Loading up today for a trip in am. Started thinking that I was glad I was driving by myself. I tend to take way too much stuff. If I was traveling with 4 people in the same truck, I'd find a way to make do with less.
It is the first trip down and some stuff will stay for a while. Gonna be nice to get out of town for a few days.
(http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c222/526don/67EE92F0-DB0E-4EA0-A126-9D3C19845461-4331-000006B605616C20.jpg)
I tend to want to take all my little gadgets that I don't really need to take. :)
I'ld say you are prepared. Have fun!
And I thought I was the only one. Lol
I'm seriously guilty of this as well. My first hunt this season I hiked out in the woods before sunrise and when I got to my tree I looked at my pack and said "wt$%$ do need all this @$%@ for!?" LOL I think being the first outing of the season I was just overeager and wanting to be ultra prepared for any contingency. I have since disciplined myself to only take the essentials.
Don't forget your bow. :)
I find it easier to just take every piece of hunting gear I own rather than try to decide what I might need. :rolleyes:
That is why I tend to drive to most hunts rather than fly. Can't afford to charter my own personal 737.
Guilty... Way too much crap... this was for 2 days... and the back seat was full of tubs and more crap... Ridiculous...
(http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r233/twigflicker/09%20Buck/shandeer087.jpg)
Jonathan
PS Gotta figure a way to pare some stuff down.... always thinking I might need it and it gets out of hand quickly...
We always take everything that can fit in the truck. It's better to have and not need thad to need and not have :bigsmyl:
That's why I pefer to drive to distant hunts! Rather have it and not need it, etc.....
Merry Christmas
Glad to see I'm not alone. Ive added alot of stuff since I took the pic. The back is full but I did manage to leave the reese hitch rack home.
One time Me and Cory Mattson left my house for a 2 day hunt only about 2 hours from my place. I'll never forget what he said when We got ready to get in the truck. " Dude, It looks like we're going to f.....g Texas for a month" LOL
QuoteOriginally posted by twigflicker:
Guilty... Way too much crap... this was for 2 days... and the back seat was full of tubs and more crap... Ridiculous...
(http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r233/twigflicker/09%20Buck/shandeer087.jpg)
Jonathan
PS Gotta figure a way to pare some stuff down.... always thinking I might need it and it gets out of hand quickly...
Hey, what's that thing underneath all the gear? That your dog? :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:
seriously twig, nice kill
Thats nothing Don. Wait until you see our 16' trailer loaded up!!!!! See ya soon.
I usually fill up the 8 foot bed, and then start on the back seat before, I am ready to depart, go figure....
The first trip or so you learn what you need and what you don't. By the end of the season I'm down to necessities. Hunting every weekend and every day off I get tired of packing stuff around.
I have the same addictive tendencies when I travel in my vehicle, however, air travel has trained me to curb my appetite for over indulgence in the over redundancies.
JL :archer2:
BTW, whats the chalking tubes for?
Just the opposite for me
I always take to much stuff......But I never need anything while I'm gone...LOL!
i usually try to get all my gear to fit in a large cooler, minus my treestand,bow,quiver. If i do get lucky I have a cooler to get the meat home in, otherwise, it makes a nice tote.
Look at it this way... If you didn't take along everything you own, your stuff would be angry at you for leaving them behind! :rolleyes: I mean, nothing wrong with taking gear for a ride. ;) That's why you (and me) own trucks!
... mike ...
Hunt from the house so usually just have a bow, suspension fanny pack, etra fleece top and seat pad.
Every time I pack for a hunt I wonder how we ever packed all of our gear and a weeks worth of food, got it all on an airplane, and flew to Canada. Sure can't seem to do that now.
I want to go hunting with all of you.
I haven't done that many out of state hunts but when I've flown (Manitoba & Alberta), you figure out in a hurry what the "bear" essentials are. Otherwise, while sticking close to home or the cabin, I almost always bring way too much stuff.
Our group has been to Ray Hammonds several times now and have really got the packing thing down.
On our first trip we had two trucks full of gear and clothing. On our last hunt five of us rode in one truck and had all our stuff easily fit in a 6' bed with a tonneau cover and a hitch hauler w/one large cooler.
The truck, yes. I take everything I may possibly need plus a backup if possible.
My self, no. I only hike in with the bare minimum of what is needed.
When Batman and Joey showed up for a short turkey hunt in Nebraska, they looked like the Clampett's moving to Beverly Hills!
After years of getting somewhere and thinking "I wish I'd have brought so and so" I overpack too! Batman, you just need a bigger truck 8-)
I usually make a list right after a trip of things learned and what to take/leave out next time. It works pretty well for keeping things more manageable. But my theory has usually been better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it!
I used to be a chronic over packer. I was from the "better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it school". Now I tend to not pack as much. It is all about the adventure. Right? :-)
Yep. That way I got it if I want it but if I really need it it's what I forgot!!!
in "theory" you don't need much more than a bow, arrows, and a knife to go hunting, but we all love our stuff...Most guys I know (including myself) take way too much stuff, but I suppose if you don't mind lugging it along it doesn't hurt to have it just in case.
Before i met my wife i took very little with me. On our first camping trip she was loading every thing in the house, i thought we were moving or something but i kept my mouth shut as this was her first trip and i didn't want to discourage her. Well we were camping above tree line, there was not a power out let with in 100 miles of us and i unpacked a hair drier and a coffee pot (electric). I had a good laugh and poked fun at her but after a few trips i realized that even in the high country i wanted for nothing, my wife had packed it, i mean what ever you could think of i had it. Over time i grew to like it and now even if im by my self i take way to much but want for nothing.
Heck Yea
packing is half the fun of the hunting trip :thumbsup: IMO
Every single time....
Putting all my gear to good use is half the fun of being out in the wood!
At the beginning of deer season, I pack up a small duffel bag with all the non-essential stuff I MIGHT wish I had with me and stick it in my vehicle... and then I go back inside and pack my essentials into my day pack, fanny pack, or Catquiver. That way if I find myself wishing I had something, it's only as far as the car.
I hate over-packing a day pack, but do it all the time!
QuoteOriginally posted by wtpops:
Before i met my wife i took very little with me. On our first camping trip she was loading every thing in the house, i thought we were moving or something but i kept my mouth shut as this was her first trip and i didn't want to discourage her. Well we were camping above tree line, there was not a power out let with in 100 miles of us and i unpacked a hair drier and a coffee pot (electric). I had a good laugh and poked fun at her but after a few trips i realized that even in the high country i wanted for nothing, my wife had packed it, i mean what ever you could think of i had it. Over time i grew to like it and now even if im by my self i take way to much but want for nothing.
That's funny right there.
If we head up to the cabin for just two days, you'd think my wife was going for two weeks. I don't say anything. I just shake my head and just throw it all in the truck. I'm glad she wants to go. :)
I'm like Bowman-better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it! lol
I think it's the boyscout in me! Also, my wife thinks it's ridiculous. Thanks.
Kenny :knothead:
Mosly, I hunt from the house, meaning I carry only my bow, quiver, haversack, and possibly my safety climbing vest if hunting from the tree stand. However, on those few times when I do travel to camp, I wish the rental rate on 18 wheelers was affordable. Since I usually ride alone, I can get away with carrying a lot of stuff, but planning and preparing and packing up all that gear is a major part of the fun.
Nope. Carrying it all on your back, and having to leave room and weight for carrying an animal out cures you of overpacking real quick. I definitely take more on boat hunts and fly-out hunts though.
I always overpack. I can't recall ever regretting leaving something at home though.
Overpacking to me is bringing home stuff (especially clothing) that was unused during the trip. I don't consider it a waste of space to have taken peace of mind stuff like rain gear, extra arrows, broadheads, and even a back-up bow.
Short bed, regular cab, aluminum tool box on the Ford, AND ....she may look small, but..
there is a FULLY stocked kitchen behind them doors !!
http://s57.beta.photobucket.com/user/redwinghunter/media/DSCN1625.jpg.html?sort=3&o=3
There was even a cork screw in the drawer !!
:bigsmyl: :wavey:
p.s. I don't like this new photobucket system, anybody figured out how to get the pic instead of the link??
And now we know how Bass Pro and Cabela's became national franchises. LOL..I know this thread is a lot of fun but seriously...how much wasted money on unecessary "stuff". Those are hunting trips in my world!
I used to schlep a lot of cra...er.."stuff". Two trips to Alaska cured me of that. The pilot could not believe how little I had on my first trip. On my second I had shed an additional 23 pounds. I didn't buy lighter gear, I simply took less. I was NEVER in a position where I said "I wish I had." Even during a 40 hour torrential downpour with winds in the 50-60 MPH catagory out on the tundra.
Now...I keep it simple, I use each tool to it's maximum capacity (at least I try to). Almost everything is dual purpose. Rain gear is an outter layer, Coolers act as storage, clothes vacuum sealed, food pre-packaged, sealed and dosen't require ice. If there is an overindulgence it's clothes especially base layers and socks...I love fresh, clean, dry socks. 8^) Makes my feet very happy. I could wash them daily in nice weather but I don't.
If i thought I could use my bow as a deer drag and not have to find a solid stick (how many here actually bought their stick?). Seriously, my fall restraint is my drag.
And the concept of a "back-up" bow? Really? That's why they make take downs...two sets of limbs. And the second set only goes on serious road trips, not weekend excursions.
Who here has ever field dressed a deer with a broadhead? It can be done provided it has a real edge on it. I forgot my knife in camp and I was to lazy to cover the 1/2 mile round trip so I used a BH.
My hip quiver acts as a sheath for my little Asbell neck knife, and it also holds a clip on flashlight. I field dressed my last deer with that knife.
The industry and their marketing geniuses have sold us all on more is better, "just in case" in that rare moment you need the "butt-out" tool you have one.
Have a great News Years gents! See you all on the flip side!
(http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g237/redwinghunter/DSCN1627.jpg)
Right side of the screen....IMG code. One "click" and it copys to your clip board. Paste it to the text box and....viola!
Good points, scarne. I read an article a while back about a special device for hauling your bow or gun up into your treestand. These devices have been known for centuries as "rope", but someone is actually manufacturing a little hand-powered winch for cranking your bow up from the ground into your treestand. If I remember correctly it retails for something like $40. I'd like to meet the fellow that owns one of those. He must be a curious chap...
Gringol,
LMBO...that is way to funny. I think I know that guy...seriously. I saw him in the mirror this morning! I'll bet it is a gear reduction model with a 3:1 retrieve so the 25 pound pack only feels like 8 pounds.
I think it's human nature to take something that is inheritanlty simple and complicate to the point where it becomes an industry requiring a Masters Degree and 3 years experience to qualify for an interview.
I'm just not interested in playing in that game outside of work. That's why I went trad to begin with. As you know you can do a LOT with a piece of rope other than tying an overhand knot in it. But that requires reading, practicing, and using the rope. That to me is the fun of "traditonal" hunting & fishing. Perfecting the craft, not because I have to, but because it is part of the challenge.
Now tell me all about that hand crank dealio....8^)
We're always trying to pare down the load on our road trip hunts. Bear camp gets pretty ridiculous, but there we have an actual hunting shack and usually drive up separately.
Doing a backpack hunt would be the real test for "gear-stretching".
Thanks Scarne..Was rushin out the door and ....as usual... and could not figure it out this morning..Do appreciate it!
Wouldn't a Zebco 202 do the same as that 'whatchamathingie'..??
Pretty close...but I think the "whatchamathingie" is probably the higher quality and more reliable of the two...good luck!
Every year I scale back my fanny pack to save room and weight. I put everything I remove into a bag that stays in the truck. By the end of the season it is all back in the fanny pack!
Now my hunting partner invented "over packing". He showed up in a full sized Dodge 2500 with a camper shell. He was picking two more of us up and we were driving to Canada.
You could not see in the windows of the camper shell he had so much stuff.
We had to unpack the truck and leave some of it in my garage so me and the other guy would have room for our gear.
Things you never hear on a hunt trip.
Dang I wish I didn't bring this:
Rain gear.
Extra batteries
This extra lantern
This big ole warm sleeping bag
This extra bow string
All these extra steaks.
All this salt and pepper.
All this single malt.
All this clean ice.
This extra razor sharp knife.
This extra compass and maps I have a GPS.
Shoestrings.
Extra wool socks.
This big, giant, heavy warm coat.
Extra long johns.
Extra toilet paper.
Extra matches & lighter.
Extra insect repellent.
Extra drinking water.
This fishing rod & small tackle box.
Jumper Cables
Tool box
Ax
Duct Tape
Extra paddle
And the list just keeps on growing. On the other hand Every trip I've been on I wish I had brought something I decided to leave behind.
Yes! I went ultra light a few times and learned it's much better to have to much than to little.
Most of my hunting is a few hundred yards from the back door. I still wear a day pack with a few doodads.
Every year I think dump the pack and use all these cool pockets. Once the pockets are stuffed and bulging I change my mind and reload the pack.
Could I get by with just the bow, arrows, knife, and clothes I wear....yep. However, I was a Boy Scout and the scoutmasters beat "be prepared" in my head.
I used to think I had to carry everything... Now, when day hunting within an hour of home and within a mile or two of the truck, I carry just what fits in my fanny pack and a few GI blouse pockets. Of course, the truck has basis stuff like come-along, extra clothing, food, saw, ax, etc.