One item you wish you carried sooner?

[mxgsfmdpx]

Tripod for binos and a light weight chair have been real game changers in the last few years.

 

[RickH]

I started carrying two or three glowsticks for late night packouts. I'll hang one with my meat bags and a couple on the track. It makes finding the meat way easier in the dark. Also, could come in real handy for a rescue crew to find you after dark if needed. They weigh close to nothing and last all night when activated.

 

[BladeRimfire]

Toilet paper! Sorry.....

 

[35WhelenAI]

I started packing a 6x6 lightweight fleece blanket and a "Hot seat". Makes a nice comfy area to sit on and a place to lay things out for the sit.

 

[Smash]

For me this year it was

Nemo tensor - not as much the pad itself but the inflation sack it comes with. Not about to pass out from setting up camp.

Wiser precision quick sticks. These are awesome and plan on getting the adapter to make it more of an actual bipod.


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[Button]

I must say Rokslide is a top notch spot for real people doing real things to speak about the things that do or don’t work for them.

I keep a few feet of 100# braided fishing line wrapped around the case of some badass waterproof matches I carry. Strong and lightweight.

I always carry a few ‘zip ties’ as well. If I didn’t have a tourniquet I could easily make one out of them. But I always keep a tourniquet.

 

[Zappaman]

1) Shooting sticks- Primos Tirgger Stick (don't get it wet!)- I get 3x the distance on fast shots Vs. standing hold. They stay in my left hand most of the hunt. One second drop and shoot solution- but have to practice the "move" before the hunt! I use mine often while sitting too (widened out- short)- very versatile really.

2) "Emergency" (or cramp pills)- after I hit 50, I cramp every night after 6-8 miles on the mountain

3) Good (18650) headlamp (D25s from Sofirn)- hands free "gutting" after a late shot, get you home after dark too. Best $25 bucks I've spent on gear the last 5 years!!!

4) Trash Bags-- for bagging quartered meat you have to pack OR come back and get the next day (after pissing around the bags

5) Extra water- I used to run out, but need a lot to pack 100+ lbs off the mountain. Three quarts min now on elk mountain hunts (and have to have enough to piss around the meat bags too

6) Range finder- for those 600+ yard shots (rare, but I'm 100% kill rate so far for the FEW taken the last 30 years-- knock on wood!).

7) GOOD pain killers- got to get back to camp (worse case) if I twist an ankle, etc. Never needed so far... but always know they are there IF something happens and you need to get back to camp!

8) Nephew- to "teach" hunting skills to (*and help with packing meat out -this works in Texas on pig hunts anyway

Oh.. and ALWAYS about 20 ft of tank cord... dragging deer out gets easy (tied around the waist) dragging 50-100 yards at a time. When closer to the truck, it's easier to just drag it out sometimes

 

[wingmaster]

A pan head. My first deer season I was out there with a binocular adapter and a tripod that didn't pan, it was total amateur hour.

 

[Littleguy]

Garmin Inreach

 

[Kad000]

Merino wool socks didn’t think they could be that good until I tried them.

 

[ibax]

I switched from a water bottle to a bladder and have been kicking myself for waiting so long.

 

[eddielasvegas]

A pan head. My first deer season I was out there with a binocular adapter and a tripod that didn't pan, it was total amateur hour.

I need to look into this too.


Eddie

 

[35WhelenAI]

I've debated on a bladder vs Nalgene's. Melting snow in the bottles during the day, especially when there's lots of hiking, has been why I keep the Nalgene's. (2) 48 oz Nalgene's is as much as a bladder with the ability to melt said snow. Typically places in the shade or timber that snow is regularly found even if it hasn't snowed in a while.

However this has me thinking that the bladder along with an empty lightweight Nalgene stowed in the pack would allow me to fill the bladder. Hmmm...

 

[MarlinMark]

....an empty lightweight Nalgene is an empty Gatorade bottle...... much lighter than a Nalgene.

 

[np307]

A good first aid kit. Thankfully I havent needed it for anything more than pain meds, ad meds, and blister prevention but it feels a lot better knowing I have one with me.

One thing we had in WY this year that will be a permanent fixture now is Gatorade powder.

 

[35WhelenAI]

Good thought on the empty Gatorade bottle as far as the lighter weight. With that said, I use darker colored Nalgenes. In non-scientific test, dark absorbs heat and melts faster than clear.

Goes without saying if you're heading into big country, fire starter kit is essential. I carry the means to start a fire without resorting to this, however pulling a bullet and dumping the powder out of a few cases and then lighting it makes a tremendously hot flame for a short time that could help get your fire started.

 

[Smallie]

Empty smart water bottle or any 1L bottle that a sawyer squeeze will fit onto. Much easier to fill up than the bag it comes with and a bigger capacity. Cuts down the time for filtering water in half for refilling my water bladder

 

[bozeman]

I wish I had brought along someone who knows how to kill elk....ALOT earlier.

 

[Actual_Cryptid]

Tattoo gloves. I've blown through no end of latex, non-latex, tear-resistant, etc. The black tattoo gloves just seem to tear less, especially if you leave a sharp edge on a bone.

No-wash bath wipes. Not usually available at the drug store, these are the ones you'll see in a hospital, assisted care, or hospice where you can't bath someone every day. The wipe itself is thicker and designed to actually get you clean. It's a lifesaver for both a long hunt where it's too cold to strip down and get wet, or if you're clumsy like me and end up with blood past your elbows when gutting and quartering. One or two wipes does what a whole pack of baby wipes can't.

I don't drive a truck currently, but I suspect when I go back to a pickup I'll continue leaving plastic sheeting and duct tape in there. I got the idea watching "Dexter" a while back when I had a cargo van for my weekend business. In the morning after I offload the gear, open the tailgate/rear doors, unroll the plastic sheeting and tape it out so all the carpet and plastic is covered, leaving some extra at the doors. Then when it comes time to drag the animal/parts/equipment that might have blood and hair on it into the back, there's no worries about stray stains. I was living much further south at the time and the thought of some stray blood or giblets finding a hidden corner and hanging around until the 100F summers motivated me to copy my favorite serial killer on this one. Bonus, when combined with the gloves, knives, and the rest of the kill kit you can really screw with a nosy neighbor!

 

[gilby]

This year I started carrying foam ear plugs on all my rifle and shotgun hunts. Definitely made my hunts more enjoyable, especially duck hunts.

Utz pub mix from Costco was my favorite food item during my elk hunt. Was easy to get down and was loaded with salt.

For me this year it was

Nemo tensor - not as much the pad itself but the inflation sack it comes with. Not about to pass out from setting up camp.

Wiser precision quick sticks. These are awesome and plan on getting the adapter to make it more of an actual bipod.


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If you do get the adapter let us know how you like it.