7 Packing Tips for the Mobile Hunter

When guiding week after week of hunts during a busy fall season, guides come up with some pretty cool tricks when it comes to packing their bags for a hunt. Here are a few that I’ve picked up along the way from my peers in the industry.

1. Ditch your first aid kit's bag

Most first aid kids come in a handy nylon bag. While nice for keeping things organized, they are usually full of pockets, zippers, mesh dividers and other weight-adding features. So, ditch the pack that your first aid kit came in, and dump the contents into a simple zip-top plastic bag. It’s everything you need at a fraction of the weight.

2. Duct tape your water bottle.

Duct tape is a great thing to carry with you. But you’d be crazy to haul an entire roll in your daypack. Instead, make about 10 wraps of duct tape around your water bottle. That should be enough for most backcountry repair situations.

3. Keep game bags in a compression sack.

For something that you’ll only use once on your hunt, game bags can take up a significant percentage of space in your pack if you let them. To keep this from happening, stuff them into a small compression sack and cinch it down tight. In fact, I keep my entire field dressing kit in a compression sack, including my hunting license. It’s compact and it keeps these items together in an easy-to-grab place.

4. Carry a smartphone as GPS and Camera

Rather than carrying a standalone GPS unit and camera simply use your smartphone’s built-in GPS capability, along with a GPS/Topo app. I’ve been happy with an app called Gaia but there are several good options on the market. If you’re happy with your smartphone’s camera, then you can easily save space and weight. I use a waterproof iPhone case from Hitcase that turns my iPhone into a changeable-lens camera with both a standard and a wide-angle lens. To keep it all charged, I use a lightweight, compact solar charger.

5. Keep small hemostats with your Havalon.

Changeable blade knives like those made by Havalon have become immensely popular in recent years and for good reason. They weigh very little and they’re insanely sharp. But I know too many people who have cut themselves while trying to change blades with cold, wet hands. For that reason, I carry a small pair of hemostats with my Havalon. They slide right into the knife case with the spare blades.

6. Tenacious Tape

This stuff is a lifesaver and deserves to be a packing tip in itself. For weighing almost nothing, it can repair some of your most critical gear in a snap. I’ve used it on torn rain jackets, down jackets, the rain fly on my tent and more. It grips, it holds, and you can forget it’s there. It’s made by Gear-Aid and you can find it at many sporting goods stores.

7. Tie a daisy chain in your para-cord.

If you don’t know how to get it started, ask a buddy who rock climbs or find a YouTube video. This is commonly used for rock climbing rope but it’s perfect for the para-cord in your pack. You can wad it up and stuff it in your pack and it will never get tangled. One simple pull on the tag end, and it neatly unravels when you need it.