Survival, hiking, and camping gear and outdoor tips!

[gunny]

i tend to pack as light as possible and use items that have more than one use. i usually bring a light but sturdy pack with double stitched straps, a blast match magnesium fire starter, a machete, cold steel sheath knife and sharpening stone, military 100 mph tape wrapped around a lighter, 550 cord, compass, extra socks, first aid kit, a good map, ammo and water and extra socks and a couple stripped down military rations. doesent sound like much and it aint, but it is the essentials and i have found it covers most all normal hunting situations. granted terrain and climate dictate necessities, so tailor accordingly.

[Stealth_Hawk]

is 550 cord pricey? And also, what's a good container to store a bunch of .22LR rimfires, cause if they rattle around too much and one decides to go off, that's an ugly situation!!!

[Hobo]

A good knive, hat and dog.

[Gullars]

I hate to say it but Trioxane. When ever I failed to make a fire, I pull out this stuff and usually my fire is a bit more succesful.

[Finchig]

550 cord, metal canteen, duct tape, folding saw/axe etc.

[Perkolady]

There are umpteen different fire starting toys...er...um...I mean tools! available out there. I would strongly suggest you try out whatever you want to bring at home in the yard first- in the WORST conditions possible!!. Some are a lot easier to use than others! They might be very frustrating under stressful times in the wilderness, when your dexterity might be limited due to extreme weather or injury.

While I think it's great to have several firestarting methods available, make sure you can use them easily!

[Cragar]

Box Hatchet. Hammer, axe, pry bar, and nail puller all in one tool. Mine is a quarter of an inch thick and has a wooden handle. She ain't pretty and she's pretty damn heavy, but she's cheap, and she is a work horse I tell you. She's probably the ugliest, cheapest, most reliable, and most used tool in my bag.

http://www.garrettwade.com/box-hatchet/p/08A01.01/

[nevadaexile]

Let's see:

1) A whistle
2) A GOOD map of the area.
3) A small roll of duct tape
4) Five different ways to start a fire
5) A space blanket
6) A Grundig or Midland crank radio (preferably w/ weather radio bands)
7) 10-20 electrical zip ties
8) At least two flashlights
9) A small medicine bottle w/ pain reliever, anti-diarrheal,anti-allergy medications in it.
10) Several small votive candles (for light,cooking,etc)

[SaigaOwner]

Flashlight and a headlamp with extra batteries, some bug spray ,a compass and map of the surrounding area.

A hand held GPS wouldn't hurt either. I have the Garmin Etrex H nothing fancy but it will get me from point a to point b and back.

[JackD]

Add a fishing hooks and a line...

[PAbackwoodsman]

there are multiple threads on this site that offer lists for BOBs, backpacking, etc.. just check those out.

[Sparky10]

My gear for camping

pack:
http://www.ospreypacks.com/detail.ph...specifications

cookset when traveling w a group (I just boil water for dehydrated meals):
http://www.snowpeak.com/cookware/bac...-scs-010t.html
I can always just cary one of the two for less people.

nightly cup of hot chocolate:
http://www.snowpeak.com/titanium-dou...ug-mg-053.html

cooking for just me, and only over a stove (no lid means ash from a fire):
http://www.snowpeak.com/tableware/cu...up-mg-044.html

hammock:
http://www.eaglesnestoutfittersinc.c...t-hammock.html

tarp:
http://www.eaglesnestoutfittersinc.c...rain-tarp.html

two stakes for tarp:
http://cascadedesigns.com/msr/tents/...ke-kit/product

bugnet:
http://www.eaglesnestoutfittersinc.c...n-bug-net.html

cool weather sleeping bag:
http://store.eurekatent.com/products...Silver_City_30
Going to upgrade to a Marmmot down this fall to actually get comfortable down into the 20s or so.

summer sleeping bag:
Some fleece deal, just to knock off any chill I might get.

cool weather sleeping pad:
http://cascadedesigns.com/therm-a-re...e-plus/product
Currently have a small. Going to get a regular for colder weather.

water filter:
http://cascadedesigns.com/msr/water-...filter/product

stove:
http://cascadedesigns.com/msr/stoves...ostart/product

knives:
http://sogknives.com/store/E37.html
http://www.leatherman.com/product/Kick
http://www.gerbergear.com/index.php/product/id/204 (except, non serrated)

saw:
http://www.gerbergear.com/index.php/product/id/295

That is all I can remember off the top of my head. I would have to go through my gear to see if I left anything out.

[Cragar]

Excellent taste in gear Sparky. Have you picked up a pair of the Snow Peak Collapsible chop sticks yet? They rock I tell you.

[Sparky10]

Thank you. And I knew I would forget something. No, I don't have the chopsticks. Those would not work very well for the Mountain House meals, which is what I generally eat when backpacking. I just use one of these:

http://www.lightmyfireusa.com/spork.html

I would get the titanium one, but this is the first I have ever seen them. I use one of the ourdoor ones. My local camping store carries them. They are a polycarbonet that will not melt in boiling water, light and tough as nails.

[Cragar]

Originally Posted by Sparky10

Thank you. And I knew I would forget something. No, I don't have the chopsticks. Those would not work very well for the Mountain House meals, which is what I generally eat when backpacking. I just use one of these:

http://www.lightmyfireusa.com/spork.html

I would get the titanium one, but this is the first I have ever seen them. I use one of the ourdoor ones. My local camping store carries them. They are a polycarbonet that will not melt in boiling water, light and tough as nails.

Got a ton of those myself. Buy them in the 4 packs and give them out for Christmas presents along with the Fair Share Mug. LOL...

[Sparky10]

I forgot to add no cotton. Socks, underwear, pants, and shirt. NO COTTON!

[papajoscochise]

I always carry a good sized hunk of birch bark in my fire kit. This stuff burns like it was soaked in gasoline. (I keep it in a ziplock, nice and dry)

[Jager78]

How about a good pair of boots, fixed knife, compass, and yes paracord 550.

Not to mention a altoids tin packed with goodies.

[tryinhard]

For your strike anywhere matches find a store that sells to the Amish. That's how I got mine!

[Rocker]

The ultimate top 5

knife
matches (or fire starter)
whistle
compass
first aid

of course, bandana and small flashlight are nice