What do you carry in that backpack??

[HitchHiker]

I see so many of these hunters on T.V. carrying a backpack while hunting whitetails and I can't figure out what all they need to make it through the day that they would have to have a backpack to carry it in. I always have a extra release,flashlight,grunt call,can call, gutting knife,gloves and facemask,limb saw, rangefinder and all of that fits into a 7 pocket fannypack. So I'm wondering if you guys wear a fannypack or backpack? And if you wear a backpack what all is in it?

 

[Marbles]

I don't live in whitetail country anymore, but when I did, what I carried fit in my pockets.

I don't really like how fannypacks carry though, so prefer a backpack if I need more than my pockets hold (or a chest pack). A jacket can be bulky and need a large fannypack, making a backpack more reasonable.

Just my uninformed take.

 

[HitchHiker]

If your hunting rural areas/private land with woodlots and roads in the area, you need less.

I don't live in whitetail country anymore, but when I did, what I carried fit in my pockets.

I don't really like how fannypacks carry though, so prefer a backpack if I need more than my pockets hold (or a chest pack). A jacket can be bulky and need a large fannypack, making a backpack more reasonable.

Just my uninformed take.

If your hunting rural areas/private land with woodlots and roads in the area, you need less.

 

[Poser]

TV hunters are probably carrying some amount of camera and audio equipment.

 

[WoodBow]

For me it tends to be extra layers if I am taking a backpack. I really try to get by with just a fanny pack.

They are possibly carry camera stuff as well.

 

[BBarnett13]

I use a backpack for PA whitetail hunting. It accommodates being able to both stand and stalk hunt.

Typically I carry the below in/on my pack:
Flashlight and/or headlamp
Field dressing kit
Thermos
Food
Nalgene bottle of water
Hot hands / toe warmers
Clothing layers including hand muff & balaclava
IFAK
Pen for tags
Collapsible stool w/closed cell cushion if walking
TP
Lens pen / wipes for optics
Rangefinder & binos if I'm not wearing a harness

 

[wlzy]

Pa hunter here as well, I carry about the same as @BBarnett13. I also walk in wearing light layers and have all my heavy layers in my pack. once I get to the stand ill put the heavy layers on.

 

[Blue72]

optics
game bag
spare filet knife and sharpener
fire starter
aluminum foil folded small (can use for cooking if needed)
mini fix it sticks and tiny wrench
hydration bladder for drinking and cleaning meat
paracord
first aid kit
compass
emergency blanket
bandana
extra layer (if needed)
few extra cartridges
headlamp with spare batteries
whistle
cell phone
snacks or meals
gatorade mix
athletic tape (always getting sprains while hiking)
deet wipes to keep bugs away
two fishing hooks (Because Im tired of fish coming out when I hunt, deer coming out when I fish)

 

[mtnkid85]

If you are talking about some of these youtube guys that are self filming, then obviously they are packing all their camera gear also, which that alone would require a backpack.

 

[WCB]

I'm with you. I don't get how almost every hunt whether it is Whitetail or even Elk from a truck camp everybody has their bag full of crap. Even with "film" gear. Most guys are filming with DLSRS. I have a camera, multiple lenses, batteries, tripd, etc and no way does it even come close to filling a backpack, even with day gear.

IMO, it is the cool guy thing to do. Always have a pack on and keep it appearing full.

 

[EastHumboldt]

I hunt mule deer out of a high country drop camp. We spend a lot of time on ridge tops and elevations over 9000 feet. I can‘t always count on making it back to camp by dark. I carry enough clothes to sit through a snowstorm in the middle of the night. Fire starting equipment. Enough food to spend the night. And get me back to camp in the morning.Survival kit. kill kit. Water filter. About 100 ounces of water. Never hunted Whitetail in the woods so I can’t speak to that. It’s also essential to have a pack to haul meat back to camp.

 

[WildBoose]

Rain jacket
Gloves
2 Nalgene's of water
Snacks
Flashlight
Headlamp
Knife
Paracord
Extra Ammo
Misc. possible pouch
Medical Kit

Could I fit all that in my pockets? Maybe if I wore cargo pants, but I'd rather have a pack.

 

[jmez]

Preach it! I don't know that I could come up with enough stuff to justify a backpack on a WT hunt. I take a Havalon, 1 game bag, license, bottle of water, snack and a grunt call. It goes in a small fanny pack that I just sling over my shoulder. If i need a heavy coat I just carry it in my hand.

 

[Mosby]

I carry a day pack when I deer hunt in the mountains in PA. I carry an extra dry shirt and some warm clothes to change into. Besides that I carry 7x binocs, lunch, drinks, snacks, drag rope, seat cushion, surveyors tape, compass, extra ammo, knife, hand warmers, gloves and an extra blaze orange hat. If there is snow on the ground, I might take a deer sled with me, depending on how far back in I'm going.

 

[ODB]

I’ve taken to carrying my EXO all day every day while hunting. Water and food go in the lid, first aid, rain jacket, maybe a layer, and game bags and knives go in the main pack. It could easily go in a smaller bag, but it makes it easier to get the first load back if you carry your big bag all the time. The EXO is very comfortable so I don’t think there are any negatives to wearing it all the time.

 

[Huntindog45]

the more stuff you carry the more hashtags you can use on your instagram page

 

[Macintosh]

Personal preference borne out of a desire to not freeze my a$$ off more than necessary--been there, done that. I often use a hip pack if its warm, but as soon as things get cooler (mid to late october usually) I can't fit what I need to stay warm if I need to stop for a bit in a hip pack. 95% of the space in my pack is taken up with a couple extra layers--warm hat, insulated gloves, a small thermos, and at least one extra warm layer. it weighs very little, but it is bulkier than I can manage in a hip pack. I have friends who carry a hip pack, but they have less flexibility in adding and removing layers since they have much less space to put it if they take something off--they are either unable to stay warm if they want/need to stop for any reason, or more prone to sweat because it's harder for them to remove layers, and consequently they are less able to deal with keeping themselves warm for a full day out. If it were only a short easy trip to a stand I dont think it would matter much, but if your typical trip involves multiple miles, steeper terrain, etc I can't see not having the option to take most of my warm clothing off and have a place to carry it. Also, I usually hunt with an 18l pack--it's not an excessive size, but its still too small for any of the warmer isulated bibs or jackets that lots of people use. Quiet-fabric whitetail gear for stand hunting is crazy bulky. For you guys who only hunt with a hip pack, how do you manage carrying everything to a stand that's a mile or 2 miles up a mountain when it's well below freezing?

 

[fngTony]

I’m betting that some of it is prototype gear they are testing, but you won’t see that footage until if/when it’s released

 

[insanelupus]

Dude! Fanny packs are like, SO 1990s! Lol

 

[TxxAgg]

Timely thread. I just found a little camo backpack on sale for $12. I've always just used a cheap fanny pack.

So i made a list of a few things even though i'm usually close to the truck.

Zip ties
Pen
Allergy meds
Knife
Sanitizer
Lighter
Compass
Paracord
Binos
Rangefinder
Extra battery
Lights
Toilet paper