Last night I was re-arranging the gear in my Varmint Hunting backpack!
I thought it would be interesting to share my pack type and the gear I carry with me while Varminting!
And it would be interesting to hear about what kinds of packs and gear that other Varminters use.
My latest Varmint Hunting pack stays filled with "the gear of the season" in my storage and reloading room. By gear of the season I mean in the winter I have my German surplus winter snow camo hooded parka. This "parka" is of very light weight and strong tear proof (?) material. It fits over what ever clothing I choose to wear on a particular outing. I also have in the winterized pack an extra pair of gloves, my waterproof seat (butt warmer), my snow camo face mask, my US Army surplus neck scarf (olive drab wool - these are WONDERFUL body warmers), my US Army surplus leggings and a couple extra handerchiefs.
During the spring summer and fall I remove these items and replace them with items that are needed in the summer.
First off I take the waterproof seat out and replace it with the summer model, the face mask is replaced with a fine camo mesh full head mask with eye slots, I have sensitive skin and I always have sunscreen and lotion along for sun and wind burn. No leggings needed in the summers but I have my Army surplus "blousing elastic straps" along to keep ticks, fleas and chiggers to a minimum and from crawling up my legs! I also have my flea and tick spray along to spray the legs of what ever camo I am wearing that day. In the spring, summer and fall I have my hand held thumb operated click counter along for those occassion that I want to let the rancher know exactly how many Varmints I have eradicated! I always have my wind gauge along - it is small and weighs nothing and comes in very handy.
I prefer the Nalgene style water bottles and always take several along in the water cooler in the truck. Then I put one in the pack for each jaunt. I bring my water from home by the way when I am travelling - I know two regions in Montana and South Dakota where the local water induces in me, intestinal distress, to the point of misery! It tastes bad as well!
In years past I would take a can of cold pop or lemonade along in my pack but no more! The cans nowadys are so thin that they can leak from just friction wear and cactus punctures! This makes a mess!
I know from experience.
For year round use there are many items I leave in my pack continuously. I have a double thickness plastic ziplock bag that holds about 12 of my favorite Predator Calls. They go along all the time - even when I am Hunting Colony Varmints. I used to take along in my pack my smallish Leupold 25 power spotting scope and light weight tripod but no longer! To heavy and bulky.
I use a large but not over bearing or over heavy set of Nikon 12x50 binoculars for spotting Varmints (with Crooked Horn Outfitters elastic chest strapping system). What that fine Nikon optic won't get done my variable scopes of up to 25 power will spy for me!
I of course am never without my Leica 800 Model Laser Rangefinder! This small, accurate and reliable tool is simply mandatory for successful Varmint Hunting. It ranges to 880 yards - not that I shoot that far but its been the best Laser ranger of the three I have owned and of the MANY others I have used afield.
I have a US ARMY surplus compass that is always in my pack. I range much farther afield (away form the vehicle!) than most other Varminters I know and snow and fog are sometimes troubling to manuever back in during the winter and in the summer I can sometimes get far from my VarmintMobile and use the compass to take another route back to it (thus Hunting fresh country all the way!).
My packs are larger than many daypacks I see other folks use. But I seldom have it full and there have been hundreds of times I have filled the bottom of my pack with petrified wood, fossils, artifacts, shed horns (Antelope) and antlers, bleached skulls, covered wagon hubcaps and on and on!
I like the larger packs. This latest pack is my favorite - it has lots of side pockets, a waste belt, straps on the outside for securing garments and antlers ect, padded shoulder straps and its outer covering is the noise proof fluffy (yet durable!) camo pattern colored material.
It is VERY quiet!
I used to carry a folded up space blanket in my pack year round. It comes in very handy for prone shooting and for "having a picnic" on besides the winter safety attributes. On several occassions in Wyoming and Montana I have brought my space blanket out and put it to good use as a rain shelter when the afternoon thunderstorms would dump on me! These blankets can cover not only myself (I am a large human!) but my Rifles and the pack itself.
Its better to be dry after a summer rain squall than wet and muggy and with your legs chaffing as you walk along in your wet camies!
I know I learned that lesson - several times in fact!
Unfortunately my space blanket was called into skinning and boning out duty on a successful Mt. Goat Hunt last September! The blood of the Mt. Goat had an odiferous effect on the blanket that the blood of no ohter animal has ever had on it! The blanket could not be cleaned and had to be destroyed! I have to find a new one - I hope they still make them. I have as yet to be able to find one!
Cabelas maybe?
For my "walkabout" type Varminting uses I always have one of my wonderful Darrell Holland designed and Dog-Gone-Good manufactured "Rifle toe" rectangular sandbags along in my pack. These ingeniously designed sandbags measure 3"x4"x5"! So you have three choices for toe of stock sandbag support elevations! I also have one or two full size lightweight media filled sandbags to use if my Harris Bi-pod or homemade tri-pod won't work for a particular situation.
I used to carry a snake bite kit (I still own it) along with me in the pack but I heard so much negative information about their use that I leave it in the VarmintMobile now.
Being a recent Rattlesnake bite victim I pledge to renew and redouble my efforts to not be bitten again by said snakes!
Knock on wood.
I carry a small amount of personal cleanliness wipes along with me whenever I am in the outdoors. It pays to be comfortable and adds to the enjoyment and duration of my outings.
I rely on my ammunition to be carried along with me and protected and kept seperated and safe by using the wonderful MTM palstic cartridge boxes. I have 50 round boxes for my larger calibers and 100 round boxes for my smaller calibers. These are noisey and used only when I am Hunting Colony Varmints. I use the great Uncle Mikes cordura and velcro 10 round ammo pouches for my calling and predator Hunting sojourns.
These are quiet and yet somewhat quick to get at either from my pack or from my belt. I also have several Uncle Mikes brand elastic rifle buttstock bandelero style ammunition holders. These work pretty well but on rare occassion I knock a cartridge out of them and loose a round!
Nothing makes the VarmintGuy more upset with himself than having to look into his MTM box and see a missing piece of brass!!!
I used to put layers of paper towels in the tops of my MTM boxes to keep them from rattling while I trundle along. I don't anymore - my hearing is not as sensitive as it used to be and I just let them rattle.
The heaviest bulkiest item I often carry along with me is my old Nikon 35mm camera! I love this old camera and relish the clear and color true pictures it has produced for 30 years now! I simply need to set it aside and get with the latest available computer compatible technology! And these newer cameras are MUCH lighter!
The one thing I have found over the years is how destructive typical Varmint country can be on the BOTTOMS of my packs. Lava rocks, cactus, granite rocks, sand, gumbo and use in darkness can simply wear through the bottom of my packs in a few years. This latest pack I have obtained has been in use two years now and its re-enforced "bottom" shows virtually NO wear!
If anyone is considering a "durable" Varmint pack be sure and get a model with the heavy duty bottom.
I always have a set of sunglasses along as the sun hereabouts and where I travel to Hunt is very bright and at these higher elevations to much sun in a day induces headaches in me. In the winter I use my very expensive (and now luckily 14 years old!) Nikon Ice Climbers sunglasses. These are specially designed and made to interupt the suns rays that bounce "up" at you from reflecting off of snow and ice. These are wonderful glasses. I paid (no actually the VarmintWife paid!) for these glasses after a Doctor recommended them to me. I simply would not spend what it cost for these glasses back then ($148.00 14 years ago!) even to alleviate my sun induced headaches!
It was the best $148.00 the VarmintWife ever spent on me! No eyestrain, no eye fatigue, no headaches! If anyone is susceptible to sun induced headaches I highly recommend these Nikon Ice Climber sunglasses. Last time I checked they were $325.00!
That about covers my pack, its contents and its ability to be ready on an instants notice! I would love to hear about you'alls packs and their design features you enjoy as wellas the gear you like to have along!
Raining like a Mo Fo here in western Montana today (and all of last night April 5th - 6th).
They will be there when things dry out though (they being the spring Varmints!).
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

What do Nalgene style water bottles look like?
I usually carry a refilled Diet Dr Pepper bottle with water or Diet Dr Pepper (Refilled from a 2 liter bottle). I don’t hunt to far from my van but during Deer season I wear a blaze orange vest the kind you can put game in the back. I fill it up with items I need for the day and I learned the hard way never go without a compass. It is hard to find out which way to go when it is cloudy. I have often thought of adding some Velcro or zippers to keep my extra stuff from falling out.

Since during deer hunting blaze is required I have also thought of getting a blaze orange or camo blaze orange book bag like the students wear here on campus to put my extras in.

I use a small Jansport made of cordura. It's about 13 X 8 X 16

I carry a couple of MTM J-20's with my Ammo.
My Leupold 10 X 40's, Silva Ranger compass with a topo map of the area I'm hunting. TP, Parachute cord, Spare hunting knife, Gerber folding knife, Knapp sport saw, Mini Mag flash light (with spare bulb) and extra batteries. Space blanket, a couple of bic lighters, couple of candles, 12' X 12' plastic drop cloth, Wool gloves, extra wool socks, wool shocking hat, Dr. Schols moleskin, Texsport Hand warmers, water bottle, water purification pills, small hand towels, metal cup, dehydrated food.
Last my Motorola radio.

That all changes to a degree with the time of year and what I'm hunting.

Jay Johnson: You bring up a very good point regarding your Motorola Radios! I have two sets of them and always bring them along on both Varmint and Big Game Hunts (they usually are on the dashboard of the vehicle charging and waiting to be put in my shirt pocket).
These radios CAN NOT be used to Hunt for or even to coordinate or help in retrieval of already dead Big Game! very pricey the tickets for this behavior! But for Varmints they are legal to use.
They are also extremely useful when "caravanning" (driving to a destination in more than one vehicle) across the state or the nation especially at night.
Good point Jay - see you soon I hope!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy