What to Pack for a Hunting Camp Job: Guide, Packer and Camp Cook Gear Lists (2026)

Most of a hunting camp is packed before you arrive. The outfitter owns the wall tents, stoves, stock and food and hauls them in. You show up with the personal gear that keeps you warm, dry and useful from a 4 a.m. start, the time an Avery, Idaho camp gave its 2025 cook, into November, plus the cards that make you legal to work.

This list comes from what outfitters tell their own crews: job posts on RanchWork, Outfitter Marketplace and outfitter association classifieds, the packing lists two outfitter-run guide schools give students, and state and federal safety rules.

What does the outfitter provide, and what do you bring?

The outfitter provides shelter, meals, stock and the camp kitchen; you bring bedding, clothes and personal tools. The Moran, Wyoming cook job posted in January 2026 shows what a wilderness camp provides: a private wall tent with a cot, pad, wood stove and lantern, a shower tent, and no electricity or plumbing. M&S New Mexico Outfitters, hiring a contract cook in February 2026, provides groceries, the camp kitchen, propane, coolers and lodging space, or lets the cook bring an RV.

Bedding is on you. A Crawford, Colorado outfitter hiring a packer and guide helper in 2018 wrote “Full tent camp. Must have own sleeping bag,” and camp cook posts from Colorado and Utah in 2015 and 2016 said the same while promising private sleeping quarters. Heart X Outfitters, which runs a 2026 guide and packer school near Salmon, Idaho, supplies cots or bunks and lanterns but makes students bring their own bedding, plus a solar charger or battery pack because power is scarce. Cherokee TP Outfitters in Colorado puts it plainly: guides provide their own hunting clothes and gear.

Item	Who needs it	Who asks for it
Sleeping bag rated to 0°F, pillow	Everyone	Royal Tine and Heart X school lists; Crawford, CO packer post (2018); Colorado and Utah camp cook posts (2015, 2016)
Waterproof binoculars	Guides	Royal Tine (8 to 10 power); Heart X (10×40 or stronger); Colorado and multi-state elk guide posts (2018)
Hunting knife, sharpener, multi-tool	Guides, packers	Heart X (four-inch folder); Royal Tine (belt knife, sharpener, multi-tool)
Day pack, frame preferred	Guides	Heart X; Royal Tine (1,800 to 2,200 cubic inches)
Headlamp and spare batteries	Everyone	Heart X; Royal Tine; IGBC, for field dressing after dark
GPS and base-plate compass	Guides	Royal Tine; Idaho guide rule (map and compass or GPS)
Elk bugle and cow calls	Guides	Royal Tine; Heart X
Rain jacket and pants or saddle slicker, no ponchos or plastic	Everyone	Royal Tine; Heart X; Elk Fork
Riding boots, hiking boots and camp shoes, broken in	Everyone	Royal Tine (no steel toes); Heart X
Well-fitted leather gloves	Everyone	Royal Tine
Long underwear, sweatshirt, warm jacket, plenty of socks	Everyone	Royal Tine; Elk Fork
Hat	Everyone	Royal Tine (cowboy hat); Heart X (sun hat)
Hunter orange garment and hat	Guides in rifle season	Montana law for guides; Colorado and Wyoming rules for hunters
Bear spray in a hip or chest holster	Everyone in bear country	IGBC
Saddle and tack	Packers, some cooks	Elk Fork (preferred, 2025); Cooke City, MT cook post (required, 2020); Heart X (provided)
Personal knives and small kitchen tools	Cooks	M&S New Mexico Outfitters (2026)
Two lighters, water bottles	Everyone	Heart X; Royal Tine
Power bank or solar charger	Everyone	Heart X; Royal Tine
Spare glasses or contacts, daily medications	Everyone	Heart X (both); Royal Tine (glasses or contacts)
Small first aid kit	Guides	Royal Tine
Waterproof duffels no longer than 36 inches	Everyone	Royal Tine

Sources: posts and lists named above, accessed Sep 14, 2026. Print it and ask your outfitter what its camp already covers.

What gear does an assistant hunting guide need?

Your own optics, a knife, a pack that can carry meat, a light and a way to navigate. A 2018 Colorado archery elk job said “Will need your own optics/hunting equipment,” an outfitter hiring elk guides for New Mexico, Utah and Colorado ranches that year required “high-end, quality optics” and a reliable vehicle, and Wind River Outfitter in central Idaho told 2021 applicants to “have your own gear for the job.”

The two outfitter-run schools spell out what that gear is. Royal Tine, near Philipsburg, Montana, lists waterproof 8 to 10 power binoculars, a GPS, a base-plate compass, a belt knife, elk and cow calls, and a day pack carrying a first aid kit, headlamp, spare batteries, a small saw or hatchet, a tarp and 50 feet of cord. It tells students to spend the most on boots and optics, and warns that outfitters expect guides out before daylight and after dark. Heart X asks for 10×40 or stronger binoculars, a four-inch folding hunting knife and a day pack, preferably with a frame for packing.

Idaho writes part of this into its guide rules: a hunting guide must be able to use a map and compass or a GPS and must be trained in caring for meat and caping. The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC) gives the headlamp a second job. If a hunter kills at dusk, be ready to cut up the carcass in the dark, and pack the meat out as soon as possible.

Check the hunter orange rule too. Montana law requires an outfitter or guide accompanying a big game hunter to wear at least 400 square inches of hunter orange above the waist, except in the special archery season; the fine is $10 to $20. Colorado requires hunters with a firearm license to wear 500 square inches of fluorescent orange or pink and an orange or pink hat, and recommends it even for people who are not hunting. Wyoming’s rule covers hunters, not the friends or family with them. Ask your outfitter what it expects of guides, and see what outfitters look for in a hunting guide.

What should a packer or wrangler bring?

Boots you can ride in, a slicker, leather gloves, a headlamp and possibly your own saddle, so ask first. Heart X provides saddles and tack at its school but lets students bring their own if they say so ahead of time. Elk Fork Outfitters in Cody, Wyoming, hiring one person to pack, wrangle and guide from May through November 2025, wrote “Preferable that you have your own tack and gear,” and required a valid driver’s license and a reliable vehicle with current registration. J Bar H in northwest Colorado told 2025 applicants they could bring a personal horse or mule, but not pets.

Footwear and rain gear come up on both school lists. Royal Tine wants cowboy boots for riding, hiking boots and camp shoes, no steel toes, and a lightweight saddle slicker with “NO PONCHOS.” Heart X asks for broken-in leather and hiking boots, and rain gear that is not plastic, which it calls noisy and quick to rip. Elk Fork’s trip lists say no ponchos too. Royal Tine wants gear in waterproof dry-bag duffels no longer than 36 inches.

Expect to wear it out. Swan Mountain Outfitters’ packers are often on the trail 3 to 5 days a week, making 28-mile days to and from a camp 14 miles up a drainage. None of the packer posts we found asked applicants to bring shoeing tools, though Wind River and a Bishop, California outfitter (2020) list shoeing or farrier skills as a plus. The work itself is covered in our packer jobs guide, and current openings are at open packer jobs.

What should a hunting camp cook bring?

Your own knives and small tools, a food handler card, bedding, and sometimes a saddle. M&S New Mexico Outfitters requires its 2026 contract cook to provide personal knives and preferred small tools and to hold a food handler or ServSafe certification. As a 1099 vendor, that cook also needs a business name, a W-9 and general liability insurance. Swan Mountain Outfitters prefers a current food handler certification for its base camp cook. If you ride to camp, settle the saddle question early; a Cooke City, Montana outfitter’s 2020 cook job required one.

State food codes set their own card rules. Oregon, for example, requires food service workers to get a food handler card within 30 days of starting work; it costs $10, lasts three years, and cards from other states are not valid there. Ask the outfitter whether its kitchen falls under the state rule. The backcountry cook jobs guide lists the rules in other Western states.

In bear country, a clean kitchen is part of the job. The Moran camp tells applicants it sits in grizzly bear country “so staying clean is very important,” and Wilderness Trails in Wyoming requires its cooks to follow all bear safety protocols. The IGBC recommends keeping a can of bear spray in the cooking area and another next to your flashlight in the tent. Its list of food storage orders covers national forests including the Bridger-Teton, Shoshone and Flathead.

What should you wear for fall weather in the mountains?

Layers under full rain gear. Elk Fork Outfitters tells its fall hunting clients the weather “can be anything from 80 degrees to a foot of snow,” with cold mornings and warm afternoons, and to plan on layering and bring plenty of socks. Heart X warns that pre-dawn rides in Idaho’s mountains can start in the single digits, afternoons can reach 90°F, and a trip that starts hot can end in snow.

Royal Tine’s clothing list is a good base: a week of jeans and long- and short-sleeved shirts, long underwear, sweatshirts, a warm jacket, one set of camouflage, well-fitted leather gloves, a hat and rain gear. Add an orange vest or hat if you will guide in a rifle season.

The National Weather Service’s cold-weather advice fits a wet elk camp: dress in layers, cover exposed skin, and change into dry clothing as soon as you are back under cover if you are wet. Hypothermia begins when body temperature drops below 95°F.

Which documents and cards should you bring?

A driver’s license, a first aid and CPR card, your guide license where the state requires one, and references. These are the papers outfitters and state boards ask for.

Document	Who asks for it	Details
Driver’s license	Swan Mountain (all employees); Hells Canyon Outfitters guides, packers and cooks (2025); Elk Fork (2025); Crawford, CO (2025); Table Mountain Outfitters, WY	Some jobs also want your own truck: Orofino, ID (2026); Table Mountain’s camp jack must be insurable
First aid and CPR card	Hells Canyon guides; Cherokee TP; Butte Creek Outfitters, WY; Avery, ID guides; Swan Mountain	Required for a guide license in Montana (board-approved course), Wyoming and Idaho (Red Cross or comparable)
Guide license	State outfitter boards	Wyoming guides must carry it, or a facsimile or phone photo, while guiding, signed by the employing outfitter. Montana’s application fee is $125, and applicants generally need a licensed outfitter’s endorsement
Hunter safety card	Wyoming board	For professional guides born on or after January 1, 1966
Wildlife conservation license	Montana board	Proof required with a Montana guide application
Food handler or ServSafe card	M&S New Mexico Outfitters (required); Swan Mountain (preferred)	Oregon requires a card within 30 days of starting food service work
References	Hells Canyon packers and cooks; Avery, ID guides (at least 2); Elk Fork	Elk Fork asks applicants to be ready with them
Business paperwork	M&S New Mexico Outfitters, for 1099 cooks	LLC or sole proprietor name, W-9, general liability insurance, ability to invoice

Sources: employer posts and state rules listed below, accessed Sep 14, 2026. Expect a background check at some outfits; Flat Tops Wilderness Guides runs one on every employee. State steps are in hunting guide license by state, and first aid course options are in outdoor job certifications.

What should you leave at home?

Pets, alcohol, drugs and, in some camps, cigarettes. J Bar H’s 2025 guide and packer posts say it cannot accommodate pets and wants non-smokers. A Crawford, Colorado outfitter hiring for the West Elk Wilderness in September 2025 wrote “No Alcohol or Drugs. No Pets.” A Montana outfitter seeking a mule deer guide and cook through the Montana Outfitters and Guides Association in 2026 wants no smokers or pets.

A Pinedale, Wyoming wilderness outfitter posting cook and packer jobs on August 2, 2026 put “NO ALCOHOL” in capitals. Flat Tops tolerates no illegal drugs or drinking while working, and an Orofino, Idaho outfit posting in June 2026 spells out no drugs, “including pot.” Not every camp is dry: an Idaho elk outfitter on Outfitter Marketplace lists “No smoking/drugs. Light drinking.” Heart X’s school provides no alcohol and bans drinking during lessons and before horse or equipment work.

Some gear stays home too: ponchos and plastic rain gear (Royal Tine, Heart X, Elk Fork) and steel-toed boots (Royal Tine). Dogs are the exception at bird lodges: Bow & Barrel Lodge in eastern Colorado requires its upland guides to have trained dogs and gives them kennel or crate space. Browse fall openings at hunting jobs.