Big Game Hunting New Zealand Jul/Aug 2015 | Page 56

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Hunting Gear -

THE OVERNIGHTER

Written by Ryan Carr

up type. The biggest downside of the foam
roll is that it’s very bulky but I find I stay a bit
warmer with this option.
If I am up on the tops, camp site choice is
pretty important for this type of mission. I
usually try find a small flat spot out of the
wind. This can sometimes be very difficult but
if you duck off the main ridge onto a terrace
or get in behind a knob you’ll find a survivable
spot. I have often in the past made small rock
walls as a bit of a wind break. These don’t
need to be very high, maybe a foot or so is
plenty to tuck in behind and reduce the wind
chill.

The other items in my kit are:

• Rifle (of course) plus a bipod.
• A good quality fold out knife
• A small pocket knife-just in case I lose
my main knife.

Ryan’s rock wall campsite, high
on the Canterbury tops

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his will be part one of a three part
series on packing gear for camping
out in the wilderness.

In this issue I will go over what I take on
a quick overnight walk in trip with a good
forecast. No tent or fly on these trips, just
camping under the stars. The idea is to travel
as light weight as possible to make it easier to
cover a lot of country in a short time.
Firstly we need a decent pack, my choice is
a “Vaude” 75 litre. I’ve had this pack for over
ten years now and it’s still going strong with no
breakages. Being 75 litres it is a little on the
large side for an overnight trip but having the

56 BGHNZ Issue 7 Jul/Aug 2015

extra room allows you to pack in a good load of
meat or that trophy head without having to tie
too many things onto the outside of the pack.
Any comfortable heavy duty pack from about
55 litres would be sufficient for these quick
overnighters.
Next on the list is a good down sleeping bag
and bed mat, my sleeping bag has a down
rating of 750grams which is usually enough for
late spring, summer and early autumn trips,
but leaves me a bit chilly once there is a bit of
snow around. In mid-winter I prefer to use a tent
or hut as opposed to under the stars camping.
For a bed mat I have gone away from the blow
up variety and moved back to the old foam roll
www.bghnz.co.nz

• A small diamond steel
• Bino’s
• Camera+ small tripod – very handy if
you’re hunting alone and want some
good quality pictures with your kill
• Head torch