Getting ready for elk and going through gear and counting the days. And the days are getting harder to deal with so humour me with your wisdom here. What gear other than the obvious items you use. What items have you figured out help you in the backcountry with your hunt or your camp , I guess it don't matter if it is an obvious item or not. Help me get past the next few weeks with your vast amounts of knowledge.....

,,,,Sam,,,,

Take a small feather and thread to tie on a branch or something .
Good wind indicator and will amuse you to watch it .

Steri-pen. Light, effective, reliable.

Sawyer squeeze filter pretty awesome too. Dont need fancy gear just need to get out and enjoy!!

I agree with the above statement , it ain't about fancy gear the majority of mine is secondhand and patched up. And my pack sure is not the lightest when I hit the trail ( and hopefully real heavy on the way out ). Here is my favorite pic from last year going out heavy......

Note the fancy camo....

 

Toilet paper and wipes!! Pretty obvious, but could you imagine a week with out them!

Plenty of trail mix, not only for you, but to keep the Grey Jays, and the ground squirrels happy around camp...2 good headlamps always!

Mole skin in case you get a hot spot or blister on your foot and butt butter (salve) in case you get a hot spot or rash there.

Coghlans makes a lot of handy camping products...one that I like is the firestarter matches...in a hypothermic situation they could save your life

DDave

I like duct tape for hot spots.

I always carry an Esbit Pocket stove and a stainless steel cup along with instant coffee and boullion cubes.

https://www.rei.com/product/653343/esbit-pocket-stove

All good tips........best of luck on your adventure! Enjoy the high country!!  

I keep a roll of electrical tape in my pack.  Handy for all kinds of things.  Bicycle inner tube cut into short sections and makes handy little dry bags for batteries, aspirin, fire starters etc.

Best of luck, Sam.

Jake

A friend always talked about carrying 4 tree steps,for hanging bagged elk quarters to cool.

Rope and other devices for pulling can be very important in maneuvering an elk on the ground,holding legs up etc,especially on inclines.We can't choose where they fall.

I don't go out without a good,LED headlight.

I put a mini hammock in my fanny pack.Mid day away from camp took a couple of naps really enjoyed them.Kip

Got my gear all packed and ready to go. After a couple times it is getting easier. I don't take much, don't really care about comfort, just the essentials.

Some lesser thought of essentials to me
1) Coffee....lack of caffeine headaches are near death experiences.
2) Chapstick- being from the humidity of the south, after 2-3 days in the CO dry air lips will crack like crazy
3) Saline Nasal spray-kind of same as above.\\

Can't wait !!!!!

Being a fire guy, I'm sure you have lots of latex gloves that come in handy for field dressing.
Duct tape; always handy.
Cotton balls and fire striker.
Parachute cord.

Make sure your fletching is 100% waterproof...If it rains get out there it's going to get exciting!

About three times as much paracord as you think you need. Get the kind that has the reflectance material woven In. If you hang meat with it or use it around camp, It really stands out when hit by your light.

A couple of heavy duty tent stakes in the day pack can be used to hold elk legs up when there is nothing to tie to.  I started using them after being repeatedly kicked in the head by a dead elk.  

Foot and body powder. A liitle foot powder and camp shoes goes a long way for comfort and keeping feet in good shape.

I have really been impressed with my Sawyer squeeze the last few years also.