Clay Hayes

Clay Hayes built his most important item himself: an osage orange self bow, made by a professional bowyer with more than two decades of traditional archery teaching behind him and a first bow dating to 1999. Read the other nine items as that bow's support crew and the list snaps into focus. A Gransfors Bruks Scandinavian Forest Axe and a Silky Katanaboy 650 keep camp and firewood moving at alpine elevation, a Feathered Friends down bag rated to minus 40 Fahrenheit makes the cold survivable, and a GSI 2 quart Dutch oven cooks whatever the bow brings in.

The depth of documentation here is unusual, down to fluorocarbon line in the fishing kit, a Bayite half inch by five inch ferro rod, and 80 meters of orange 5col milspec paracord, and the restraint is more unusual still. Chilko Lake is grizzly and mountain lion country, and there is nothing defensive, exotic, or speculative anywhere in the ten slots. It is a specialist's kit with the confidence to leave every marginal scenario uncovered.