The Most Unnecessary Sh*t

[Espo720]

We all love to talk about our favorite and most valued backpack or hunting gear. But what's the most unnecessary crap you or someone you know has packed on a trip?
Mine would have to be when my best friend insisted on hanging a cast iron skillet from his pack on a 20-something mile trip. It didn't take him long to regret.

Primos Tall Shooting stick on a Moose hunt in Newfoundland. It got caught on every damn branch, it was like walking around with a CB antenna sticking out of my pack. Ended up resting the gun on a limb in the heat of the moment for the shot.

 

[lyle_destroys]

Hunting partner brings a plywood box complete with toilet ring that can be reassembled in the field. Digs a hole and has to have a shitter to sit on. Hits it every morning in camp like clock work.

We do the same but only when we are hunting out of the wall tents. It sure does beat squatting against a log.

 

[fngTony]

Took a buddy out on his first ever backpacking trip during a scouting trip in the sierras. Steep country and I told him to pack light as possible.

We hike in and he’s dying of course after the first couple miles. No problem. Take lots of breaks for him I’m okay with that. Base camp was a small lake up at 9,200 feet and 7 miles back in. Nothing too major but a decent length climb for a first timer.

We get to camp late and do a quick set up and crash early for bed. The next morning he starts unpacking his “breakfast” and I’m in complete shock.

He pulls out a frying pan, shoe box with a loaf of bread in it, and a plastic egg container. He also takes out a full tube a salami and French press for coffee.

Not gonna lie it was the best back country breakfast Ive ever had, but holy heck was he clueless haha.

View attachment 374481

He brought all that but no hot sauce?! What a jerk

 

[OregonSteeler]

The foldable chair, not the full sized camp one but a helinox knock off thats maybe a pound or so. I just hate sitting on the ground. I have a love hate relationship with it in the backcountry.

Have a funny story with the Helinox chair.

Last elk season solo hunting, I kept the Helinox chair in my pack with a book to slow my a$$ down. I've been known to hunt too fast and spook many elk.

Well after about 4hrs of grueling hiking in 80 degree weather, I was pretty....chafed down there and needed some fresh air. Figured why not, I'm in the middle of nowhere and could use a rest. I drop drawers, sat down, spread my legs to get some air and bring down the upcoming rash burn coming into full bloom. Man that cool breeze felt great!

I was like that for about 15 minutes reading my book and out of nowhere, some dude; probably about 50 yards away from me (he had no idea I was there) blows a bugle, scaring the crap out of me! I quickly stand up to pull up my pants. He looks right at me and pretty much falls over laughing. Embarrassed as hell, nothing much I can do except laugh also. Poor guy sure didn't sign up to see that!

Love elk woods!

 

[BugleMeTimber]

Always have spare batteries for the headlamp, flashlight and GPS but don't ever remember having to change batteries in the backcountry. Figure I'll need em the day I don't bring em.

 

[11boo]

Hunting partner brings a plywood box complete with toilet ring that can be reassembled in the field. Digs a hole and has to have a shitter to sit on. Hits it every morning in camp like clock work.

Those things are everywhere around truck camp sites up here. I am a fan of the box toilet.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

Mine doubles as a fish/tuna cleaning seat.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

He brought all that but no hot sauce?! What a jerk

He brought a little plastic container full of butter though lol.

 

[Titan_Bow]

Mine doubles as a fish/tuna cleaning seat.View attachment 375470

This reminds me of when I was in the Army. I was a commo guy in an infantry unit. One of my responsibilities was running retransmission sites, so the radio operators of our scout platoon could talk back to HQ. That meant that in some cases, we'd use a humvee and get load out a cush setup as it was usually just me and one other person. We had an old metal folding chair we cut a hole in and bolted a toilet seat to it like your pic. Man, when word got out that the commo guys had a shitter chair, that thing was the most popular item in the whole unit! I remember getting radio calls that Battalion Six was enroute to your location..." meaning the Battalion commander, was coming to take a dump LOL.

 

[Marmots]

I hiked one of those Intex get-drunk-and-float-the-river rafts 12 miles into an alpine lake at 9.5k feet. I had been dying to try to fish the middle of that lake with a sinking line for a year.

I got it inflated, then my fiance picked it up and stumbled into the only sharp piece of deadfall in between the beach and the water. It blew a two foot slash in the rubber. She hiked it out as penance.

 

[Brewski]

My brother (super fit) asked me (way less fit) to fill up his water bladder while he used the restroom at the trail head. I filled up his water bladder and hastily put 12 beers in his backpack. Once we got to camp I snunk the cans out of his pack and into my tent. It took him three days to figure out how I managed to pack in that many beers!

 

[syoungs]

My brother (super fit) asked me (way less fit) to fill up his water bladder while he used the restroom at the trail head. I filled up his water bladder and hastily put 12 beers in his backpack. Once we got to camp I snunk the cans out of his pack and into my tent. It took him three days to figure out how I managed to pack in that many beers!

user name checks out in this case...

 

[Wyobohunter]

Most of the time, it turns out that I didn't need my rifle or bow, none of the game bags, knife, and meat hauling capable pack. I just carried them around out of fear an animal would die near me.

Love it!

 

[roosiebull]

This year I had my ammo pouch with 25rds of 6.5 in my pack all archery season, haha

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I have a habit of keeping bic lighters in every damn place. Now they don't weigh much and I don't smoke or anything but I just hate having to dig for one and I can never remember where it's at.

I’m all about that. Biv lighters like a mofo.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

My friend took a trumpet (and case!) on a backpack fishing trip in Wyoming. I remember I wore jeans. Oh to be young and dumb again.

Why would you ever hang out with somebody who played trumpet???

 

[thinhorn_AK]

My friend had this mini tent made of clear plastic that was designed so you could cook in it and keep your stove and food out of the elements. Like you would just stick your arms in it and do all the cooking. It was hilarious.

 

[Bow daddy]

But did it work??

 

[Freeride]

Used to dump rocks in each others packs on breaks as a wildland fire fighter in college. Nothing sucked more than to find out you were packing a 5 pound rock around all day on the fire line.

Hahaha we used to do the same thing up here in Canada during my time in wildland.

My sheep partner made fun of me bringing a tablet with me on a week trip into the mountains, but when we got rained in one day and I fired up a bunch of Netflix I downloaded they said it was awesome. Lol

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Hahaha we used to do the same thing up here in Canada during my time in wildland.

My sheep partner made fun of me bringing a tablet with me on a week trip into the mountains, but when we got rained in one day and I fired up a bunch of Netflix I downloaded they said it was awesome. Lol

Lol I remember years ago, like 15 years ago….shit. There used to be these DVD players with built in screens, sort of like a laptop but just played DVDs. My buddy hauled one along on a backpacking trip. We got snowed in, he busted that DVD player out with a few DVDs and a few Nalgene bottles full of wine. None of us made fun of him after that.