As you walk out the door of your vehicle, you should always have at a minimum a first aid kit, some food, some water, and a basic survival kit. If your dog is with you, you should try to have twice as much water as you think he will need. In summer and on short trips, I like to go as light as possible. When I first saw the Uncharted Supply Co Park Pack, I was interested to learn more. The Park Pack comes with a basic triage kit, two water bottles, and a fanny pack that hugs your hips and secures securely with a strap and buckle.
I’ve learned my lesson more than once to have the tools I need in as light a package as possible so I can take it into the field. My first elk hunt taught me that lesson. We were heading up the ridge to check out a valley below and didn’t plan on being away from the truck for more than 30 minutes. We saw moose, we chased after them, and three hours later, I looked in my backpack and all I had was a Capri-Sun. Luckily, that Capri-Sun wrapper made its way back into my backpack because a few hours later, with a little MacGyver move, we popped the top open, turned it into a mug, and drank about a gallon of water from a snowmelt stream in the side of the mountain after retrieving my first moose. We were away from the truck for a total of 13 hours and walked a little over nine miles. Lesson learned.
Since then, I have overloaded backpacks with the idea that having more tools will keep me out of trouble. As I have gotten older and wiser, the best idea is to have the right tools in the right package that I will actually carry. At various times, that can mean a full pack, a bird hunting vest, or something as light and easy to carry as Uncharted Supply Co.’s Park Pack.
The Park Pack is as tough as it gets. It’s constructed with a 600-denier water-resistant canvas shell, a 210-denier lining, and a water-resistant zipper. Very little will go through this. The internal area has 2.8 liters of storage space which is enough to hold a knife, Uncharted Supply Co’s sorting kit, some lunch, snack bars, my dog’s leash and a couple of other items. You can easily strap a jacket and an extra water bottle to the back of the pack and still have room to fill the two water bottle pouches.
The molle straps on the side will hold your gun holster or bear spray. If you plan on using this to hold your holster or bear spray, be sure to practice drawing your gun or bear spray a few times, even at a range, so you get comfortable with your setup. Practice keeps you alive in fast and quick reaction situations. I feel very comfortable with this setup outdoors. When I’m alone, I use the included water bottles from Uncharted Supply Co. When I’m with my pup, I upgrade to larger water bottles to carry extra water for me and the pup. I often keep a third bottle inside the Park Pack.
You can purchase the Park Pack without the Triage Kit, though I’d caution you not to. The price difference is only $30.00, but it can be a very useful tool if you need it. It contains most of what you need for basic survival and more than enough to get you back to your vehicle. Uncharted founder Christian Schauf clearly had this kit in mind. I sat with him over breakfast one morning before the SHOT show; he has clearly been testing this on his own outdoor runs and hunts and listens to the wants, needs and wants of his customers. This was my first Uncharted Supply Co product, but it won’t be my last.
