My New Woods Bumming Kit

I've been thinking about making a new little kit for short lunch hour type dirt time. A glimpse of Spring-like weather, and the recent chats on ETS were the perfect excuse. Thanks for the inspiration!

I had no budget for new gear, so used what I already had. I started with a little Altoids tin kit, and then made a slightly bigger pocket kit with a little more shelter and water abilities. Then I put those in an old GI butt pack, with a few more pieces of kit and, viola! My new little woods bumming kit.

Thanks again for the inspiration!

Pics or it didn't happen!

Outside view of complete kit


I attached an old leather belt to a GI butt pack, to use as a belt carrier in addition to the standard nylon shoulder strap. The nylon strap digs in, so I need to get some sort of padding for it.

Inside Top layer

Bandanna, merino wool socks and my canteen kit. 3 of my favourite pieces of kit!

Inside view


Main Contents:

It's early Spring here, which means cold, wet and windy weather, with below freezing temps still very likely. This kit is intended to address my top survival priorities: Shelter, Fire, Water, Signaling and vigilance against hypothermia:

Canteen kit (canteen, cup and stove with mini BIC and tin foil)
FA & Hygiene kit (2 maxi pads, 3 tampons, pocket pack of Kleenex, Bandaids, lip balm and OTC meds)
Sea to Summit titanium spork
Nescafe 3 in 1 instant coffee
Cliff bars & PB crackers (I also threw in an MRE entrée for lunch on the road)
Mora LMF Fire knife
Alotoids tin PSK
Pocket PSK (black bag)
Hexi fuel tabs (Coleman, in plastic container with stormproof matches)
GI Poncho
black bin liner
bandanna
merino wool socks

There's even still enough room for my Bacho Laplander saw or my hatchet!

Contents of Black Pocket PSK



Resealable breast milk bags


GI can opener with eating thingy
small piece of fatwood


Heatsheets (1p)
duct tape (red - 8 ft)
jute twine (10 ft, 6 ft)
7 strand 550 cord (bracelet - 8 ft)
whistle
hair elastic
squeeze LED
ferro rod with magnesium block
small Gerber Paraframe folder
safety pins, sewing needles, fish hooks, fishing line, weights, leaders (in clear plastic vial)

Altoids tin PSK

*I like to carry a PSK on my body when I'm out. This guy will ride in a jacket/short/pants pocket.

Sealed with duct tape

The Guts

[img]http://imageshack.com/a/img837/3806/i58s.jpg[/img]
[img]http://imageshack.com/a/img819/3037/m0tv.jpg[/img]

Fox 40 whistle
mini BIC
AMK Sparklite
TinderQuick(4)
MicroPUR tabs(4)
6 ft duct tape
birthday candle
mini AMK signal mirror
AMK button compass
razor blade
20 ft black thread
4 ft steel snare wire

Shopping List

*A filter straw, bug spray/net and sunscreen are definitely going in soon. I like the trick candle idea too. Think I'll stop by the party supply store and check them out.

Testing

We went for a short lunch time walk yesterday, and I'm liking the bag very much. Only went for about 30 mins, and didn't do anything much, but so far so good. The weight is nice and for a not too strenuous walk, the belt is working well as a shoulder strap. I once had a sling pack that I hated because I kept flopping on me, but I'm hoping that a belt/shoulder strap combo will eliminate that. (The nylon trap on this is too short to use it as a shoulder strap comfortably anyway, so I'm searching for more DIY ideas.) All the kit inside is well used, and includes many of my favourites so I'm confident that I'm good to go once I figure out the straps.

Here's a little video of my outing yesterday:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2B24rUtbfuc

Nice!

Very nice!!

Your youtube video said this was for a half hour to hour lunchtime walk. My heavens, what do you carry for an overnighter!

Very Nice!.

And here I was thinking how far I've come, in terms of trying not to carry the kitchen sink. LOL!

I'm one of those weirdos who actually does stuff when I'm out in the woods. I rarely just walk through. I like to have a brew-up or setting up a little temporary shelter, whittling, trying to catch the trout that has been eluding me all these years, etc...

Other than the PSKs and FAK/Hygiene kit, I use most of this stuff just about every trip out, which is generally a few times a week, so this isn't strictly an emergency only kit. Is there anything specific that you think isn't worth carrying for either practical use or just in case? (I know there are a lot of snacks in here, but this is my lunch bag, after all, and I work long days on the road.)

Like BPJ said, this addresses her survival priorities, which do not necessarily relate to the length of the trip. Bear in mind that we are talking Canada here, not sunny California.

You take core gear like this, and add the obvious items for a planned overnight; if you have good lightweight gear, your total load can be quite reasonable.

I have lost track of the number of poorly equipped victims who have said "We were only going on a short hike...."

Of course to each his own - you did say a half hour to hour walk. If you want to bring a folding saw - and how many ways to start a fie - and how many knives - and all the other stuff - fine.

Amen Brother!

I got that line loud and clear.
It fits right in with the "You will fill your pack no matter what size it is." warning.
So I just carry a small backpack everywhere I go.

Very nice kit, indeed! I would recommend a small zip lock bag for the ferro rod with magnesium block. With time it tends to deteriorate and may spoil the content of the pouch.

Hope for the best and plan for the worst.... When I plan to go for a hike, I plan to end up on an unexpected overnighter. It's the rallying call of us overpackers, but it's a tough time of year, around these parts, for downsizing our kits. (It's been such a long winter that it's hard to resist.) This little woods bumming kit is intended for use when my Jeep is under an hour walk away. I'm keeping my bigger day hike kit packed and ready in my Jeep for longer truer wilderness hikes, and also for use as a GHB. In addition to time and distance, terrain and weather play a big role in deciding which kit I take.

bacpacjac's GHB/Day Hike Kit

Here's a few snippets from this morning's Toronto area weather report for the next 24 hours to give you an idea of what I'm prepping for:

"...can expect a major temperature swing within the next 24 hours with a high of 20C Monday and a low of -8C Tuesday... rain is expected to make its way into the forecast in the afternoon.... ice pellets will arrive Monday night as the temperature plummets, bringing with it a risk of freezing rain early Tuesday morning.... the precipitation turns to snow Tuesday morning... the snow is expected to clear Tuesday afternoon with a high of 2C." We've got 70 km/hr winds the next few days too.

There is also serious flooding just East of us, and much ice left to melt between home and work. The creek I drive beside on my daily commute is just about up to the level of the road, so I expect to detour tomorrow.

Very nice. Well thought out.

With most people, it is a struggle to get them to carry enough. With most of us here, it is a struggle not to carry too much!

It's a few weeks in and I am really liking this kit. Thanks so much for the feedback! I've taken it to heart and:

-added a filter straw
-added a few MicroPUR tabs to my canteen kit
-removed the black PSK bag, along with the extra folder, mag bar, extra duct tape, squeeze light
-moved the mini repair/fishing kit to my FAK
-replaced the birthday candle with a trick birthday candle
-added a Buff in lieu of a winter toque (baseball hat season is back but we're still dropping close to or below freezing)

I'm still thinking about the straps, but the leather belt is working just great. It's the perfect length and the kit weighs little enough that it's really comfy slung over my shoulder. I think I may just leave it as it is.


Back to the hatchet for a moment... here's a little video about my usual day hike sharps. As it sits this morning, this little kit has only my Mora. (I've always got my EDC SAK too.) The others are living in my bigger kit, unless I plan on using them.

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8OysTFxfqo

Until I fix by unsafe hatchet, I'm using the good old family hatchet:

Pics sent