My setup with pix

[mystical woodsman]

Finally I modified my pack and have my pack setup for when the world comes to an end

Here is a picture of my wet weather bag (large) with some clothes:

Here is my hygiene kit with contents:

Here is my butt-pack with contents:

My tools of the trade:

I attached (had a seamstress sew it on) some leg straps to the pack frame for my sleeping bag w/ bivy... someone once mentioned that I should do it myself for the practice but... I know I could do it and I do have what is referred to as a mother. It is a small pocket sized zippered pouch that contains needles, bobby-pins and 10 small rolls of different color sewing twine but I figured since I am in civilization NOW, I would just have someone do it for me who is more experienced and could do a more dependable job. When the time comes, I know I could do it myself, so I don't need the practice. To each their own I guess.

Here is a picture of the inside of my pack fully rigged:

Here is a picture of the outside of my pack fully rigged:

What do yoll think? I hope you like my setup, or maybe I helped give some ideas to you as far as what you can do with your own. My Woodman's Pal is going to be worn inside between my pack and frame horizontally. It sits comfortably that way and is very convenient for whenever I need it. I can easily take it out with my pack still on but I probably will take it off unless I am in dire straights and need it in a flash.

Again, I want to know what yoll think. I took the time to do all this. Besides, I always liked show -n-tell.

 

[dougo83]

How heavy is it? It looks like a bit much. Like I could handle it on a day hike, but not much more...

Looks like a pretty good set-up though...

 

[Horned Toad]

Do you carry everything in your pack or do you have some of your gear on your body. I see a lot of stuff double up in the but pack that I would have on my person. Also maybe a cheap stuff sack for your bivy bag stuff so it doesn’t stick out the sides so much, things that stick out past you body make noise and catch on stuff.

 

[mystical woodsman]

How heavy is it? It looks like a bit much. Like I could handle it on a day hike, but not much more...

It's probably no more than 50 lbs... using it for more than a day hike toughens you up bro, so just think of it like that.

 

[dougo83]

It's probably no more than 50 lbs... using it for more than a day hike toughens you up bro, so just think of it like that.

Hiking alone makes ya tougher than 90% of the people in the US anyway...

 

[mystical woodsman]

Do you carry everything in your pack or do you have some of your gear on your body. I see a lot of stuff double up in the but pack that I would have on my person. Also maybe a cheap stuff sack for your bivy bag stuff so it doesn’t stick out the sides so much, things that stick out past you body make noise and catch on stuff.

I am going to go through it and pick out the important items that I would not want to loose and keep those on my person (like knife, fire steel, and map). Perhaps I will get in the habit of keeping my butt-pack on me at all times even when I lay my ALICE pack down and literally sleep next to it with my gun in case a bear comes along I can quickly grab it and do the James Brown up on out of there with mall ninja quickness.

I won't exchange my bivy for a cheap stuff sack (although I have thought of that). The bivy's quality is too much to sacrifice. It does stick out a bit though. Perhaps I will fold the sides in just a bit which will make it more fat but it will be slightly less wide and more compact.

Thanx for the tips.

 

[misanthropist]

To be 100% honest with you that looks miserable to carry...I am not sure if I am quite grasping the layout of this pack but it looks like the bottom section is going to kick you in the back of the legs all day?

My approach would be to at least throw the bivy stuff up top - it shouldn't be very heavy and that would shorten the hanging section. Is that section really hanging down the way I think it is?

Anyway I would say take it on a couple of 20-milers over a weekend or long weekend and see how you like it.

If it were me, I would ditch the little axe and the fixed blade that's sitting horizontal in the picture. Also the straight razor stuff and a pair of the leather gloves.

I think the axe and secondary fixed blade don't do anything the billhook, rat, and multi-tool don't already do and although I love straight razors (and in fact don't own or use anything else) the gear takes up a bunch of room, weighs too much and you won't end up using it. I appreciate the redundancy approach but I think you could do better with less weight and just using more care with the tools you do have.

I am not personally a believer in the INCH bag, anyway, though, so you can take my opinion as that of a skeptic in the first place (although I am a pretty serious survivalist as my friends will tell you!)

 

[akennedy73]

I'd drop some of the hardware - just one fixed blade and one chopping tool. trade the weight for food or water. and I'd trade the pistol and the slingshot for a .22 rifle. but that's just me. i try not to carry too much weight - at the end of the trail when you're carrying weight for "what-if's", you're just too tired any more to care about the "what-if's" that were bothering you so much at the trailhead

best way to know how well it works is just head out for a couple of weeks to where ever you plan to go when the world comes to an end - takes some pics and report back how well your setup works. nice setup though - you got all the basics. i'd probably throw in a tarp just for comfort sake. but i don't have much experience camping in a bivy.

 

[mystical woodsman]

To be 100% honest with you that looks miserable to carry...

LOL that made me laugh. It actually is very comfortable.

I am not sure if I am quite grasping the layout of this pack but it looks like the bottom section is going to kick you in the back of the legs all day?
My approach would be to at least throw the bivy stuff up top - it shouldn't be very heavy and that would shorten the hanging section. Is that section really hanging down the way I think it is?

It is nowhere near the back of my legs although it does look in the picture to hang low. The pistol belt is tightly secured around the kidney bar and it barely hits the bottom of my butt cheeks. Again, LOL it is not as low as it looks. There is a gap of space between the butt-pack and my actual butt too.

If it were me, I would ditch the little axe and the fixed blade that's sitting horizontal in the picture. Also the straight razor stuff and a pair of the leather gloves.
I think the axe and secondary fixed blade don't do anything the billhook, rat, and multi-tool don't already do and although I love straight razors (and in fact don't own or use anything else) the gear takes up a bunch of room, weighs too much and you won't end up using it.

I am not taking the little axe nor the Scout. I am probably going to come up with a contest and give them away. There were a couple things that I am not really going to take and there are a couple of things that are not in the pictures that I am going to take, I just didn’t feel like looking for them and my friend has some things too.

I am keeping the straight razor dude. Much better than disposable razors IMHO and perfect for self sufficiency. The leather dress gloves are for cold cities when I am around people. They are VERY warm by themselves, and I can do finer tasks with them too if need be in the woods.

I was hoping you would come along. Thanks for checking them out. I took these pictures just to give you all an idea of how I will be lugging my pack. So far, this is my best rig construction and is very comfortable and compact secure actually.

 

[mystical woodsman]

I'd drop some of the hardware - just one fixed blade and one chopping tool. trade the weight for food or water. and I'd trade the pistol and the slingshot for a .22 rifle. but that's just me.

I just started buying all this gear over a 1 ½ year period, so considering how expensive everything is I just showed you, that is quite a feet. I would love to have a .22 rifle, but walking through town with it is just not an option. The slingshot is perfect for small game and I am learning about snares right now. The handgun is for crackpots in the woods who try funny stuff and for the big furries.

Some of the stuff is not actually going with me. I was just throwing them out there for the Heck of it.

You got all the basics. I’d probably throw in a tarp just for comfort sake, but I don't have much experience camping in a bivy.

I have a basha tarp, a poncho and a few other goodies that were in the pockets that I didn’t display.

 

[Salamander42]

Am I missing the first aid kit, or isn't there one? What about a water bottle or canteen? Food? Just a few things that seem to be missing. Maybe I'm just not seeing them. It does look like a good start, but may need a bit of refinement. Of course I've never gotten around to putting together anything like this myself, so I really have no place critiquing anyone else's efforts. If I manage to get out for a backpacking trip this weekend I'll take some pics as I put my kit together so everyone can critique me.

 

[misanthropist]

Well, then, I would say all that's left to do is field testing...push yourself pretty hard with it for a few days and see if you want to change some things around - I always do.

I did something pretty similar to what I guess you are planning in the late 1990s...essentially I just hitch hiked around for 1997 and 1998, working a little bit here or there but never staying anywhere for more than a couple of weeks at most. It was interesting and when I finished I weighed a hundred pounds less than I do right now and had nearly been killed several times but it was an exciting couple of years and I recommend anyone that's not my kids to do it and try to survive it!

But a couple of pieces of advice:

1. No matter what you do, don't cold-cock a guy in a trucker bar in Wyoming at close. You will get beaten half to death.

2. If a guy offers you money to take a package to somebody, don't. You will end up running for two straight hours and throwing up about five times.

3. Don't take a shortcut to Barstow that takes you across the desert. It doesn't go there and he's going to try to kill you.

4. If you are at a party in Mexico and there is a guy acting really sketchy and complaining about his girlfriend, get the hell out of there...he is going to do a bunch of drugs and when you get between him and his girlfriend he is going to stick you with a bayonet and you will have to walk out of the jungle holding the holes closed and by the time you get to a doctor it's too late to stitch them up and you have an infection and it will have to drain for about three weeks and you will be miserable the whole time and wish you stayed home!

Also stay out of the hot tub in Austin, don't accept a cat in Winnipeg and never, ever, ever argue with a cop in Salem, Oregon. But if you do, look for a guy on the porch drinking a coke. He is totally insane but will save your ass...just do not bring up Madonna or Dick Van Dyke.

At least that's what I've heard!

 

[mystical woodsman]

Am I missing the first aid kit, or isn't there one? What about a water bottle or canteen? Food? Just a few things that seem to be missing.

Yes, I don’t have a first aid kit. I know how important one would be, but I might just make one with a few important items, like some vitamin tabs, band-aids, bandages and ointment medicines. For water, I have an Omega Camelbak (which I have an inline filter for) that I am going to slip up inside my pack frame. It fits perfectly and adds a bit of cushioning too. I am not worrying about food just yet.

It does look like a good start, but may need a bit of refinement.

Even if you say you have never gotten around to doing this yourself, what kind of refinement’s can you think of? I learn a lot from this forum, and I am not one to ever consider that there is no wisdom in those who are not experienced. I am a tenderfoot myself, so critique away my friend. That is why I posted this - to get ideas from everybody.

 

[mystical woodsman]

But a couple of pieces of advice:

LOL WOW. That’s some crazy stuff. You want to PM me and tell me a bit more about them? I would love to hear them if you have the time my friend.

If you are ever hitch hiking in Hendersonville, NC, never allow an old guy to pick you up who has beady, shifty eyes and who smirks the second you open the door and say Hi. He will perversely hit on you throughout the whole ride and ask you to star in his next adult flick.

… At least that's what I've heard

 

[mystical woodsman]

Hey, just for giggles, now that I have a photobucket account, here is a picture of me.

 

[macgregor22]

Havent read the above posts but that butt pack will not feel good hitting you in the legs all day.
I went on a trip with my bag rigged like that with paracord and it seems to take the energy out of your stride.

 

[southern bigfoot]

Well, then, I would say all that's left to do is field testing...push yourself pretty hard with it for a few days and see if you want to change some things around - I always do.

I did something pretty similar to what I guess you are planning in the late 1990s...essentially I just hitch hiked around for 1997 and 1998, working a little bit here or there but never staying anywhere for more than a couple of weeks at most. It was interesting and when I finished I weighed a hundred pounds less than I do right now and had nearly been killed several times but it was an exciting couple of years and I recommend anyone that's not my kids to do it and try to survive it!

But a couple of pieces of advice:

1. No matter what you do, don't cold-cock a guy in a trucker bar in Wyoming at close. You will get beaten half to death.

2. If a guy offers you money to take a package to somebody, don't. You will end up running for two straight hours and throwing up about five times.

3. Don't take a shortcut to Barstow that takes you across the desert. It doesn't go there and he's going to try to kill you.

4. If you are at a party in Mexico and there is a guy acting really sketchy and complaining about his girlfriend, get the hell out of there...he is going to do a bunch of drugs and when you get between him and his girlfriend he is going to stick you with a bayonet and you will have to walk out of the jungle holding the holes closed and by the time you get to a doctor it's too late to stitch them up and you have an infection and it will have to drain for about three weeks and you will be miserable the whole time and wish you stayed home!

Also stay out of the hot tub in Austin, don't accept a cat in Winnipeg and never, ever, ever argue with a cop in Salem, Oregon. But if you do, look for a guy on the porch drinking a coke. He is totally insane but will save your ass...just do not bring up Madonna or Dick Van Dyke.

At least that's what I've heard!

This is so strange I was thinking of cold-cocking a guy in a trucker bar in Wyoming at close who offered me money to take a package to somebody, he said to take the shortcut to Barstow that takes you across the desert... to mexico...





Great stories would love to sit around a campfire swapping crazy hitchhiking stories.

 

[macgregor22]

Make sure your ALICE pack is a good one.
I used to have one of those and I had more nylon and cordura fall off it in the first week...

Mine was a good one to.

 

[Pritch]

Mysty -

(Just Kidding!) As others have said, now it is time to put some miles on carrying that rig. Go for a short hike, say five mile, and then reassess your gear and your carry method. You should also look at some of the recent books on backpacking that you can check out from the library. They will discuss in detail how to fit the pack to your body, and where the bulk of theweight should go.

Well, then, I would say all that's left to do is field testing...push yourself pretty hard with it for a few days and see if you want to change some things around - I always do.

I did something pretty similar to what I guess you are planning in the late 1990s...essentially I just hitch hiked around for 1997 and 1998, working a little bit here or there but never staying anywhere for more than a couple of weeks at most. It was interesting and when I finished I weighed a hundred pounds less than I do right now and had nearly been killed several times but it was an exciting couple of years and I recommend anyone that's not my kids to do it and try to survive it!

But a couple of pieces of advice:

1. No matter what you do, don't cold-cock a guy in a trucker bar in Wyoming at close. You will get beaten half to death.

2. If a guy offers you money to take a package to somebody, don't. You will end up running for two straight hours and throwing up about five times.

3. Don't take a shortcut to Barstow that takes you across the desert. It doesn't go there and he's going to try to kill you.

4. If you are at a party in Mexico and there is a guy acting really sketchy and complaining about his girlfriend, get the hell out of there...he is going to do a bunch of drugs and when you get between him and his girlfriend he is going to stick you with a bayonet and you will have to walk out of the jungle holding the holes closed and by the time you get to a doctor it's too late to stitch them up and you have an infection and it will have to drain for about three weeks and you will be miserable the whole time and wish you stayed home!

Also stay out of the hot tub in Austin, don't accept a cat in Winnipeg and never, ever, ever argue with a cop in Salem, Oregon. But if you do, look for a guy on the porch drinking a coke. He is totally insane but will save your ass...just do not bring up Madonna or Dick Van Dyke.

At least that's what I've heard!

THAT is some funny stuff! Reminds me of a story I heard from some guy once where his roommate asked him for a ride so he could go pick up ahis car that a "friend had stolen from him. It turned out that the car was now in the possession of a mean biker gang, was not in working condition, and was in a horseshoe courtyard of an apartment complex occupied by said bikers. To add to the fun, there were six inches of dry (loud!) leaves on the ground all around the car and the person who now considered the car his was rumored to keep a loaded shotgun just inside his door - Several feet from the car. As the story goes, the Spitfire was liberated, after several motorcycles were disabled to prevent pursuit and nobody died. I can't believe I let that SOB be my best man after that stunt!

-- FLIX

 

[mystical woodsman]

As others have said, now it is time to put some miles on carrying that rig. Go for a short hike, say five mile, and then reassess your gear and your carry method. You should also look at some of the recent books on backpacking that you can check out from the library. They will discuss in detail how to fit the pack to your body, and where the bulk of the weight should go.

I used to go with over 60 lbs for 12 miles on road marches but that was more than a few years ago when my body was young enough for me to push it like that... however I am sure I can handle it but I know it will kick my butt for a bit until I get used to it again and start getting back into the tough frame of mind although I have become sort of lazy over the years in more ways than one.