People ask me about my gear more than almost anything else. Every time I post a clip from the field, the comments fill up with the same question: what’s in the pack? So instead of answering it forty times a week, I’m laying the whole thing out here. This is my actual day-hunt loadout—not a sponsored wish list, not a “10 things you NEED” cash grab. It’s the stuff that’s ridden on my back through cold mornings, blown stalks, and the occasional long walk out in the dark.
Before we get into it, one rule I live by: every ounce has to earn its spot. A day pack that’s too heavy will keep you from going as far or sitting as long as you should. So this list is deliberately lean. If something isn’t pulling its weight, it stays in the truck.
The Pack Itself
I run a mid-size day pack in the 1,800–2,200 cubic inch range. Big enough to haul layers, water, and the odds-and-ends, small enough that I’m not tempted to fill it with junk. The features I actually care about are a comfortable hip belt that carries the load on your hips instead of your shoulders, quiet fabric that doesn’t scream every time it brushes a branch, and a couple of external compression straps so I can lash on extra layers or strap down a load if I need to.
Color and camo pattern matter less than people think. Fit and quiet matter a lot. If you’re shopping for your first serious pack, put it on with weight in it before you buy—an empty pack in the store tells you nothing.
The Non-Negotiables
These come with me every single time, no exceptions. If I catch myself thinking “I probably won’t need it today,” that’s usually the day I do.
- Water & a way to carry more. A liter minimum, plus a small filter or purification tablets if I’m anywhere near a water source and might stay out longer than planned.
- A real first-aid kit. Not the gas-station band-aid pouch—something with a pressure bandage, tape, and the basics to handle a cut or a rolled ankle far from the truck.
- Fire. A lighter and a backup ferro rod, kept dry. Cheap insurance.
- A solid fixed-blade knife. The workhorse. I keep it sharp and I keep it accessible.
- Headlamp with fresh batteries. Half my best days end in the dark. A dead headlamp turns a good hunt into a bad night.
Optics & Glass
If there’s one place I tell people to spend their money, it’s glass. A decent pair of binoculars will find you more game than almost any other single piece of gear, and they’ll save your legs by letting you glass a hillside instead of walking it. I run a mid-weight 10×42 on a chest harness so they’re always ready and never bouncing off my sternum. The harness is the unsung hero here—binos buried in a pack are binos you won’t use.
Layering: The System That Keeps Me Out Longer
Cold, wet, and miserable is how most hunts get cut short. I dress in layers I can add and shed as the day changes: a light base, an insulating mid, and a packable shell that blocks wind and sheds a passing shower. The trick is to start a little cold. If you’re warm and comfortable at the trailhead, you’ll be soaked in sweat a mile in—and sweat is what actually makes you cold when you stop moving.
The “You’ll Thank Me Later” Extras
- A few feet of paracord and a couple of zip ties. They fix more problems than you’d believe.
- Trash bag or contractor bag—emergency rain gear, ground seat, or pack-out liner.
- Snacks with real calories. Being hungry makes you make bad, impatient decisions.
- Phone in a zip-top bag with a small battery bank. My phone is my map, my camera, and my GPS.
How I Organize It All
A loaded pack is only useful if you can find things fast, in the dark, with cold hands. So I run a simple system: the stuff I need in a hurry lives in the same pocket every single time. My headlamp, my knife, and my first-aid kit have permanent homes, and I could put my hand on any of them blindfolded. That consistency has saved me more than once—when something goes sideways, you don’t want to be digging.
The heavy stuff—water, mostly—rides high and close to my back, which keeps the load from pulling me around on uneven ground. The lighter, bulkier stuff like layers fills in around it. I keep small loose items corralled in a couple of cheap zip pouches so my pack doesn’t turn into a junk drawer. Color-coding those pouches sounds like overkill until the first time it isn’t.
I also do a quick gear check the night before every trip. I dump the whole pack, lay it all out, and repack it deliberately. It takes ten minutes and it’s caught a dead headlamp, an empty lighter, and a forgotten knife more times than I’d like to admit. Do the boring check. It’s the cheapest insurance there is.
A Note on Buying Smart
One last thing, because I get asked about budget constantly. You do not need to spend a fortune to get outfitted, and honestly, chasing the most expensive version of everything is a rookie move. My advice: spend on the stuff that keeps you safe and the stuff that touches your body all day—your boots, your pack, your glass, your layers. Go cheap, at least at first, on the accessories and gadgets. You can always upgrade later once you actually know what you like, and you’ll make better choices when you do because you’ll be buying from experience instead of from a marketing page.
Buy used where it makes sense. Buy once, cry once on the big items. And ignore anybody trying to convince you that a specific brand name is the difference between success and failure in the field. It almost never is. Skill, patience, and time in the woods beat expensive gear every single time—I’ve been out-hunted by guys in twenty-year-old boots more often than I’ll admit on camera.
What I Leave Behind
Just as important as what goes in: the stuff I’ve learned to leave home. The novelty gadgets. The third knife. The “survival” kit I’ll never open. Every year my pack gets a little lighter and a little smarter, and every year I go a little farther because of it. The best upgrade I ever made to my loadout was subtraction, not addition.
That’s the whole rig. Nothing exotic, nothing you can’t find, just a system that’s been earned one trip at a time. If you want to see how this stuff actually gets used, I break most of it down on video—head over to the Watch page for the full field footage, and check the Shop if you want to rep the brand out there with me.
Got a piece of gear you swear by? Drop it on my latest TikTok—I read the comments and I’ve found some of my favorite gear that exact way.
