Petzal: Pack for Hunting Like A Navy SEAL

Navy SEALS, who are not only fierce and good-looking but smart, have a saying: “One is nothing; two is one.” This means that when they are putting together their gear for a session of killing people and blowing things up, a single piece of vital equipment is useless, since you can lose it or damage it, and then where are you? No, say the SEALS, if it’s really important you take two of it. HOO-YAH!

And so as we pack our gear to go off and slay beautiful living creatures, it’s wise to keep the SEAL proverb in mind. Ask yourself these two questions:

1. How much does it weigh and how much space does it take up?

2. If something happens to it, how deep in s**t am I?

If the answer to the first question is “Not much” and the answer to the second question is “Up to my eyes” you want to take two. Some examples: a spare pair of gloves; a spare flashlight; a spare scope; a spare 9V battery for your rangefinder or any other hideous electronic gear on which you depend; a spare compass; a spare lighter; a spare lock for your gun case if you’re flying. On one occasion every one of these spares has bailed out either myself or someone else in the party.

One is nothing; two is one.