What I don't bring on a backpack hunt anymore!

[Florida Mike]

This is a great thread!

It's been said already but, 3 or 4 pairs of socks,
3 pairs of pants, (rain pants, cotton jogging pants, camo pants)
2 knives, sharpener,
Extra reading glasses, ( shut up I'm an old guy)
Huge first aid kit, (does anyone need surgery?)

Man this is depressing! Enlightening but depressing.

I'm sure I could think of more but it wouldn't help you guys because there is no way y'all are dumb enough to be carrying some of the crap I carried. Mike

 

[LNGBOWFLYER]

Here is what I have dropped.

Rain gear. (If its raining that hard I'll be in my tent)

Cotton clothes. (Poverty and what I learned in the Marines). Now I wear smart wool light hikers socks and under armour synthetic compression shorts. On a four day trip I can get by with only 1 pair. I wear breathable polyester based pants and shirt instead of cotton. Saving up for some firstlite stuff.

Extra socks, undies and tshirts. Like I said with non-cotton stuff there's no need for extras.

MREs. I now use mountain house meals. Way lighter.

Pack saw. Chalk it up to ignorance. I can completely debone or quarter an elk with a knife.

Bones. I debone. No more packing bones for me.

TARP. I pack a pocho. Lighter and more versatile. (Emergency rain gear, shelter, clean place to lay quarters to debone meat.)

Camera. My smart phone takes just as good of pictures and is smaller and lighter.

Rope. 20 ft of 550 chord is way lighter and more compact. Also 20 ft is plenty.

Compass. A gps works just fine. Also I always have a laminated map. I can navigate using dead reckoning and terrain association just fine. No need for a compass. Thank you Marine Corps for this training.

Pack pillow. Not so much because of weight but because of space. My rolled up fleece or a full camel back bladder works just fine.

TP: A small pack of baby wipes. Cleans your butt and good for a field shower. I Havnt gone to the field with TP since 2001. Baby wipes FOR LIFE!!

Electrical stuff (headlamps, flashlights, gps etc) that have different batteries. All my electrical stuff has the uses the same type of batteries. This way I only have to carry one type of spare and also fewer spares.

Pots and pans. I have a titanium mug from snow peak. Whether its mountain house, ramen or oatmeal this is all I need.

I'm sure there's more but I can't think of any right now.

 

[amp713]

I used to pack a smaller day pack in my main pack. I had a good idea for why i brought it.... never can recall what it was though.

Still pack too much clothing but im working on it really hard this year.

I take two pairs of socks (one im wearing) and that will stay the same.

A waterproof camera... I just take my regular camera now.

A bunch of batteries. i got everything to take double a's, recharge them the day before i leave and hope they last.

Wallet and a ton of keys. I take a small key ring that has a key to my door and thats all.

Flashlight. Id rather just use a headlamp.

Used to take a hat, a beanie, a face mask, and a really thick hat. I just take the hat now and throw on my hood for warmth. Guess thats clothing though

 

[Bryan Martin]

I leave the kitchen sink, jumper cables, come along and reloading press at home now.

 

[les welch]

A dedicated daypack. Kifaru timberline only.

A knife. (Disposable blade only now)

Less clothes

No fishing stuff

No multi-tool

No tools except one Allen wrench

Many others I'm forgetting I imagine...

 

[Doj4Whlr]

I had a hardy laugh at the "leave the salt at the truck" comment!

Extra pants

Reduced the amount of extra socks I carry- that's progress man!

I have a hard time cutting down excess chow and redundant fire starting capabilities; must have been part of my upbringing. One thing I won't leave out is my compass- just sayin'.

 

[JDeanP]

There's some good stuff here. Anyone have anything new to add? Or should I say, "take away"?

 

[IrishnId]

Thanks guys. Doing my first out of state back country hunt in a week, and definitely still have things to learn.

 

[Manosteel]

Most of it has been covered, but when I was younger I would store my emergency kit and first aid kit in Tupperware containers, at least 3 lbs for the two, lol
9x11 blue tarp and hip back along with 10 lb back packs ( first frame type, then BL4500 typs). The last 5 years started to really cut back wieght thanks to Mtn backpack buddies and then this site took me to another level of functional light backcountry hunting.

 

[5MilesBack]

Well, I took trekking poles with me on a scouting trip last week, for the very first time. Those will be staying home from now on too. I think they actually made it more difficult for me than easier.

 

[mrbillbrown]

Awesome info from experienced guys. Thanks for sharing

 

[orionsbrother]

On more than one occasion, I've seen guys with lawn chairs strapped to packs...

 

[tipsntails7]

Well, I took trekking poles with me on a scouting trip last week, for the very first time. Those will be staying home from now on too. I think they actually made it more difficult for me than easier.

They do have a learning curve. A curve I have up on, I look like a dumbass trying to use them. They are nice for steep downhills though

 

[MuleyFever]

I am suprised at the stuff some of you dont take "anymore". For those of us that just started backpacking (3 years for me), forums have saved us a lot of pounds on our backs.

I dont pack my stove or dehidrated meals anymore on my 2 or 3 day trips. I have not tried it on anything longer yet. I have started just carrying ready to eat stuff. Its nice to not have the stove to mess with.

 

[rodney482]

Well, I took trekking poles with me on a scouting trip last week, for the very first time. Those will be staying home from now on too. I think they actually made it more difficult for me than easier.

Mine stay in my pack when my pack is not exceeding 50#

 

[gelton]

I was looking at this thread the other day and am glad to see it revived. I got rid of the parachute cord and replaced it with dyneema cord this year. Cut my first aid kit down to just the essentials. Lightened the load for food by substituting some of the mountain house pro packs for the 2 serving meals. Finally cut the snow collar out of the DT1. Took about 3 feet off of my 5 ft duct tape roll. Got rid of the 5 gallon collapsible + packable bucket from sea to summit that has never gotten any use. Probably one or two others that I have forgotten about too.

 

[Rucker61]

I am suprised at the stuff some of you dont take "anymore". For those of us that just started backpacking (3 years for me), forums have saved us a lot of pounds on our backs.

I dont pack my stove or dehidrated meals anymore on my 2 or 3 day trips. I have not tried it on anything longer yet. I have started just carrying ready to eat stuff. Its nice to not have the stove to mess with.

No stove, no coffee. Stove always goes.

 

[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

I was looking at this thread the other day and am glad to see it revived. I got rid of the parachute cord and replaced it with dyneema cord this year. Cut my first aid kit down to just the essentials. Lightened the load for food by substituting some of the mountain house pro packs for the 2 serving meals. Finally cut the snow collar out of the DT1. Took about 3 feet off of my 5 ft duct tape roll. Got rid of the 5 gallon collapsible + packable bucket from sea to summit that has never gotten any use. Probably one or two others that I have forgotten about too.

What was your intention for the bucket? Seems like an odd item.

 

[MuleyFever]

No stove, no coffee. Stove always goes.

I don't think I have ever tasted anything worse than coffee.

 

[gelton]

What was your intention for the bucket? Seems like an odd item.

The GIF told me it would be good to keep in camp to wash out the stove after oatmeal or ramen noodles. Its actually pretty light but was a waste of space and never got used.