The backpack incident...
This is my backpack. There are many others like it, but this one is mine. A little too dramatic using the opening line to the Marine Corps Rifleman’s Creed? Well, maybe I guess, however I had a backpack-oriented scare this morning and I found myself feeling quite sentimental towards that little bundle of backpack joy.
Here’s what happened. I awoke this morning to prepare for a weekend of competition handgun shooting (IPSC) and was gathering equipment: Holster rig, handgun, ammunition, hearing protection...Hearing protection...Where is my bloody hearing protection! I went to the backpack where I last left my hearing protection...And couldn’t find it. The backpack I mean. I searched high and low and could not find it anywhere. Tracing my steps back I remembered the last time I used it was on the cattle farm where I cull ferrals; Thursday night. Oh no. I left it there I think. Or worse I placed it on the back of my truck, forgot it and drove off and it rolled off on the road somewhere. BACKPACK, WHERE ARE YOUUUUUUU!
Now, I don’t just have one backpack of course however the backpack in question is the one I take culling and so is full of some very expensive equipment.
Lightforce LED spot light $380
Bushnell Conx rangefinder $1200
Earpro hearing protection $300
Kestrel Drop weather meter $320
Laser sight (green dot) $350
Wet weather soft shell jacket $300
The back back itself $200
LED Lenser headlamp $200
Ok, so you get the idea I think.
Hoping I would get lucky I jumped in my truck and headed up to the farm to (hopefully find it). Once I turned off the blacktop I slowed right down scanning the scrub for the backpack in the advent of the fell off truck theory being what actually happened. No backpack.
On arrival at the farm I opened the gate and entered, closing it behind me. (Always leave gates as you find them people). I drove into the area I generally park my truck and BOOM! Backpack! It was sitting all by itself beside the spot where I park. Near the little house. The house is not lived in so no one is there to alert me to *lost-back-pack-incidents like this.
To say I was relieved is an understatement. It’s not the backpack itself of course, it’s the equipment inside that I have worked hard to acquire that I was so worried about. I am not a rich person and so everything I have holds great importance and value.
So, after hugging my backpack several times (it was soaking wet as it’s rained a lot in the last couple of days) I tucked it to bed in the back of my truck and left. It’s had a terrible ordeal and it fell into a deep, contented sleep.
Driving back down the hill I decided to call into the Inglewood Bakery for a coffee and to write this post. Forgive the typo’s as I’m doing it on my phone. I also decided to purchase some more tritium vials (online) to place on my backpack. I should have done this already I guess as I use them extensively on my camping equipment and anything that I take into the outdoors at night.
Tritium is a radioactive isotope that glows reasonably brightly for about 15 years non-stop. The vials are small (about the 5cm long), and can clip onto things to identify them. There are many colours. They are perfect for night operations where a person can identify different items without the need for actual light. They don’t cast a light so are quite suitable for times when one doesn’t want to draw attention to oneself. Anyway, I’ll be adding them to my night time culling equipment this week so that the backpack debacle is not repeated. I’ll also be re-evaluating my process to ensue oversights like this don’t occur again.
Anyway, you’ll have to excuse me, I want to go check in on my backpack and make sure it’s ok.
[- Design and create your ideal life, don’t live it by default -]
I know exactly how you feel about lost gear. It makes me feel sick to my stomach. Let us know how the weekend shooting goes.
I was at the range most of the morning. We switched from .40 cal to 9mm and everyone had to requalify on the new pistols.
Hope things went well on the range for you. How did the switch to 9mm go? Kind of a big deal to some I guess.
Today I shot at my club, tomorrow is a big inter-club event so I was warming up. Made some fundamental errors today, don’t know the scores yet but probably won’t be good. Still, better to mess up today than tomorrow. Was fun though. Shot 155 rounds, 1 miss and 1 PT (no shoot/penalty target i.e. “hostage”). Not too bad but certainly not good! :)
Hope you’re well my man.
It went really well. Some of the marginal shooters saw improved scores and I definitely like the lesser recoil and better recovery times.
I talked one of my guys into wearing my gopro while I called the course. I'll try to get a post up with it later today.
Sounds good. I shoot 9mm for the reasons you say. May not have quite the same knock down but that’s not a concern for me I guess.
Glad you found your invaluable gear @galenkp. I feel ya, however to a much lessor degree. I've left behind (misplaced) my hockey skates (also sticks, gloves, etc.) on multiple occasions and aside from the brain damage and cost factor, the downtime and lost time procuring everything again makes it even worse if you don't find it (which I usually do). Thanks for the post.
Yes, brain damage is a lamentable side effect of leaving one’s ice hockey helmet home huh? :)
Great comment!
I spent the better part of 5 hours trying to return a backpack that I found in the middle of the road a couple of weeks ago. Obviously it had fallen out of a Ute or of the roof of a car due to its location, after I stopped and collected it, I opened it in the hope of finding some ID or something that would assist me in returning it. Unfortunately it was full of snacks and 8 tickets to the closing ceremony of the commonwealth games that were scheduled for later that evening.
Despite every effort, I ended up handing it in to the police, I just hope those poor people were able to get in to the games, it’s a long way to travel for nothing!
Forget the Games...What about the SNACKS! :)
Ok, so just kidding. Hey, you did what you could huh? I feel sorry for people who lose things like that which are pretty irreplaceable.
Do you have one of these backpacks then?
Sounds like you just forgot to pick it up which would have been much easier to find than rolled off the back of the truck! Those tritium vials sound like a good idea, even though this was probably one of those rare lapses as you seem like a pretty meticulous kinda person generally.
I recall having a look before I left to make sure Inhadnt left anything. It was late, so completely dark. The backpack is black. I missed it. It happens. The story ended well so it’s all good.
It’s funny you should put an image up of those bags. I actually have one of each of them. Wouldn’t leave home without it!
Oh bugger, that would drive me nuts, at myself. That cold and unhappy feeling of WTF that kicks in and when you realise that you did that, the ÿou are an asshole" conversation that takes place on the search filled with backtones of be there be there be there. Hahahahahaha, I know the feeling well. One keeps honing your skills, hopefully learn from every mishaps and keep putting little checks in place, that little mental check routine that keeps growing.
Bloody glad you found t buddy. Hope you guys are having a good day. Check out a simple piece I put last night on firearm licensing.
Shit that's soooo lucky!!
Yeah, I know. It was a couple of days and to be honest no one should be on the property but me anyway but I’m so lucky I hadn’t put it on the back of my truck and driven off. Could have fallen anywhere.
I get the same feeling when I forget where I park my car, figuring some low life has taken it as opposed to me completely forgetting where I put it..
Losing one’s car in the car park can be a stressful time. :)
So glad that you turned it up. I would be in a panic if I misplaced mine, for many of the same reasons. Our little sporting accessories can add up to some real money these days. Next to last rangefinder I bought I used exactly one time. Brought it up to range an elk, and set it down to get ready for the shot. Never did see it again...I have a lanyard on it now.
Good hunting!