips.

The first few trips I made I laid out everything that I had taken with me. I found that a lot of things were want vs need and left them out for subsequent trips.

There are some items that I still take but have yet to use such as a compass, personal locator beacon, small first aid kit etc. Those I consider necessary but not things that I know I'll use.

 

[mtnrunner260]

I find myself never using the nice point and shoot camera I have. Just use my cell phone because it's the easiest to reach and already use it for GPS.

 

[clip]

I'm glad I started planning this trip really early(and started reading everything here) with plenty of time to work out my gear list and haul it around in the real world. my original clueless plan was to figure out the amount of weight I could handle reasonably given the distance, terrain, weather conditions.. and set that as my total pack weight and everything had to earn its way in, this approach still has some merit but I'm looking at each item differently now.

 

[discopotato]

I find myself never using the nice point and shoot camera I have. Just use my cell phone because it's the easiest to reach and already use it for GPS.

Ditto. I bring my dlsr and gopro on like every adventure and only take a handfull of pictures/video with either. My phone sees the lions share of work.

 

[406]

Seems like some guys go way overboard with medical kits. Mine is tape, super glue, a couple pain pills, and that's about it.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

I'm a paramedic, and that's pretty much my kit lol.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[Lastcar]

I'm a paramedic, and that's pretty much my kit lol.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

Although no longer, spent 15 years as one. I always felt the same, you need little to do a lot. Or you figure it out in a hurry.

Had a rig full of stuff that never saw the light of day.

I am sure you can attest, you find your favorite items and find a bunch of uses for them.

One of my favorites was the lined disposable pillow cases for people vomiting. Cause vomit was my kryptonite.

Basketball size opening for them to hit, vs the french fry tray. Nothing says "you're welcome nurses" like rolling a patient covered in and reeking of vomit into the ER.

They worked well as a pillow case as well.

Another was Zap Straps. The duct tape of prehospital trauma care.

Zap Straps

Realistically you are looking at what will cause us to have to end our hunt early or not. Most of which are solved with the items mentioned in Pathfinders post and whatever else you have with you.

Game bags for large would dressings, clean ones of course. Trekking poles for a split. Paracord to secure either. Hell, you could use a tarp or tent to rig up a gurney to carry someone out. Plenty in your kit already that'll do double duty.

You'd never want to carry as much stuff as you'd need for when something really went south.

Improvise with what you have, you'd be surprised what you'll figure out when things start to happen in a hurry.

Without realizing it. It'll just flow. Most humans tend to get pretty "smart" in a crisis. Once the initial "Oh boy..." wears off.