Gear List: Favorite Hunting Accessories

[NKQualtieri]

Heyo team —

As Randy noted in the first thread on this section, we're starting to make gear lists that will span from things like backcountry hunts to pack-supported hunts to how @Big Fin & the Fresh Tracks team outfit their hunting rigs.

The first list up for discussion is:

Randy's Top Hunting Accessories

As always, Hunt Talk feedback is both expected and welcome.

I'd also love to know what your favorite accessories are; perhaps we can do some lists that reflect our community as well.

As for me, my top accessories are:

A standard 32 oz Nalgene, always, as I boil water for my sleeping bag nearly every night the temps drop below 70. I'll take the extra weight. I'm cold forever.

Heavy-duty Gallon zip bags for organization, meat storage, snackies, weird things I find, etc.

Extra socks, bc you never know when you'll need them. The brand Swiftwick makes, IMHO, the best socks in the industry right now. On par with Darn Tough and Farm to Feet. I also bring a super cushiony wool pair when I backpack only for sleeping bc #luxury.

And then the obvious like Garmin Mini, kill kit, clotting gauze, game bags, etc.

I rock a Mystery Ranch pack, I love the extra padding. And fun fact: I sewed packs at the Ranch for eight months in 2013.

Lmk thoughts, HTers!

NKQ

 

[DouglasR]

For the tent all I really need is a few premium chubs and I can stay out indefinitely.
My favorite accessories for my rig are my twin yeti 350’s.

 

[Addicting]

I really need is a few premium chubs

This is a family site.

 

[DouglasR]

This is a family site.

I didn’t say anything about what I do with my nalgene...

 

[perma]

A standard 32 oz Nalgene, always, as I boil water for my sleeping bag nearly every night the temps drop below 70.

This sounds like my wife.

 

[noharleyyet]

I've never had a decent sleeping pad & that's pretty pathetic.

 

[rmyoung1]

I really like my Katadyn Base Camp water filter. Hard to beat. I do bring a cheap, flexible plastic cup so I’m not forced to drag the bag in the water source.

 

[SD_Prairie_Goat]

My always present go to's

• Black diamond headlamp, #1 item
• Fire starter kit
• Replaceable blade knife with spare blade
• P cord
• Hydration bladder
• Spare batteries
• Snacks

 

[OntarioHunter]

1930's Ka-Bar 4" drop point and ceramic rod knife sharpener Dad put in my Christmas stocking circa 1974. Sheath is only a few years old. I need to oil it.

 

[LuketheDog]

3 Bic lighters, one in my 1st aid kit, one in my pack belt pocket, one in my thigh pocket. Seems like a buddy (the same buddy every time...) always asks for one, then one for me, then one for backup or emergencies.

 

[Irrelevant]

Chapstick
Old Man and the Sea
Fillo pillow

 

[Derek44]

A standard 32 oz Nalgene, always, as I boil water for my sleeping bag nearly every night the temps drop below 70.

Pardon my ignorance, but what do you mean boil water for your sleeping bag?

 

[kansasdad]

Pardon my ignorance, but what do you mean boil water for your sleeping bag?

Hot water into the foot end of the sleeping bag for preheat and overnight warmth.

 

[Derek44]

Hot water into the foot end of the sleeping bag for preheat and overnight warmth.

Ok. Haha. Thanks. I’d just never heard of that.

 

[NKQualtieri]

This sounds like my wife

Women be cold as ice.

 

[NKQualtieri]

Ok. Haha. Thanks. I’d just never heard of that.

It's a game-changer for keeping warm. A Nalgene filled with boiled water will keep you warm overnight in cold conditions. You want to be sure to leave a few inches at the top though, as elevation and pressure changes with the heated water can burst the bottle and then you're truly out of luck. I'm sure someone smarter than me can explain it.

The other bonus is that, when you're in the backcountry, you already have boiled water for the morning. I tend to keep my MSR stove on the outside of my tent, I never cook food directly in my kettle (bear safety), and then if I need hot water or it gets really cold, I have access to warm water right away. I've spent some super cold nights out, even in the summertime at high elevations, and this method is unflappable.

 

[NKQualtieri]

Chapstick
Old Man and the Sea
Fillo pillow

The only good book Hemingway ever wrote.

 

[NKQualtieri]

3 Bic lighters, one in my 1st aid kit, one in my pack belt pocket, one in my thigh pocket. Seems like a buddy (the same buddy every time...) always asks for one, then one for me, then one for backup or emergencies.

You come bearing gifts LOL You're in CO, ever have trouble getting one of those things to light up in cold/high elevation? You bring a fire backup?

 

[NKQualtieri]

1930's Ka-Bar 4" drop point and ceramic rod knife sharpener Dad put in my Christmas stocking circa 1974. Sheath is only a few years old. I need to oil it.
View attachment 273350

That's a badass knife. You know the steel?

 

[NKQualtieri]

My always present go to's

• Black diamond headlamp, #1 item
• Fire starter kit
• Replaceable blade knife with spare blade
• P cord
• Hydration bladder
• Spare batteries
• Snacks

Love it. I had a major failure with Black Diamond soooo it's hard for me to trust them. But now I'm on Randy's two-headlamp plan I found reflective p-cord that doubles as firestarter and I'm excited to test it in the field this year!