This is the fourth in a series of posts about gear for horse packing. Again, a reminder that my kind of horse packing is not normally packing in to a base camp, but is packing from point to point, from a specific point of origin to a point of destination, sometimes hundreds of miles away. Understanding that makes a difference in gear one takes along on the trip. Things one is not sure they will need are left behind, as a general rule.

This post will deal with personal gear, things each individual will need for their personal needs, as well as a few things that are just handy to have, while on the horse pack trip.

Personal gear (other than what is worn to begin with):

• Doc kit (personal hygiene items)
  • toothbrush and paste
  • medications
  • fingernail clippers
  • deodorant
  • chap stick
  • sun block
  • hand soap/shampoo
  • bandaids/anti-biotic ointment
  • hair brush
  • etc
• Clothing
  • multiple changes of socks
  • change of shirt
  • change of pants
  • multiple changes of underclothing
  • thermal underwear (depending on weather)
  • camp shoes (if desired)
  • handkerchief or bandana
  • Jacket or coat
  • bathing suit
• Sleeping gear
  • sleeping bag (suitable for weather)
  • water resistant sleeping bag cover, bivy bag, or small tent
  • camp pillow
  • stocking cap
  • sleeping pad
  • ground sheet (obviated if you have a bivy bag or tent)
• Other
  • camp knife (such as a “hunting knife” with a 6″ or longer blade)
  • utility tool (such as a “Leatherman multi-tool)
  • handgun, ammunition and supporting gear
  • spurs
  • silverware, plate, cup (some folks consider these to be personal gear)
  • small whet stone or diamond rod
  • sunglasses
  • rain slicker
  • canteen(s)
  • chaps or chinks
  • smart phone/camera
  • extra memory cards
  • charging cables
  • preferred snack foods (particularly if you have special needs)
  • cigarette lighter
  • strike-anywhere matches in a waterproof container or flint/steel if you now how to use them
  • fire starters
  • compass
  • map (both paper and digital on the phone)
  • notepad and pen
  • flashlight and extra batteries
  • chemical hand warmers (depending on weather)
  • toilet paper and wet wipes

We’ll start at the top, with the “doc kit.”

I keep all my personal hygiene items in a small, durable bag I call my doc kit. It contains things such as are on the list above.  In addition to those things listed, a tube of hemorrhoid cream or hydrocortisone come in handy on occasion.

I always take a pill container with Ibuprofen, Acetaminophen, and Benadryl in it. Ibuprofen relieves muscle and joint pain, Acetaminophen relieves cold symptoms, and Benadryl relieves allergy symptoms as well as helps one fall asleep at night.

A change of clothing is not absolutely necessary on a horse pack trip, but it is very nice to have, particularly on long trips. One never knows when something may happen that could result in wet, soiled, or ruined clothing. It is nice to have a spare pair of pants or shirt along.

Extra socks are important for keeping feet healthy. I like to change socks daily, although that is not always feasible. On long pack trips I carry several pairs of liner socks, such as men’s nylon dress socks.  I change these often, while wearing a heavier pair of athletic or wool boot socks over them which can be worn for several days at a time. The liner socks are easily washed and refreshed and take very little drying time, as opposed to heavier athletic or wool boot socks. An additional benefit to this system is that the liner socks prevent blisters in the event one has to walk awhile in riding boots. Each night I air out the heavier socks by hanging them over my boots.

Camp shoes are an optional thing. A pair of “crocs” or running shoes can be quite comfortable of an evening, after the riding boots have been removed. They are also quite easy to slip on in the middle of the night when the call of nature comes or when something starts bothering the horses and you need to take a look-see. In all the times I have taken camp shoes on my pack trips I have rarely used them. Unless I am going on a very long pack trip, in which I will have rest days during the trip, I don’t take them.

A bathing suit is very light and takes up very little space, but is very handy for bathing and for wearing while clothes are being washed on a long pack trip. I often toss one in my clothes bag when packing for those longer trips.

Not listed above is a good cowboy hat (because I’m normally wearing mine). Many people nowadays prefer a helmet and I will say nothing against that, but my preference is a good felt cowboy hat with a decent brim. A cowboy hat keeps sun off of your ears and nose during the part of the day when the sun is most intense and I consider it a protective measure against skin cancer. I prefer a hat to sun block cream on my face, because the sun block tends eventually to get into and irritate my eyes. Also, when passing through brush and tree branches, I can just duck my head and they just slide over my hat without getting sticks and leaves and pine needles down the back of my shirt. A felt hat works much better than a straw hat or helmet in those situations.

Something else not listed above in personal clothing, which I have never tried, but which I have been told is very effective in eliminating or reducing saddle sores on riders of both sexes, is a pair of women’s panty hose worn under the riding pants. It’s worth a try, if you have concerns about rub sores on your hind quarters or knees!

For personal sleep items, of course the sleeping bag is indispensable.  Make sure you select a sleeping bag that is appropriate for the place and season in which you will travel. I once took a summer sleeping bag on a pack trip through southern Arizona in April, thinking I would be fine, however, when we passed through the Chiricahua mountain range, we spent one night above 7,000 feet and our water froze before we went to bed. I passed a cold and miserable night with little sleep. You can always unzip your sleeping bag if you get too warm.

The bulkiness of the sleeping bag and weight are also things to be considered. I keep a canvas covered sleeping bag with a very nice flannel lining in my trailer bunk, simply because it is very comfortable, however, it is far too bulky and heavy to consider taking on a pack trip. My regular sleeping bag is a 4-pound fiberfill bag, which packs into a reasonably sized stuff sack. However, as I mentioned in the first post in this series, I recently learned that leaving the sleeping bag un-stuffed in a top pack works very well also.

After having tried one on a pack trip with a friend, I recently purchased a military surplus bivy bag. This bag is made of a water-resistant material (Gore Tex) and is quite tough, obviating the need for a ground sheet. The bag has both zipper and snap closures, effectively sealing out rain.

I keep my camp air mattress inside the bag with my sleeping bag. The whole shebang can either be rolled up and tied or left loose in the top pack. Preparation for sleeping is a simple matter, then, of preparing the ground, then laying out the bivy bag/sleeping bag combo on the ground and airing up the mattress. One drawback I found with the bivy bag setup is that, despite the breathability of the Gore Tex material, I found my bag a bit moist in the morning up around my head area, I presume from my breath. This was only the case during very cold nights when I had the bag closed over my face. A good airing-out of the sleeping bag after spending a night in the bivy bag is necessary before packing up again.

Up until I bought the bivy bag, my sleeping arrangement consisted of a canvas ground sheet (one of the manty tarps or pannier covers) on the ground, horse saddle pads on top of that (two per person), my air mattress on top of the saddle pads, my sleeping bag on top of that, and lastly, another canvas tarp over the top.

I have used that combination for many years and stayed dry even through heavy rains. My canvas tarps are in the heavier range, about 18-ounce or so, and treated with waterproofer.  This makes the ground sheet resistant to ground moisture. When moisture falls on the top canvas, the weave tightens up, creating a very stiff and water-resistant cover. One can then simply kick up under it, causing the stiffened tarp to form a domed cover over the sleeping bag, effectively running the water off. The key to remaining dry with this arrangement is to make sure the edges of the top cover extend out over the edges of the ground sheet. Also, canvas tends to wick water wherever it touches something that absorbs water, such as a sleeping bag. The waterproofing treatment helps, but doesn’t completely eliminate the problem. This is why it is important to kick up under the tarp to form the dome over the bag during rain.

I find the canvas manty tarps commonly sold by suppliers to be too small and too light for this application. They generally run about 7X8 feet and are in the 12 ounce range.  Mine are 8X10 and in the 18-20 ounce range. Mine are considerably heavier in weight, though.

A camp pillow is an important item. It will greatly improve sleeping comfort. Also, a decent sized pillow will enhance the warmth of the sleeping bag immensely, as it helps prevent air movement around the head/neck area. My camp pillow is stored and packed inside my sleeping bag for travel.

A stocking cap is standard equipment for me, with regard to sleeping gear. Above 70% of body heat is lost through the head. A good stocking cap, or beanie, as they are sometimes called, will greatly improve your body’s heat retention, making the sleeping bag more effective in that regard.

For “other” personal camp gear, I have made a list of things I generally have on hand, either on my person or in my saddle bags (remember, I consider saddle bags and pommel bags to be part of my primary saddle horse gear).

I find a good camp knife to be indispensable on a pack trip. Now, this may be a hunting-type knife worn in a belt sheath or a folding belt knife, such as made famous by Buck Knives. In my experience, this knife should have at least a 6 inch blade. A pocket knife is handy, but I find them too small to handle some jobs a marginally larger knife can handle easily. I have a very large Bowie-style camp knife I used to carry, but over the years I have gone to a folding Buck Knife, due to the convenience of carrying it in a small leather or nylon pouch on my belt. The Buck is significantly lighter than my old Bowie, which I made from a truck leaf spring and and a deer horn. However, the Bowie style knife has sufficient heft to be used in place of a camp hatchet, possibly eliminating the need for that piece of gear from the pack.

I have found a multi-tool, such as those made by Leatherman or Gerber, to be very useful on pack trips for handling makeshift gear repairs. Select one that has useful tools in it, such as a knife blade with a long, sharp tip, a strap cutter, scissors, file, screw driver heads, etc. Long-nosed pliers are a must – nothing is better for removing cactus spines.

Multi-tools made for specific trades or purposes sometimes contain tools that are rather useless or ineffective for horse packing purposes. For instance, a knife blade with a short, blunt tip is useless for making holes in a strap for a buckle tongue or making a bleed knot. I normally carry my multi-tool in the saddle bag.

Another small item I routinely carry in my saddle bag is a rope saw. This is a piece of wire or chain with small embedded teeth with a metal ring or nylon strap at each end. It is useful for cutting branches that may be difficult to access with a regular branch saw. I often do not carry my branch saw, but I always have my rope saw, just in case. They are quite inexpensive, very light, and come in a handy little nylon pouch. My dad once had an experience in which a rope saw was the only possibility for getting a horse out of  a tree unharmed…but that’s another story.

A small-caliber handgun is something I carry when a larger caliber handgun is not called for.  As stated in another post, I often carry my .45 Colt revolver when I ride, partly because it is “cowboy” and partly for personal protection from varmints (both animal and human varieties). However, when I do not carry my revolver, I carry a small handgun, either a .22LR or 380 Auto pistol. The primary purpose is to have it in case the need should arise to have to put an animal down.

A small caliber handgun is sufficient to humanely euthanize an injured horse or mule, if properly done. I have had the unfortunate experience of having a horse break a leg during a pack trip and having to put it down. I was glad I did not have to put my .45 Colt against my faithful friend’s head. However, that would have been far preferable to having to put him down by cutting his throat due to the lack of a firearm on the trip. I know people who have found themselves in that very unfortunate position.

Chaps or chinks are always handy on a pack trip. They not only protect your legs and clothing from branches and rocks, but they help keep your clothing clean as you handle horses and gear. My chaps have pockets situated on the front of the legs that are perfect for holding such items as cigarette lighters, chapstick, and my cell phone/camera. I use batwing chaps of my own manufacture. I find them to be protective, but not too hot for even summer wear. They are, in fact, quite cool to wear. They also shed water well to supplement my rain slicker. Chinks are just short chaps that come to just below the knees. They are cooler for summer wear, but still protect the legs and pants from offending branches and rocks. Chinks tend to be made of lighter leather and are generally much lighter in weight than chaps, but do little to protect the lower legs and boots in wet weather.

Personal emergency gear is always a must for horse packing. I include matches in a waterproof container and a liquid compass in my saddle or pommel bags. I also carry a flint/steel tool that will work when matches don’t, but you have to know how to use them. Cigarette lighters are handy, but they don’t function well at high altitudes and run out of fuel at the most inconvenient times. That is why I also carry matches. I carry small homemade fire starters made from paraffin with a wick in a small cup, such as an aluminum bottle cap. There are a number of ways to make fire starters, or you can purchase them in bags and carry a few with you. These also stay in my saddle bags. The liquid compass is my “don’t get lost” insurance. Smart phones are nice, but when they break or run out of battery, they aren’t much help. On longer pack trips, I also carry a paper map to supplement the USGS topo maps I download onto my cell phone.

Speaking of cell phones, not only are they useful for viewing maps and GPS apps, they have absolutely awesome cameras in them nowadays. However, it is easy to run out of memory space on them during a pack trip. If your phone has an SD card slot, make sure you bring extra memory cards. Now, since I have an iphone and its memory is not expandable, I bring along a GoPro 4 Silver to take most of my video footage. I carry several 64G memory cards and extra batteries as well. Always bring your own cords and cables for your electronic equipment, as your buddy with the charging gear may not have what you need. I covered my electronics in this post, but some of the information (such as pricing) is outdated.

A word or two about rain slickers. For many years I used a plastic rain slicker, partly because they were cheap and partly because I didn’t know any better (being an Arizona boy we rarely found need for them).  These are suitable for a pack trip only if you have nothing better. They tend to make you wet on the inside, while protecting you from rain on the outside, because they trap body moisture, and they are not durable.

I later graduated to the more durable and higher quality rubberized yellow slickers with the flannel liner. The flannel on the inside helps keep you a little drier, but the body moisture problem is still there. Better ones are made with a variety of vents to reduce the problem. I currently have three of these that I lend to friends when needed. These yellow slickers are fairly inexpensive, usually running under $50.

Several years ago I shot the wad and bought a very nice lightweight slicker made of a lightweight waterproof synthetic material, under the Muddy Creek label.

It is a very nice slicker in a much more subtle brown color, with a vented back, vented underarms, and a zipper closure that works both directions (from the bottom and from the top). It is full-length, reaching past the tops of my boots when in the saddle or on the ground. It is full enough to cover the back of my saddle, whatever is tied behind my cantle, and most of my saddle bags. It can be unzipped from the bottom to accommodate my saddle horn while keeping my legs covered. It has velcro tabs to close the flap over the zipper for extra protection against moisture intrusion. If I have one complaint against this slicker, it is that its skirts blow in the wind, because it is so lightweight. However, it breathes very well and I find it quite comfortable in the rain or just wearing it as a wind breaker. When wearing it on the ground, care must be taken not to step on its skirts, because it is full-length. This handy little slicker ran me $199, not including shipping. Worth it? I don’t know. It rarely gets used, but when I need it, I’m glad I have it.

One thing the yellow slickers will do that my Muddy Creek will not do, is that they can be configured, using snap buttons, to split the backside and close the legs, almost like a body suit, thus protecting the legs both while on the ground or in the saddle.

I have never tried one of the “fish oil” slickers or “Aussie oilskin duster” style slickers. My dad has an Aussie style oilskin duster and he reports that under long rainy conditions, water will penetrate it.

I always carry a notepad and pen. Generally, I carry my journal with me as well, but on shorter rides, it’s just the notepad. You never know when you will need to leave a note somewhere, so that somebody knows what happened to you and where you went. A cell phone is handy, but they don’t always work out in the back country. I carry several ziplock sandwich bags in my saddle bags that may be used to protect a note left on a tree or in camp in an emergency.

My dad once ran away from home as a young boy. His grandfather told his worried grandmother, “Don’t worry! The first time he has to wipe his butt with a stick, he’ll head home!” There is wisdom in that for horse packing as well.  One should never depend on anyone else for his/her own supply of toilet paper. Always keep a personal supply in a waterproof container, such as a ziplock sandwich bag, in your saddle bag. A larger supply should be included as group camp gear, but never fail to keep your own personal supply in your gear.   In the same vein, wet wipes are handy to have on a pack trip as a means of personal hygiene when water is unavailable for bathing and hand washing.

The rest of the stuff is self-explanatory. I’m sure I have forgotten a few things and I’ll think of them later. I’ll edit this and the other posts in the series on horse packing gear as I think of things I forgot and insert them where appropriate. Check back now and again to see if anything new has appeared on any of the lists.

So, that’s my horse packing gear from start to finish. Hope it helps some of you get started on your own adventures.

Stay tuned for some posts that will go into more detail on particular subjects, such as pack-breaking horses, loading up, tying the Diamond Hitch, navigation, knot-tying, rope braiding, etc.  Let me know your questions and I will try to address them as soon as possible.

TH