This Mom's Day Hike Pack

[bacpacjac]

I included this is my trip report, but some people have PM'd asking me "What's in that pack of yours?" So I thought I'd post a peak inside my basic summer day hike kit. The rest of the year, I add extra wool socks, and more shelter (incl. clothes - wool watch cap, gloves, fleece, etc.), more fire and more high fat food. It's a 25L Broadstone Sport Day Pack. (It gets switched over to a bigger pack in the colder months to accommodate the extra gear.) Nothing fancy but for $30 at Canadian Tire, it's held up pretty well the past couple of years, despite the fact that bacpacboy used it for his bay pack for the first year of its life.



The Guts along with bacpacbaby's small diaper bag and her child carrier
Uploaded with ImageShack.com

Food & Water: Nalgene, Canteen Kit (Canteen, canteen cup, canteen stove, esbit or wetfire tabs, secondary pot for boiling/cooking, Sea to Summit Spork, bandana, Bag O Chow with extra ziplock bags
Uploaded with ImageShack.com

Shelter, Sharps & Fire: Mora LMF Fireknife, BG USK, Bacho Laplander saw, Gerber pocket sharpener, folding cup, tin with charred punk wood, paracord, jute twine, Bag O Love, 2 nylon GI style ponchos, bug juice, garbage bags (not in pic. They're in the small side mesh pockets of the pack)
*I don't always carry both knives. It depends on what I'm planning to do out there. The BGUSK is my chopper an batonner, and the Mora is my standard go to for a day hike.
Uploaded with ImageShack.com

Bag O Love: Resealable breast milk bag with BIC, water filter straw, MicroPUR tabs, AAA flashlight, mini folding knife, Gerber micro multi-tool, fatwood and there's usually some wetfire in there as well. *There are usually a couple of extra breast milk bags in there too, along with some snare wire. (Both are now refilled. They got used in a couple of bacpacboy's projects.)
Uploaded with ImageShack.com

First Aid & Hygiene: I forgot to get a picture but this kit currently has a very simple FAK in a ziplock bag. It's got tampons, maxi pads, wipes, Tylenol, lip balm, MRE toilet paper, bandaids

[Boondock]

I like the breast-milk bags for emergency water storage--they pack small and will hold boiling liquids.

[bacpacjac]

why I like them. They don't hold much but would work in a pinch. Besides, I have some left over so I might as well put them to good use.

I need to add a couple back into my bag o love. bacpacboy used mine up the other day with some treasures he found in the creek. (He didn't want to get his pack wet or waste one of his garbage bags.)

[Murph]

Be nice to hear more about the First Aid Kit.

[bacpacjac]

The FAK is VERY simple. I keep it in a ziplock bag. It's got tampons, maxi pads, baby wipes, Tylenol, Burt's Bees lip balm, MRE toilet paper and a bunch of bandaids. That's about it. I figure with my bandana and water bottle, I should be able to take care of just about anything that doesn't require 911 in this setting. This set up doesn't go far from civilization. The trails and forests around here are only a very short walk to a road and houses. I've got more robust, AMK based, kits in my overnight kit and BOB, and throw one of those in if we go on a day hike in a more remote area. There's usually a mylar blanket in there too, but I guess it got left out. I'll rectify that tonight.

Just realized that I didn't put my Benedryl refill in there. Other than Tylenol, it's the only other med that's in there but I think it's an important one.

[bacpacjac]

Thought I'd post a quick cold weather update.

The above is my basic pack set up, but I do modify it in the colder months. A bigger pack means more room for warmth, so I've moved from a 25L pack to a 35L pack. It's a simple Outbound Yukon 35L . Nothing fancy but functional.



Content Added (in addition to the above):



-Peztl e+ headlight & spare batteries(2)
-a ziplock bag with - merino wool hiking socks, liner gloves, fleece-lined buff, flo orange thinsulate hat
-a fleece vest
-a wool poncho
-chemical body warmers
-more robust fire starting kit (hexi cubes, bic, tea light, match safe with SA matches, striker & PJ cotton balls all secured in a repurposed dried fruit ziplock retort bag)
-DIY windscreen for canteen stove
-Thermarest Z-seat
-ice cleats
-more food: instant potatoes and bacon bits, instant oatmeal, jerky, a MH meal (beef stroganoff. yum!)
-AMK/SOL Bivvy (not pictured)
-more robust FAK (Contents: AMK .7 FAK kit with added: mylar blanet, lip balm, LED, triangular bandage, maxi pads, tampons, meds, MicroPUR tabs(4) and MRE TP)




http://www.adventuremedicalkits.com/med ... ght-7.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I also moved my Gerber multi-tool into this kit. It's got a bunch of uses, especially with cold fingers, including making it easier to move hot pots on and off the fire. I should also note that I usually have an insulated travel mug or bottle with me. My current favourite is my Bubba!

[Woods Walker]

How did I miss this. Also have the LMF Mora. Good kit.

[bacpacjac]

Thanks Woods! I'm really digging the LMF Mora. It's my first Mora and I can totally see why you love them so much. I use it all the time. The only thing I haven't done is baton with it. I'm like it too much to hurt it.

[omega_man]

I've destroyed 3 Moras batoning (more just to see if I could and how much abuse they can take )! Just use "reasonable" size pieces, lol! Although, I just got the Mora bushcraft, hmm...how long until I break that?

Love the kit, Jac!

[raistlin]

I love the Moras. I have four of the more basic models in my tool box, my car kit, my home first aid kid, and one in a kitchen drawer. They just the seem the great, all around fixed blade that's handy to have around and so reasonably priced.

Great thread, bacpacjac.

[bacpacjac]

Thanks guys! I'm a Mora convert. Can't find many in these parts though so I'm going to baby mine and beat the snot out of the BGUSK.


I should point out that this kit, beyond being a day hike kit, is also part of the GHB system that I EDC in my Jeep during my commute to work. (Bringing it with me every morning will also, hopefully, ensure that I stick to my goal of going for a lunchtime hike at least 2 or 3 times a week.) This is the "wilderness" component of that GHB set-up. It couples with a smaller backpack that contains typical "go to a hotel or stay on a friend's couch" stuff, like a couple changes of clothes, toiletries & meds, wool blanket, flashdrive with important documents, cel phone charger, etc.

[bacpacjac]

I'm helping our Pack and Troop prepare for Winter Camp this weekend, and part of the process of going through our packs. Thought I'd share a look at what this pack looked like when I got to work this morning.

[sheddi]

I'm helping our Pack and Troop prepare for Winter Camp this weekend, and part of the process of going through our packs. Thought I'd share a look at what this pack looked like when I got to work this morning.

Love the video -33C? That's mad, I thought -10C was nasty!

A couple of quick questions:
I like to seal the ends of my cordage using a flame (typically from a Bic lighter) to stop it fraying. I note you've left the orange cord unsealed (great colour BTW). Is there a reason for this?
How many calories do you think you've got in that food pack?

Thanks again for the video, you do a really good run-through

[mossberg]

i have never put a baby in my bugout bag...do they come in handy?

[Woods Walker]

A thread the predates ice ball earth. Ah those dog days of summer.

[bacpacjac]

That paracord picture hurts my OCD head. I got a new 100ft length the day before and cut it up into smaller lengths, but left the melting of the ends for work later that night. It's all neat and tidy now.

The food pack in this kit currently includes:

1 X MH Beef Stroganoff with Noodles (620 calories)
1 X Mr. Noodles (228 calories)
1 X Clover Leaf flavoured canned tuna (111 calories)
1 X Idaho Butter and Herb instant potatoes (440 calories)
2 X Quaker Instant Raisin and Spice oatmeal (160 calories each)
Oceanspray Craisins (550 calories)
2 X Clif bars (240 calories each)
2 X Macintosh toffee bars (270 calories each)
4 X Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate (138 calories each)
2 X Tang (90 calories each)
2 X Koolaid (30 calories each)
4 X Nescafe 2-in-1 instant coffee (47 calories each)
4 sugar packets (23 calories each)


As for the baby, a baby is a key piece of gear, IMO. They force you to be prepared, creative, patient, and more cautious than you might normally be, etc... but just as importantly, carrying and keeping up with them is a great way to work on strength and cardio, the noise scares away dangerous predators, the drool makes cleaning up a bit easier, and the dirty diapers work better than any trip wire I've ever heard of to keep your perimeter secure.

[sheddi]

That paracord picture hurts my OCD head. I got a new 100ft length the day before and cut it up into smaller lengths, but left the melting of the ends for work later that night. It's all neat and tidy now.

Sorry, didn't mean to seem rude I thought there might be some bushcraft use for frayed cord that I was missing out on!

The food pack in this kit currently includes:
<snip list of foody goodness>

Wow, that's north of 4000 calories. A lot to pack into such a small bundle.

Well done on your comprehensive pack!

[geoffreys7]

Bacpacjac thanks so much for all your posts! I've copied most of them into a word document and posted it in my dropbox so I can access it from anywhere! It's nice to see a post from someone that walks the talk and is constantly testing and tweaking their equipment. Just wanted you to know it's really been helpful and enlightening reading your posts. And I'm a former Boy Scout leader and volunteer fireman!

[bacpacjac]

Thanks so much guys! I really appreciate the feedback.

I've made a couple of little tweaks recently:

-I put my Frontier filter straw back into the kit. I took it out over the winter, since there was lots of snow to melt and boil.
http://www.amazon.ca/Frontier-Emergency ... B0014EAYUM" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

-I've had my eyes open for a new metal boiling container for my day hike kit, to compliment my canteen kit, and allow me to boil/cook enough for myself and bacpacbaby - who is now a toddler and wants nothing to do with baby food anymore. I wanted something with a secure lid, that wouldn't take up a lot of extra space in my pack. Found what looks like a brand new 750ml/13 oz MSR Seagull in a secondhand store for $9.99. Still had the original manufacturer's stickers on it, Styrofoam sheet under the lid and not a scratch or scuff on it. Stashed my fire kit in it with a bandanna to reduce the clanging, threw it in my pack and broke it in with my alcohol and canteen stoves. I carry a secondary water bottle when there's no snow on the ground, so I will probably just carry a second canteen kit in this kit, and move the seagull to my BOB.

[bacpacjac]

Bacpacjac thanks so much for all your posts! I've copied most of them into a word document and posted it in my dropbox so I can access it from anywhere! It's nice to see a post from someone that walks the talk and is constantly testing and tweaking their equipment. Just wanted you to know it's really been helpful and enlightening reading your posts. And I'm a former Boy Scout leader and volunteer fireman!

I'm flattered, geoffreys7, truly. I'm glad to help by sharing my experiences, but the credit goes to the gurus around here who taught me how important it is to get out test your gear and yourself, even if it's just in the backyard! On that note, thank you gurus!!

[Mags]

Ma'am, that is probably my all time favorite cooking container. Paired with my original Esbit Stove they have provided me with countless meals, hot water for shaving and "bathing" along with secure storage. Great choice! You rock on momma!