Not sure what to bring on your next mushroom hunt? Here are the top 10 things I recommend:
- Water bottle: It’s nice if it fits in an easily accessible pocket of your backpack or has a ring so you can attach it to your bag with a carabiner.
- Knife: Pretty much any folding pocket knife will do, but I recently started using the Opinel mushroom knife which has an attached mushroom brush. You always want to get all the dirt off your mushrooms before contaminating your stash with grit. It also has a fancy curved blade that fits snuggly around the stem of the mushroom before you slice its life away.
- Bag(s) or Basket: Bag or a basket? I tend to go for the bags because they are less bulky and I can pack multiple bags in case I hit the mother lode! But it depends on what I’m looking for. Baskets are better if you’re concerned about the mushrooms getting squished and damaged in a bag. Or bring one basket and a couple extra bags. Feel free to use one of those bags for trash!
- Cell phone: Although I’d like to promote being disconnected while out in nature, I’m often out alone and you never know when you’ll need it, such as for the next two items on the list.
- GPS: It’s super easy to get turned around when you step off the trail and start following your gut. Since the invention of GPS, I’ve lost my ability to navigate pretty much anywhere! I use two different apps that I like for keeping track of my body and mushrooms. I use a free app called My Tracks for simply drawing a line for where I’ve been and marking mushroom spots. If you want a more sophisticated app, OnX Hunt is a paid app I use that can track where you’ve been, mark mushrooms with unique symbols, and show property boundaries with landowner names!
- Camera: If there’s a disorder for taking too many pictures, I have it! If your cell phone doesn’t have a decent camera, you will want to grab a camera. If you are planning to identify a mushroom once you get home, it’s a great idea to take pictures of the mushroom before you’ve picked it and the habitat it’s growing in. This is crucial information for identifying mushrooms.
- Bug Repellant: I try not to use bug spray, but sometimes, you just gotta to keep your sanity. Depending on how bad they are, sometimes Deet is the only thing that does the trick. When the knats are bad, BUGGINS insect repellant actually does a very good job and is more natural. Otherwise, clothes does a decent job at keeping them from from driving you nuts. I’ve got an Original Bug Shirt that zips a screen mesh around my face and is super light weight. I only use it when absolutely necessary because I find looking through the screen mesh only slightly less annoying than a mosquito buzzing around my face.
- Tick Repellant: Deer ticks are a serious danger and permethrin is one of the most effective methods I’ve found. Yes, it is a harsh chemical, but Lyme’s disease is also harsh. Dedicate an outfit or two to douse with Permethrin and don’t wash those outfits very often. Some people will spray a pair of wind pants with permethrin that they can easily pull on over whatever they are already wearing so it doesn’t have to touch their skin.
- Snacks: There’s a decent chance you’ll end up spending more time than you anticipated, especially if you end up finding a lot! We don’t want hangry mushroom hunters out there!
- Backpack: Pick one big enough for all the things in this post.