Belt kits for hunting, what you find useful

[Wapiti]

Just wondering from all you hunters-outdoorspeople out there, what items do you find essential and most useful for a day doing what you do?

Items on your belt that see you through the days' activities, what's really useful and needed.
And even, the belt itself.
Not the stuff you'd put in a bumbag or pack, because that's skys-the-limit.
So you can get in and out of your 4wd without taking it off, stuff that always has to be there and not "oh crap, forgot my kit"

Interested in your thoughts, what you've found essential, or un-needed, or just hype.
Considering we are not on the streets here, but out in the bush away from silly laws or public opinion.

[bladeracer]

Just wondering from all you hunters-outdoorspeople out there, what items do you find essential and most useful for a day doing what you do?

Items on your belt that see you through the days' activities, what's really useful and needed.
And even, the belt itself.
Not the stuff you'd put in a bumbag or pack, because that's skys-the-limit.
So you can get in and out of your 4wd without taking it off, stuff that always has to be there and not "oh crap, forgot my kit"

Interested in your thoughts, what you've found essential, or un-needed, or just hype.
Considering we are not on the streets here, but out in the bush away from silly laws or public opinion.

On my everyday trouser belt I have a water bottle, my phone pouch, a grenade pouch that holds my keys (which are lanyarded to my belt), folding shears (Chinese copy of the Leatherman), two Israeli bandages, snake bandage, tourniquet, two multitools (a Leatherman with bit kit and a Gerber), two torches, knife sharpener, some folding knives, two pairs of gloves, and a compact dump pouch that I can open up to carry stuff when needed. In my cargo pockets I have some muesli bars, pens, markers, insulation tape, a fire starter rod, hay bale string, some more knives and torches, a fencing wire twister tool, my wallet, ear plugs, a bunch of chamber safety flags, an empty bread bag (for collecting brass) and my ID lanyard. I like to have a pair of sidecutters but they're not here currently, I gave them to Rose the other day to do something and they haven't come back. I do go to places where I prefer not to wear this gear (and when I need to wear a gun belt) but the trousers still go in the car with me so I know I have my gear if I need it. When it starts getting hotter I'll add another water bottle to my belt.

[Wapiti]

Mate, is that for hunt?
Imagine it is

What about EDC? You're a bloke that knows what you're doing.

What are the side cutters for? Are they quicker than a Leatherman for cutting through fences?

[bladeracer]

Mate, is that for hunt?
Imagine it is

What about EDC? You're a bloke that knows what you're doing.

What are the side cutters for? Are they quicker than a Leatherman for cutting through fences?

Everyday here on the farm. I do go into town for various reasons and I'm not getting changed just to appease other people.
We get lots of fence damage so I like to be able to do quick repairs when I find an issue rather than have to leave a fence down until I can come back with tools. Baling string will fix a fence up until I can come back to it with wire. Let's just say, the side cutters are a whole lot cheaper than a Leatherman, so the Leatherman only gets used to cut fences in emergencies

For hunting I'm still wearing my belt but I wear another harness over it with more specific hunting gear onboard. The harness can be removed though, which means I might not have it when I need it. The belt stays on me so I'm unlikely to not have it - that's also why I carry water and pocket food.

[Wapiti]

Thanks for that insight.
Ah, fences. The bane of my life ATM.
I do think about laws though, for an example if I was to carry a knife in a pouch separate from a multi-tool, which I always do, I have to strip a few things off the belt before a trip into town for supplies. I don't want to push my luck here.
I remember when my wife was doing a hairdresser trip in Warwick Qld where we have a place too, with a mate of hers from way back when they were coppers working in western Qld. Her mate is now a Sergeant-in-charge of a copshop in Logan, so obviously has the mindset still of a head full of laws. As police do. My wife had her Leatherman on her belt, wearing jeans, and her mate chastised her for it and the argument went on for awhile.
"Take that off, you can be arrested and it will reflect badly on me"
"It's not a knife, it's a Leatherman and it's always on me, I'm also a farmer"
"It's got a knife on it, you aren't working on the farm and don't need to be wearing it so take it off"
"I'm not taking it off, you know that is bullsh*t and drop it, you don't arrest someone for being in a car they could use to drive over people"
"that's being stupid now, you know what I mean"
"yep, so your laws are stupid and you are considering me a criminal when I am not"
Where have we heard that so many times lately with firearms? Our "minders" are brainwashed and completely blindfolded to the constant indoctrination they are unable to see is bullsh*t.

I've never thought about carrying food on me when working around the farm, or water. Of course if I'm off to a job somewhere which is an everyday thing, because I need other equipment I definitely have hydration coming with me. Distances can be a bit far for walking there so it'll be either in a buggy, ute or tractor so yeah getting caught without water when working is not smart.
Our joint isn't a big one by any means but to get to the back corner from the house for an example is a 45 minute ute drive.

I carry a bit of stuff on a Kent's leather belt, in pouches that keep everything in close so's not to get in the way and catching on stuff.
I liked to carry a sheath knife quite a bit, but it just keeps getting grabbed by everything all day. The pistol is another matter, gets ground into the dirt when getting under something or belted into staff all day, and the reflex sight acts like a funnel for dust which fills the glass. None of the US-inspired holsters made take everyday use past fantasy and tacticool and address real daily wear.
The old Leather US .45 1911 holsters had this solved, but modern guns with reflex sights and lasers do not fit. They need to be moulded and nobody makes one that I know - they just don't look cool enough.

I'm interested in people's EDC, really I'm looking for ideas.
Interested in what people have found useful.

For example, the Leatherman.. do we really ever use all the tools, or do we just use the pliers and cutters? I do, and they are hopeless at that too. But how else to carry plers small enough to sit on a belt and really be useful?

[bladeracer]

For example, the Leatherman.. do we really ever use all the tools, or do we just use the pliers and cutters? I do, and they are hopeless at that too. But how else to carry plers small enough to sit on a belt and really be useful?

Fences are a neverending issue for us too, there are always trees coming down. And we graze our cows on properties that don't have stock, so they don't have great fences.

That's why I bought the Leatherman with the Bit Kit, I think it cost me $300 some years ago. It's saves having to carry screwdrivers. And I need two multitools because it's a safe bet I'll drop it and won't be able to bend down to get it while holding onto something that is trying to hurt me

I find the same with sheath knives, too bulky, I prefer folders. I have a sheath knife on the back of my Cowboy gunbelt though, and it is razor sharp. I used it to cut the leather to make the sheath for it.

What holster are you using? I'm using an Aussie-made Airborne Customs but mounted on a Blade-Tech paddle. I really like it. But I also bought two service holsters from an officer returned from Afghanistan. The Fobus C-21 is excellent with very good retention, too much retention for IPSC though. The Hellweg is very adjustable with thumb-break retention. Can wear it high on the belt or low on the thigh, and adjust the angles for vehicle use or crossdraw. This is the Airborne Customs I'm using - https://airbornecustoms.com.au/collections/holsters/products/fn-browning-hi-power-holster I'll have to order one for the 1911 as well but I'm using that for Cowboy so I'm using a leather holster, not allowed plastic or velcro in Cowboy.

[fussy]

EDC: Leatherman with AAA torch and a small ferro rod.
Hunting: ditto plus...EPIRB, maybe knife. Assuming I'm within 10-200m of the car

[Wapiti]

Bladeracer, I've been through a few holsters, the more tactical type I see with all the cool tattooed US dudes are awful.
Thanks for posting yours.
Heres a few I've used.
The only one that is any good is the old leather Aker.
having said that, any holster that the bigger Sig P226 fits, will fit my shorter-in-the-grip and shorter barrel P229. But in Aus, there's SFA for carrying something flat that is leather. I'm not a nylon webbing kind of person.

Holsters.jpg (676.87 KiB) Viewed 123 times

The ones at the top are 2-point security, cover everything but stick out and bash into everything. that's not also when they're catching on machinery or gear and ripping you off your feet. And won't fit a red-dot or torch, but they aren't necessary anyway.

There's a paddle, for when you forget to thread one on your belt in the morning'
Theres one that goes on your belt iof you remember, and is height adjustable.
Theres one that drops down so you can show everyone you have a pistol on, and guaranteed to bash into everything you walk past.

They might look great on YouTube for those tactical training types that run around in circles in quarries at "training" shooting at steel plates at 10 feet with no enemy shooting back from the top of the berm, but not real life.
The old worn out Aker, I imported from the US and it's perfect for a standard pistol. Sits super-flat and nobody knows I wear a pistol on the farm when my shirts out.
But it's getting kinda old. Been saddle-soaped 1000 times, been soaked wet dozens of times. Great lifespan for being carried 300 days out of 365.

OldAker.jpg (693.68 KiB) Viewed 123 times

[bladeracer]

Bladeracer, I've been through a few holsters, the more tactical type I see with all the cool tattooed US dudes are awful.
Thanks for posting yours.
Heres a few I've used.
The only one that is any good is the old leather Aker.
having said that, any holster that the bigger Sig P226 fits, will fit my shorter-in-the-grip and shorter barrel P229. But in Aus, there's SFA for carrying something flat that is leather. I'm not a nylon webbing kind of person.

Holsters.jpg

The ones at the top are 2-point security, cover everything but stick out and bash into everything. that's not also when they're catching on machinery or gear and ripping you off your feet. And won't fit a red-dot or torch, but they aren't necessary anyway.

There's a paddle, for when you forget to thread one on your belt in the morning'
Theres one that goes on your belt iof you remember, and is height adjustable.
Theres one that drops down so you can show everyone you have a pistol on, and guaranteed to bash into everything you walk past.

They might look great on YouTube for those tactical training types that run around in circles in quarries at "training" shooting at steel plates at 10 feet with no enemy shooting back from the top of the berm, but not real life.
The old worn out Aker, I imported from the US and it's perfect for a standard pistol. Sits super-flat and nobody knows I wear a pistol on the farm when my shirts out.
But it's getting kinda old. Been saddle-soaped 1000 times, been soaked wet dozens of times. Great lifespan for being carried 300 days out of 365.

OldAker.jpg

I prefer leather as well. You reminded me, I have a 1911 holster like those plastic ones but I don't like using the trigger finger for anything except trigger work. Pretty sure we can't use trigger-finger retention systems in competition either. My leather 1911 holster is similar to yours. I can run the belt over the outside of the holster instead of under it, which does make it less obtrusive, but is also a little less comfortable. I'll have to dig out my old leather IPSC holster and mag pouches to see if they'll work with the Hi Power or 1911.

[Wapiti]

But here's the new one, only a month old.
It holds the gun with a torch/laser combo, so I don't need an extra torch, or even aim in low light. Yeah looks a bit gay still, too new, but it won't soon.

229newholster.jpg (676.42 KiB) Viewed 113 times

[Wapiti]

So here's my everyday belt kit. I wear everything every day.
This also explains that I have to remember what I do the times I leave the place.

Fullkit.jpg (695.33 KiB) Viewed 113 times

First there's the gun, with a torch on it. Great for peering up dark hollow logs or after dark. Don't laugh, it sure has.
Spare 15-shot mag in the pouch. Some days I don't take that.
Large folder knife in a pouch, 4" blade, Good knife, and mounted sideways, craps on a flopping around sheath knife. No, it doesn't take the place of a proper dressing and boning knife, but it's there all the time.
Leatherman. Might swap out for a small, high-quality pliers/cutter instead. Getting the sh*ts with these gimmicks. Or Chink pliers in the multi-tools that go PING when you cut HT fence wire.
SPOT satellite beacon. I can text, send messages and SOS, essential for me because we have no mobile service away from the house wifi. My wife can liog on from work and watch me moving around on a satellite map in real time too.
All in Kents (local saddlery) pouches mounted sideways, on a Kents hobble belt. Some pouches are newer than others, because the previous ones have expired from being constantly worn, wet or sweated on.

[Wapiti]

Deleted double post. WTF

[Wapiti]

The SPOT. Tiny thing, and a lifesaver.
I have no use for anything with a map screen on it.

[Wapiti]

Hobble belt. The two-ring design means you can rip it off and hobble a horse at night, a sick cow so you can come back with a tractor and a cow-lifter, or hobble a deer or whatever to bring it back to cover if it's crook. Or for poachers.
It's a normal belt until you set it up this way in a few seconds.

HobbleBelt.jpg (688.88 KiB) Viewed 111 times

When I used to fly back from site jobs and have to dress up in the city gear and hit the Brisbane city company highrise, all the other office management and engineers had the same belt on - the sickening RM Williams double-keeper fu*cking gay belt. And the world's most uncomfortable crap RM boots. All competing with one another to look like the same as the next bloke.

"Wow, what belt is that? I haven't ever seen one of them before, where'd ja git it? I just wear what everyone else does"

[bigrich]

my kit bag for the bush is one of those canvas shoulder bags the bike riders used to wear . i find a belt limits my movement and doesn't contain enough gear i consider essential for a hike or stalk . small bottle of water , my general purpose 4.5" bladed knife with a deep blade and a nice curve on the front for skinning . cigarette lighter and small knife sharpener , toilet paper , strong tuff garbage bags for carrying game meat . shiny knife blade would be handy for "flashing" at a chopper if your in a bad situation . pointless taking a phone with no reception available in areas where i hunt . extra ammo is in zip up pockets in a ADF style cammo long sleeved shirt i wear . i find the shoulder bag doesn't get in my way shouldering or carrying a rifle. works for me

[Wapiti]

Shoulder bag, that's a new idea for me Bigrich.
Doesn't flop about? When you bend forward?

When hunting, I rely on what's on my belt plus a small pack. No brainer, really, it's just a proper knife, arse-paper, small first aid kit with specific soft items that are aimed at injuries like broken bones, pain medication (Strong like Endone) ammo, hydration.
(First aid kit is another thing for another thread because what I found from my own mishaps in the bush, and from what my wife sees from poor buggers she's put on helicopters that get hurt in the bush badly, what the injuries to manage most are. Most of the first aid kits I see spoken of are not adequate for the kind of things that happen to people when alone)
It's less a pain if the pack contains a bladder for hydration with a mouthpiece on the shoulder strap opposite the sling-carry shoulder.

I did like the bumbag idea, preferring it because they don't turn your back into a massive sweat rag like cheap packs, nowadays though the excellent small hunting packs out now have inbuilt ventilation.

Ridgeline 25L.jpg (126.45 KiB) Viewed 73 times

This one I have used a bit now.
The waist strap has inbuilt anti-rattle ammo loops in a pouch each side, or a 10-shot 308-size mag will fit, a chest strap which I consider essential, and those strange rifle rest loops on the back which I've used and was surprised how good that works. And it's only small.

[Wapiti]

my kit bag for the bush is one of those canvas shoulder bags the bike riders used to wear . i find a belt limits my movement and doesn't contain enough gear i consider essential for a hike or stalk .

The belt limiting what you can carry and movement is a good point. I imagine most blokes wear duds that have belt loops? The traditional upright holster-style pouches for tools, knives and stuff are a pain yes.

Getting on and off quads, buggies utes etc shows this up heaps, as does gizmos sticking out grabbing on everything.
That's why I use these Kents pouches, they sit horizintally and flat on a good belt and I wouldn't know I'm wearing the stuff.

I know they're not a style that's popular nowadays, from looking at what's advertised in the shooting marketing, which is strange because of all the faults of all that stuff. Makes me wonder about the people sitting in a room coming up with designs they will never test all day, all week long.

The ringers, stockmen, the hardarses in the middle of nowhere that find any shortcomings in gear love this stuff and all wear it, but they are in a different world to the marketing gloss.

[bigrich]

Shoulder bag, that's a new idea for me Bigrich.
Doesn't flop about? When you bend forward?

When hunting, I rely on what's on my belt plus a small pack. No brainer, really, it's just a proper knife, arse-paper, small first aid kit with specific soft items that are aimed at injuries like broken bones, pain medication (Strong like Endone) ammo, hydration.
(First aid kit is another thing for another thread because what I found from my own mishaps in the bush, and from what my wife sees from poor buggers she's put on helicopters that get hurt in the bush badly, what the injuries to manage most are. Most of the first aid kits I see spoken of are not adequate for the kind of things that happen to people when alone)
It's less a pain if the pack contains a bladder for hydration with a mouthpiece on the shoulder strap opposite the sling-carry shoulder.

I did like the bumbag idea, preferring it because they don't turn your back into a massive sweat rag like cheap packs, nowadays though the excellent small hunting packs out now have inbuilt ventilation.

Ridgeline 25L.jpg

This one I have used a bit now.
The waist strap has inbuilt anti-rattle ammo loops in a pouch each side, or a 10-shot 308-size mag will fit, a chest strap which I consider essential, and those strange rifle rest loops on the back which I've used and was surprised how good that works. And it's only small.

good point , basic first aid items are something i should carry as well . i've got all that stuff back in the fourby . actually the best first aid kit is a clean rag and a roll of duct tape

with a long strap on the shoulder bag i find it rarely gets in my way . i trialled a small light backpack but found the shoulder straps didn't give me a good shoulder for my rifle and getting the pack off in a hurry awkward . shoulder bag can be dropped quick if you need to . army webbing and bum bag are a good idea i haven't tried . years ago i used to wear a GI style belt and attach a british WW2 era canvas 303 ammo pouch and canteen , but found this uncomfortable on long hikes with all the weight on the belt . trying to run after a pig with your pants around your ankles from the heavy belt, like the end of a benny hill show, is not a good look

i actually got my current ideas from the movie "last of the mohicans" that came out about 20 years ago . native americans had similar needs of mobility and the need for necessary tools/musket for the forest . the shoulder bag is comfortable for me and doesn't inhibit movement . when i'm in likely country i don't sling my rifle but rather use a folded arm "cross carry" with my rifle that i've seen indians/frontiersman use from times past . my arms don't get tired and i can throw my rifle to my shoulder very quickly from this position . as far as safety goes my rifle is usually unchambered and i can work the bolt quick as it comes to my shoulder. i usually hunt alone so having a chambered round/safety on in likely country is a even quicker fluid movement . horses for courses, but as always safety first

[Fester]

With the day back, I take everything.

If I leave it in the car for a short walk, a knife is what I remember, as it saves 1 trip back with nothing; too old to carry a deer, hard work just dragging the fkrs without a rope and handle.

[bigpete]

A small leather man and a dump pouch are my daily carries

[bigrich]

A small leather man and a dump pouch are my daily carries

hey pete , haven't seen you on here for a bit . silly question , what's a dump pouch ?

[Wapiti]

Because I really only use one of those Super Slings now, I don't have the issue of padded shoulder straps of a little pack stuffing about with a conventional sling and causing it to slide off or grab.
They are the type of sling where the rifle hangs in front of you, and you can swing up the rifle very quickly. The quickest way I reckon, others mightn't think so.
Because those slings are behind the neck and come over, pack straps don't matter.
Backpack straps do make a normal sling quite fussy to stay up. But whatever you prefer.

On first aid to carry, I just have stuff that will address the injuries I have had on the farm, and what I find is most recommendations are far from adequate.
It's bugger all, really.
From my wifes long experience as an ED Doctor, hunters injuries when flown into hospitals are quite severe, and many have some sort of long-term incapacity afterwards because they didn't have the gear. Quad bike and buggy rollovers, stick and branch penetrations, broken bones. A bad bone break can be a lifechanging event if you don't have the right immobilisation gear. Or kill you. I can say this from personal experience. Comes out of the blue, and we are never ready.

Enough good, strong wide bandages to completely wrap right up and down a leg, for snakebite, is a great thing to have when you break your leg. This can happen anytime, no matter how much gym you do. A foot caught under a tree root when you are wearing strong ankle support boots means any breaks will be above that, where the tibia and fibula snap like twigs, A terrible injury and quite common, and someone using sticks and belts to immobilise your foot can easily chop the artery there with bone fragments and you will bleed out.
A soft packable leg splint sounds like a ridiculous thing to pack, but I do. Can be used anywhere, works great to immobilise for snakebite too.
Sticks and belts can make your broken leg into a multiple-year recovery period or worse, make an amputation on the cards.
Combine that with padded large wound dressings, this handles all issues before help can come and get you. Big ones. They can be cut into smaller bits for smaller problems, and pack up very small.
One simple commercial torniquet that is made to be put on with one hand, and has it's own tightener and fastener.
And, after that simple stuff, a good size roll of 25mm wide elastoplast tape. Not footy strapping tape, but the stuff that the best Elastoplast bandaids are made from. Cut to length, Hold anything on, in and together, and sticks back upon itself real strongly when overlapped.
And that's where the Endone comes in.
Panadol or Panadeine is only any good for mild headaches, if that.
People make up first aid kits with bandaids, small hand-type bandages, well that's all good but does not handle life changing events, they are what happens to hunters.
Go back in time through the news reports of serious hikers and hunters and see what has really fu*ked them up, even killed them if it hasn't just changed their lives forever.

I can only recommend, I only do from my own stupid accidents.

Look at Youtube about the survivalist craze of a "go bag", a tacti cool backpack they take everywhere when the SHTF happens. It's a whole bullsh*t industry now.
There's even Aussie dudes doing this sh*t now, mostly to sell sh*t and plenty are being sucked in.
Well, a serious hunter can use up half the space in his small backpack with the essential first aid stuff and never touch it until they are in a life threatening situation.
You make sure you have a routine that it always goes with you when you hunt. Like water.

You can have all the extra other stuff you want in a big kit back at the car, like tweezers, antiseptic cream or Danny Dinosaur bandaids, but if you get a spiral fracture of your leg, get a stick through your quad or an eastern Brown gives you a touch-up, one of those green first-aid kits you buy is going to suddenly have very little worth.
It happens often, and unprepared can be life changing, even ending.

[bladeracer]

A small leather man and a dump pouch are my daily carries

hey pete , haven't seen you on here for a bit . silly question , what's a dump pouch ?

A general purpose pouch for dumping odd stuff into. I have a compact one on my belt that is about two inches by three inches but unzips into a pouch about ten inches by eight inches. Can dump your empty mags into it, or brass as you pick it up, or apples and oranges while you're up the tree. Very handy.

[bigrich]

A small leather man and a dump pouch are my daily carries

hey pete , haven't seen you on here for a bit . silly question , what's a dump pouch ?

A general purpose pouch for dumping odd stuff into. I have a compact one on my belt that is about two inches by three inches but unzips into a pouch about ten inches by eight inches. Can dump your empty mags into it, or brass as you pick it up, or apples and oranges while you're up the tree. Very handy.

Thanks for the reply blade, could you please post a pic if you get the chance? Cheers