Chest Pack Setup for Bushcraft, Survival & Hiking

A lot of people have been asking me about this chess pack that I've been seeing in my videos and my post

So today I want to take you through this chest pack, talk about why I carry it, and what I carry in it

and how it fits the layered system that I've put together for my bushcraft, for my camping, hiking, whatever you want to call it

This is what I use, and hopefully it'll give you some ideas how to set up a chess pack for your own personal use

All right, so what is so fantastic about a chest pack is that it puts a lot of chestpack is that it puts a lot of

of the gear that you need to utilize really close and easily accessible when you're wearing a backpack

And that's really the whole point. This is not something I'm going to be just wearing out all the time without a backpack

But if I'm shouldering a bag and I'm going out for two or three days, there are things I want to be able to get to quickly

And you can't do that with certain items because you have shoulder strings

You have a hip belt. All those things kind of restrict your movement, but also restrict how you can access gear

And the chest pack, if organized properly, can really be quick grab-and-go items, but also backups to items that you may have in your pack

You want to think about the chest pack as a layered system

This is just one piece of layering. Of course, we have our EDC

You know, I'm always going to carry a pocket knife of some sort, my wallet, maybe a lighter, something like that on my person and my cell phone

But once I put that help belt on, now I can't access another item, which I always like to carry when I'm on trail, that is a handgun

Handguns, to me, particularly in the areas that I go, is an essential piece of gear

I feel I need it. I've run into situations and people that I'm not comfortable with and having that peace of mind of having a concealed weapon is just, it's a great thing

And you can't do that if you have a big bulky backpack with a hip belt

So the chest pack solves that issue. You know, it helps alleviate other people that you pass on the trail

They don't have that fear because they don't see a gun. and most people don't even understand what this is

You know, to them, it's, you know, maybe it's a binocular case or birdwatching stuff or whatever

but they don't know what's in this unless they know. And if they know they going to leave you alone Anyway so but there are also other tools that I carry in this that I want to be able to grab and get to easily in case I am leaving my pack somewhere and I going off trail

maybe scouting an area and I'm leaving my pack at camp and I want to just take some water with me

and I want some essentials with me chest pack is a great way to do it because it is very comfortable

and easy to carry. So let's take a look at the items inside. All right, so here's the Bastion Gear chest pack

Molly on the front, Velcro field on the front. What I like to do is I want to have some items that I can grab quickly on the outside of the pack

I have my S-E knife of this Kidek Sheath. That's the JG3

and that is on a tech lock that connects to the molly now if i want to take this off and put this on my belt i can do that

another item i want to gain access to quickly is my tourniquet um turnicot of course if i injure myself

with a knife or an axe or if there's someone in my group who injures themselves i have that

ability of stopping a bleed very quickly and this is actually in um

a military turnic a case that I dyed green it was the Air Force

digital camo that kind of gray blue color overdid it was some green

turned out great and that mounts to the bottom of my chest pack

but that gives me the option of grabbing that turnic very quickly now the front pouch

I have Hunting Stinger Waffle That's just a good high energy snack to keep me going while I'm on trail

Some boo-boo items. Got some moleskin, some leaves, some off wipes, of course, band-aids, some eyedrops

So just different things. In case I need to treat a minor injury, I can do that

Keep a bandana. Of course, a map of the area. and I'm in a notebook

I like writing a rain for obvious reasons. A good compass, and I prefer a sighting compass like this

This is an old silver ranger that is a fantastic compass. I use this in search and rescue for many years

That was my go-to compass, and I still use that. It's got my pay speeds on it. Inside, I carry small light and that way I can do map reading

And it not super bright so it doesn ruin my night vision or alert my position to other people It nice and low key Of course I want some backup fire making stuff just in case So I got an exotac Bick lighter case

These are things are awesome. I love this. Keeps the lighter protected, especially in cold weather

It gives a little bit of insulation. And also it's just easy to grab and easy to find

find trail marking tape really a great item to have just to mark your position if you're

lost or if you're going on a route that you're unfamiliar with just having a little bit of this

tearing off a piece putting in a branch marking a location of something it's just a great item to

have of course back to fire making stuff I like to have some kind of means of starting a

fire and sustaining a fire so what I use is this live fire and if you're not

familiar with this stuff it's pretty cool okay so now I've got a fire going

and I can put that underneath twigs or whatever I've got going for for tender and

And then when I'm done with it, then close it, and now it's out

I also have a ferro rod. It's a fairly new one. And you get this one broken in

Of course, a small multi-tool is really handy. I don't like carrying big bulky multi tools all the time, but having this little SOG power pint on me just gives me the ability to fix things in the field, especially since I'm working with video gear

But also it gives me some basic tools as a backup to what I normally carry, including things like scissors, which are a fantastic item to have on trail

and then on here of course I've got a whistle I've got the good old military issue can opener and then this is an item I've had for a very long time this is a signal mirror I don't know if these are even made anymore but it's kind of a mini signal mirror along with a reflective sighting mirror on it

And then of course I keep a couple pens to work with. And then one other item that I'd like to have

which I think is really a game changer if you've got to start fires, is having some kind of saw

And this is a flexible wire saw. And this one really is what I found to probably be the best one in the market right now Because look at the teeth on that thing It is aggressive

And we can show that in action So that's essentially all the items that I'm

So that's essentially all the items that I'm carrying in this bag. It's all pretty much backup stuff. Oh, and then finally, the last thing

of course, in the back is my firearm. And that's nicely safely tucked away. And it's easily

accessible. So like I was saying, this is a layering system. This is not a dedicated

full-blown survival kit there's a lot of things that are not in here there's more things you

could add but once you start adding stuff you're adding weight and that's going to bog you down

like to keep this thing as light as possible i'm really focusing in on a few things like firemaking

navigation tools and protection and then a little bit of first aid and some energy food things like

that. So if you're interested in these chest packs, definitely check out bastion gear. I'll have a link to

his Etsy store. Really well made stuff. 500D Cordura. Got the water repellent zipper and just

you know, nice hardware. Everything's, it's just really well made. It's really right on par with a lot of

the other top manufacturers like Hill People gear and stuff like that. So I haven't found any problems with it

comfortable. I like the size of it. I like just the layout of the pockets. It really fits the way I want to carry my stuff

And it has become a really favorite item of mine to carry with my backpack when I'm going out, even for day hikes, because then I've got all my little things with me

I can get to them quickly. And I don't feel like I'm skimping or leaving anything behind

if I do run into a situation and just having that peace of mind I think is so important

that's my bag hope you guys enjoyed the video as always please like subscribe share all the

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that good stuff. Thanks for watching. We'll see you next time