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Building a Backwoods Carry Kit

I use the same Grayl GeoPressTi filter as does the author, but based on his kit & pics he seems to be doubling up by carrying two filters when one does the same thing.

Based on the pics the "black" GeoPress Ti is a 24 oz capacity, and the other looks like the smaller-diameter "grey w/black band" 16.9 oz "UltraPress" which is also titanium and is also capable of cooking/boiling water. But there is a 24 oz. grey Geopress but it would look as "fat" as the black one in the pics.

The "regular" 24 oz. Geo & 16.9 oz. Ultra Press's are translucent plastic, non-cooking and non-gray colored.

grayl.com

Water Filter & Purifier Bottles

GRAYL® Water Bottle Filters & Purifiers make clean drinking water anywhere on earth! Unrivaled ease, speed and versatility – simply Fill. Press. Drink.® OnePress® Virus Global Protection empowers international travelers, outdoor adventurers and survivalists to drink from the world's sketchiest...
grayl.com grayl.com

The GeoPress Ti of either capacities will both filter, cook & boil water. A similar capacity/weight Nalgene water bottle would be a better substitute for a second Grayl Geo/UltraPress filter, and balance the pack with H2O since water to filter may not be readily available when out in the hills.

I know I'm being nit picky but carrying two Grayls is unnecessary when one suffices.

My .02

BTW- cell phone coverage rapidly goes away when in the terrain depicted in the pics. A "Sat" phone or Emergency Satellite Beacon would be more useful in the tough backcountry terrain, vs a cell phone.
 
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Put me in the unprepared camp. 50+ years of wandering, cutting trees, fishing, hunting, berry picking, and just generally loafing about, if I can't carry it on my belt, in a pocket, or in hand (fishing pole, chain saw, berry pail, etc.) it's more than likely going to be left behind. Ruger Single Six, Queen country cousin 76, pipe, tobacco pouch, fresh filled zippo, corncob pipe, tin cup, water, a few tea bags, a couple of biscuits & ham or & peanut butter, or & salami, or & ... wrapped in waxed paper or in an old bread bag stuffed in a pocket. Somehow, I managed to survive Ice storms, snowstorms, hypothermia, broken and sprained this that or the other, going through the ice, crashing down gravel banks head over teakettle, and more dunking's in fresh and salt water than I care to recall. Then I'm not out there half naked either. No flipflops and gym shorts for me. Boots, jeans, long sleeved shirt, hat, jacket.
NOT advocating anyone follow my lead, I'm not the brightest lightbulb on the Christmas tree but I know what my tools can do and how to use them.
P.S. No I'm not beating my knife through sticks to split them, round wood burns also. :rolleyes:
 
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As always this is what I base my kit on.



The Grayl is nice but it's a little expensive for what you get. If I remember right you have to purchase a new filter every 50 gallons

I carry a Mill Bank Bag and a Sawyer Mini that will purifiy 100,000 gallons of water for 25 bucks.
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Got one of these too.
 
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The Grayl filters are good to 65 gal. which will keep you going for a long time before a switch out is needed.

Different set-ups have different capacities. It depends on how much gear you want to deal with and your mobility.

Besides the chest holster brand the author uses here's another excellent one that I use.

gunfightersinc.com

Kenai Chest Holster - Across the Chest, Fast & Efficient Draw | GunfightersINC

Carry your firearm confidently outdoors with the Kenai Chest Holster. Perfect for hiking, camping & hunting. Your ultimate outdoor companion.
gunfightersinc.com gunfightersinc.com
 
Wow, I am so ashamed of myself for going out into the back country so unprepared. Well my 45 LC in a cross draw holster and a backpack with my sleeping bag along with my world war two canteen, compass and trench knife. Oh yes I had a Winchester saddle carbine and I would be out there for a week letting my Dodge job rated pickup wait for me till I returned to make my way home. All kidding aside I'm not sure I could carry all that in my senior years but if I last longer than my wife I will be back in some places that are still out of the mainstream areas of the back country that I keep tabs on. To everyone reading this, Have a wonderful and safe Christmas and New Year. Remember those that didn't make it to this Christmas and the good times you shared. God Bless you all from our house to yours and thanks for letting me share.
 
The core of this article asks if the 10mm enough for backwoods survival, well I would say so. We can beat each other up all day long about the gear specifics- using a World War 2 German Afrika Korps canteen versus a Stanley cup or something more modern but they all hold water. Esbit or Coleman, you decide... The main issue here though is not the brand of the knife, but whether the 10mm is too much gun for the prospective outdoors person, not an amateur's gun for sure, so more than adequate for the task but likely beyond the capabilities of your average modern gun toter.
 


I never saw the movie but I've read some interesting factoids about it. Apparently that kid doesn't play banjo at all. They had it rigged up so somebody who did play banjo was sitting behind him and it was their arms that you saw and his face.
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This is him now he works at Walmart
 
I admit I am a gear Junkie. I took great pains as a child building a survival kit that would fit into a Prince Albert Tobacco Tin. And yet, my father and I never had to spend an unplanned night in the woods. But in my mind I was always ready! As an older, perhaps more realistic guy now (but probably not) my woodsman kit is in a backpack. More medical equipment than anything these days, but also shelter and a means to boil water. Still lightweight, I don't notice it is there but it contains freeze dried food and other items beyond the meager wallet of my childhood. The key component? A Smith and Wesson 22/32 Kit Gun, chambered for the lowly 22 Long Rifle. A couple hundred rounds for a .44 Magnum revolver is a load...three hundred rounds of rimfire is nothing! It can harvest game for the pot, signal for help, protect me from snakes or just provide some recreation by plinking. I would, and have, cheerfully wandered into the woods for a weekend with that kit. And if I had to, I mean really HAD TO, leave the house right now on short notice, that backpack and my daily sidearm would see me thru. And that my friends is a good feeling.
 
We can debate the merits of our caliber of choice all day long, and do so in a civilized framework - which is another reason I like this board so much and respect all of you contributing posters.

I like to read and consider what you guys think - and why you think what you think! Makes me introspective of my own choices and conclusions. And this topic is very interesting to me, although I’ve not spent the night in the woods since my youth (and I did a lot of camping out as a youngster in the southern Appalachians).

It’s my opinion that any backwoods kit has to start with at the very minimum two items: an edged tool (such as a knife or hatchet) and a fire source (ferro rod, etc).

Beyond those items, everything else should be mission/theater specific. Same for firearm choices.
 
Agree. Everyday carry needs to include a good knife and a means to make fire. I live by that even if I am not anywhere near the woods. But the little 22/32 is so light it is forgotten on the belt. The two or four inch are great!
22-32 Kit Gun.jpg


22-32.jpg
 
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