Camping Essentials:

[Talon]

I've got a week long camping trip planned next month. I'll be staying near a river, so fishing will be the primary food source, though if I can skewer a wild hog with a makeshift spear, I'll do that too. Should be a good time!

I think I've covered the bases with this list. Anything I'm missing?

1. Water- and a way to boil it.

2. Fire- matches, lighters, rub sticks together, flint, steel.

3. Shelter- tarp, tent or something similar.

4. Knife- preferably two with one being a machete or hatchet.

5. Sleeping bag- with a cushion of some sort.

6. Fishing, Hunting, or Trapping equipment if you will be out for an extended period of time.

7. First Aid Kit- basic kit with tourniquet and duct tape (for splinting) thrown in.

Miscellaneous- extra clothes, socks, powder for feet, personal hygiene kit, plastic bags for various things, rope, clamps.

[TheRabbit]

Shit paper and baby wipes. Pepto.

[TheRabbit]

daily multi-vitamin

[Sky]

aloe vera, always have aloe handy.

[piranha2]

550 cord

[Mayaca]

Water: You can get the sawyer mini from Walmart for like $20 ish. Buy 2 "smart water" bottles of water. The filter from the mini fits the smart water. So you can drink the bottles as you hike in, and then filter the river water. Cookware is your choice. I have a great little cook kit from walmart too. $15 bucks and works awesome... Stanley Adventure series

For your knive, you can skip the axe or hatchet if your big knife is thick enough to batton with.


I could go on. I often go to the woods for up to 10 days and my weight is about 25lbs including food.

(I have a hammock with bug netting for down here weighs 5lbs. Up there I would use a small tent that weighs 2lbs)

If you want to talk more about gear I carry I can, but I don't want to be a know-it-all or take over your thread.

I would suggest you take 3 large leaf garbage bags (thick good ones)
If it turns bitter cold, you can stuff leaves and stuff in them and make a ground barrier so you don't freeze.)
Lots of other uses for them, well worth the minimal weight.

[Talon]

Yeah, tell me some more good tricks and secrets. I've actually been thinking about a hammock. I'll probably pick one up and try it out.

Water: You can get the sawyer mini from Walmart for like $20 ish. Buy 2 "smart water" bottles of water. The filter from the mini fits the smart water. So you can drink the bottles as you hike in, and then filter the river water. Cookware is your choice. I have a great little cook kit from walmart too. $15 bucks and works awesome... Stanley Adventure series

For your knive, you can skip the axe or hatchet if your big knife is thick enough to batton with.


I could go on. I often go to the woods for up to 10 days and my weight is about 25lbs including food.

(I have a hammock with bug netting for down here weighs 5lbs. Up there I would use a small tent that weighs 2lbs)

If you want to talk more about gear I carry I can, but I don't want to be a know-it-all or take over your thread.

I would suggest you take 3 large leaf garbage bags (thick good ones)
If it turns bitter cold, you can stuff leaves and stuff in them and make a ground barrier so you don't freeze.)
Lots of other uses for them, well worth the minimal weight.

[mattmuttsmith]

Compass

[TheRabbit]

If you are going to get a hammock, get a skeeter beeter.

[Talon]

I'm thinking something along these lines. I'll have a tent too just in cast this doesn't work out for whatever reason.

[swampbilly]

spend the $ on a sketterbeater like harvey said

[Mayaca]

I will list some specific items. I don't intend you buy exactly what I have, and might not find exactly what I have, but will list an example.

also........ I LOVE bushcraft. Starting a fire from a fero rod and steel is fun. But carry 2 backups. Carry a lighter, and carry kitchen/ safety matches in double ziplock bags. All the bushcraft bullshit is fun to play with, but if you stumble in to your camp site at dusk and are rushing to set up, it sure is nice to be able to flick your bic. On that note......... carry a candle. Not only does it give you a light source, but if your tinder is dry you can hold it over the candle for a few and it will dry out and catch.

My theory on bushcraft/ survivalism............. I carry the easy shit, try the hard shit, but if it goes to shit, I don't give a shit, use the easy shit.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Stanley-Ad...k-Set/16784406 Cookware

http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Sky-Outdo...g+screen&psc=1 hammock

http://www.amazon.com/PahaQue-Wilder...mmock+rain+fly rainfly

http://www.amazon.com/Sports-Summit-...light+backpack backpack


I pack my gear with a mind to the order I will unpack in camp. It makes it easier to have the ground tarp on top, and lay my gear out on it as opposed to having sitting my gear in the dirt while I try to get to the tarp.....

I also carry a smaller light pack that has a few small emergency items. Sort of the (throwing up in my mouth) Bear Grylls necessities) The idea is if I get up to go pee in the night I grab it. I don't repack camp, but if I get lost I have shit with me. So I keep the small bag with me like a freaking purse. In that small bag is where I would keep the matches.

In the small bag is a cloth sack I call a "gather bag". I forage for wild edibles, and never know when I might stumble across something yummy.


Now, I am not an ultralight guy like some. I don't care if I carry a little weight cause I am a big guy. But I DO make a conscious decision to buy the lighter choice in gear, and I get good quality stuff. Save pennies somewhere else. You are living out of this gear when you camp. That isn't to say I don't buy inexpensive if I can get good stuff. I have been thrilled at the quality of some gear I got at walmart. But if you do save the money and get something cheaper, use it and then if it isn't up to snuff, ditch it and upgrade. Life is too short to use crappy camping gear.


I will stop there for now. Happy to answer specifics. I do a lot of camping. I take groups down the river by kayak and we do bushcraft. My buddies know a lot, and they show me stuff and I show them the wild edibles and stuff.

[Mayaca]

My hammock is top drawer. It is by Snugpak a british outdoor company.

[gamgee]

Oatmeal, Mountain House entrees, rice, couple frozen steaks or bacon, hard boiled eggs, trail mix, coffee, etc.

Multi-tool.

[HeavyHauler]

Yeah, tell me some more good tricks and secrets. I've actually been thinking about a hammock. I'll probably pick one up and try it out.

Hammocks are great, I love em. Hard to put up here, down south where I used to live; they were a lot better. The trees up here are pretty scrawny.

I'm thinking something along these lines. I'll have a tent too just in cast this doesn't work out for whatever reason.

That would be an excellent hammock.

Mine doesn't have the net, or the fly; I just use a tarp over mine. But I plan on getting one exactly like that, for up here. MILLIONS UPON MILLIONS of mosquitoes!

I will list some specific items. I don't intend you buy exactly what I have, and might not find exactly what I have, but will list an example.

also........ I LOVE bushcraft. Starting a fire from a fero rod and steel is fun. But carry 2 backups. Carry a lighter, and carry kitchen/ safety matches in double ziplock bags. All the bushcraft bullshit is fun to play with, but if you stumble in to your camp site at dusk and are rushing to set up, it sure is nice to be able to flick your bic. On that note......... carry a candle. Not only does it give you a light source, but if your tinder is dry you can hold it over the candle for a few and it will dry out and catch.

My theory on bushcraft/ survivalism............. I carry the easy shit, try the hard shit, but if it goes to shit, I don't give a shit, use the easy shit.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Stanley-Ad...k-Set/16784406 Cookware

http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Sky-Outdo...g+screen&psc=1 hammock

http://www.amazon.com/PahaQue-Wilder...mmock+rain+fly rainfly

http://www.amazon.com/Sports-Summit-...light+backpack backpack


I pack my gear with a mind to the order I will unpack in camp. It makes it easier to have the ground tarp on top, and lay my gear out on it as opposed to having sitting my gear in the dirt while I try to get to the tarp.....

I also carry a smaller light pack that has a few small emergency items. Sort of the (throwing up in my mouth) Bear Grylls necessities) The idea is if I get up to go pee in the night I grab it. I don't repack camp, but if I get lost I have shit with me. So I keep the small bag with me like a freaking purse. In that small bag is where I would keep the matches.

In the small bag is a cloth sack I call a "gather bag". I forage for wild edibles, and never know when I might stumble across something yummy.


Now, I am not an ultralight guy like some. I don't care if I carry a little weight cause I am a big guy. But I DO make a conscious decision to buy the lighter choice in gear, and I get good quality stuff. Save pennies somewhere else. You are living out of this gear when you camp. That isn't to say I don't buy inexpensive if I can get good stuff. I have been thrilled at the quality of some gear I got at walmart. But if you do save the money and get something cheaper, use it and then if it isn't up to snuff, ditch it and upgrade. Life is too short to use crappy camping gear.


I will stop there for now. Happy to answer specifics. I do a lot of camping. I take groups down the river by kayak and we do bushcraft. My buddies know a lot, and they show me stuff and I show them the wild edibles and stuff.

This is all pretty good info and a lot of it; is what I was going to say.

Back to someone else's post about battoning wood; I would never bother wrecking my knife over that shit. Carry a quality hatchet or machete. Keep your knife for cutting up meat, skinning, etc.

Just my opinion.