• Little glass containers for samples, or small bag,
• Field books (3 small ones)
• Little notebook and pen (not using it for a while though)
• Insect repellent (ticks)
• Sun protection
• Magnifying glass (no longer using it with new macro phone)
• very basic first-aid kit
• Bazooka (self-defence)
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Oh, I would love to have one of these, but the US doesn’t make such things available for Rememberance (Veteran’s) Day. 
Maybe one will turn up on the Big Auction Site?
My usual field bag is a canvas shoulder bag that I got years ago. in it I have:
- forceps
- multitool
- deli sauce cups (these are PERFECT for catching spiders)
- a small notebook and pen
- aspirator
- a magnifier of some sort
- my phone with a good camera
- beat sheet
And I also keep an extendable net with me! Always have to be prepared to catch cool spiders!
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Plus my main aim is not to kill but to maim and frighten off. There have been multiple human fatalities from .22 pistols.
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- cellphone
- water bottle (& snacks)
- if wet: raincoat, spare socks, baseball cap
- if sunny: sunscreen, sunglasses, baseball cap (versatile!)
- battery pack & cable
- sketchbook & a pen (sakura archival ink, i’ve learned my lesson with water-based inks)
i want to get a clip on lens for my phone, and maybe a recording device. but other than that i just go with what i can carry on my person
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I can understand that, but I still think it’s not enough. I don’t mean to sound like I’m arguing, it’s your decision what measures to take. However, if you seriously think it’s a situation that might come up, and you want to be prepared for, maybe ask around a bit for some advice. Definitely at least a firearms safety course and some shooting practice.
Stay safe.
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Finally, I’m 6’6, 230lbs. If something or someone is attacking me, I .ight be able to hold them off………I hope xD
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Snake bandage, spare camera batteries, power pack for the phone, water bottle, Canon R6II with big lens.
First aid kit in the car. I always wear a buff. And I coat myself in coconut oil with sandalwood to discourage bitey insects as I hate DEET.
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Do boars work that way? Or do they just get angry and territorial?
It depends. With males they might get pissed but if see females get scared and run away after a single shot. At least, in my experience.
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- Canon R5 Mark II
- Canon 100-500 mm lens - flexible enough for long distance and near macro-level shots
- Two spare camera batteries
- Lens cloth
- Camera/lens gortex cover
- Water bottle
- Umbrella
I can carry it all on a shoulder strap, waist pouch and in my pockets. I’m not encumbered by a backpack and everything is almost immediately available whether I see a soaring raptor or a perched butterfly.
- And a hat. Can’t survive without a hat.
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Great lens!
At this opportunity, I have to shout-out my current gear (Sony A6700 +) Tamron 50-400mm!
On APSC you get effective 600mm, so you can do some birding and the minimal focus distance of ~20cm-ish at 50mm gives you 0.5x half macro for bugs all in the same lens at just over 1kg, which is still okayish for hiking when you get a proper strap.
Only downer is the meh IS, but sharpness is great IMO and 2nd hand price too.
It even fits a Raynox DCR-250 that I got for like half the price for some wobbly true-macro shots.
This is a great iNat setup for me, but I have yet to find somebody else with the Tamron 50-400 for some reason.
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How is the image quality of the Tamron for close-ups?
I have the Sony 70-350 for telephoto, which is otherwise a fantastic lens and remarkably light and compact, but it has a fairly long minimum focus distance that I find extremely frustrating for close-up work. Given that my main interest is bees, being able to get close to my subject is fairly important (I have a Raynox but I haven’t found it convenient for fast-moving insects). I don’t expect a telezoom to match the quality of my Laowa macro, but I would love to not have to switch lenses quite as often if I am going somewhere where I want to photograph both birds and small stuff. So I’ve been considering the Tamron 50-400 or the new, somewhat lighter and smaller Tamron 50-300. But most reviews of either of these lenses don’t spend much time on aspects of interest to insect photographers, probably because this is not the main use case for such a lens.
Camera, binoculars… yeah, that’s about it!
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I also like to do insects but it’s not my main interest and I also don’t have any proper macro lens to compare to.
If you are interested, my insect/arachnid pictures since I have the Tamron are here (there might also be some phone pics in between).
I think the Tamron 50-400 is quite usable for insects, much more so than my old tele.
And I find 0.5x magnification very usable for medium sized insects.
Keep in mind that it’s quite heavy, a little too much so to hold in one hand for a long time (and in another a leaf with an insect for instance). If you are on APS-C and only do big birds I would maybe get the 50-300 for that reason.
In bad light f/4.5 is ofc not great compared to a proper macro, but for me enough.
You may use a flash but keep in mind that the 50-400 is rather long and may cast a shadow with a low-hanging flash and/or not properly diffused. (I ordered a Godox V350s just a few days ago, but didn’t get it yet.)