Whats in your pouch?

[BOSS1]

I have a fairly well put together versipack that I take with me on excursions that are longer than an hour or two down by the river, but you can see what I carry in my two sheath pouches...

BOSS

 

[Rick Marchand]

I have a fairly well put together versipack that I take with me on excursions that are longer than an hour or two down by the river, but you can see what I carry in my two sheath pouches...

BOSS

I realize that we belong to a knife forum and all have the "sickness" but are there any other reasons why you carry another folding blade (aside from the multi-tooled SAK) in your knife sheath?

 

[gulliamo]

If the goal is really survival vs having-fun-camping/trapping/fishing-in-the-woods-while-lost then why not simply replace everything with a PLB?
http://www.amazon.com/ACR-Aqualink-2882-Personal-Includes/dp/B003BQM058

If the goal is to make an unpleasant-but-not-life-threating situation (e.g. NOT a survival situation) a bit more pleasant then band aids and such are fine.

Somewhere in between the two extremes? A small Celox packet will fit in your wallet or pouch can stop a lot of blood loss.
http://www.amazon.com/Celox-Hemostatic-Granules-15g-Packet/dp/B003B76NVO

 

[upnorth]

I don't know about taste. A friend of mine put together and showed me his kit and all I could do was shake my head. Cheap matches, 3 crappy folding knives (i'm talking $5 ones), multi-tool, way too much first aid,
A sharpener that doesn't even work, nail clippers??? etc etc

Personal taste would get some people killed lol

I guess that this means that I have to ditch my toe nail polish, man you guys are tough.

 

[BOSS1]

I realize that we belong to a knife forum and all have the "sickness" but are there any other reasons why you carry another folding blade (aside from the multi-tooled SAK) in your knife sheath?

Greetings,

Good question...the primary reason I have a smaller, stainless folder included is sanitary purposes. The larger knives, in this case Busses have coated blades and are intended more for heavy duty camp chores where they'll probably wind up dirty, etc. The uncoated, stainless blades would be for things like food items or first aid, or where the simplicity and/or dexterity of a smaller, finer, cleaner blade is called for. If I just got tree sap and dirt on the Busse setting up camp, I may not want to use it for slicing open food containers, removing a splinter, etc. I like the little Outdoor Edge folder...its a nice little trim unit that should work well on smaller jobs. The grippy orange handles are a plus in my book.

It also keeps my cutting gear in one location, and on my body, not in a different pack that could get separated from me, etc. I suppose I could put a small zippo, fishing hooks, water treatment pills, or something else in there, but as I say, those types of items are in my versipak and/or would be in my pocket(s).

Just my thought process...and items are obviously interchangable...they might switch from one pouch to another, depending on the circumstances.

Cheers,
BOSS

 

[RescueRiley]

I don;t really believe in all inclusive survival kits, I mean I believe that they exist, but I don't really see the overall value of it.. the notion of carrying a bevy of specific items to meet a variety of unpredictable circumstances seems sort of absurd to me. Like bandaid or 2? fishhooks? snarewire? I don't know. When I first got started I' used to spend hours preparing mini kits for this and that..
but now every time I head off the beaten path (when not camping) I carry the same pack with mostly the same gear it has several multi use items that are selected based on the possibility of having to stay an unexpected night while still keeping wieght down.
stuff like a metal container for boiling, a reliable firestarting method that I am proficient in, a poncho and a dedicated firstaid kit are just nec. items in my pov.
I carry a mini caribiner kit on my person, in case some unforeseen calamity separates me from my gear. and this is bare bones emergency gear for me.
it consists of firesteel
a small tinder capsule with vaseline cotton balls
a pealess whistle
a led

I feel like with my little woods bag if I have to stay an extra night I could do so effectively though not nec comfortably depending on conditions.

that being said my way is not the only way, and most definitely not the right way. It;s just my way.
I will say I don't find bandaids particularly useful unless Ihave my kids along (kids love bandaids.. they;ll even invent injuries just to get one) a strip of duct tape and a bit of gauze or tissue will do everything a bandaid can do and provide for about a million and one more uses, for more serious lacerations steri strips are the way to go (although even they can be improvised with the allmighty duct tape and a little ingenuity.)
good luck in evolving your kit brother, and most important get out and have fun, because if your not out having fun in the woods than it all just becomes paranoia

 

[pinnah]

but now every time I head off the beaten path (when not camping) I carry the same pack with mostly the same gear it has several multi use items that are selected based on the possibility of having to stay an unexpected night while still keeping wieght down.

This is my approach too. I've found as I've gotten older and with more responsibilities for kids, parents and work, that logistical planning is major head ache often preventing me from going.

I now keep a well stocked, unpadded fanny pack in the back of my car. It contains the set of things I would need on any backpacking or skiing trip or any day hike or hunting trip. Yes, there are few things here and there I might weed out to suit one trip or another. And on trips where ounces count, I'll go through it with a fine toothed packing list. But generally, it's just grab it an do. I simply drop it in any of the 3 larger packs I own and toss it on by itself and I know I have the essentials covered.

EDITED TO ADD: This thread combined with some down time has prompted me to update my web page on this topic. Thanks for the discussion. Comments welcome:

http://home.comcast.net/~pinnah/DirtbagPinner/essentials-list.txt


Updated and clarified packing list:
TRAIL POUCH - Stuff I often use while on the trail
+ Map (typically moved to pants pocket)
+ Compass (in my pocket when off trail)
+ Altimeter watch (moved to wrist)
+ Lighter (typically moved to pants pocket)
+ Whistle (typically moved to pants pocket)
+ Sun screen
+ Dermatone
+ Bug dope
+ Ibuprofen
+ Iodine water purification tablets (water filter is carried separately on some trips)

CAMP POUCH - Stuff I usually only need in camp
+ Headlamp
+ Toothbrush and toothpaste
+ Antihistamines
+ Toilette paper, hand sanitizer, disposable lighter (these are kept in a ziplock bag)
+ Headnet
+ Leatherman Squirt PS4 (for small pliers and scissors, mainly)

REPAIR KIT - Carried in a separate zip lock inside my camp pouch
+ Spare Fastex 2" buckle (for backpack hip belts)
+ Section of adhesive nylon repair tape (for down jackets, bags and tents)
+ Heavy polyester thread, standard needle and curved upholstery needle
+ Spare stove filler cap (I typically carry a Svea 123 and this is the only part to fail)
+ Selection of nuts and bolts (for pack frame repair)
+ Spare batteries (for headlamp)
+ Small roll of duct tape (wrapped around a cut-off disposable pen body


EMERGENCY GEAR - Stuff I hope to not need
+ Spare knife
+ Folding saw (Carried October through April)
+ Mylar aluminum bivy sack/shelter
+ 2 Powerbars (emergency food)
+ Coil of parachute chord


MINIMAL FIRST AID KIT (mostly focused on stopping bleeding and attending to feet):
+ Selection of gauze pads and band aids
+ Butterfly tape and small roll of bandage tape
+ Gauze wrap
+ Alcohol wipes, iodine wipes, small tube of triple-biotic ointment
+ Disposable razor (shaving shins)
+ Pre-cut moleskin and bottle of Skin Shield (for blisters)
+ Nail clippers, fine tweezers (splinters), Leatherman PS4 (scissors, pliers)
+ Spare disposable lighter