Success on the field depends on actually getting into the field, and the fastest way to do that is through planning, preparation, and extensive organization. I started packing buckets while planning a work photography trip to Hungary. I had to pack clothes for everything from the hunt to the opera. I was traveling with camera gear, computers, cables and batteries and had to look good at night too. That trip was a working lesson in planning and preparation because once on the ground it was basically impossible to replace equipment. If I didn’t have something with me, I didn’t get the photograph I needed. Hunting is really no different.
That first trip, I used different colored stuff sacks for different things. The orange was the camera batteries, the blue the cables, etc. While I no longer film hunting trips, trips for my own hunting and guiding still require the same level of organization. I have a stuff sack for my Woobie, one for knives, one for rope, and one for bags of meat and other items we want to keep together and easily accessible in our tote box.
This summer, on a quick trip down south, I tried the Sea to Summit mesh garment bags for my clothes so I would have shirts, underwear, socks, shorts, and pants organized and ready to go. He made our 17 days on the road so easy. I liked being able to see through the mesh of these bags to see what was in each one. I just placed an additional order for more small bags that I plan to use for gear like electronics and one for my binoculars case, extra lens cleaners and cleaning cloths to make it easy to grab and go on my next trip.
The more time you spend organizing from the start, the less time you’ll have to scramble to find the gear you need when the time is critical. The Ultra-Sil fabric on these makes these garment bags super lightweight and easy to store when empty. The small measures 10 x 7 by 4 inches, the medium measures 14 x 10 x 4 inches, and the large measures 16 by 12 by 4 inches. The little one is my absolute favorite; holds four or five rolled up shirts, a bunch of socks and underwear, or a small amount of gear. Look for them at Seatosummit.com.
