Article by: Beau Martonik
Photos by: Beau Martonik and Justin Mueller
Every year, I head west in search of another grand adventure with some of my best buddies with hopes of coming home with some fond memories, stories and hopefully a cooler or two full of meat. When I started these types of trips, I was extremely unorganized and quite frankly - unprepared. It didn’t take long to realize that keeping organized and having the necessary gear when shit hits the fan makes the trip less stressful. I’m not just talking about hunting gear. Having your vehicle organized with the right equipment will let your mind rest assured that you are prepared for anything ahead.
Here is my gear list for extended hunting trips with my 2015 Chevy Silverado 1500 Crew Cab. I have a Diamondback HD Truck Bed Cover to keep my gear organized, secure, and dry. The Diamondback allows me to keep my gear extra secure while giving me the option to haul up to 1,600 pounds on top of it. I liked my old truck cap with the Decked system, but found myself limited on space and ability to do "truck stuff" outside of hunting season. So far, the Diamondback has been great in both realms. My truck is equipped with a 2.5” Rough Country Lift Kit and 33x12.50x20 Kenda Klever R/T tires.
This system is built to be able to set up and take down camp very quickly and efficiently so that I can be comfortable, but also be ready to take off early in the morning down the road, if needed.
Sleep System
James Baroud Evasion rooftop tent mounted to the top of my Diamondback truck bed cover on Yakima Overhaul HD Bars (which are adjustable in height).
Inside the Truck Bed
Toe strap - Smittybilt Bungee cords Python locks Ratchet straps Woodman’s Pal - Multi-use Axe/Machete Jumper cables Durabatt DB 200 (1200amp) jump starter/battery pack Army shovel
Hi-lift jack winch kit Leather gloves - in the Hi-lift kit bag Tree strap - in the Hi-lift kit bag Choking chains ⅜” chain Misc. tools
ORGANIZED IN TRUCK BED
Hi-lift 48” jack SKB double bow case White foldable Camp table
Thermacell backpacker bug burner Moleskin Platypus gravity fed water filtration and dirty bag Esbit tablets Paracord Dark Energy Poseidon Battery Pack Havalon backup knife and spare blades Spare batteries (AA, AAA, Sony camera battery)
First Aid Kit - Mine isn't this exact one, since I pieced it together, but I always make sure to have trauma gear and a tourniquet. At some point, I would like to get a MTN MEDIC kit
Truck Bed (on top of Diamondback system)
Yeti 75 cooler SITKA DRIFTER DUFFLE 110L with hunting clothes
YETI PANGA 100L DUFFLE with miscellaneous camp and hunting gear
Hitch Carrier (for elk trips where I need a bigger cooler)
Yeti 160 cooler INSIDE THE CAB
GARMIN Montana 750i - For satelittle texting and SOS button for emergencies, and will work as a road GPS system with or without cell reception.
SPARTAN FORGE GPS Hunting App - For navigation in the vehicle and in the mountains, the Spartan Forge app is the best GPS app that I've used in the field with next level aerial imagery and dependable offline mapping. Use code eastmeetswest to save 20% off the Spartan Forge app.
Note: All gear items may vary for each trip, but this was my go-to setup for my 10-day Montana bear hunt this spring. Some links may be part of the affiliate program, in which I make a small commission. I appreciate the support! All items in the East Meets West Outdoors Amazon store: https://www.amazon.com/shop/beau.martonik?listId=1DEG4BLDFTDRC&ref=idea_share_inf