[w1lp33]

First of all, thanks to everyone who's contributed information, and especially grateful to six by ten and mcguyver for pictures.

Here's where I'm at so far, given budget and factoring in gear I already have. This will likely change and be added to or upgraded as needs and future budget dictates, but I wanted to post up what I have to work with so far, to get some feedback if what I have is at least meeting a minimum of sustainment.

So without further ado:

Pack - Rush 24 (Already owned, 37 liters. Have added 4 side compression straps and two BFG medium utility pouches to the sides) Also considering the option of adding a hip belt to it, but not sure if that's going to be necessary, I won't really know for sure till I can get everything loaded up and test it out.

Food and water - JetBoil and Mountain House meal(s) for when I know I'll have time to make a hot meal or coffee, along with an MRE(s) for faster eatin'. As for water I have both a 3L and 2L bladder, the 2L will likely be attached to my chest rig, and I may (unless the weight seems to heavy) carry the 3L in my pack. I worry about not having enough water, because I drink a shit ton of it. (I'm currently researching water filtration systems as a way to supplement)

Shelter - USGI poncho, with paracord/CamJam/s-biners to string it up as shelter (BIG thanks to six by ten for the pictures and explanation on his setup)

Sleep - USGI goretex bivy, poncho liner (woobie). I have a sleeping bag as well, but I don't think it's really suited for this sort of use, and budget doesn't allow much else at the moment, but I think between the bivy, poncho liner, and whatever clothes I'm wearing, that ought to be more than enough for warmth for spring, if not the most comfortable sleep in the world. I'm still considering a sleeping mat and possibly a surplus USGI sleeping bag (The green one out of the MSS system)

Clothing - This I already have, bdu's, various thicknesses of long john shirts and pants, 5.11 fleece hoodie, Condor soft shell coat... Various thicknesses of gloves. I also have compression socks, gore-tex socks, and merrino wool socks.

I have a good sized dry-bag for in my pack if needed, and am looking at getting a compression dry bag for the bivy, which will likely hang along the bottom of the pack.

So that's where I'm at for now, I think that should be enough to keep me going, at least for the events I'm signed up for so far, and the pack is small enough that I can fight and move with it on if the need arises. And as we come into fall/winter, I should be able to shore up any of the areas where my current setup may lack.

I realize that what you do or don't need is subjective, and will vary based on the individual, but I just figure a committee could help point out any obvious shortcomings or missing elements. So thank you for reading this wall of text, and I look forward to hearing what all of you think.

Oh, and if you made it this far, I have one more question. Do any of you carry a second primary with you? If you're out in the bush for 24-72 hours without a main area, what do you do if your gun goes down? Just use your secondary for the rest of the event? Or carry a small backup primary with you?

(Also, since I'm obviously always going to be eyeballing future gear purchases, I wonder what you guys think about the Eberlestock X4 as a pack? I like the way it's angled at the bottom to force the weight higher up on your back, and seems fairly slim and comfortable to wear.)