I have been looking at all the great kits here and have given my share of comments and opinions. Now I would like to share mine to see what everyone thinks. First a little background: When I hunt in the winter it is only for small game such as rabbit or grouse etc. As big game season is over here in Alberta it is a nice opportunity to get some exercise and enjoy the outdoors while I patiently wait for deer/moose/elk season to kick off again. Sometimes I just feel like snowshoeing but I will take the gun along just in case.(every time I don’t have it is when I wish I did) My truck is my base of operations if you will. I will park it somewhere and travel out on foot. My intent is always to stay within 5-6 Km of my truck and then make it back before dark. On three occasions (yes 3, I know) I have been unable to make it back to my truck but these items have seen me through till morning. In My truck I keep all the comforts to spend a few weeks if I had to: Tent, food, stoves w/ fuel, Gas lantern, dry clothes, repair kits, extra water etc, etc. I could spend a week describing what I keep in my truck on a hunting trip. My goal is always to make camp at my truck, hunt all day and make it back before dark to a nice, warm camp. In case things go wrong (for a fourth time) then what I carry has kept me out of trouble before. My first step as always is the plan. I know the areas where I go or I will study the map beforehand. I tell my wife exactly where I will park the truck and where I plan on walking. I will call her on my cell every 6 hours. I tell her that if I miss a call not to panic, but if I miss two calls then something is wrong. If I cannot get a hold of her, even if all is well I will abort my trip and find a landline, or just push for home to avoid her calling SAR in a worry. I have thankfully never had to do this, and even on those times when I couldn’t make it back to my truck and had to spend a night under the frozen stars I was able to call her and tell her all was well(once my call wouldn’t go through but a text message did…. funny….)

Anyway. Here it is in a nutshell. This is my core kit. It is what will be in my winter pack no matter what winter activity I am doing. For ice fishing I will add some items (like a rod and tackle) and drop others (like my gun and LRF etc) most items will remain the same. For the times when I plan on an overnighter then I will add extra clothes and my alpine tent, air mattress , cook set etc but for my normal day hunt my goal is always to make it back to my trunk to spend the night, and head out again the next morning. My backpack of choice is the Eberlestock J104 pack. It may not be suited to some lightweight backpackers needs but it goes from a 2900 cubic inch daypack to a 7900 cubic inch meat hauler in just a few zipper pulls. It has a rifle scabbard built in, a hydration system and a reversible rain cover. You can check it out at http://www.eberlestock.com/index.html .It is truly a hunting pack but can be used as a great trekker as well.
This is my mini PSK.
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This goes everywhere I do as part of my EDC and gets packed inside my outer clothing shell in an inside shirt pocket or pants pocket. This way it will be with me in case I have to ditch my pack (falling through ice etc) If TSHTF I should be at least in possession of this and whatever is in my pockets.(I have a pelican L1 and a SAK on my key chain plus my cold steel ultimate hunter , cell phone in dry bag, surefire E2E etc which remains in my pockets just in case. If I am in such a bad situation that I lose this mini PSK it means that I have also lost all my clothes and then I am in real trouble (especially considering it dropped to -48 with wind chill in Alberta today) If I do have to ditch my gear at least I can get a fire going and signal for help with this mini kit. I placed the items in a zip lock bag, then inside another and wound it with yellow GUN tape to make the case. A quick snip with scissors and I have a re-sealable, cheap, easy to replace pouch. There is glow in the dark tape wrapped around the body and it will float. The expiry date of the water puri tabs is written on the outside. It is about the size of a bar of soap so it is not a pain in the a@# to have on me at all times. These are the contents:

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• 3 Coughlin’s wax tinder
• 3 spark lite tinder
• 12 inches of 2 in duct tape, yellow – Repairs to clothing, water bag etc
• Aluminum foil, Approx 3' – use to make cup for boiling water, as a fire platform, to cook or as a fire reflector.
• Utility knife blade, heavy duty – to cut string for shelter etc, as a backup, backup, backup if knife is lost.
• Mine string, braided. Approx 20 ft – Use to lash poles for shelter, use for repairs etc
• Mini BIC lighter, button held by lock wire.
• Spark-lite(military issue)
• Starflash signal mirror, Survival Inc.
• Jetscream survival whistle, Survival Inc.
• Ziploc bag (water ¾ full when held at top = 1 L) – To store water for purification.
• 1 knuckle bandage
• 1 betadine packet
• 4 water purification tablets

Carried in my pack in a small Army issue tool kit I have the following:

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• LED headlamp (Browning black ice), multi colored LED, red, green, blue and white
• Roll of toilette paper in field dispenser(when you gotta go, wiping with snow is no fun at all, backup tinder)
• S.O.G multi-tool(military issue)
• Hot hands hand warmers x 4(optional winter)
• Survival whistle, jetscream
• Signal mirror, starflash
• 4 sheets of write in the rain paper
• 2 x 3 foot sheets of tin foil
• Water purification tablets( 12 Micro-pur and 36 puri- tabs, military issue)
• Roll of Military trip wire with 2 broadhead nails, 2 x spark light tinder’s inside tube. (military issue) for snares, repairs etc
• Suunto compass(military issue) can take bearings. in Mils rather than deg for better accuracy. back up signal mirror.
• Blast match sparking tool
• Enviro sac water bottle(backup to source bladder or Nalgene bottle)
• 24 x Mariner lifeboat matches/ 2 x striker patches (sealed, military issue)
• 10 x Coghlans wax tinder and 2 x wetfire tinder (inside match vial)
• BIC lighter(sealed in plastic and gagged with wire) wire keeps lighter from discharging
• Arctic survival candle(military issue) first light candle with BIC, then light fire. Takes the chill out of a shelter
• 15 Minute road flare(signal, can be cut into pieces to light a fire in ANY weather condition fast) not shown
• 50 foot roll of yellow trail tape(day trail marker)
• 30 foot roll of glow in the dark trail tape(not shown) night trail/camp marker
• Spare batteries(2x AA, 3x AAA, 2 surefire)
• 60 feet of 5 strand Para cord(military issue)
• Gerber LSK (back up knife) should I manage to break the other 5
• 2x 12 hour glow sticks (green, military issue)backup light, marking camp, downed game etc
• 8 x mini glow sticks (yellow, military issue)trail/kit markers
• Large gaff hook
• spearhead
• Mini hacksaw blade(never know when cutting a piece of metal will come in handy)
• 4 x grenade pins(repairs for broken zipper pulls, use to fix broken straps)
• 6 x heavy duty safety pins(large)
• 4 x double headed nails(tent pegs for tarp, improvised traps)
• EZ lap diamond knife sharpener
• Small wooden pencil w/eraser
• Small spool of thread(military issue)tougher than hell
• Large sewing needle (tapped to pencil)
• Fishing kit in orange match vial, wrapped with 12 feet of orange GUN tape(assorted hooks, spinners, lead shot, and 50 feet of 20 lb test line.)
• Medical kit(standard items)
• 2 feet of surgical tubing(emergency tourniquet, water siphon)
• Shell dressing(for larger owies)
• Tube of Vaseline(keeps laces or zippers from freezing, prevents chapped hands, back up tinder)
• Tube of SPF 33 sun block(even in winter, it will prevent windburn to your face)
• Garmin GPS(not shown) Camera(not shown)


By keeping these items in the tool bag I can grab the bag and gain assess easily. Other items are added or taken away from the bag depending on season (bug spray for example) the signal mirror and whistle is doubled because I always carry the mini PSK but I don’t always have the pack. (Sliding with the kids etc) I didn’t want to be always switching these important items so I carry them in double to prevent being without them.

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Other items in pack include:

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• Peak 1 multi fuel stove with handle(case makes excellent pot )
• Spare naphtha generator
• MSR fuel bottle with funnel
• SS mini kettle (filled with brew kit)hot choco ,soup mix ,tea and coffee
• Survival tarp, orange/ reflective(super heavy duty)
• Survival sheet(HD plastic, closed on 3 sides)stuff with leaves for emergency mattress etc
• Space blanket
• HD wool socks (military issue) wet feet suck, any time of the year. I ALWAYS carry spare socks
• Gore-tex socks(military issue) see above
• Arctic mittens (military issue) as a back up to the trigger mitts I am wearing. rated to -60 deg Cel, cold hands suck as bad as wet feet
• Military IMP (emergency food) contains one complete meal. This is the Canadian version of the American MRE. Contains entrée, fruit, bread, jam, peanut butter, soup, tea and coffee, assorted condiments, chocolate bars, candy, wet naps and matches. (MRE heater separate and not shown)
• J104 rain cover (for driving rain, or wet snow) It makes an excellent rain catch and a place to lay out my small stuff so it won’t get lost in the snow. It is reversible to be used as a panel marker/day signal and can be stuffed with grass etc to make a cozy seat or pillow. I actually can take off my pack and pull this cover almost over myself in the turtle position for a quick way to avoid a flash rain storm.
My field blades:

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• Swiss army tinkerer knife(on keychain) not shown
• Cold steel ultimate hunter folder(not shown)
• Cold steel Kukri machete (out cuts most small axes)safer and lighter, can dig as good as some folding shovels
• Gerber gator XDP(razor sharp, usually reserved for skinning/dressing of game)
• Gerber exchange a blade folding saw with wood and bone blade(cutting over head branches for tree stand placement, can saw through hard plastic and sheet metal)
• At the top of this pic is the SOURCE bladder that comes with the J104. There is a compartment built into the pack for it. Works great in spring/summer/fall. Sucks in winter. No way to keep it from freezing. In winter I use a 2 L collapsible water canteen (military issue) or a wide mouth Nalgene bottle instead.
These are my fancy dancy snow shoes with trekking poles. If carrying a gun the poles stay in my truck. If ice fishing I have a plastic insert which fits in the gun scabbard in the J104 and I will carry the rod there. These can be adjusted for summer use as well. The snow shoes strap nicely to the outside of the pack, but the rain cover must be removed.

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Well….that’s the most of it I guess. It might appear to be excessive to some but keep in mind that this is what I take to hunt far away from civilization in the dead of winter all by my lonesome. As such I don’t mind a little extra weight. On that note I don’t want to get too heavy because as the meat compartment gets filled with game or fish it gets real heavy for the return trip to my truck. That’s another reason I try to stay between 5-6 K , learned my lesson a few years back when I shot a nice elk 8.5 Km from my truck over rough terrain(no usable roads to drive closer) I wasn’t paying attention to how far away I was getting but I well paid the price when I had to hump the sucker out in two separate trips. Depending on what activity I am doing there are other items added that were not mentioned: Maps(always), snow goggles, sunglasses, Binos, LRF and other items like game calls, cover scents, and tree stand gear etc. As such I have the pack weighing in at 25 lbs with my winter core gear. When I add other hunting stuff (gun, ammo, etc) it will be around the 40 lb mark. In summer/fall for big game season a lot of the heavier items will be dropped when there is no danger of freezing to death(such as the stove etc) and the total weight drops down to about 20 lbs. So far this gear has helped me out more than once in a bad situation. I would like to hear every ones comments/complaints/suggestions. No matter how good something is there is always room to improve (and an excuse to go shopping for more gear)

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Nice looking setup!

Ditto! Does look nice; I might end up PM'ing you for some cold-weather advice. My only real question is, if it's -48 with windchill, how come you don't look cold????

Hi Taurus,

Excellent looking winter set-up and good job documenting it in your post.

Good Luck Hunting!

Mike

High Quality Work..a real kit and just not some odd and ends tossed together in an attempt to make a "survival kit"..
knowing your neck of the woods and what to expect in it and
getting the right gear into place is what it should all be about and not some fantasy about rocks from space--or whatever--

Cool post thanks!
How has your Peak-1 worked out? I used to work at a very busy REI and we got a lot that leaked or just plain broke. Of course a lot of the stoves got returned because the user never read the instructions and clogged it up with soot. But I did see a lot of broken Coleman product. I prefer MSR stoves myself.
Bill

Awesome set up. Just what's needed with a bit extra for emergencies.

Makes me want to go out and shoot bunnies.

Of course I don't own a rifle...

Are dead bunnies a good reason to invest in a firearm for the first time ever or do I need professional help?

Hacksaw,

Go ahead and get a rifle. The Ruger 10/22 is a great little rifle. Besides, you're a gear junkie. What other "excuse" do you need?

Nice Kit

Fishing equipment – (Granted its not a real big item) Is this very practical? Not sure how the ice conditions would be in your neck of the woods, but trying to chip through >18+ of ice with the tools you’ve assembled doesn’t look practical

Spare wool/fleece cap? Base layer? FAK?

Does the Case come with the Peak stove?

Ice fishing is very...VERY...popular here. Any lake with fish in it will have pre-drilled and iced over holes everywhere for 10 minutes walk in any direction from the nearest boat launch or pier (or anywhere you can drive onto the lake). Then you only have to chop through a little bit of ice.

My dad and I used to do that all the time when we were lazy...when his auger was powered by ME and not by gasoline

If you were on foot in the bush and not near civilization it could be tricky but it's doable. If I needed food that bad I'd make a spear with one of my knives, ask forgiveness from the patron saint of sharps and chip away. You don't need a very big hole to get a decent sized fish out.


I have next to no experience with rifles (I haven't fired one in 10 years or more) but that Ruger looks nice. I'm partial to getting something that can be broken down and stowed in a pack like a Springfield Arms M6 or a US Survival Rifle.

For me I think the most important feature would be how easy it is to maintain both at home and in the field. I like low maintenance.