Thanks Tom. The biggest factor in what I carry is definitely my kids. If it was just me I'd go minimal all the time. My son does have his own kit, that's pretty comprehensive, as do my Scouts, but as I said, we do a lot of planned an unplanned bushcraft stuff. I like to be ready for those "teachable moments" when they come along, and they seem to do that quite often. Not to mention, things like getting stuck in the mud, take on an entirely different meaning we're further off the beaten path, especially when the warm weather gets bumped out by the cold.

Speaking of which, summer is coming to an end quickly here, and the nights are getting cool and damp again. It's a very brief window or warm weather we have here, and then it's right back to thinking about hypothermia. The good news about that is that I can start carrying less water when I know our route has water available for boiling/filtering, and that'll make the pack significantly lighter. This time of year also means that our Scouts calendar is filling up fast, so more trips with them are on the immediate horizon. This year, in addition to Pack and Troop, I'll also be a Leader for our new Venture Company. They're 14-16 years old, and seriously into the outdoors and wilderness activities. I can't wait!

I've just tonight migrated a fleece vest, hat, mitts and an extra pair of socks back into the kit, along with a more robust AMK FAK. I needed to go back to my slightly bigger Kodiak backpack to do that, but it gives me better peace of mind. (The Broadstone pack, itself, has been rebuilt with extra gear and a minimal FAK, and is now set up strictly for those on the pavement, short walk back to civilization treks, when I only need a minimal kit.)

It might sound silly to have two day packs ready to go but they're for different situations (close to home with the baby or more wilderness treks with my son/Pack/Troop) and if I don't have them ready to go I might never make it out of the house when I've got two kids to round up in the process.