Overview of my Camping Gear-Part 6-Miscellaneous Items

Okay, are you guys getting tired of looking at gear? I know I am. Well, it’s almost over, this is the next to last post. Here I will look at what was listed as number 11 in Part 1 of my post on gear. This is a bag which includes all my miscellaneous items. I have numbered them in the picture to make it easier to see.



1. This is a ziplock bag which contains toilet paper, a collapsible toothbrush, and two small bottles, one with Purell and the other with liquid soap.

2. This is a mosquito head net. I’ve never had to use it, but it has many other possible uses.

3. A mirror. I originally got it to serve as a signal mirror in case of an emergency, but it has proven to be very useful. It can come in handy to be able to see your face.

4. This is just a larger box of tinder. I carry it in addition to the tinder I have in my pocket kit. Particularly in winter, when you don’t have time to mess around with natural tinders, this can be of great value.

5. This is the Coleman CR123A Lithium Pack-Away Lantern. It is a collapsible lantern that can put out over 100 lumens, and weighs 4.8 ounces with batteries. This is an item that is not necessary. I’ve often thought about leaving it out. Even though it is very light and compact for a lantern, it is still the heaviest object in this bag. It is a very expensive option as well, coming in at $60.

6. This is the NiteCore D10 flashlight. It runs on a single AA battery, but because it uses a computer chip to process the power, it can achieve spectacular results. It can put out 130 lumens, or at the low setting of 3 lumens, can last over 45 hours. The one thing I don’t like about it is the “infinitely adjustable” power setting. Some people love it, but I prefer a flashlight with a low, medium, and high setting. I don’t like having to play around with things like that. NiteCore has recently come out with the D11 version, which is supposed to be an improvement. You can buy the D11 for about $55. I prefer a hand held flashlight to a headlamp. It is just a personal preference. If I get rid of the lantern though, I would have to get some type of head attachment for the flashlight.

7. A replacement AA battery for the NiteCore.

8. A whistle for emergencies.

9. A compass-nothing too fancy. It just does what it’s supposed to do-it shows North. I think I got it for about $10.

10. This is a bottle of 100% DEET. I find it very useful. As you know, I don’t use a tent or a mosquito net, so the DEET is very useful at keeping the mosquitoes away.

Overview of my Camping Gear-Part 5-Water

So, the list goes on. In this post I’ll show you the water filtration and storage equipment that I use. These are items listed at numbers 15 and 16 in Part 1 of my post.



The water filtration/purification system as well as the water storage equipment that you use will be heavily guided by your environment. There are areas of the country where you can walk for ten minutes and find a good source of water. There are other places however, there water filtration would be useless because there is no water to be found.

In my area, during some parts of the year, there are good sources of water. During other parts however, almost all the water dries up. The availability of water is a function not only of temperature, but also the type of soil in the area. Here, we have very rocky soil, so all the water quickly drains. During those parts of the year, I am forced to get my water from small puddles or swamps. That guides the tools that I use. For more information about different ways to treat water, you can see my post here.

The first item you see is the MSR Miniworks EX water filter. The reason why I use it over all others is that it can deal with the worse water problem in my area, sediment. The water that I get from puddles or swamps tends to have a high level of small particles, suspended in the water. They can clog up any filter within minutes, including this one. The advantage of the MSR Miniworks Ex however, is that it uses a ceramic filter, which can be easily cleaned just by wiping it down. This way you can keep it working under conditions which would kill another filter. The MSR Miniworks EX retails for about $90. You can find more information about it in my post here.

The next item you see is a bottle of MSR Sweet Water. For all practical purposes, this is just chlorine bleach. I only use it in addition to my filter if I suspect there may be viruses in the water. Filters will not remove viruses, so if you think they are an issue in your area, something like this might be a good idea. It costs about $15 per bottle.

The next item is the rubber hose with pre-filter attached. The pre-filter helps remove some of the sediment before it inters the filter. You can see more information on my pre-filter in my post here.

The next two items are just a sponge, which I use to clean the filter, and the repair kit for the filter. In the years I have been using it, I’ve never had to repair the filter.

The last item is the MSR 6L Dromedary water bladder. I had one for a long time, but I had to replace it because the water in it started tasting funny. I bought a new one, but even after the first use, I had the same problem with the taste of the water. I don’t know what’s causing it. Maybe it has something to do with the water in my place. I’m going to have to consider some other options soon, which is a shame because it is a very durable water storage system. The bag retails for about $35.

Overview of my Camping Gear-Part 4-Cooking

In this next part I want to take a look at my cooking gear. These are the items listed as numbers 7, 8, and 9 in Part 1 of the post.



The first two items you see are the cooking pots. The first one is a MSR 2L titanium pot, and the second one is a Snow Peak 1L titanium pot with a knob on the lid that I put there myself. When I am alone, I used to take only the 1L pot, but decided that it was too small for me because it always ended up overflowing. Because of that, now I either carry only the 2L pot, or the two of them together. The great thing about titanium is that it is so light weight. I use the red bandana that you see to wrap the small pot. That way it does not make noise when stored within the larger one. Neither pot is still in production, but at the time I bought them they were very expensive. The big one was close to $100 and the small one close to $70. Titanium is still very expensive, but if you have the money, its strength to weight ratio is great. For some of what I consider good lower cost options you can take a look at my post here.

The next two objects you see are a pot grabber and a small sponge. The pot grabber came with the 2L MSR pot. It is small and light, but not too comfortable. I keep in the pot together with the sponge, which comes in handy when cleaning burnt on food. You can see some more info about the sponge here.

The rest of the items you see are part of my stove (stove, fuel bottle, small priming bottle, wind screen, repair kit, and lighter).

When I use a stove, I like a serious stove. I don’t want to time burn durations or measure ounces of fuel. I want to be able to put the food on, and cook it without too much hassle. That is why my choice is a white gas stove, specifically the MSR Whisperlite International. In my opinion, what gives this white gas stove the edge over a canister stove is that I can re-fill the fuel container. That way I don’t have to worry about running out, or carrying extra containers. I have never done a review on the stove because it has been around for so long, and I’ve had mine for years. There are probably more hi-tech options out there that I don’t even know about. The Whisperlite International is a well tested and proven stove, which will burn multiple fuels, and will cost you about $90. It comes with different size bottles. The one you see in the picture is the small, 11oz one. For more information on different type of stoves, you can take a look here, and for a tutorial on how to light a white gas stove, you can see my post here. For an unrelated tutorial on how to operate an alcohol stove, see my post here, or for a tutorial on how to make a wood gasification stove, see here.

I always carry a repair kit since this not a simple tool, but in the many years I have been using this stove, I’ve never had to repair it.

An item that you don’t see here is my spoon, which I keep in my food bag.

Overview of my Camping Gear-Part 3-Tools

In this next part of the overview of my camping gear, I want to take a look at the items listed as numbers 10,12, and 14 in Part 1 of the post. These are my tools.



The first item is my axe. The one you see in the picture is an axe I made myself, and has since then become my favorite. In size and weight it is identical to the Gransfors Bruks Small Forest Axe. In fact it uses the Small Forest Axe handle and a Northern Tool Camp Axe head which I have re-profiled. You can see more about the axe in my post here. Sometimes I’ll change the axe that I bring, especially if I am doing any testing. A hatchet would also make an adequate tool for most task, especially if you have a good saw.

The next item is my 24 inch Trailblazer Take Down Buck Saw. I have previously done a review of it here, and a comparison test with the Kershaw folding saw here. The version you see in the post has actually been modified. You can see the modifications in my post here. I also carry an extra saw blade, which fits within the saw. In my opinion, this is the best bang for the buck that I have been able to find when it comes to wood processing tool. It is not only an issue of being able to cut large pieces of wood, but also the speed with which you can cut smaller ones. This saw makes wood processing a breeze. It is not the lightest tool I carry, but it is worth every ounce. I bought mine for $25 here, although I have seen them go for as much as $40.

The last item is my tool bag. In it I have a bunch of paracord for setting up my tarp and other chores, as well as some artificial sinew. I keep the ropes in a ziplock bag because if you have your tarp in the rain, the ropes will get wet as well. You don’t want to put them together with your tool and get everything wet.



The smaller tools you see are the Mora 162 crook knife, the Mora 120 carving knife and the Leatherman Juice S4.

The Mora 162 crook knife is an adequate knife for making spoons and hollowing out other containers. It is sharp on both sides, allowing for more cutting positions. It is very lightweight and costs about $20. You can see more details about it here.

The Mora 120 is a small carving knife with a 2-inch blade. It is an excellent carving knife. In all likelihood however, since I have changed my primary knife, this one will probably be redundant, and I’ll stop carrying it. The reason why I left it in the picture is because it is a very good option in case you primary knife is a larger tool like a Fallkniven S1 or a BK2. This makes those fine tasks much easier. The knife costs about $15.

The next item in the bag is a U-Dig-It stainless steel folding trowel. I have sharpened the edge of mine somewhat to make it useful for hacking at roots when digging. It is by no means the lightest trowel on the market, but no matter how much I try to leave it behind, it always proves to be very useful. It costs about $17.

The last of the items is the Leatherman Juice S4. In terms of camping, there are a few things that I look for in a multi-tool . The first is a good set of pliers, the second is an awl, and a third is a pair of scissors. I don’t care much about the knife or the saw, as I already have better versions of those tool with me. The Leatherman Juice S4 has all the things I need. The pliers are good, including the wire cutters. It has a very good pair of scissors, better than the ones you see on many larger multi-tools. The awl has a fairly good design, although it was not sharp at all when I got it. I had to spend a good amount of time with a sharpening stone to get it sharp. All of this comes in a very compact package. All the features of a multi-tool are good to have, even though they don’t get used too often. That’s why I like the small, lighter weight design. The Leatherman Juice S4 costs about $45.

The only tool that I have left out of this post is a small snow shovel, which I bring when there has been a lot of snow and I have to dig to get to solid ground.