With September’s bugling bulls just days away the panic pack has begun! You know what I’m talking about. You pace throughout the house talking to yourself, stuffing anything and everything into your tote or pack that you think you may even remotely need during the hunt away from home. I take a few minutes and write everything down. This is my backpack list for whether I’m day-tripping it, or bivy hunting with my pack on my back all day while wandering around trying to find an ornery old bull who wants to bugle back. I’ve found that I use very little of the gear that I carried in the past, so I have trimmed the list down to the essentials.
Day Pack: Full day trips
Kifaru Stryker backpack
- Kill Kit
– Bugler Blade (Standard)
– Worksharp “pocket knife sharpener”
– 50’ paracord
– Blackovis Meat sacks
Includes: 5 meat bags, plastic drop cloth, 2 pairs of nitrile gloves, a roll of
orange ribbon - 3 extra Phelps Maverick elk diaphragms
- Anker battery charging pack
- LED Headlamp (Lithium batteries)
– Extra Lithium batteries - Small LED handheld flashlight
- Matches
- Trioxane fire starter bars
- Firstaid kit
– Super Glue (for cuts)
– Benadryl
– Ibuprofen
– Band-Aids
– Leukotape (for blisters and taping bandages) - Steripen water purifier
- Sissy Stix brand trekking poles
– Use code THEBUGLER to save 15% off at checkout - Firstlite Raincoat: Stormlight Ultralight rain jacket
- Firstlite Puffy jacket: Uncompahgre 2.0
- InReach Mini
Food - Breakfast and dinner at camp
- Lunch
– 2 Bagel/meat sandwich: one for lunch, one for the evening.
– Protein bar
– Jerky & pepperoni sticks
– Wasabi Almonds
– Dried Mixed fruit (mango, blueberries, strawberries) - Water: 3-liter Camelback reservoir
- Pistol & Bear spray in grizzly country
– Springfield Armory .40 S&W super compact
Bivy Pack: 4 days, 3 nights
Kifaru 44MAG backpack
- Sleep System
- Kifaru Supertarp shelter
- Stoneglacier 0degree Chilkoot sleeping bag
- Big Agnes Q-Core SLX insulated sleeping pad
- Klymit Luxe inflatable pillow
- Kill Kit
– Bugler Blade (Standard)
– Worksharp “pocket knife sharpener”
– 50’ paracord
– Blackovis Meat sacks
Includes: 5 meat bags, plastic drop cloth, 2 pairs of nitrile gloves, a roll of
orange ribbon - 3 extra Phelps Maverick elk diaphragms
- Anker battery charging pack
- 1 pair extra Firstlite merino socks
- 1 pair extra Firstlite merino underwear
- LED Headlamp (Lithium batteries)
– Extra Lithium batteries - Small LED handheld flashlight
- Matches
- Trioxane fire starter bars
- Firstaid kit
– Super Glue (for cuts)
– Benadryl
– Ibuprofen
– Band-Aids
– Leukotape (for blisters and taping bandages) - Steripen water purifier
- Sissy Stix brand trekking poles
– Use code THEBUGLER to save 15% off at checkout - Firstlite Raincoat: Stormlight Ultralight rain jacket
- Firstlite Puffy jacket: Brooks Down Puffy Sweater
- InReach Mini
Food - Breakfast x 4 days
– Oatmeal
– Bagel
– MTN OPS energy drink
One packet Yeti, One packet Enduro
One packet Emergen-C - Lunch x 4 days
– Protein bar
– Jerky & pepperoni sticks
– Wasabi Almonds
– Dried Mixed fruit (mango, blueberries, strawberries) - Dinner x 3 days
– Stowaway Gourmet, Freeze-dried entrée’ - Water: 3-liter Camelback reservoir
– Nalgene bottle to collect water for purification and storage. - Pistol & Bear spray in grizzly country
– Springfield Armory .40 S&W super compact