Gear

Firstly I'll say MYOG (make your own gear) is king.

My father always said, “why would you pay someone to do what you can do yourself?” sage advice from the old man.
Alas, I am not able to do all things, and so I do buy gear.

The big three is where anyone ought to begin. The big three include your pack, your shelter, and sleep system. These three items are worthy of the most investment, regardless of whether you choose to buy them or MYOG.

The gear you choose depends upon where you are, what season it is, and what you intend to do.

Packs

Packs had always been an issue for me until I realized I just need to carry less, than pretty much any pack is a comfortable pack. In other words, if your pack is hurting you, it's too heavy.

Packs fall into three categories:

• Soft packs (simple rucksacks which have no frame)
• Pack frames (rigid frame for attaching items or bags. Can be used in conjunction with a soft pack)
• Internal frame pack (These are the most popular type of pack available today. Although I dislike them my self)

Shelter

I have acquired many shelters over the years, some I have purchased and some I have made my self. Each shelter I own is designed to suit a specific need. However, if I was to suggest the single most useful shelter I would recommend a square tarp between 10 and 8 feet in size.

Sleep system

Your sleep system is no place to be a miser. Being cold and unable to sleep, possibly endangering your life is not fun. When in the bush it is necessary to have at least 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night. Like your shelter, a sleep system depends upon place, time, and intent. The focus should be on warmth and weight, bulk is not as big a concern (especially when you have a means of conveyance, i.e, canoe or sled).

Ground isolation
Isolation from the ground is another important component of any sleep system. The cold ground will suck heat from your body. Ground isolation pads are commercially available, and can also be made in the field. In my sleep system, I either use a self-inflating Therm-a-Rest pad, a pillowcase or garbage bag filled with leaf litter, or a bed made from bows and/or moss.

Sleeping bags

I own two sleeping bags, one is a light synthetic summer bag, the other a down filled fall and spring bag. When these two bags are combined they become my winter bag.

Wool

I also enjoy camping with wool blankets, I own several of these -friends and family have pointed out it may be an obsession-. 

I have also made some sleeping sacks from wool blankets. I find these good for a few reasons. When used as a bivy, it protects your sleeping bag from burn holes. Thus allowing you to use it in conjunction with a long fire. The wool sleep sack is also an excellent summer bag on its own.

Cutting tools

A sharp durable edged tool is a valuable resource and should be included in any kit. What you carry is up to the individual. Always be sure to have at least a knife.

My preference is for a Morakniv in carbon steel.

Mora companion

Cook kit

I would recommend keeping your cook kit simple and light. Jet-Boil systems are quite popular but they are a one-trick pony. Jet-Boil won't hang over a fire, or sit in the coals. I prefer to use what is referred to as a bush-pot. A bush-pot is a pot about 5 inches in diameter with a bail handle and a tight-fitting lid. Bush-pots can be bought or made. I found mine at a thrift store.
In my cook kit I also include:

• A cup
• A cookie tin (used for baking and making char-cloth, among other things)
• A cotton bandana (used to handle hot items, among other things)

All of these items can nest together in order to facilitate packing.

Stoves

What if a fire isn't kosher?
If you are going to be somewhere that a cooking fire is not an option, its easy to include some sort of stove into the kit. In my case, I carry an 8oz canister of Iso-Butane inside my pot and bring an MSR burner.