My Small Stream Kit

[poopdeck]

My hike in fishing days are over but when I go fishing for the day I can wander 3 or 4 miles from the car. As a true minimalist, I would not carry:

Standard First Aid kit
Fire starter
Emergency blanket
Glow sticks & Sharpie
Satellite messenger
2x BOA replacement laces
Gear Aid Tenacious Tape Flex Patches
Portable USB fast charger, charging cable & USB light
3x AAA batteries
Electrical shrink wrap sections (for fly line repair 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 mm)
Mobile phone tripod & remote shutter
Net
Digital thermometer
1/3 to 1/2 of the fly boxes

i would carry trail mix, a few carb bars and 2 liters of water. I would properly hydrate before setting out with my 2 liters and have more water at the car for when I return. I’m not drinking creek water with or without a life straw unless the alternative is death. The USB fast charger is a strong maybe. My basic first aid kit (not carried in the field) is pretty big. There doesn’t look like there’s anything life saving in your first aid kit, just alcohol wipes and maybe gauze pad, so I’m not taking it.

I also use Altoid cans And usually carry 3 or 4 of them. I really like the 3D printed dividers! That was a great idea.

 

[jeffroey]

I also use Altoid cans And usually carry 3 or 4 of them. I really like the 3D printed dividers! That was a great idea.

Thx poop. I've been on all sides of minimalist and over the years worked through vests, sling packs, waste packs, lanyards, and more. COnsidering one of these trips involve several hours of planning and in many cases 2-3 hours in the car out and back from SEPA, I like knowing I have everything with me to minimize the chances of a slip or broken lace shorten my time on the water once I'm there. Depending, on the situation, I may even throw a multi-piece backup rod in my pack.

I will say that weighing my bag at the start of this thread did surprise me a bit and I am looking at ways to pull a little weight out of it but odds are, I won't think there's anything saving an ouce on by leaving it out.

PM me an address and I'll send you a couple of dividers for your tins.

 

[raftman]

My wife bought me the Grayl for xmas last year. Not something I would have ever bought myself, but I LOVE it for my backcountry fishing trips. https://grayl.com/

 

[Bamboozle]

I've done many day trips of 12+ miles total, in and out in the middle of nowhere but I carry a lot less...

I do so because if I worried about every "what if" situation like I did when I wore an overloaded vest I'd need a ghille and two backpacks. After fishing for a 1000 years I also discovered I never needed the stuff I left behind.

A couple of "survival/emergency" things I always carry which serve redundant versus specific purposes, all checked & tested at the car before embarking:

​

Small compass​

Paracord bracelet on my wrist​

Bandanna around my neck​

Full Zippo cigarette lighter with extra flints and some back-up book matches in a Ziploc.​

Cigars​

Some paper towels in a Ziploc​

Soap leaves​

Medium Swiss Army knife with a saw, scissors and a corkscrew and one of these in the corkscrew​

Small flask of whiskey​

Two sources of illumination​

UV Knot Sense and one of those tiny UV lights​

Wading staff​

Gun & some extra ammo​

​

If I'm fishing with others in remote locations: walkie talkies and an emergency flare pen​

I never carry water because if I have it, I drink it; if I don't, I don't miss it. I also know if I eat while fishing I get thirsty so I don't take food. I also don't expect I'll starve to death without for 12+ hours...

I always have beverages waiting for me back at the car and have dealt with not drinking or eating anything all day forever unless you count a sip of whiskey and a cigars as hydration and food.

If all goes wrong... I'll have a final cigar, get drunk and shoot myself...