Bushcraft kit load out!

This is my basic equipment when I go walkabout, depending on the destination and purpose I will omit or add a few things. There’s no food or clothing here, we’ll talk about that in another article.

My bedroom:

  • Exped pillow, no need to suffer, my luxury item.
  • Warbonnet Mamajamba tarp, excellent, light and compact tarp.
  • Rab Event bivy sack
  • Exped Synmat UL mat
  • Carinthia Tropen bag, not for cold weather though.
  • Cheap sitting pad

For a hunting trip I’ll need to bring meat bags, rifle cleaning equipment and bullets. For a jungle trip, I’ll sleep in a Warbonnet Blackbird xlc hammock and leave the bivy sack at home.

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The bathroom:

  • deodorant
  • toothpaste
  • toothbrush
  • nailclipper
  • towel
  • mosquito repellent, preferably the concentrated stuff
  • soap in a box

In warmer climats, Tiger Balm is always included in my kit.

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  • Cordage
  • Lighter & firelighting stuff. To start a fire in any weather condition, my choice of tinder is cotton balls impregnated with vaseline in a waterproof Aloksak, easy & effective! Steal the cotton balls from your girlfriend, girls use them to wipe make up off their face.
  • Toiletpaper in a waterproof Sea to Summit bag. Important item, make sure you buy a good waterproof sack…
  • Repairs: Tear-aid is a good product for quick repairs in the field. A roll of Gaffa tape.  A few Tie wraps

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Navigation equipment:

  • Garmin Oregon 450
  • Seiko analog watch
  • Ortlieb waterproof map case, I tried a few others but this one is the best.
  • Recta global compass now available from Suunto.
  • Pencil & waterproof notebook
  • Topographic maps

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Emergency stuff:

  • Israeli bandage
  • Celox hemostatic granules to stop severe bleeding wounds.
  • Band-aids for small cuts, Compeed for blisters.
  • Waterproof first aid kit (painkillers, thermometer, antihistamines, tape, alcohol wipes, tick remover, eye wash, dressings, gauzes, tweezer, antiseptic solution, broadrange anti-biotics, …..)
  • First aid & emergency satelitte beacon, a SPOT device. However they do not cover all continents! Check beforehand.

When travelling to third-world countries I include a sterile set of scalpels, syringes, hypodermic needles, etc. These can be hard to find in isolated places.

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The kitchen:

  • Pepper & salt mix
  • Trangia alcohol stove
  • Swedish army plastic cup, highly recommended! They are 5 euro a piece and last very long. Mine is 4 years old.
  • Nalgene bottle & 750 ml cup. I often carry 2.
  • Primus fuel can
  • MSR MiniWorks EX water filter, heavy but durable.
  • Trangia stove holder
  • Titanium fork

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The living room & electronic devices:

  • Iphone in Lifeproof cover & lightning cable. A Lifeproof case is essential, it saved my iphone many times. IMHO the best waterproof case for Iphone.
  • Xtorm power bank, waterproof( IP66). I use it to charge my iPhone & Kindle. Also it powers my GPS, very usefull as my Garmin drains batteries quickly. It has a LED light built in.
  • Kindle with custom made leather cover, I never carry books around anymore. It has a built-in backlit led light for the screen, you can read in the sunlight without sunglasses & the battery lasts forever.
  • Waterproof bag
  • Leather tobacco pouch & wallet, made it myself.
  • My old faithfull Petzl Tactikka headlamp
  • Havana Club Rum, a must!

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The workshop:

  • Bahco Laplander saw
  • Studio Blade custom made neck knife
  • Cork screw, every trip should have a wine moment
  • Leatherman Charge TTI
  • Gransfors Bruks Small Forest axe
  • Boker Vox Rold, fantastic knife! The standard sheath is very bad, this one was custom built by Studio Blade.
  • Fire steel attached to my knife sheath

For a trip to a rainforest I prefer a machete instead of an axe.

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Clothing:

  • A waterproof Exped bag that’s also used as a pump for the sleeping pad.
  • An old Gore-tex German army raincoat

The contents of my clothing bag differ from climate to climate, more on that later. Make sure you always have a complete set of fresh clothes in it.

Dimi Gear Reviews (29 of 40)

Optics:

  • Canon G15 camera in a Pelican hardcase with extra batteries en SD-cards. A lot of pictures on this website are taken with this camera. Very good and compact.
  • Nikon Monarch 7 8X42 binoculars.
  • Gorilla stand

Observation is what it’s all about!

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The backpack:

  • Fjäll Raven Kajka 85 liter backpack, it’s travelled to all continents with me. A bit heavy though at 3,5 kg, I am looking for a lighter option. This is a very comfortable backpack to carry heavy loads on longer trips.
  • A waterproof cover that doubles as a duffelbag, very usefull. You now how they treat your luggage in airports…

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All together

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Ready to go!

My GPS is mounted on the shoulder straps.

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Airport proof!

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Keep exploring!

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