Standard load-out

[Boss Llama]

I'm curious what folks consider to be their standard load-outs in the game - that is to say, assuming you have it available, what do you carry pretty much any time you step out the door? Do you have multiple versions depending what you're doing, or do you pack them same thing each time?

For my part, I'm consistent - I carry my full set of basics on me at all times, so that no matter what happens or how distracted by shiny objects I get, I'm ready to survive where I am. My standard load-out consists of:

-The warmest clothes I have

-Rifle, fully loaded

-Tools: Knife, hatchet, prybar

-2500 cal of food, typically in energy bars

-1.0-1.5L of water

-A flare

-A box of at least a dozen wood matches, and 6 tinder plugs

-Enough bandages and painkillers to patch up from at least one surprise wolf attack.

-A sewing kit

On the one hand, it's a fair amount of stuff. On the other hand, I would feel fairly unprepared without any of it. How about you all? What do you make a point of carrying?

[houservt]

That pretty much matches what my typical loadout use to be, but with the addition of a lantern. I still would use something similar during early game when I'm exploring/traveling. But recently I've started focusing on getting multiple points of operation established. A main hub, typically at a workbench, and then little hubs for various activities. For example, I'll have about 2k cal of food, 5L of water, a lantern, bedroll, basic first aid, some tinder, and a couple matches at the entrance to the mines.

So, once I've reached my destination, I take several days to setup little bases nearby, and then my loadout drops and varies depending on the task I plan on doing for that day. The basics of all my loadouts are as follows, and they'd be the only things I take if I'm going out to collect rabbits quickly, or if I'm walking over to another sub-hub, for example to mine coal for the day. If I'm resupplying a base, I'll carry extra gear for that, of course, but typically just:

• Warm clothes
  
• Knife
  
• Flare
  
• A dozen matches
  
• 500 cal of food
  
• 1L water

Then I use the handy inventory placement to organize separate gear into piles for easy access depending on the task:

Firewood Gathering

• Hatchet
  
• +1000 cal of food
  
• +1L water

Hunting

• Rifle
  
• First Aid (Bearded Bandage, 2xPainkillers)
  
• +1 Flare

Supply Gathering

• Prybar
  
• Lantern
  
• Bedroll
  
• First Aid
  
• +1000 cal of food
  
• +1L water

The ahah moment when I realized I really shouldn't be carrying my hatchet and rifle everywhere was pretty cool.

[mutedgrey]

Then I use the handy inventory placement to organize separate gear into piles for easy access depending on the task:

Ooh, I should do that. That's a great idea.

[thinair]

For me inventory is 95% the same all the time. 12-15 kg.

I always have:

2-3 bandages

2-3 old men beards

4 painkillers

4 antibiotics

1 accelerant

1 cedar (best starting wood).

3 coal (0.9 kg gives 3 hours burning time) vs what most people do is carry fir which is 1 kg and only 1.5 hours.

1 flare.

3-4 matches

3-4 tinder

knife

sleeping bag

can opener and 250-500cal of food (99% avoid cooked food so does not attract wolves). Also leave with 300-500 calories in the system.

basically always an overkill "1.5-2L of water", but since its the most needed daily item, i think its a must. I leave hydrated, and probably 1L would be enough, and in case of emergency if i get stuck out of base i could make a fire and boil some, but i hate starting fires just for 0.5-2l of water.

bow + 3 arrows.

And then on situation...

Hunting:

rifle or bow

best clothing

wood gathering:

hatchet

clothing for that, usually 2nd best set.

exploring:

best clothing

depending on how far, would add extra water and food accordingly.

latern, usually filled to the max.

and finally, coal gathering:

latern

edit: i guess on hunting and wood gathering around the home base, and i guess coal gathering i could drop 4 kg off, like sleeping bag, cedar and coal, and only have 1l of water... but i have one locker dedicated of my WHAT I CARRY ALWAYS, and i just always pick it up before i leave.

[selfless]

2-3 bandages

2-3 old men beards

4 painkillers

4 antibiotics

1 accelerant

1 cedar (best starting wood).

3 coal (0.9 kg gives 3 hours burning time) vs what most people do is carry fir which is 1 kg and only 1.5 hours.

1 flare.

3-4 matches

3-4 tinder

knife

sleeping bag

can opener and 250-500cal of food (99% avoid cooked food so does not attract wolves). Also leave with 300-500 calories in the system.

basically always an overkill "1.5-2L of water", but since its the most needed daily item, i think its a must. I leave hydrated, and probably 1L would be enough, and in case of emergency if i get stuck out of base i could make a fire and boil some, but i hate starting fires just for 0.5-2l of water.

bow + 3 arrows.

Similar, but with omissions.

- Never carry wood cuz it's everywhere. Find it when I need it.

- Never carry sleeping bag. Beds are almost as common as wood.

- Never carry food. Always leave with a full 2500 calories in system. Return starving or eat what I find in the field.

- Never carry antibiotics cuz I can get home before any infection would kill me. Never harvest mushrooms to keep backup storage in field. In past carried a Rieishi Tea mostly to warm up in desperate situations and has dual use. But now I just carry lit torches. Same effect.

Additions/Differences:

- 4 torches. Always have one lit. Collect sticks and make new fires as I go. Put old torches in, take new torches out. It's perpetual until the wind blows 'em out.

- 5 bandages and peroxide or 5 oldmansbeardbandages.

- 10 matches and magnifier.

- Fishing tackle.

- Always wear best clothing set except cargo pants instead of deer pants. Less weight. Easy repair. Would consider alternating clothing to match daily conditions/task, but inventory interface is not friendly. Maybe if I could put on clothes from container interface, but not as it is now.

As you say, further items added as needed for specific planned activity. Leave with little, return overburdened.

[houservt]

Something I found out recently, you don't have to make a fire to light your other torches. A lit torch can be used to light another torch. Just drop the lit one ("h"), then equip another and click on the lit one burning on the ground.

I think it's time for an Olympic style torch run from Mystery Lake to light the lighthouse at Desolation Point!

[thinair]

Similar, but with omissions.

- Never carry wood cuz it's everywhere. Find it when I need it.

- Never carry sleeping bag. Beds are almost as common as wood.

- Never carry food. Always leave with a full 2500 calories in system. Return starving or eat what I find in the field.

- Never carry antibiotics cuz I can get home before any infection would kill me. Never harvest mushrooms to keep backup storage in field. In past carried a Rieishi Tea mostly to warm up in desperate situations and has dual use. But now I just carry lit torches. Same effect.

Additions/Differences:

- 4 torches. Always have one lit. Collect sticks and make new fires as I go. Put old torches in, take new torches out. It's perpetual until the wind blows 'em out.

- 5 bandages and peroxide or 5 oldmansbeardbandages.

- 10 matches and magnifier.

- Fishing tackle.

- Always wear best clothing set except cargo pants instead of deer pants. Less weight. Easy repair. Would consider alternating clothing to match daily conditions/task, but inventory interface is not friendly. Maybe if I could put on clothes from container interface, but not as it is now.

But what if in early game, you get caught in blizzard and cant make to a shelter, and need fire fast and sleep in outdoors/cave? If you have hatchet... still in blizzard you would get frozen while harvesting. if you go with sticks, still will take some time to pick them up in a blizzard, and then they have low fire starting ability. And even if you pick up some sticks, only have like 2 hours of fire , or harvest cedar, you only will get 3 hours of burning time... yet everything of this could be avoided by having 1 cedar and few coals. I know it rarely happens for most players, but i just tend to be on a safe side. Honestly, its possible to run pretty light, without a lot of stuff, but i try to have safe option I could probably be fine with just clothing, 0.5l of water and knife... 5-7kg in total... because i know maps in and out and even in blizzard can get to a safe location... so have my setup just for purpose of more realistic carrying setup

Kind of same for not having bedroll... i mean if you cant get to a shelter with bed, only option is cave... and its blizzard and night starts? What then? Would be pain in the ass not to have bedroll. And the way your setup is, you dont have wood and bedroll...

Also why do you have torch always lit with you? for safety?

fishing tackle for repairs?

As far as clothing, if while being outside my character feels warm (everything over 0c/32f), i just take off some clothing so i'm in -1 -4 range. Sometimes in day time feels like +5 to 10+ which is overkill. Of course it does not solve weight problem, but at least take less damage on clothing

To conclude, always interesting to see set ups of others, and find out why people do so... for personal improvement