The Essentials

 Yeah, this again.

So every site blogger, YT influencer, social media poster, and state agency has a list of suggested items. I am no exception. I do tend to be a little different, as I feel what you carry should depend on your skill level and experience for being in the woods. Does that mean an expert should carry only bare essentials and that a beginner should carry everything in the house? No. What it means is you should carry items you have tested and know to work for you personally. You will gain that experience by going out into the woods and learning. You will not learn or gain experience from reading. So stop reading and go outdoors!

Still here? OK, lets get the wagon rolling. Again...But a little different.. Maybe..Sort of... Look, if you're still reading then just keep reading. You might gain some insight.

The more time one spends in the woods the more you'll find items you need and do not need. Need here, not want. You need a way to make a fire, but you do not need to carry a flame thrower (you can but... I digress). You need a first aid kit, you do not need to bring three nurses and a doctor. You need a compass, you do not need to carry a satellite on your back. Leaning what you need can take years, or one trip. I'd lean towards a years....

I've covered this, but I want to show a different approach here. Lets a look at what our NYSDEC says on the topic of recommended items, as it's actually pretty universal:

NYDECs Hike Smart

Anyone with real experience will agree with this list. Or at least most of it. Would I suggest lugging all if this for a 5 mile trek through a town park? No. Would I suggest all of it for a day hiking the West Canada Lake Wilderness? Yes, or at least most of it.

Here's the things I would either swap, change, or leave at home. It's really only a couple.

For the Sun and Bug stuff, bug repellent is a must anywhere in bug season. But I would not bother much with the bug net, sunscreen (in wooded areas, if you're in the desert with blaring sun...) or the sunglasses. They are not on what I'd consider a needed list. Use that space to carry a little more water. Or, a few small candles- see below.

The shelter items. It might be a little bulky, but I'd opt for one of the tarps with the reflective side over just a tarp AND emergency blanket. As I said, it weights a tad more and will take up a little more space than a tarp and mylar blanket, but it will not tear like the space blankets tent too. Or, even one of those emergency tents that come in the shape of an a-frame tarp shelter already and have the reflective surface in the inside.

One thing not on that list is cordage. Not everyone can ship up 50 feet of cordage like heating a can of soup. So I suggest carrying at least 50 feet of some sort of cordage. You'll need it to make a shelter from the tarp, you can use it in a pinch to make an emergency splint. Duct tape works great for that as well, but duct tape hurts like hell when removed from hairy body parts. Cordage of some sort should be in every kit.

I would also carry a knife besides just in the emergency kit. I prefer fixed blade belt knives, but at least a decent folding knife is a must.

I would also suggest appropriate clothing from the start. Those new age gym shorts and flip flops are great for pool parties, but I really suggest proper shoes, actual pants or shorts (not sweat pants or pajamas), and a tee shirt. But, I guess proper clothing is subjective in these times of not even actually getting dressed to go shopping. 

As you spend more time out wandering and exploring, you'll learn what works best for you in your area, or even what works best on this trail in this area and what works best for that trail in that area.

I personally know what I need, but often carry what I want as I make videos and I'm not a minimalists in most aspects. But, anyone who knows me or has seen some of the videos I have been known to carry only a bottle of water and a knife at times in warm weather.

Now, if you read all that. Load up some stuff and go practice learning what YOU need for the woods!

Dispelling The Mythos: Hunting/Fishing Implements

 I can't even count the times anymore where I have "debated" with others on budget bows and guns. More specifically, that a $300 bow dill kill a deer just as dead as a $3,000 bow. Or that a $500 rifle will kill a deer just as dead as a $5000 rifle, and a $100 shotgun will kill turkeys the same as a $1,000 shotgun. Or, that a $10 fishing rod reel combo will catch as many fish as a $500 rig (talking general fishing, not deep water ocean or lake). They will argue until they are blue in the face. Why? Just because some people love to argue, and no matter what facts you present to them, they will never admit to being wrong, or accept those facts openly.

It amazes me the amount of people who will argue that, as an example, a 180 GR 30/06 bullet fired from a SAKO isn't going to travel any faster or have any more FP or KE than the same bullet fired from a Savage Axis. 

Or another one, a #6 shotshell fired from a $200 12GA with a 24" barrel and a full choke will not be any better that a $2,000 shotgun shooting a #6 shotshell with a 24" barrel and full choke. They may pattern a bit differently, but should not be that far differed. Both will very effectively kill a turkey out to 30-35 yards.

Two bows set with the same draw weight and shooting the same exact arrow ( I do mean the same arrow), one that cost $250 and the other a high end bow that cost $2,500 will shoot the same. By the same I mean at 30 yards, both are going to kill the deer just as dead as the other.

Some people feel you need to spend a lot of money on your gear. But, the truth is, you don't. If you happen to be on a budget and don't have a lot of money, never let anyone shame you for what you have. If they persist, they are trolling or just being bass holes (see what I did there!).

This is just my point of view on the topic.

Dispelling The Mythos: Hammocks

 So, this will be the first in what I'm going to call Dispelling The Mythos. At some point, yes, edged tools will be discussed again. But, there are some other myths out there that may be taken as fact, and while not all myths are false, a good many are only true from one perspective. It's the "Look at this I'm doing over here!" while I do that over there thing.

If you talk to most die hard hammock campers, the top reasons they give in defense are they are lighter, set up faster, and I don't need to have flat ground to set it up. Let's take an honest look at these three declarations closer.

A Hammock Is Lighter:

This may have been true ages ago when canvas was the popular material for tents. But in the last 20 years? Nope. Even if you don't use a bug net, a hammock with all the tie outs and a tarp large enough to cover it is going to weigh in at around 3-4 pounds. That's if you make your own tie out stakes. If you carry stakes add about another at least 1/4 pound. If you use a bug net, we're up to 5.5 pounds. Which is pretty light. But, there are a lot of tents out there that weight the same or less. Your basic two person pup tent weighs in at around 3.5 pounds, including the poles, tie outs, and stakes. If you want to shave the weight a little, leave the poles and stakes at home and make them from sticks at camp and you're under 2 pounds, and it's more packable. So for less weight, you get a tent that keeps bugs out, doesn't need a separate tarp to keep the rain off, and affords a little privacy is you want to change your clothes.

Or, if you have the money, there are ultra light tents that weight under 5 pounds for up to a 4 person tent.

I Don't Need Flat Ground:

No, but you do need two trees that are right space apart. You'd be amazed at how the woods don't always agree with us being out there, and don't grow to accommodate us puny humans. For example, at the base camp for the ABB, there's areas to set up more tarp shelters or tents than there are spots to set up a hammock. Between the trees not cooperating, underbrush and growth, it's just not as easy as one would imagine. Even on a hill. So in reality, you don't need a flat spot, but you need a clear spot with the right trees to support the weight and be far enough apart to accommodate the shelter.

I found it rather funny some time ago when a guy using a hammock set up on a fairly steep little bank, and in the morning his gear and boots had rolled down the little hill. 

They Set Up Faster:

I have personally never been able to set up a hammock with tarp faster than I can my tents. I am not great at it, but I have watched guys who camp with me who have been using hammocks for decades. I can set up my tent including setting up the inside with my cot, get a fire going, and be relaxing before they have their hammock shelter set up. The 2024 Fall trip, I had my tent completely set up, coolers and so on at the table, and was getting the canopy up before the two guys using hammocks were done.

Every shelter type has it's pros and cons. From a simple cowboy roll, to a tarp shelter, a tent, or a hammock. It's all personal preference! I just felt I wanted to clarify a few myths that come up often.

This is just my personal opinion on the subject.

Try Stick

 The following pictures are a couple of years old, they are from a challenge I was involved in at that time. This is pretty much a text book example of a try stick. It covers the main notches one may have to carve for use in bushcraft camping.