Med Alice, content spilled

C

cuphead

Joined
Jan 14, 2008
Messages
988
Hi, this is my gear and med alice pack with no frame I use when I go out on dayhikes. nothing special, lots of redundancy with fire and cutting tools.
I'll be going over what's in the bag from left to right top to bottom...
please leave your thoughts, suggestions or ideas!

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Osprey orange dry sac (Color is important, max visibility if used as a marker for signaling, using it as a "hunters vest, clipped on to the outside of the bag" great all around color.)
My trailmix kit, lunch not included as I prepare that right before leaving the house..
- 4 hot cocos
- 1 ziploc of jerky
- 1 ziplock of cashews / chocolate pretzels
- 2 clif bars
Roll of toilet paper
Microbites by guyot design (spork / spatula )

Bankline
Electrical tape
Condor Bushlore with ranger band + firesteel
Mora 840mg Clipper with ranger band + firesteel
Bahco laplander folding saw

First aid Kit
- 2 10hrs hand warmers
- 1 small bottle of hand sanitizer
- 1 Lip Balm
- 1 contact lens eye drops + contacts container
- 1 conforming gauze bandage
- 2 gauze dressings 2'' x 2''
- 5 antiseptic towelettes
- 5 alcohol cleansing pads
- 5 qtips
- 1 polysporin ointment mini tube
- 5 bandaids
- 2 knuckle bandages
- 2 fingertip bandage
- 6 ibuprophens
- 1 adhesive patch bandage
- 1 roll adhesive tape
- 1 tweezer

Survival Kit (Adventure medical kit trick'd out max capacity)
- 1 aluminum foil
- 1 fresnel lens
- 1 sterile surgical blade
- 1 signal mirror
- 4 quik tinder
- 1 firesteel (added)
- 1 SAK Soldier (added)
- 10' of 550 paracord (replaced crappy nylon rope included)
- wire
- sewing thread / fishline
- 1 roll of ductape
- 1 button compass
- 1 fox 40 whistle
- tube with hooks, sinkers, needle, safety pins (added better, bigger hooks, better clip on sinkers, took 2 safety pins out, instead of 3 hooks I have 10, and instead of 3 sinkers I have also 10
- 4 aquamira purifying tabs

Altoids tin, contains 10 vas cotton balls.
OD green bandana

GI 1 quart canteen with nesting cup
Norton pocket sharpening wetstone
Diamond sharpening stone
Bear grylls adventure series strike force (Love it, well constructed, solid and showers!
g-shock watch
cellphone
3 mil contractor garbage bag
8x10 woodlawn camo, cheapo tarp (winter use, I have a equinox silnylon for summer and my poncho.)

of course the Medium size Alice pack with no frame
and my 16'' Wetterlings hunter axe

decided to add this:

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+ 1 quart canteen to have 2
SOL emergency bivy sac
emergency blanket

So this covers the content of my alice when I go on dayhikes, gear changes from time to time, but this is what I have it trim'd to right now.

I hope this was somewhat practical!

Now let's hear em!?
 
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Thanks for posting this. Always good to see what others take for a day in the woods. Plenty of toys and redundancy but that just means more fun and options.

I'm guessing that this forms the core of your load out for a weekend or longer trip?
 
RoyalM said:
Thanks for posting this. Always good to see what others take for a day in the woods. Plenty of toys and redundancy but that just means more fun and options.

I'm guessing that this forms the core of your load out for a weekend or longer trip?
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indeed. Thanks for looking.
 
Nice kit...I have a Med. ALICE in the closet, I packed it a few years ago but haven't used it in a while...they are tough as nails & have plenty of room! Mine doesn't have the frame either, It's got a new set of Straps ! Looks like you got it all covered...If it were me I would add more cordage, maybe another 25' hank of 550cord & a roll of Contractor grade twine, you can get it in several different colors from blaze orange to hot Pink & bright yellow & blue & white ! It has a good tensil strength & you get a couple hundred feet on a small roll ! I like to use it for setting snares & help holding the shelter together...just my.02 I have several rolls here, one in each of my boys packs & one in my truck & in each of my packs & tackle box ! I also keep a roll or 2 of the "Cheap" Jute twine, great fire tender when you fuzz it up !
 
coaldigger said:
Nice kit...I have a Med. ALICE in the closet, I packed it a few years ago but haven't used it in a while...they are tough as nails & have plenty of room! Mine doesn't have the frame either, It's got a new set of Straps ! Looks like you got it all covered...If it were me I would add more cordage, maybe another 25' hank of 550cord & a roll of Contractor grade twine, you can get it in several different colors from blaze orange to hot Pink & bright yellow & blue & white ! It has a good tensil strength & you get a couple hundred feet on a small roll ! I like to use it for setting snares & help holding the shelter together...just my.02 I have several rolls here, one in each of my boys packs & one in my truck & in each of my packs & tackle box ! I also keep a roll or 2 of the "Cheap" Jute twine, great fire tender when you fuzz it up !
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I also like to keep a few "ZipTies" of different lengths in my pack !
 
coaldigger said:
Nice kit...I have a Med. ALICE in the closet, I packed it a few years ago but haven't used it in a while...they are tough as nails & have plenty of room! Mine doesn't have the frame either, It's got a new set of Straps ! Looks like you got it all covered...If it were me I would add more cordage, maybe another 25' hank of 550cord & a roll of Contractor grade twine, you can get it in several different colors from blaze orange to hot Pink & bright yellow & blue & white ! It has a good tensil strength & you get a couple hundred feet on a small roll ! I like to use it for setting snares & help holding the shelter together...just my.02 I have several rolls here, one in each of my boys packs & one in my truck & in each of my packs & tackle box ! I also keep a roll or 2 of the "Cheap" Jute twine, great fire tender when you fuzz it up !
Click to expand...

Thanks, honestly don't use 550 much but do carry about 10-15' of it so if I decide to give bow drill a go, need a ridgeline, I have it with me. and as for Mason twine been there done that, in many cases it's cotton instead of nylon and that doesn't holdup to cold/wet conditions, as for the nylon type I find it to slippery if untreated with tar. bankline can be used for everything mason can do and more considering it can hold up to the elements, You can also heat your bindings over a flame and if you heat it right, mold it like you would resine on bindings for an arrow head.
I have some jute lying around as well but asides from tinder I don't see much use for it, it's not that strong and if you use it in winter it snaps on ya. for starting fires, the method I've come to love is natural materials, and if that fails given the improper conditions my favorite goto is vaseline cotton balls + kindling.

I'm looking into zip ties Thanks!
 
Nice post man! What's Bankline? (sorry - haven't completely read the post above) It seems you have quite a big roll. Cordage is very useful but unless you have a specific project in mind, isn't too much? Maybe I'd replace one of the fixed blade with either a small plier-based multitool (I like the Leatherman PS4), or a SAK. Also, instead of sharpening stones, why not carry a slice of wet&dry sandpaper? pretty efficient as a sharpening medium, and weighs next to nothing. We should go on a hike together someday!
 
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All the gear makes sense, maybe a bit too much redundancy. For example, having both trash bags and bivy bags seems a bit beyond necessary.
Also would be interesting to see what you wear with that.
 
Cuphead, It looks like to me you got the basis covered. I love the orange hand saw. I will be looking into getting several of them.

there is one thing that I would add to it. that is a 3/8" foam pad that is cut down to 20" wide. and about 4' feet long. they are great for sitting and somehwat laying one when you sit down to rest or even make a camp for the night if needed. this is a great item for in the colder months and with snow on the ground.

do you carry water in your canteens when you first start out? I do and that makes up 1/3 of my wieght. for my pack.

all in all great job and well thought out.

Bryan
 
sicily02 said:
Cuphead, It looks like to me you got the basis covered. I love the orange hand saw. I will be looking into getting several of them.

there is one thing that I would add to it. that is a 3/8" foam pad that is cut down to 20" wide. and about 4' feet long. they are great for sitting and somehwat laying one when you sit down to rest or even make a camp for the night if needed. this is a great item for in the colder months and with snow on the ground.

do you carry water in your canteens when you first start out? I do and that makes up 1/3 of my wieght. for my pack.

all in all great job and well thought out.

Bryan
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yea I been looking for a small pad, I've been trying to resort to finding a hunters hot seat instead of cutting a piece of foam, I just can't find one of my liking.
I do pack my water in and will admit it contributes a lot of the weight, but I find myself to drink frequently when it's cold out and windy

Thanks for your input Bryan, glad you like the saw! It's one of my favorite pieces of kit. Color is really appealing for me and so are your knives!
 
defaultuser said:
Nice post man! What's Bankline? (sorry - haven't completely read the post above) It seems you have quite a big roll. Cordage is very useful but unless you have a specific project in mind, isn't too much? Maybe I'd replace one of the fixed blade with either a small plier-based multitool (I like the Leatherman PS4), or a SAK. Also, instead of sharpening stones, why not carry a slice of wet&dry sandpaper? pretty efficient as a sharpening medium, and weighs next to nothing. We should go on a hike together someday!
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Hey! it's been a while, bankline is tarred nylon twine and will admit having more then I need, however it's always in the bag ready to go, same goes for the trailmix and water ( rotating the stock from time to time ). I would like to try and find smaller spools, but in my area I can't seem to find any. don't want to make myself a small donut of that stuff either, it gets tangled easy and makes a mess, I carry wet&dry sandpaper occasionally when I carry convex blades along with a piece of mouse pad cut/glued to the bottom of an aloids, there's a tutorial for this somewhere on this forum, I've based that sharpening system off that concept

I do have a leatherman wave and mud, gerber diesel, I wont lie, I carry them sometimes and am thinking of tossing one in there. Thanks dude, yes a get together in our area would be cool!
 
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Good packing list. Bank line (the tarred variety like you have) is great stuff. I'm planning to add some to my smaller kits, but you're right in that you need a spool platform to keep it from getting tangled up. Bryan is right about adding a small section of sleeping pad. I just cut off 10" of my Army pad. It slips into the pack or rides up under the bottom straps on the outside (I also have a section of Thermarst Z-lite folding pad...but that's much more expensive). It's just nice to sit or kneel and not worry about getting your pants soaked. Some would say that's too much for a day-hike, but 16 pounds isn't too much weight for the comfort it provides...some do over do it, but your kit looks just fine and covers all the basics. I know it's mostly for day hikes, but I don't often leave the home without an LED flashlight or headlamp...

ROCK6
 
ROCK6 said:
Good packing list. Bank line (the tarred variety like you have) is great stuff. I'm planning to add some to my smaller kits, but you're right in that you need a spool platform to keep it from getting tangled up. Bryan is right about adding a small section of sleeping pad. I just cut off 10" of my Army pad. It slips into the pack or rides up under the bottom straps on the outside (I also have a section of Thermarst Z-lite folding pad...but that's much more expensive). It's just nice to sit or kneel and not worry about getting your pants soaked. Some would say that's too much for a day-hike, but 16 pounds isn't too much weight for the comfort it provides...some do over do it, but your kit looks just fine and covers all the basics. I know it's mostly for day hikes, but I don't often leave the home without an LED flashlight or headlamp...

ROCK6
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Thanks ROCK

I added a few topo maps 1:50k of the areas I go to, brunton compass, all weather pad/pen and a permanent marker in a ziploc, my handheld LED flashlight w/ strobe mode and spare batteries for it, some wire, gerber diesel mulitool

I'm watching my dayhike bag turn from just that, to a Bug out bag. LOL damnit. It's still pretty light though..
 
cuphead said:
everything weighs 19.8lbs
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Pretty light, huh? :)
Well, for a single day, maybe. But after a few days? Lots of bulk, and no water, almost no food, no cookware.

You have lots of tools to make fire and a camp - axe, saw, tons of bankline. You wont be able to use fire to boil water.
 
Great looking collection of gear, but it looks like a LOT for a day hike. Once you add water and your lunch, I doubt it's at 16lbs anymore. Since you opened the floor to comments, here's some things I'd look at.

I don't agree with the philosophy that "it doesn't hurt to bring it". Anything you cary that you don't have a legitimate need for or that doesn't represent a real game-changer in the event of a LIKELY emergency situation is nothing more than an energy tax which reduces your performance and INCREASES your risk of injury or exhaustion. Also, if your routinely carrying kit that you don't need, it prevents you from adding things that you may actually have a use for, like extra clothing or more water or a camera, etc..

Your kit has a lot of individually useful items, and it looks like a great one to leave in a vehicle, but it's about ten times more than I cary on a day hike in similar country. As you've pointed out, you have a lot of redundancy, as well as a lot of things I'd simply never bother carrying if traveling on foot (electrical tape, fishing kit, bankline, etc.) if I didn't have a specific use for them.

Four firesteels? I love firesteels, but they are hardly the end-all-be-all of fire starting. In fact, for most situations they're vastly inferior to a Bic lighter. I'd take three of them out and add a matchsafe with storm matches. Less weight, more fire. It will also let you leave the altoid tin out...you don't need to cary tinder if you have matches, and there's tinder in the survival kit anyway.

As others have said, a single sheet of sandpaper to replace the two wetstones. This is a day hike, right? I've never HAD to sharpen a knife after one day's work, much less three knives.

The Mora and the Bushlore and the saw and the ax... that's a lot of firepower for someone not making camp or traveling by boat. I'd be inclined to leave three of them out unless you were planning on making a fire or collecting tinder, in which case I'd leave two of them out.

The canteen (or two) could be replaced by a MSR Dromedary or similar water bladder. They are very light, very tough, and don't make noise when half-full.

Eating utensels: Why? You can stir your hot chocolate with a stick if you decide to make it. Ya, they don't weigh much, but ANY weight without purpose is wasted energy.

Poncho: personally, if it looks like it's going to rain or snow, I dress appropriately. I'm much rather be wearing my mountaineering parka than a poncho. The garbage bag covers the "unexpected weather", so why carry another piece of kit thats inferior to what you should have left your truck with in the first place? Once you add the space blanket and thermal bivy sack you're carrying a lot of inferior "emergency" clothing verses bringing more "real" clothing like an extra pile jacket or a high quality outer shell.

This will probably get me flamed, but I've NEVER needed a first aid kit on a day hike, and I don't remember the last time I took anything more than a few ibuprofen and a few bandaids with me unless I was going out for multiple days or engaged in higher risk activities than walking (riding motorcycles comes to mind). I don't see anything in a first aid kit that can't be easily improvised from other materials with equal results for securing an injury for one day. I've looked at the situation a lot...I'm a EMT-W and my wife is a physician, so it's not like I'm ignorant of the possibilities, and I don't cary a first aid kit when hiking.

One of the things you don't have which I'd recommend is a small flashlight. Something like a Streamlight MicroStream weighs about as much as a firesteel and throws enough light for an hour and a half of hiking in the dark. One of the very few times a day hike turned into an overnighter was when I simply couldn't negotiate the last mile of trail in deep forest on a moonless night.

Just my two cents.

Thanks for sharing!
 
sutured said:
This will probably get me flamed, but I've NEVER needed a first aid kit on a day hike, and I don't remember the last time I took anything more than a few ibuprofen and a few bandaids with me unless I was going out for multiple days or engaged in higher risk activities than walking (riding motorcycles comes to mind). I don't see anything in a first aid kit that can't be easily improvised from other materials with equal results for securing an injury for one day. I've looked at the situation a lot...I'm a EMT-W and my wife is a physician, so it's not like I'm ignorant of the possibilities, and I don't cary a first aid kit when hiking.
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Well I sort of agree. Over the years, I've seen my share of knife wounds, some of them close to arteries have myself a several inches scar that went to the bone. Also sprained a knee once. In most situation, I could have replaced bandage with some piece of clothing (I carry a triangular boy scout scarf with me by the way, plenty of uses), yet I carry some pressure dressing, which doesn't take much room. Probably better, particularly if you're alone, for a small trade-off.
 
Since you asked for opinions..... That is quite a lot for a day hike, but lacking in food.

I live in a similar type area, New England, and my winter day hike winter load out is 10lbs. Including food and water. Granted my largest playground is only 27,000 acres so a couple unexpected nights is about all I expect in an emergency before I am "rescued".

You could trim back on your multiples to save weight. Also I am one of those who never carries a dedicated survival kit with my gear, my gear is my survival kit.


A poncho, heatsheet, and cordage is my shelter. Fire is one fire steel plus PJ cotton balls (a bic is always in my pocket), cutting tools are my F1 and a 10" Wetterlings (SAK in my pocket), A small FAK, whistle, compass, plastic spork, some tissue paper, Guyot, nesting cup, round out my needs.

That leaves food (wild edibles are seriously lacking in winter)covered by instant oatmeal, instant soup (both X4 ) ,instant coffee(x7), PB crackers.

Plus extras in a DC4 stone, esbit stove w/fuel for those times I want a hot drink or soup without building a fire.

At my age , 43, 10lbs is my max for being gone all day yet prepared for a night or two.

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