Road trip gear suggestions

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BIG61AL

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Going on a short road trip to the mountains of colorado.....any suggestion on what gear to bring....we get the camp site early evening, set up camp, hike to the spot to hunt early next day and leave that night.
I'll list the obvious items....you suggest the rest.

detector and diggers, head phone, extra batteries, first aid kit, compass
tent, tarp. hammer/axe
case of water, some food [cooking not requried]
small shovel, tp
sleeping bag
sun screen. bug spray [100 % deet]
hat
 

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Charles Miller

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Headlamps. Candles & waterproof matches. Hand-pump water filter (such as the MSR MiniWorks). WEATHER BAND RADIO. Knives (like, 2 for each person). About 35 feet of nylon rope (a million uses, believe me). TOILET PAPER. 2-way radios with EMERGENCY BAND.

Very important: A bottle of LIQUID children's BENADRIL... Cheap, over-the-counter at any drugstore or grocery store. You just never know when somebody will have an allergic reaction to toxic plants or insect bites. Safe for kids, and you just increase the dosage for adults.

$20 in small bills --- to show your appreciation to strangers who may offer help to you on the road or on the trail. Most of the time they won't accept it, but sometimes they like to be compensated for emergency fuel, etc.

If you can afford it, GPS Personal Locator --- this is more for extended camps in the remote Rockies, and it's a major expenditure, but can and does save lives.
 

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Charles Miller

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Heh, that reminds me of my nephews --- ages 9 and 13. I've offered to take them backpacking in the mountains many times, and they always want to know if there will be TV.

No. There will be no TV, no iPods, no Chicken McNuggets, no ice cold Mountain Dew. The best I can offer them is a 50% chance of survival. They always decline.
 

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snake35

Hero Member
Jul 25, 2005
918
25
West Virginia
If it can go wrong it will, at the worst possible time, and your back up plan will fail as well!!!!!!!!!
1.Water purification system.
2. .22 caliber handgun ( for foraging as well as self defence)
3. Knives one folder or multi tool plus your fixed blade
4. three Bic lighters ( I also carry a Boy Scout Flint and steel)
5. duct tape and 22 gauge wire

This is just a few of the things that I reccommend. I would Rather carry some extra weight. When you get in the mountains if things go wrong your cell phone may not work. So you have to be prepared to walk out. Good luck and have fun
 

silverswede

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Dec 12, 2005
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You're going right in the peak of the fire season in the mountains so if you haven't yet you might want to call ahead to see if any restrictions are in effect for camping,etc. If not hope you find the mother lode.
 

stoney56

Gold Member
Oct 4, 2004
6,888
56
Oklahoma
I'd wear clothes a size or two too big for freedom of movement and for extra layering. Make the shirts long sleeved, you can always roll them up if necessary. Sturdy boots-broken in before the trip. Also some kind of multi-tool be it a Swiss Army knife or a Leatherman type. Don't forget a rain poncho.
 

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Charles Miller

Guest
With all these recommendations, sounds like we're going for a week-long trek through the Canadian Rockies, LOL.

Yeah, I prefer to carry a complete survival backpack, even if it means more weight. All it takes is a slip to turn a one-day hike into a three-day survival situation. I was up in the Selkirk Mountains of northern Idaho in June, backpacking above 6000 feet for a week, and I was plenty glad I brought all-season gear. Way up there, June is still winter, with heavy snow on the ground, mountain lakes still frozen solid. Second night of the trek, it snowed all night...in June. So much for global warming. If we had geared up for only "summer" weather, we would have been in serious trouble.

That's me with my Denali Pro filled to capacity (70-lbs), and a 15-lb bear barrel full of dehydrated food. As you can see, we weren't exactly on a "tourist" trail. I was plenty nervous because we weren't carrying any firearms, even though it's completely legal to carry heavy weapons in the national forest up there. In fact, it's recommended.
 

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buscadero

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Jul 16, 2006
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Warm clothing. I don't know what elev. you'll be at , but like they say about a gun, its better to have it & not need it than need it & not have it!!!
 

Heavy Chevy

Full Member
Jun 18, 2005
220
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South Carolina
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Hi Gang,

At night you will want a good flashlight.
And then a flashlight to find your flashlight !

Take Care and Have Fun,

Mike in SC
 

warsawdaddy

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Nov 23, 2004
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Somrthing for a temp repair on coolant/heater hose,extra coolant,backup jumpstart,good spare tire/jack,spare fuses.
 

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Charles Miller

Guest
mxtswinger said:
Pepper spray for bears/cougars?

Pepper spray is useless. What are you going to do, spray a bear that's minding its own business? No, obviously, unless you want to provoke it. Then, do you use it on an attacking bear? NO. OBVIOUSLY. Look, if a 44 mag can't stop an attacking bear, pepper spray isn't going to faze it, either. Sprout wings, jump off a cliff, do something, but don't stand there and try to spray a charging bear. If a cougar attacks, you'll never get to use the spray --- they always strike from behind, snap your neck.

Best thing to do is make a lot of noise (just the opposite of hunting tecnique), to let those animals know you're coming. Talk loudly, laugh, sing, whatever. They'll be gone long before you get there. The point is to avoid a surprise encounter.

:o
 

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BIG61AL

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Thanks for all your suggestions. the one thing I really needed and luckily my treasure buddy had an extra setwas......knee high rubber boots. There was so much water from snow melt still that the ground was squishy wet and add the full day of rain the day we arrived.. We went to the mountains near Dillon Colorado looking for gold nuggets and to find an lost ghost town.
Base camp was at 11,000 feet and we walked up a Vally to about 12,000 feet.....results - not a single gold nugget, no trace any buildings at all, no stones, no bricks, no iron trash, the only coin found was a single cent [modern] found when was setting up the tent and by luck only a single mule shoe from a pack animal we estimated it to be 100 years plus. We guess that the wood houses rotted away but not to find anthing was a surprise. The reason we think something is here is we found 2 telegraph poles. Why would any one put a telegraph pole at the top of a mountain at 11,000 feet unless something was there. If they were just passing through it's a lot easier to go around the mountain or use a pass instead. This place is ideal for mountain living before modern times - protected by mountain on three sides, fresh water, lots of trees for fire wood and small game and mines everywhere. I'll post pictures later for all to see.
 

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BIG61AL

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telegraph pole
 

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BIG61AL

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view of area
 

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BIG61AL

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another view
 

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stoney56

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Oct 4, 2004
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Oklahoma
Kind of a bummer, but it gave you a clue or two. Telegraph lines means there was communications between two points. It's possible you were in the general vicinity or you might be miles off. Towns were a lot of times located to protect from winds and avalanches. It might take some doing but possibly a flyover of the area might be worth your while traveling in a line made by the telegraph poles. You might be able to get a better perspective and see things you wouldn't normally see on the ground. JMO.
 

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