I always carry a backpack with extra ammo, snacks, flashlight, saftey blanket, flares, rope, t/p, etc. etc. Of course I' m a rookie (thus the safety blanket and flares) but a funny thing happened last year. We shot two deer close to dark....so the questions start.....who' s got rope.......I do.....Who' s got a flashlight......I do.....Damn! Who' s the rookie around here?

I prefer to wear a turkey hunting vest instead of carrying any kind of pack. There is plenty of room in the pockets for everything you' d need on a basic hunt. Obviously if there is risk of getting lost or injured far away from your truck & a chance that you' d have to spend the night, the vest probably won' t fit the extra clothes, blanket, etc.

i carry a back pack with all kinds of crap in it. i prepare myself to be ready for a warm day to a very very cold day and i pack alittle on the heavy side in case i encouter another hunter in need of something. i do this beause in encountered a cold day once and was unprepared. it was misearble. so i carry everytihg from gloves inserts to face masks to those small hand warmer packets (take your boot off and put them in the toe of your boot, presto! not more cold toes.) whislte, compass, large knife, small knife, large drag rope, small rope in case it gets warm and i take off my outter hunting pants and roll them up and tie them to my pack. of course a flashlight, food, water, tp, a cleaning towel, extra ammo for my rifle, extra ammo for my side arm. small survival kit. a little something for sherlter if the need was to arrive. a dry sweater and socks. i know it seems a little overkill, i used to hunt with a dude that carried his rifle and one bullet. no rope, no knife, no binoculars, no food, no water...nothin. but then again, we would park and then walk out and find a nice spot while this guy would walk about 10 feet and find a tree to hide behind. once he was talkng over the walkie talkie and in the back ground i could hear the radio and the door ajar alarm.

Always take a pack. One has to have a knife, First Aid, H2O, camera, binos, food, flashlights, batteries, weather radio, anything you could concievably want or need. One year my brother took a buck at almost sunset, he left his pack back at camp, I brought my stuff. He had no flashlight to walk out to get the vehicle, nothing for dressing the deer, and no spare water or food. I had to give up my stuff because he didn' t bring his.[:@] Boy, he caught hell for that bonehead manuever when we got back to camp very late and very cold.[:@][:@]

That is the reason to take " things" I guess. To look after others who are in need for whatever reason. Hey, He' s my brother what choice do I have? Rather hunt with him than not, so I bring my back pack.

Keep your powder dry
Dana

When I am deer hunting I always have a backpack and attach my portable stand to it as I am a treestand hunter. I carry all the nessities including food for the day. This year I have permission to hunt private property so have purchased a large fannypack to try out. I will not be that far into the woods as there are no hunters allowed so this should carry all I need for the day!!![8D]

I' ve been caught without a couple of times, so now I always carry a backpack with: a lunch, a spare knife, calls, a rope, spare compass, tp, spare matches, a couple of plastic bags, a pair of socks, and a flashlight with spare batteries. There is enough room left over for me to roll up my heavy coat, extra gloves, and warm hat, so' s I don' t overheat on my way to the blind.

I am like a lot of you who use a daypack (backpack that doesn' t have a frame) even tho I only go between 200 yards to 400 yards from the truck. I gotsta have a complete change of clothes just in case I trip and fall. I hunt in swamps in Florida and being wet at 50 degrees can kill you (yeah, laugh. it' s true) Sure being that close to the truck I could go back and change but these swamps are in a jungle environment and to go 100 yards takes 20 - 30 minutes. I also have food and water, calls, scents, rope, light,1st aid, etc.

I never carry any type of pack while hunting. I fit into my pockets those things that I feel necessary. I also hunt exclusuvely from my self climber and stay dark ' til dark. My necessities and a few tootsie pops and I' m set for the duration.

WOW Jimmy! If I was without any kind of pack like you I would be on the way to the store by 9:30AM

Does anyone have suggestions on the make and model of backpack to use? Something in either a camo or at least a neutral brown or green or olive drab? Maybe camo orange would be nice, I don' t want some trigger happy cowboy confusing my climbing stand for antlers...

I have used a fanny pack in the past, but now I have a climbing stand, so it seems silly to not have everything I need in a backpack.

Chubber