It depends on where I am hunting and the temperature. If it is going to be a cold day and even if I only have 250 yards to walk, I will pack my heavy clothes and wander out in my regular BDU pants and my base layer top. I do not want to sweat at all during my venture into the woods. I’ll never forget one of the first times I went hunting and sweated profusely on the way to my spot. It was in the mountains and cold, and it didn’t take long after settling in that I had to back out because I was shivering uncontrollably. I now pack the heavies!

Aside from packing my clothes, I pack a drag rope/harness, 3 Clif Bars wrapped in handkerchiefs (NO plastic bags, etc for me…I’d rather the deer smell fruits and grains than hear plastic!), a couple of pre-opened 5-hour energy shots for all-day hunts (getting up at 3:30am or so kills me), a knife on my belt and a spare in my pack, a COMPASS in my pocket, talc (for wind direction), firesteel, handwarmers and handwarmer muff (that way I can wear thin gloves and keep my hands warm in the muff so I’m ready to shoot immediately [no thick gloves to mess with or “trigger finger thingy” to peel back, etc]), binos on a bino harness, and a pad to sit on ‘cause I don’t have a tree stand. I also have a small 4x4” soft case I clip onto my belt with all my muzzleloading stuff (power charges, primers, bullets and bullet starter).

Sounds like a lot but it’s really not. Most items are very small. I carried a grunt tube, rattle bag and estrus bleat last season, but I think I may forgo that this time. Too much crap to fool with and distracting. My first season of hunting was my best and I didn’t use any of that stuff.

Genius. Adding that to the list!!