Most people do not get caught out by the big items. The jacket, the boots and the rifle get thought about for weeks. It is the small gear, the things that live in a lid pocket, that decides whether a long day is comfortable or miserable.
This is the checklist we would run through with you across the counter. Not everything here belongs in every pack. Work out what your day actually looks like, then carry what earns its place.
The rule: weight is a budget
Every item you carry is spending from a fixed budget. Something that might be useful is not the same as something you will use. The test we apply is simple:
- Will I use it on most trips? If yes, it lives in the pack permanently.
- Would its absence end the day, or hurt? If yes, carry it even if you never touch it - that is what first aid and a headtorch are.
- Is something already in the pack doing this job? Two things that half-do a job are heavier than one that does it properly.
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After a trip assess what items were used or not. If it's not essential and you're not using it, best to drop the ounces.
Always in the pack
These stay in permanently and get checked, not repacked, before each trip.
- Headtorch, plus a lightweight spare. Every plan that ends at last light eventually ends after it.
- First aid kit with a decent pressure bandage. Know where it is without unpacking.
- A sharp knife and a way to sharpen it in the field.
- Emergency shelter a survival bag or light fly. Weighs almost nothing and changes a forced night out from dangerous to unpleasant.
- PLB or Inreach phone coverage is not a plan in New Zealand bush.
- Fire a lighter plus a backup that works wet.
- Water and a way to treat more.
- Basic food in case you get stuck out
Optics and glassing
A bino harness is essential for keeping your optics and rangefinder at the ready. A modular harness like the Marsupial or Sitka harness allow you to keep gear on you, useful when you get separated from your main pack.
- A bino harness rather than a neck strap. See our bino harness guide for sizing and tips
- Lens cloth & wipes to keep your optics clear
- Rangefinder - generally a non negotiable for hunting
- Somewhere to sit. A small foam pad lets you glass for longer, staying comfortable and dry
Wet weather and keeping gear dry
Wet is the default here, not the exception. Assume everything in your pack will get rained on at some point.
- Dry bags or a liner. A pack cover alone doesn't keep a pack dry when you're pushing through wet scrub.
- A dedicated dry layer you never wear during the day, so there's always something dry to change into.
- Gaiters for river crossings, cutty grass and scree.
- Spare socks in their own bag. The single highest morale-per-gram item there is.
- A shell that is still working see the waterproof jacket guide for keeping one performing past its first season.
Wind, scent and staying unnoticed
- A wind checker. Cheap, light, and it decides your entire approach.
- Gloves and a face covering for cold, sun and hiding pale skin at close range.
After the shot
- Game bags breathable, and more than you think you need.
- Cordage or a strap for hanging and lifting.
- Something to clean up with before you put your gloves back on and shoulder the pack.
Range days
Different day, different list. What matters here is being able to shoot, record and adjust.
- Hearing and eye protection and a spare set, because someone always forgets.
- A stable rest, bipod or bag, matched to how you actually shoot in the field.
- Targets, stapler, marker pen.
- A notebook or a phone note for loads, conditions and zero. If you didn't write it down, you'll re-do the work next season.
What we would leave behind
- Duplicate tools. One knife you trust, not three you do not.
- A full-size multi-tool unless you have a specific reason for it.
- Camp comforts on a day trip. Chairs, stools and second cookers.
- Anything cotton. Once it is wet it stays wet, and it takes your body heat with it - see the layering guide.
The night-before run-through
- Check the forecast and the river levels, then pack for the conditions rather than the season.
- Put fresh batteries in the headtorch and check the PLB registration is current.
- Load the pack in the order you'll need things, with first aid and shell reachable without unpacking.
- Put the harness on over the layers you'll actually wear and check it clears your pack straps.
- Tell someone your route and when to worry.
Where to start
- Field Gear & Hunting Accessories
- Bino Harnesses & Field Carry
- Marsupial Gear
- Wind & Scent
- Range & Shooting Gear
- All Gear Guides
Tell us where you hunt and how long you are out for, and we will tell you what is missing from your pack. Get in touch.
