One item you wish you carried sooner?

Havalon or Outdoor Edge knives. Caribou or Tag Bags. Kifaru gear although ive done Kifaru gear since 2013. That Badlands crap taught me to go big or stay home.......
 
Kuiu game bags.

I've had my gear "dialed in" for a decade. Ultra light and compact. But the past few years have been carrying 6 kuiu game bags (size large). This is enough to hold an entire boned out elk. The ability to lay them flat and put the back strap in, to have a zipper, to have handles and an easy way to hang them is light-years above the crap I was using before. I had the ability to go on 3 elk hunts last year and it was nice to be able to get home, rinse them off, throw them in the washer and reuse them each time.
A little less compact and I'm sure they weigh a bit more, but the ability to really care for the meat after the fact is worth it to me. Wish I carried them sooner.
 
Bore snake
Many situations where I have used it already!

Wet wipes for sure!

Multi tool has been used many times

Love the small piece of irrigation pipe tips
 
Garmin Inreach !
After having an emergency deep in a wilderness with no cell single had to climb a mountain to get signal to call 911 and get a med flight helicopter.

Indeed!

or to text your buddies and get help hauling your elk out :D
 
Garmin Inreach !
After having an emergency deep in a wilderness with no cell single had to climb a mountain to get signal to call 911 and get a med flight helicopter.
I’ve carried a SPOT for a while. It was preprogrammed message/SOS only. I bought an Inreach mini 2 for this year. Knowing the family can get a message to me if there is a home emergency is going to add some serious peace of mind. It will also save time looking for a couple of bars to send a text to make sure all is well.
 
-Cholula Packets from Qdoba, thanks Covid...

-Extra electrical tape on barrel to retape barrel. Even in dry weather I keep my barrel taped to keep debris out. An extra wrap or two on the barrel can be used to retape after a shot or if the tape gets torn or broken.

-Nebo Mycro headlamp. I removed the headband and just use the clip to attach it to my hat. It probably only weighs an ounce or so without the headband. I got it to keep as a backup in my bino harness, but I like the darn thing so much I find myself using it more than my black diamond storm. It's stupid bright on the highest setting, but adjusts low enough to get several hours of use between charges. The green and red functions are basically useless though. It was on sale at a hardware store for $15 and I thought what the heck. Wish I would have bought more for gifts.
 
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Naphcon A - Allergy eyedrops. This brand has the least burning feeling of any of the anti-allergy ones I've tried. The Visine one is horrible for it's burn!

If your nose is running horribly when in your hunting area, due to pollens or whatever. If it's problematically bad... ask your Dr for Azelastine HCL Nasal Spray. The after-taste in back of throat is sorta reminiscent of snorting coke. So some people get turned off to it's use. But it does work well. And doesn't have rebound congestion effect.

Tylenol #3's w/ Codeine. Had a slip-and-fall crossing a creek that shattered my wrist. Would have been helpful to have an opiate on me that day. Hiked the 4miles back to vehicle, then drove all the way home. From Azusa back to basically where 405 and 22 fwy's criss-cross. To say that this day sucked, would be quite the understatement. It would have sucked less with an opiate.

Nauseum tablets can be very helpful, especially on hot days. They are chewables of a particular elecytrolyte. One time one side of my abs by the ribcage was hurting real bad on the hike-out, I was being good about drinking water, but it wasn't enough. It was because of lack of electrolytes. It was hurting soo bad that when driving out I stopped at the first RiteAid I saw and went in looking for some kinda product to help with this pain. And I figured it was probably due to electrolytes. So grabbed Coconut water and the Nauseum and a few other things to try. The Nauseum worked well and fairly fast.
 
Shemagh! Here in southern az , easy shade is invaluable. Either just drape it over my upper body while glassing, or quick set up on a tree or ocotillo. Best $6 I ever spent!
 
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