# Part 1: If you were a “Modern Mountian Man”….



## LunaticFringeInc (Nov 20, 2012)

We know from History what the Modern Mountain Man carried back in the day of yester year and that's all fine and good. But today is the modern era, and I have wondered what a Modern Day Mountain Man would look like today and what he would have carried or had with him.

If you were a "Modern Mountain Man" and you were headed out in the wilderness for a good 10 months or so, what would you take with you in the way of weapons. What would be your Knife on your belt? What Long Guns and Handguns would you take with you? What kind and how much ammo would you take with you? Why would you choose the things you chose to take to get you by&#8230;*and don't forget, your Carrying it!*

Lets hear what you think...


----------



## csi-tech (Apr 13, 2013)

Considering that the mountains and wildlife haven't changed over the millennia I doubt the needs will have changed. Considering I would be carrying this stuff and taking into account wolves, bears and the like, I'm sure I would have a light mountain rifle in .300wsm and a few boxes of ammo. I would likely have a revolver in .454 Casull or similar large round with 100 cartridges or so. A good drop point knife would be a must with a small whetstone. I like Tree brand by Boker. If I am actually lugging all of this around without a pack animal that would be about it. I would need plenty of room for a 4 season backpack tent, dehydrated food, sleep system, clothing etc. I think most mountain men had a good horse or mule anyway. I would too.

Modern camping equipment is far superior and much lighter than what they had. I would have to have a good flashlight but if you were off grid for 10 months it would have to be solar. I'd have a little hand crank radio to keep my sanity. Redundant fire starting methods, fishing items, first aid items, topo map, compass etc. 

I would also bring plenty of Bigfoot repellant. Those things are really annoying. No offense Sasquatch.


----------



## Arklatex (May 24, 2014)

How are we traveling? On horseback, foot, canoe? Makes a big difference in gear selection.


----------



## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

A moonshine still and a mountain girl?


----------



## LunaticFringeInc (Nov 20, 2012)

Arklatex said:


> How are we traveling? On horseback, foot, canoe? Makes a big difference in gear selection.


Which ever mode of transportation you want (please do specify) although I was mainly thinking of a scenario of being on foot but I would love to hear what you'd take for all three modes of transportation. As for distance...lets say your gonna travel 200 or so miles to your "Trappers Cabin" you use every year way out on the boonies.


----------



## csi-tech (Apr 13, 2013)

200 Miles?! I'm coming in on a Piper Cub a'la Alaskan Bush Pilot.


----------



## LunaticFringeInc (Nov 20, 2012)

Great reply csi-tech. That was exactly the type of reply I was hoping to see. I have been thinking about this one long and hard and since I have no bears here or close by my choices would differ a bit obviously. I just want to get a good feel for what those in various locations through out the country would consider must haves and what calibers they would choose and realistically how much they were willing to hump!


----------



## csi-tech (Apr 13, 2013)

In my younger days I was notorious for disappearing into the river bottoms and oxbow lakes in West Tennessee for days. If I would have had the equipment they make today vs. what I had, I would take on a trek like that. All things being equal it would have to be a lifestyle just like in the days of old. People walk the Alcan Highway and Appalachian trail every day. I have walked the Natchez Trace in part. Now I just ride or drive on the parkway. 

When you talk big mountains, you had better bring big calibers. If I were just hitting the Appalachian with the biggest bear being a 350lb. black bear I may consider a .357 or .45. If I were out west or in Alaska I would certainly up my game.


----------



## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

LunaticFringeInc said:


> ...and realistically how much they were willing to hump!


If that's the case, then I stand by my original answer.


----------



## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

Slippy said:


> A moonshine still and a mountain girl?


All the comforts of home? Slippy is one sly dog.


----------



## Arklatex (May 24, 2014)

In this scenario I would be using pack horses so my weight limit would be drastically increased. I think I would take a 30-06 and a 30 cal. Ammo can full of rounds. A 12 gauge with a 30 cal. Ammo can full of various shells. And a .44 mag wheel gun with a box of rounds. I think that would be more than enough in the firearms dept. My belt knife would be an esee 5 and I would pack in various other types and styles for different purposes. Don't forget a good whetstone. I would take a high quality canvas tent and a small woodstove. Of course we could think about this for weeks but this is just a basic off the top of my head list. I am thinking along the lines of how modern big game hunters pack.


----------



## Arklatex (May 24, 2014)




----------



## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

A good ax, shovel, snares and traps would be helpful in addition to gear previously mentioned in other posts.. Definitely taking pack horses or mules.


----------



## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Arklatex said:


> View attachment 10116


German Shepherds are smart dogs...


----------



## Prepadoodle (May 28, 2013)

I would be walking, so weight is a big consideration. Probably go with a .22 and maybe 500-600 rounds and my .45 and say 30 rounds. I wouldn't plan on eating more than fish, rabbits, squirrels, frogs, turtles, or other small game on the way in or out... or for the duration, for that matter. I would have no way to preserve a deer or anything big, so I wouldn't be hunting them.

As for blades, probably have my Buck 119 and a small Leatherman on my belt and a dedicated skinning knife and a fillet knife in my pack.

Shelter would be a lightweight tarp and sleeping bag.

A light minimalist fishing kit would be a must. I would also carry a variety of seeds and get a garden going.


----------



## csi-tech (Apr 13, 2013)

Oh, I'll be eating deer. Make no mistake about that. Venison backstrip on an open campfire is no joke. I would make pemmican or jerky using the hams, cook up the straps over a couple of nights and tenderloin for breakfast. The balance would be consumed in a few hours by the predators. I would just have to have my mule pull a smoker/grill combo on a trailer.


----------



## csi-tech (Apr 13, 2013)

Slippy said:


> German Shepherds are smart dogs...


Evidently a trailblazer he ain't.


----------



## Diver (Nov 22, 2014)

LunaticFringeInc said:


> Great reply csi-tech. That was exactly the type of reply I was hoping to see. I have been thinking about this one long and hard and since I have no bears here or close by my choices would differ a bit obviously. I just want to get a good feel for what those in various locations through out the country would consider must haves and what calibers they would choose and realistically how much they were willing to hump!


No bears? We've got plenty of them right here in NJ.  I don't need to go into the mountains to find bears. I can just go out in the back yard and wait long enough. They'll show up eventually.


----------



## Gunner's Mate (Aug 13, 2013)

GPS, Sat Phone, Digital camera, 4 wd Truck, 4 wheeler, Sled/Snowmobile, Mule, RV, TV, Radio, Toilet Paper, Kendall, Laptop, Optics, Rifle, Pistol


----------



## csi-tech (Apr 13, 2013)

Gunner's Mate said:


> GPS, Sat Phone, Digital camera, 4 wd Truck, 4 wheeler, Sled/Snowmobile, Mule, RV, TV, Radio, Toilet Paper, Kendall, Laptop, Optics, Rifle, Pistol


Foot spa, Laptop, bubble bath...............................................


----------



## Gunner's Mate (Aug 13, 2013)

csi-tech said:


> Foot spa, Laptop, bubble bath...............................................


That was me being sarcastic


----------



## Gunner's Mate (Aug 13, 2013)

Gunner's Mate said:


> GPS, Sat Phone, Digital camera, 4 wd Truck, 4 wheeler, Sled/Snowmobile, Mule, RV, TV, Radio, Toilet Paper, Kendall, Laptop, Optics, Rifle, Pistol


Gps so when I got lost after I crashed my 4 wheeler and broke my binoculars, that i was using to watch cute forest fauna with while documenting my outdoor mountain man adventure for reality TV, I could use my Sat phone to call 911 because, I left my Kendall / Laptop in my RV that I pulled to the Campground with my 4wd truck that has all my info on how to be the MacGyver of wilderness survival on it and since I don,t believe in owning rifles or pistols, i brought this roll of toilet paper along so after the cute cudly bear eats my ass he will be able to wipe his after he takes a shit.


----------



## Gunner's Mate (Aug 13, 2013)

Gunner's Mate said:


> Gps so when I got lost after I crashed my 4 wheeler and broke my binoculars, that i was using to watch cute forest fauna with while documenting my outdoor mountain man adventure for reality TV, I could use my Sat phone to call 911 because, I left my Kendall / Laptop in my RV that I pulled to the Campground with my 4wd truck that has all my info on how to be the MacGyver of wilderness survival on it and since I don,t believe in owning rifles or pistols, i brought this roll of toilet paper along so after the cute cudly bear eats my ass he will be able to wipe his after he takes a shit.


Now thats funny


----------



## LunaticFringeInc (Nov 20, 2012)

This didn't go through last night for some reason so I will repost again.

First of all, great post/replies folks and I appreciate your time.

Since I am in North Texas and we have no Bears, Elk or Moose for my long gun I would most likely choose to saddle up with my Mossberg MMR in 5.56 with its 1-9 twist rate. It does a great job with bullets in the 55 FMJ-69 SMK range letting me cover a pretty wide range of work on game animals or the rare occasion I might need to protect myself. The Big Game animals in my area are the occasional rare Cougar, lots of Hogs and Deer and for these three the 60 gr Nosler Partition will handle them well if I put a bullet where it needs to go at reasonable ranges. The ammo is very light and compact and humping 300 rounds aint nothing. I would most likely take my Ruger Single Six Convertible for small game and take my Taurus PT-99 to handle any bigger task I had at hand. 550 rounds of 22 rim fire would easily fit in a 20 ounce soda bottle and a couple of hundred rounds of 9mm doesnt weight too much or take up much more room. As for the knife, It would likely be my Damascus Twist steel Bowie knife that's not much bigger than the Buck 119. Were the game any bigger, dangerous or were I using pack animals, I would likely default to the Remington 700 VLS in 308 Winchester and the Ruger Redhawk in 44 mag with about the same number of rounds. But being on foot, weight was a huge factor in my choices.


----------



## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

Well, it is obvious to me that most have never done any long term packing.
Here is what I have used:
A mule to carry most of the gear and a 35 - 50 pound pack that I carry.
I take the best mode of transport to my main camp.
From there I walk with the mule along the game trails and trapping area. (it is necessary to trap small game along the way for camp meat and to forage for fruits, veggies and starches to survive)
If you try to live on venison alone you will become a victim of malnutrition and deficiency diseases from a lack of oil soluable vitamins and minerals as well as liver and kidney failure from your body having to use proteins to make carbohydrates for your energy output.
I have always carried two knives, one for skinning and the other for general boning and cutting, a long handled hand axe, a 6mm or a 25 caliber rifle, a large caliber handgun (45 or 44 mag), a one quart water canteen (I lived in the Cascades where water was abundant) a tarp to make a good lean-to, and "emergency" rations of dry goods, sugar and salt. 
I can tell you that you are not going to cover 200 miles in a season, although you may walk much more than that. You walk, set traps, hunting as you go and then circle back to check your traps so the 8 to 10 miles you cover in a day will only get you about 2 miles of 'travel' each day. You stay away from large animals because for every pound you pack you have to remove a pound from the mule and the meat will spoil befor you get three days into it. If supplies begin to get light then you set up a field camp and take a larger animal and take the time to smoke the meat, cook some of it and salt some of it so it will keep for a period of time. While in the field camp you also stock up on all the wild foraging available and dry, salt or eat it to stay healthy. What you don't eat you store in the packs. It takes about 3 days to set up the field camp and another 3 days to furnish it. then it takes a couple of days to collect the forage materials and a few to process them. The process is usually interupted by the taking of a deer or other large animal and you have to put everything aside to process the meat before it spoils.
This life takes a hearty individual who doesn't need the company of others for long periods of time. If you are as fortunate as I am you have a brother or good friend (or one who is both) who has lived this way most of his adult life as a partner. we have spent weeks in the mountains living off the land and we have had the good sense to stop the 'game' before mother nature stopped it for us on a few occassions. we are both able to see the first signs of 'exposure' (hypothermia) and know what to do about it so it is recoverable. We also know how to stay warm in temperatures that are in the minus teens and twenties through a colder night. We are able to admit that the best one can expect from nature is a tie - she never loses because she is always there to test you again. If you tie you get out alive and that is the best you should expect.


----------



## Ralph Rotten (Jun 25, 2014)

As much as I like horse camping (actually I love horse camping) the moern scene is full of fences that limit your movement substantially. Sure, in the apocalypse you could just cut the fences, but nowadays you would wind up in jail for doing that. Sure, there are roads, but that seems wrong somehow, riding along a hardball road.

I also love the idea of being a bush pilot. I have had a PPL since I was 17, and I would love to fly about the wilderness. But the price of avgas is going up, and with the end of leaded gas in sight the future of light aviation is wonky.

So since I would most likely be carrying my entire house on my back, I would lean heavily towards carrying my AR7. I have loved this little rifle since the first time I packed one into the wilderness. Sure, it is insubstantial foor bear or deer, but the reality is that in a modern environment there is no bag limit on rabbit. You'd prolly eat a lot more small game than big game.


----------



## csi-tech (Apr 13, 2013)

The spirit of the OP being what *you* could carry I have been doing some research. My final answer would be: A personal 4 season bivy shelter just big enough for me, The Military modular sleep system, a lightweight carbon .308 AR-10 from DPMS, a Ruger Alaskan in .500 S&W. 5 20 round magazines of Vital Shok Federal .308, 100 rounds of .500 Hydrashok, Boker drop point knife and whetstone, Sat phone or ELT, my usual first aid/firestarting/topo/compass/landnav/fishing/sewing/patching kit, pepper spray, dehydrated emergency food, Katadyn Pocket filter ($400.00!), sleep pad and thermal barrier, saw/pruner combo, Gore-Tex coat, several rolled changes of 5.11 or better clothing, two quality nylgene bottles, cookware set with GI canteen, Holy Bible, GI flatware set, GI poncho with Liner,Timberland/GoreTex/Thinsulate hiker boots, several pair of wool socks, Trioxane cook stove and 100 pellets of Trioxane, my book of trees and edible lichens and naturally occurring plants and a small travel guitar.

Yeah, that should do it.


----------



## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Gunner's Mate said:


> Now thats funny


You need to run for President!


----------



## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

I change my answer...I'm packing PaulS! :bow:



PaulS said:


> Well, it is obvious to me that most have never done any long term packing.
> Here is what I have used:
> A mule to carry most of the gear and a 35 - 50 pound pack that I carry.
> I take the best mode of transport to my main camp.
> ...


----------



## SecretPrepper (Mar 25, 2014)

I will be traveling almost 300 miles south by water. Final destination will be swamps. I will be using a river bardge built out of all the materials I will need for my trapers shack, smoke house, and pelt shed. Will also have a 18' rivited tunnel hull John boat with 30 horse outboard And 12' canoe. Stove for the shack and small stove for smoke house. Large 80 gallon pepper barrels with salt,flour, sugar, spices, meds, linens, seeds ect. Chainsaw and parts, tiller and parts, axes, woodworking tools, traps, snares, fish traps, fishing gear, bee boxes, mason jars, pots and pans, matress, high quality camp tent, 6 weeks of ready to cook meals, enough gas to get back in the boat and for the saw/tiller. for guns and knives on me 22 mag and dirty-dirty both lever guns. 22 mag revolver. More Maker drop point on my belt and 2 More Maker trappers in my pocket. 500 rounds of 22 mag. 3 boxes of 30-30. Gators would be the only predator to worry about. Panthers and bears are rare. I would set out in high water. It should take less than 2 weeks to make it there. Pick out a good high dry island and set up camp. I would plant the garden and set fish traps and work short trap lines leaving most of my time for setting up the shack and out buildings. By the time all of this is done the 10 months or 14 would be over but camp is done. Time to make the boat ride home. My dog would be there wit me all the way. There would be months of planning and then months of preparing before I would even consider heading out.


----------



## eferred (Mar 15, 2015)

animals might not have changed, but the enemy and his armament sure have. It won't be Indians with bows that you have to deal with, it will be ex military with M16's, scoped bolt actions and .22lr autoloaders. There is no reason whatsoever to presume that you will need to forage and others wont (other than perhaps in alaska). If others are starving, plenty of them will shoot you in order to take your stuff, preclude your shooting them, and to get rid of you as competition for scarce resources. Some will do it just for the hell of it, too.


----------



## eferred (Mar 15, 2015)

60 gr 223 ammo is 35 rds to the lb. So 300 rds is 8 lbs. Now, maybe you "think" that an "extra" 6 lbs or so is "nothing", but if it's added to adequate survival gear and water, food, etc, it can mean the difference between a banged up knee or ankle, and being ok. Every empty aluminum 30 rd mag weighs 5 ozs, too. 10 of them is 3 lbs, just for the mags. People who "think" that stuff "weights nothing" and who "think" that weight doesn't matter are betraying their lack of experience with backpacking. If you don't HATE every oz and every cubic inch that you have to lug around, you haven't done it much.


----------



## graynomad (Nov 21, 2014)

eferred said:


> ... If you don't HATE every oz and every cubic inch that you have to lug around, you haven't done it much.


Amen to that.


----------



## eferred (Mar 15, 2015)

yes, and that's true even if people AINT shooting at you and if you dont have to cut and haul wood for cooking/heating. When you add the cold and combat, lugging around that pack inhales a big one.


----------

