Shooter & Scout Bag

When I'm out hunting I need a good size bag for carrying necessary gear that will last me up to 6 hours in the woods. At first I thought that I would just bring my Vulture II pack always as it carries a lot of stuff. But it is stupid in many ways, here are two examples: 1) why bring a lot of gear when you are hunting? It will only slow you down and waste you energy and strength. I will of course leave all gear which I don't need during the hunt at my “camp” and just bring necessary gear with me on the hunt. 2) to bring a rucksack and a rifle is very uncomfortable, you can't really carry a rifle on you back together with a rucksack if you don't have e.g. a Gunslinger which is too much for me. The old school hunter carries his rifle on his one shoulder and keeps it up by his hand, this way you can have a rucksack. But this is – by me – a very uncomfortable and clumsy way of carrying a rifle; when I'm struggling through thick bushes or smaller trees I like to use my both hands and I do not want my rifle to fall down every other minute because branches keep pulling it off my shoulder. This way of strolling through the woods is a nightmare.

So, I need a good size bag which is not a rucksack. My friend bought a Maxpedition Malaga Gearslinger and I thought “What a great idea!”, it just has one shoulder strap and I can carry both my gearslinger and rifle across my back. It sounded like a good idea until I realized that I would have to carry all my load on just one shoulder while walking around in the woods for hours. That sucks. It is actually a bad idea as a rifle weighs pretty much.

Then I thought to try out some kind of a buttpack version, and Adam from Equip II Endure introduced me to a very cool system which he had made from a Maxpedition Sabercat versipack, a Maxpedition M-4 waistpack, and a pair of HSGI High Speed Low Drag Suspenders. I would have exchanged these suspenders to a pair of US Army H-Type ALICE Suspenders as they are more comfortable. With this versatile pack I have my back free and still carrying the load from the pack on both shoulders. But after have contemplating this for a while I felt that this wasn't it, I'm not really a fan of the buttpack as it feels a bit clumsy with the suspenders and I have to take it off every time I need to reach for stuff in the pack, that is a huge downfall for me. I like to be able to reach for whatever whenever. 

So finally I came up with the perfect solution, a bag I've had this whole time without thinking of it as a perfect option; the Maxpeditions Jumbo standard versipack! I couldn't believe I didn't think of it before :) With this pack I have covered the main four things I was looking for: 1) a good size bag for carrying necessary gear that will last me up to 6 hours in the woods without being too big and clumsy, 2) my back free for my rifle to cross, 3) distribution of weight on both shoulders, and 4) a versatile pack which I can reach into easily while standing still or walking without taking it off. You might wonder about "3) distributing the weight on both shoulders", my solution here is to carry my Jumbo on my left shoulder so that it crosses my back and sits on the right side of my hip, and my rifle on my right shoulder so that it crosses my back. I'll add a photo of this soon!

The awesome thing with Maxpedition's stuff is that you can add all kinds of sheaths and pouches/pockets to their packs.
So this is my Shooter & Scout system right now:

+ Maxpedition Jumbo versipack
+ Maxpedition M-1 waistpack (multitool, flashlight, GPS, rounds, etc.)
+ Maxpedition Rollypoly (mutli-purpose: bottle-holder, trash-holder, to collect tinders and edibles in that you might find in the woods, etc.)
    Accessories:
     + Maxpedition Double Sheath (extra exterior tool pouch if needed)
     + Maxpedition Volta battery case (it's also an excellent pouch for a fire kit, etc.)
     + Blackhawk Speed Clips 3" (much better than Maxpedition's inept TacTies)
     + ITW Grimloc Carabiners (multi-purpose)
     + Maxpedition Keyper (to attach camo-net, etc.)
(What attachable pockets/sheaths I use depends on the situation at hand.)

Under the pack are 3 wide and nice high tensile strength nylon webbings which give you the option – by using 2-3 quick release straps – to load a fold-up gun pod, a tripod chair, rain gear, a tarp or other relatively small gear. This little detail brings tons of useful functions that makes your hunting more comfortable; I like that. 

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Gear I like for Outdoors & Survival

Fire Steel

One of the most important tools for me is of course the Fire Steel. I have in so many years been fighting with stupid water-proof matches and lighters until one day I realized that nothing beats the fire steel! It is such excellent invention and I always use it nowadays, seldom do I bring a lighter or matches; only as back-up of course. 

For example, I spent pretty much money on Silva’s Storm Lighter Helios, which withstands wind speeds of up to 25 m/s, very impressing indeed. It worked very well and I was very pleased with it until I grasped one big issue with it; it only holds a very small amount of butane gas, so in a survival situation it will only help you a few times before it is empty of gas and useless. Silva’s website tricks you to think that it lasts a very long time with the caressing words: “Adjustable flame and piezo ignition that can be used over 30.000 times”. Well what do you need that for if the gas is out? I use my Storm Lighter Helios in my fire making back-up kit only.

Light My Fire’s fire steel is originally developed for the Swedish Department of Defense. Its sparks are almost 3.000°C which is amazing and the army model (which has a fatter strike-stick) lasts to 12.000 strikes! It works perfectly in any condition as long as you have good tinder. So this is obvious the best choice after a napalm gun! I have fairly much experience with fire steels and I have never been let down. 

If you don’t have a few, get them now! (www.lightmyfire.com)

I only use my multitool, homemade super tinder (in a US Army waterproof match and survival gear case), and my fire-steel in the movie. I've used this method many times in all weathers and it works extremely good.

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Fire making kit

Here is my current and improved “fire making back-up kit”. I have a small bag of tinder-dust that I have made myself from Light My Fire’s Tinder Sticks by just scraping off shavings – burns very good as it is made of fatwood which is full of resin. You can see Silva’s Storm Lighter Helios, a container with my homemade super-tinder (see below), and of course a fire-steel. In the bottom of the box I have two layers of Light My Fire’s Tinder Sticks made into small and thin sticks, ca 2 cm in width. The water-proof and crush-proof box is a Pelican 1010 micro case.

I only use my homemade super-tinder as tinder nowadays (made only from vaseline and cotton), as it outstands any bought tinder. It is much cheaper and as good as the slightly expensive WetFire Tinder or any other tinder product (I've tested a lot of them!)

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Tool Sheath

A basic kit that I always bring, either I go to the shooting range or on a daily fishing trip, is my tool sheath which is a Maxpedition Double Sheath which I attach to my pack or bag, not on my belt. 

 

Most often it holds my black Inova X5 flashlight (I always use Energizer Lithium batteries as they are without a doubt the most lasting batteries) and my Leatherman Wave multitool. These items are handy in all kinds of situations when you are out. The flashlight was a bit overkill in the beginning for me because I did not really find any use for it on my fishing trips etc. Nowadays there are always situations when I find use for it, from going through my gun to look for things that I've dropped on the ground. Sure you will survive without it, but that's not the point, the point is to make your day easier and more pleasant, right?

I'm thinking of exchanging my multitool for another brand as my Leatherman Wave have pinched my finger pretty badly several times when I've used its pliers, and I have had blood blisters from it. This is the kind of stupid things that you want to avoid when you are in vulnerable situations. So I've been thinking to get a Gerber Diesel multitool instead.

I just want to add that my Inova X5 flashlight started to flicker and Inova was really fast in responding to my complaint, and they sent me a brand new improved version within a few weeks! Thumbs up for that service!

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Modification

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Another version of this kit is the one adapted to survival situations; you could replace the flashlight with a fire steel and a container with tinder. This way you have enough fire making material to last for weeks and a multitool which will save you in many situations. The multitool is not only good as a tool, but it can also be turned into a weapon by tying it to a stick, fold out both knifes, and use it as a spear; both for fishing and hunting.

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Basic Belt Kit

There are two things I always put on my belt when I'm out, my regular knife and my light survival kit. This way, whatever happens to my pack and other gear, I always have a basic but good survival kit attached to my belt. The current pouch I use is a Recon pouch, I can't find it anymore on their website, so I'm not sure they sell it anymore (I've had it for a good five years or so.) Too bad because I would like to have another one in OD.

Anyways, as you can see in the photo I carry a fire steel, my super tinder in a US Army waterproof match and survival gear case, a Silva compass Ranger 27, and a Photon freedom micro light w/ white LED. I would like to add a small folding knife to this kit, but I'm not sure it fits...

You might think the I would put more stuff in there like a space blanket and other survival items, but I don't use this kit for expeditions in the midst of vast forest landscape, I use it in simpler situations. Just so I have basic tools at hand.

I am however experimenting with a bigger version which will hold many essential survival items, for this kit I will use my Maxpedition M-1 Waistpack, which is a good size pack for this purpose. The only "problem" with the M-1 is that the size of it makes it very uncomfortable to wear on your belt. I feel that it is too big, or maybe I'm just not use to wear it... I put it up on this blog when I'm done with it.

 

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Gerber Sportsman's Wood Saw

This is a small video clip that I made of the Gerber Sportsman's Wood Saw. This saw is by me just awesome; foldable, lightweight, effortless, and efficient. Its lightweight and compact size makes it very easy to bring in a pack or pocket. Notice that I shake the saw in the end of the video, I do this to show that it does not rattle. This is an imprtant item I always carry in my pack.

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Next

My semi-E.D.C. – for my daily walks

I call it a semi-E.D.C. because it is an extremely light version of what people called an E.D.C. I have constructed this pack for my basic needs on my daily walks on wooden trails. I don’t need much, but what I need I don’t want to carry in my pockets or on my belt; so I bought a Maxpedition 2” Shoulder Strap with a 2” Shoulder Pad to fit my Maxpedition Bottle Holder. What I normally need on my walks are water (I use a Nalgene 32 oz water bottle), a snack (power-bar, fruit, or nuts), my phone and knife.

The Maxpedition Bottle Holder has a small pocket which can carry some smaller items like a spork, lighter/fire-steel, a folding cup, multi-tool, etc., but not really a good snack. So I attached, using 2x 5” BlackHawk Speed Clips, the Maxpedition Janus Extension Pocket to the side of the bottle holder, both which have a good amount of MOLLE/PALS webbings, as all Maxpedition products. The Janus comes with a removable strap which I of course have taken off, and the extension pocket fits perfectly, and it serves all my needs for this semi-E.D.C.!

The Janus pouch has a lot of potentials, and one of them is an external 2-sided pocket which I use to hold my Fällkniven F1 knife sheath (this sheath is specially made for the Airforce and I could not really use it on my belt and so on, because it has a specially made attachment system), but it is ideal for my Janus pocket.

My ex pack: Maxpedition Condor-II in foliage green

I wanted a sturdy and good pack for my time that I spend in the wilderness. I wanted a medium size pack because I’m not out for too long on my trips. I looked around on the net to find one that would fit my taste and needs; I looked for e.g. BlackHawk’s packs, but they were too big. And finally I found Maxpedition’s website (www.maxpedition.com) and I was amazed! I have been waiting for a manufacturer like this for a long time; someone who makes military-style equipment for the common man – the hiker. 

I thought Maxpedition Condor-II would be a good choice for me, and foliage green was a color in my taste. And the awesome thing with Maxpedition is their wide selection of pouches, pockets and accessories to their products. I’m a bit of a gear-o-maniac, so it suits me very well. 

This is what my Condor-II carried:

• Maxpedition Condor-II, foliage green
• Maxpedition Monkey Combat Admin Pouch, foliage green, which I use as an organizer for my basic tools, etc.
• Maxpedition Bottle Holder 10”x4”, foliage green, which holds my Nalgene 32 oz water bottle
• Maxpedition Cocoon Pouch, foliage green and black, small good pouches for all smaller stuff which I like to bring
• BlackHawk Speed Clips, to integrate accessory pouches/pockets unto my pack, much better than Maxpedition TacTies
• Maxpedition Web Dominators
• Maxpedition Grimloc D-Rings

I am very satisfied with this set and it works great from my daily hikes.

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Modifications

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I first attached the Maxpedition bottle holder to the side of the pack using the BlackHawk Speed Clips and the MOLLE/PALS attachment points on the pack, because it is so much easier to have the water bottle outside of the pack when you just want a quick swig. But just after five minutes into my first walk with the pack I felt how the one side that carried the bottle holder were pulling down and the whole pack became very uncomfortable at once. So I made a quick decision that having the bottle holder on the side of the pack was cool in theory, but a bad idea in practice.

But something that is a good idea – since I like fishing, shooting bow, etc. – is to attach a Maxpedition Single Sheath to one of the shoulder straps to hold my multi-tool so it is at hand whenever you need it quickly. The last thing you want to do is to take the pack off and start digging around to find tools when you are in a hurry – like taking out a hook from a mouth of a squirming fish. The Maxpedition Single Sheath has a perfect fit for a multi-tool or a smaller flashlight.

I have also found Maxpedition Web Dominators very useful. Since my first pack I have always been annoyed by all loose straps hanging around, and the Web Dominators have taken care of that problem :) But when I added them to the shoulder straps in the bottom of the pack they each had these two elastic cord-ends which poked my arms or ribs depending on how I attach them. Very annoying. But I found a way to hide those elastic cord-ends by hiding them under the strap itself, see photos.

But after using my Condor-II for a while I felt unsatisfied. First I thought that I’ve just become spoiled in all gear, but there was something with the pack that didn’t do it for me. And I realized that it was a tad small, I didn’t have to pack much until it became cramped – which in its turn made the pack a bit bulky and extruding on my back. So, I decided to get Condor-II’s big brother; Maxpedition’s Vulture II.