Bugs tend to stay away from you if you haven't been eating sweet stuff, so you shouldn't need to worry about that much. I'm big on survival stuff. You thought about a plastic collapse-able type of water jug? I use those when backpacking, I can fill several gallons into one, and when I'm not using it, it compresses into a small pocket.

Pistol is a good idea, if you are trying to snare some larger game, you could try using fish guts or the guts from birds or rabbits to attract something and shoot it from the bushes with the pistol.

As far as a sleeping bag goes, I would definitely bring one. You can get ones that fit into the smallest compression cases that weigh practically nothing.

What kind of fishing net are you talking about? If you can get a roll of netting, you can make little baskets with it underneath rapids in streams, or to partition pools of water, and it's pretty easy to catch fish doing that.

If you don't like batteries, they make those hand-crank flashlights that you wind up for a while, andthey stay lit. I find them very useful for backpacking, there's always some time where you go "DAMNIT! If I only had a flashlight."

Haha I'm an eagle scout and somewhat miss all the backpacking and crazy wilderness adventures I used to have, good luck.
scagster Reviewed by scagster on . Alone in the wilderness - revised inventory "Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go." ~ T. S. Eliot For those who didn't see my other thread, my plan is to journey alone deep into the wilderness with only as much gear as can be carried on my back. I am NOT TAKING THIS LIGHTLY. After much consideration, I have decided to include a high velocity air rifle. The small size of .177 pellets will enable me to carry thousands of them, and thus hunt far more squirrels and rabbits than I could with Rating: 5