RE: What do you take in your pack?
Sleeping bag
Bivy
ThermaRest Ultralight
Extra gloves
Dry socks
Balaclava
Food
Water
Knives
Game bag(s)
Headlamp (unless it's spring or early fall; never gets dark)
Matches
VHF radio, cell phone or EPIRB (depending on where I'm going and with whom)
Camera
Some days I pack the .44 some days I leave it home, depends on the season and where I'm going and what I'm doing but it's on the waist belt of the pack, not in it.
I have a good set of binos but they are never in my pack, same for the rangefinder.