My NEW BOOK! Order today!!! 306 pages, a map, and 44 photos. If you enjoyed my journal, you’re guaranteed to like my book.
This a list of gear I’ll be using on my “Living Off the Land” trip in Southeast Alaska. Some items I’m bringing are old gear not readily available or somewhat outdated. In that case I’ll list the current, better version I would suggest. This is a “heavy” list for a fixed, boat camp. See my backpacking lists which weigh a fraction as much.
Item | Brand Name | Comment | ||
Kayaking |
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Kayak | Aire Outfitter I Inflatable | A boat I already owned. Stable, light, self-bailing. | ||
Paddle | Aquabound Sting Ray Carbon | 230 CM, w/spare paddle | ||
PFD | NRS CVest Type III | Or similar. A well-fitting vest is vital. | ||
Pump, Kayak | K-Pump Mini | Light, simple, compact, floats | ||
Repair Kit | Aire | With valve, glue, material | ||
Dry Bag | NRS Bill’s 3.8 | Great value in a quality dry bag. | ||
Dry Boxes | Otterbox | Invaluable in keeping electronics dry. | ||
Camp |
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Block and Tackle | Like This, (no gambrel) | To lift food cache into tree | ||
Tent | Titanium Goat Vertex 7.5 | A huge splurge for me, but it will get some serious use. | ||
Stove, Tent | Titanium Goat Wifi | Another splurge. Tiny, light, very compact. | ||
Sleeping Bag | Feathered Friends | Down fill. For boat trips synthetic bags are probably smarter. | ||
Cot | Byer of Maine Allagash | Low, fairly light and compact. | ||
Camp Chair | Folding | Another true luxury for rainy days. | ||
Sleeping Pad | Therm-a-Rest RidgeRest | A dependable backpacking standard. | ||
Hatchet | Estwing E24A Sportsman’s | For camp. I never carry one backpacking. | ||
Saw | Sven Saw 21″ | For cutting firewood. | ||
Bear Fence | UDAP Bear Shock Electric | To protect camp when I’m gone | ||
Buckets | With Gamma Seal lids | Watertight seal, good seat, multi-use. | ||
Headlamp | Petzl Tikka | LED lights are a huge advance. | ||
Tarps | Unbranded, grommeted | To cook under and cover outside gear. | ||
Tarptent | Henry Shires | For “spiking out” away from base camp. | ||
Bear Canister | BearVault BV500 | Already owned. For electronics when leaving camp. | ||
Shovel | Generic Trowel | Primarily for latrine holes. | ||
Cooking |
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Water bottles | Generic | Plastic | ||
Pressure Cooker/Canner | All-American | Preserving food. Homemade windscreen | ||
Water Filter | Platypus GravityWorks 2.0L | Requires no pumping. | ||
Foil | Generic Aluminum | For fish and game. | ||
Fork, Spoon | Lexan | Light, tough, good for backpacking. | ||
Grill | Coghlan’s Broiler | Really handy for cooking fish and game over a campfire. | ||
Canning Jars | Ball Quart Jars | with extra lids. | ||
Jar boxes | JarBOX | These protect and organize and withstand rain. | ||
Water jugs | Reliance 5 Gallon Collapsible | Not very strong but compact! | ||
Fillet Board and Knife | Rapala Fillet Board With Knife and Sharpener | Fillet/Cutting board with clamp. | ||
Knife, Swiss | Victorinox Swiss Army Fieldmaster | Extremely handy multi-purpose | ||
Lighters | Generic | Several | ||
Salt/Pepper | Generic | The only seasoning I’m taking. | ||
Knife Sharpener | Speedy Sharp | Small and effective | ||
Stove | EcoZoom Versa Rocket Stove | Wood burning. For pressure canning. Quite heavy, but super efficient. | ||
Frying Pan | Generic | Lightweight, non-stick | ||
Water treatment | Aquamira Drops | A backpacker favorite | ||
Fishing |
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Fishing Rods | Fly and Spinning (light/heavy) | Various rods I’ve had for years. | ||
Gloves, Fish | Rapala Fillet Glove | Improves grip and protects hands | ||
Reels | Orvis Large Arbor Reel and spinning | Heavy and light spinning line, floating and sinking fly lines | ||
Regulations, Fishing | State of Alaska | I’ll likely consult them often | ||
Fishing Vest | Generic | Old and well used | ||
Flies | Various | Including Leeches, egg patterns, buggers, Caddis, etc. | ||
Lures | Spinning | Pixee spoons, Berkley Power Grub, Mepps Spinners | ||
Crab Trap | Danielson 24-Inch Alaska Fold-Up | With bouy, bait cage, and lead line. | ||
Landing Net | Generic | Aluminum | ||
Stringer | Generic | Polyethylene | ||
Tide Table | Printout and iPhone App | Important info | ||
Hunting |
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Blanket, Space | This Kind | Reinforced. Warmth, tarp, signal, etc. | ||
Rifle and ammo | Ruger M77 Mark II 30-06 | Stainless steel and plastic, 180 Grain hand loads. | ||
Shotgun and ammo | Richland Arms | Double barrel, full/modified, steel & lead shot. | ||
Cleaning Kit | Generic rifle and shotgun | Will need to clean often for salt water. | ||
Pack | ALPS Commander Frame | I’ve got an old frame. I’d buy the Alps now. | ||
Also a couple of shotgun slugs, license, harvest tickets and a copy of the hunting regs. | ||||
Electronics |
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Batteries | AA and D | For GPS, camera and bear fence | ||
Battery Pack | Lepow Moonstone 6000mAh | Features “pass-through” charging. | ||
Charger, AA/AAA | IGO USB | For GPS, camera and headlamp batts | ||
Solar Charger | ALLPOWERS Folding 18V 28W | To recharge various batteries. | ||
Smart Phone | iPhone | Camera, journal updater, GPS, more. | ||
Kindle | Kindle Fire HDX 8.9″ with 4G | For writing and backup commo via 4G. | ||
Solar Charger, Backup | Suntactics sCharger-5 | I no longer recommend due to failure rate. | ||
Lights, Backup | LED Mini Light | Lightweight, long-lasting. | ||
Weather Radio | WR-335 ADVENTURER | Weather/AM/FM/Shortwave. Power boosted by solar and hand crank. | ||
GPS | Garmin eTrex Legend HCx | With Garmin TOPO maps. | ||
Camera | Panasonic Lumix | I’ve got an older Lumix and like it. | ||
Also misc items such as cables, mini camera tripod, iPhone clamp, etc. You’ll notice I have lots of redundancy in electronics. There are several reasons: weight is a minor issue on this trip and electronics are fragile, especially in wet climates like this. If my tent leaks I can fix it myself, if my electronics fail I’m probably out of luck and I’m relying on commo to let people know I’m OK. | ||||
Clothing |
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Balaclava | Generic | Perhaps the warmest item per oz. I carry. | ||
Bandana | Generic | Washcloth, skeet/sun protection | ||
Cap, Rain | Generic “Jones Style” | An old school style that still works well. | ||
Cap, Baseball | Alaska Smokejumper | I wear with a bandana “Foreign Legion” style for sun and mosquitoes. | ||
Boots, Rubber | LaCrosse Men’s 18″ | I expect to wear these a lot. | ||
Waders | Caddis Men’s Deluxe Breathable | What I’d buy now. Worn with belt. | ||
Wading Boots | Caddis Men’s Ultralite | I’d replace my current boots with these. | ||
Gloves, Neoprene | Glacier Glove Premium | For cold and wet. | ||
Gloves, Rubber | Generic | For when dexterity is less important. | ||
Jacket, Fleece | Patagonia Fleece | Any quality brand will work. | ||
Jacket, Fleece Hooded | Cabela’s Fleece | Similar to above. | ||
Jacket, Micro Puff | Patagonia | Awesome jackets for cold and wet | ||
Jacket, Rain | Helly Hansen Impertech | The gold standard for very rainy country. | ||
Pants, Fleece | Generic | For camp or coldest days | ||
Pants | SportHill Men’s Expedition | Stretchy, fast drying, comfortable. | ||
Pants, Rain | Red Ledge Thunderlight Full-Zip | Light, inexpensive, comfortable | ||
Shoes, Running | Comfortable, Asics for me. | For camp wear | ||
Socks, Sleeping | Possum Wool | For sleeping only. Check ebay for best prices. | ||
Socks | SmartWool Trekking Heavy Crew | Comfortable, excellent socks. | ||
Underwear, Long | Patagonia Capilene Midweight | Bottoms and Zip Neck Top | ||
Underwear | Under Armour Boxerjock | Comfortable, prevent chafing. | ||
T-Shirt | Cotton Generic | For camp wear, towel, etc. | ||
Medicine/Hygiene |
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Antacids | Antibiotics | Antibiotic Cream | ||
Lip Balm, SPF | Lomotil | Shampoo | ||
Floss w/Sewing Needle | Ibuprofen | Laxatives | ||
Soap | Sunscreen | Tinidazole (for giardiasis) | ||
Toilet Paper | Toothbrush | Toothpaste | ||
Misc. |
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Bags, Plastic* | Bands, Rubber | Binos, RainGuard | ||
Books | Compass w/mirror | Paracord, 550 | ||
DEET | Glasses, Spare | Glasses, Sun | ||
Glue, Super | Kit, Misc** | Maps, Topo | ||
Leatherman Juice S2 | Notebook | Pack, Day | ||
Pens, Pencils | Sealer, Silcone | Tape, Duct | ||
Vice Grips (Small) | Wallet, Cards, Cash | Wet Ones | ||
Wristwatch | Zip Ties | |||
*Plastic shopping bags, garbage bags and Ziplocs. **Tiny plastic box with wire, compass, lighter, AA batts, LED light, duct tape, nail, fishhooks, line, p-38 (not needed this trip!), safety pins, tacks |
I knew it !!!!!!! I knew instantly that those pix were from a Leica lens !!!!!! I have 4 of the ZS3’s…..a ZS7 and a FZ35.
You have a good eye Bob!