Hunting Pack and gear "must haves"

[PaulBunyan]

Good read, ill have to try out some of these items this year.

Im new to AZ but I'll throw in a few odd items I swear by-
-Havalon knife: I'm sold on the replaceable blade knives, though I would go with a non folding one (tyto type) if i had to do it again.
-Alaska Guide Creations bino harness: seems to have extra storage compared to other similar brands and is pretty bomb-proof
-Leukotape: think moleskin but basically tac welded to your foot. Doesn't hurt to rip it off or anything, but otherwise it WILL NOT COME OFF. seriously.
-Steripen: excellent water purification option if you have a decent enough water source to fill a nalgene. (like i said I'm new to AZ so maybe this is a deal breaker  )
-Merino wool clothing: can be a tad scratchy but otherwise its amazing

[ArizonaGunOwners.com]

[coelacanth]

Haven't tried the Havalon knives - or any of the other replaceable blade offerings.  They seem a bit gimmicky to me and overly prone to suffering from "Murphy's Law" but if you've had good luck with them I might have to try one.     The last few years I've been making do with a Finnish puuko set that I've become pretty fond of. 

Some sort of binocs harness is a good idea.  I haven't tried the one you mentioned but anything that keeps them from flopping around and still close enough to grab without looking is a plus. 

Leukotape sounds interesting.  I think that's the stuff they slapped on me after surgery but I hadn't thought about it as an item for the hunting pack.

Steripen is good kit but here in Arizona I'd be using a micron filter before I attempted to use the Steripen.  Surface water here can be pretty funky depending on the source so the filter just cleans it up a bit and allows the sterilizing agent to work better.  I like the Sawyer units as well as anything and they are reasonably priced. 

Yes to wool clothing.  Still hard to beat as a layering component and it stays warn even if you manage to get it wet.   

[JarheadAZ]

The Kobalt 4.5" folding knife is my EDC knife. At $17, it's affordable enough to keep several onhand as a hedge against that inevitable "Whoops where'd it go" moment"; there's a spare in the drawer of my computer desk right now. I've had mine for probably over a decade now. The simplicity and convenience of replaceable common utility knife blades is very useful. Need one, need another, just on pop into the local Lowe's. I am so accustomed to having it with me that I have to remember to do the mandatory self-pat-down before going to the VA.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-4-5-in-Folding-Utility-Knife/50111406?cm_mmc=SCE_PLA-_-ToolsAndHardware-_-UtilityKnives-_-50111406:Kobalt&CAWELAID=&kpid=50111406&CAGPSPN=pla&store_code=2663&k_clickID=go_625706834_34613745430_111132553630_pla-201942063204_c_9030207&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4YrQmKTt3gIV5h-tBh2sJARtEAQYASABEgKUHPD_BwE

Greg

[coelacanth]

Yeah, I usually carry a utility knife around the house but this thread is about "Hunting pack and gear "must haves" " so I was coming at the discussion from that standpoint.    Having field dressed wild game for most of my life, I have developed some pretty pronounced preferences in gear - especially knives, saws and small axes and the like.  I have yet to see a replaceable blade knife designed for use in the field that I thought would perform well under field conditions.   Frankly I have better knives in the kitchen drawer than some of the stuff I've seen.   

A good camp knife is likely going to be too big to perform well as a dedicated game processing knife.  Most folding knives are going to be a bit small for working on a large animal and they tend to get a lot of gunk in places that are pretty hard to clean out on the side of a mountain somewhere.  Specialized tools for specialized jobs seems to work most everywhere else but lots of people keep searching for that one perfect knife that will do everything well. 

[ArizonaGunOwners.com]