What's ya minimum kit ?

pitdog

pitdog

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Apr 13, 2007
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What's the smallest amount of kit ya carry when heading into the woods ?

When I went today it was wet but very mild. I know the area like the back of my hand and my hike would take no more than an hour if I kept up a good pace. So for hikes like this my kit is often very minimal~


Check out this creepy dude !

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By pitdog2010 at 2011-06-18

Wet but warm was the theme for today !

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By pitdog2010 at 2011-06-18

This was the sum total of my kit~

Main item is a small but sturdy knife, mine was my Swampwarden but if yours is a similar sized knife of similar quality such as an ESEE Izula or a TOPS Shango etc then your good to go !
With my knife is a LMF fire steel secured with some inner tube ( good wet weather tinder ).
There is another fire steel with two capsules attached. One contains some cut down light anywhere matches and the other contains som PJB's.
On some paracord around my neck is always my jet scream whistle and button compass.
I also had my SAK which I like to have for the saw !

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By pitdog2010 at 2011-06-18

There was plenty of natural tinder around should I have needed it~

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By pitdog2010 at 2011-06-18

Snicker was looking for Squirrels today !

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By pitdog2010 at 2011-06-18

Final pic of my hiking companions~

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By pitdog2010 at 2011-06-18

I should add that I usually carry some water but today went without. Water and a mug you can boil water in is always a good idea to take.
 
My kit:

-3 ways to start a fire (Fire Piston, Ferrocerium rod, bic lighter)
-camp hatchet
-Gravelle knives BIC
-compass
-fish hooks+line
-military canteen with metal cup outside (For water purification)
-One ace bandage (I have a ankle that is very prone to rolling)

It's a little larger than most peoples probably but every time I go into the woods without a hatchet and a snack I regret it. Also, I like the option of staying in the woods a little longer sometimes.

Also, obviously a cell phone and some pills (advil, allegra)

All of that stuff fits on on my paracord belt. So it's not so bad to carry.
 
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If I am going a short distance to a known area (for example a hour or 2 hike or out hunting for the day) I will usually just carry a Bic, couple water bottles, a good folder (a Case Sodbuster or Buck 110), and a little pocket FAK that has a couple band-aids, chapstick, sunblock pads, and meds. I have lately added a small neck lanyard set-up...with whistle, compass, and ferro rod. I haven't actually used it much but will carry it EDC in the woods now.


If I am going somewhere I dont know...or going for more then a couple hours, I carry a full daypack size gear-rig.



PS..I forgot, I almost always carry my Gerber slide-out saw while in the woods...I carry it 100% of the time while hunting...invaluable for clearing shooting lanes or constructing makeshift blinds. Just an EXCELLENT piece of equipment IMO.
 
thrillbilly.

That Gerber sliding saw is one of the best $12 I have spent on outdoor gear. It pisses me off that mine outcuts my Silkies.
 
Sometimes minimal is just a folder and a nano, depending on what's up.

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Sometimes minimal is a little more


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I fart around in the bush quite a bit, either metal detecting, mushroom hunting, or whatever tickles my twins at the moment. I have my days when I want to pack a big FB and others when I just grab a folder. But any and every time I'm out I have my whistle\fero rod\mag bar on my key chain. Lately I have been wearing my 110 on one side and Leather man Blast on the other hip on closer excursions. Light, neat, useful. And if I stop in at Timmie's (coffee shop for the southern guys), I don't have to peel off a FB before I go in. If I'm not going in deep I'll often go light. If I'm going way into the bush, then the FB, canteen etc. requirements build. Basically that's how I gage it, how long or far into the bush I'm going. And\or how many local bear sightings I've heard lately.
 
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I walk in the woods a lot with my dog. For that my minimum kit is a leash and a knife of some sort.
 
I keep a little wallet sized package of items that goes with me whenever I'm bushwalking or camping. I take a knife to suit whatever I expect I'll be doing on the walk but this always comes too.

 
In summer it can just be a small fixed blade, firesteel and a SS bottle of water along with a compass, whistle, space blanket and bandana if I know the area and am not going far.

In winter on long day hikes (mine usually end up with a fire to the wee hours), I pack for a night out in the elements just in case. Depending on the temps, that could be a packed water bottle kit and layers of clothes or light layers and a pack full of "what-if's".
I always have a metal container to boil water, a firekit of some kind, space blanket and an article of waterproof upper clothing for the torso should I get wet or should temps fall. If your torso gets cold, you are screwed.
 
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For me it would be a water bottle (filled lol) and a knife. But in general I usually have a bit to a lot more kit. My Bark river Bravo 1 is my most carried knife and it has a fire steel on the sheath, so the fire is covered.
 
Hi all,

Pitdog, here is mine, it is a pouch that goes on my belt with supplies for
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Shelter, Fire, water and then the means to navigate and then food collection.
When I really want to go light I take this kit and then my water bottle and SS cup and then my Binos.
Plus I dress for the weather we are having.

Bryan
 
sicily02 said:
Hi all,

Pitdog, here is mine, it is a pouch that goes on my belt with supplies for
IMG_0623.jpg

Shelter, Fire, water and then the means to navigate and then food collection.
When I really want to go light I take this kit and then my water bottle and SS cup and then my Binos.
Plus I dress for the weather we are having.

Bryan
Click to expand...

Great set up Bryan !;):thumbup:
 
Thanks Pitdog.
I should have added this pic of it all packed up
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Add your SS canteen SS cup and binos to really bring nature up nice and close
what else do you really need for nice hike in the woods.

Bryan
 
Really tough call because my minimum kit varies depending on the nature of the trip. Like you Pit, I often stroll around for dog walks but the difference is my backyard park is only 200 acres are so and is 15 min to a road in every direction. The kit needs in this scenario are pretty minimal as well and what I chose to bring out with me has more to do with bringing toys to play than emergency. I usually take a water bottle and at least my SAK knife with me. When I'm there to fart around a bit, I'll bring a more extensive list.

For overnighters then I tend to have a pack with stuff in it. I have a PSK that I use as a redundant backup that includes an integrated FAK. In summer I like to bring a SS-water bottle and bottle cup to fuel wood may have a larger chopper or take-down saw. I always bring my emergency blanket (grabber brand) as a ground cloth and catch-all, my silnylon tarp. My sleeping bag/blanket etc depends on the anticipated circumstances.

I guess I just have a difficult time answering this one because the planning always occurs on a case by case basis.

MISTWALKER - Looks like your knife needs anti-biotics :D :D :D
 
my minimum kit would be this necker kit, but if it's all I have that means I've lost my pack :eek:

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my minimum kit w/o losing my pack :) would be my bottle holder kit, there is always a possibility of having to spend the night out- even where I trail run, so I want to insure if that does happen I've mitigated it as much as feasible- this includes always carrying a light shell as well as light wool gloves and hat

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most of my day hikes I'd carry a larger pack (10-20 liters) and have more in the way of an insulating layer(s), shelter and grub
 
Minimum is Knife of choice, small flashlight, firesteel, whistle and a compass. Usually have a BIC, but that isn't all the time. If I am in the woods, I usually have more, but if I only intend on being there close to home, that is all I will bring. (Close - the woods I live in)
 
This is more of an escape and evasion kit, but it’s what i have with me at all times, even when I’m out in the Sierra. The contents of my pocket tin have been evolving over time and from things I have seen on this forum and out in the field.

The small CRKT Ritter MK5 knife is new to my kit. It’s made for this type of pocket survival tin. And the SAR Stainless Dog Tag with Signal Mirror i got at Plaza Cutlery, its the smallest and sturdiest one I have ever seen.:thumbup:

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