I like to go camping,hiking,etc. in the woods sometimes.I pack all of the gear I take in a single backpack plus a sleeping bag and whatever I can carry on me.I carry at least 2 folding knives and a fixed USMC Ka Bar utility knife with me,a Army canteen with cook cup,a stainless steel bottle,a large shemagh for many uses,2 waterproof match tubes with tinder also,a flint/magnesium firestarter,a military issued watch cap,2 small compasses,an extra shirt,wool socks,p-38 and p-51 can openers,2 small multi tools,a head light and small led flashlight,at least 200 ft of paracord in different colors,mess kit with homemade MRE inside,first aid stuff,bandages,Tylenol,Benadryl,Neosporin.a sewing/fishing kit with hooks,SURVIVAL Army field manual,ranger bands,camo face paint,signal mirror,safety orange poncho and cover,1 razor for shaving,toothbrush,pen,sunglasses,rope,bandana,2 garbage bags,duct tape,2 nails,dental floss,6 handwarmers,leather welder’s gloves,American flag velcro patch on my bag,95% of my gear is in waterproof bags or is waterproof itself.the garbage bags would be to put my backpack in to keep it dry.All together it is pretty lighweight,and my backpack is comfortable to wear for long periods of time.I know our troops carry much more gear and it is much heavier than what I carry so I am unsure if I am carrying enough.Feel free to share what you take with you camping,and constructive critism is welcome.
@ J and Chris
most of my gear I could go without,but with the extra room in my backpack,I see no harm in putting in a few light weight creature comforts.I believe 2 knives is 1 knife because you can lose one in the woods easily.My first aid kit is very light weight,almost weighs nothing.The 2 nails can be used for shelter,fishing,etc.I don’t take any canned food with me so if anything the can openers would be for fishing lure.I think I will take the p-51 out because it is bigger and takes up more room.If you have ever done any kind of work out doors like cutting a tree down,or something similar,you would know how much easier gloves make it.And keep your hands warm (as for the comment about the hand warmers,I am taking four out).My home made MRE is virtually weight less and takes up no extra room because it fits in my mess kit.It consists of 4 crackers,instant oatmeal,and a couple of salt packets to help dry out meat if I kill something.I guess I kind of got carried away with it but ev
also I forgot to mention,if I am in an open area or by a lake or somewhere similar the signal mirror could come in handy.The razor,that is something no man should go without in my mind,my favorite creature comfort.
As I just stated in another QnA we are not under any kind of threat of an invasion or zombie apocalypse so a Bug out list like what your all carrying is a lot of wasted space filling junk. You only need 1 knife and 1 multi-tool. 1 compass or GPS, 1 fire-starter, 1 mess kit or cook cup, 1 rope or para-cord. You talk of a "homemade mre" well if it’s like most mre’s it’s too heavy of a food item switch to dehydrated foods. All the army stuff ie camo face paint arm bands and junk leave it behind you won’t need that. The army survival manual could be handy to give you ideas for shelter setup and food sources but there are better wildlife and edible plant books out there. All those hand warmers are wasted space if you have fire and gloves why bother.
To many folks are suckered into these wild survival man shows and think they can do the same, and you can. But most of the junk you see on tv is just that junk. When folks really go out to the wild-lands to enjoy God’s green earth they want a lot more of the creature comforts of home and for real outdoor adventurists who have been doing this for years with out all the hollywood makeup they don’t buy into all that phony baloney. Here is a back-packing check list from a reputable supplier prepared by folks who really spend more time in the outdoors then any survival man character ever has,
http://www.rei.com/expertadvice/articles/backpacking+checklist.html