Ask ten researchers what to bring and you'll get ten answers. Here's ours, earned the hard way: a good headlamp with a red mode, a reliable audio recorder, a tape measure, casting material, and a notebook that survives rain.
The flashy stuff — thermal, parabolic mics, night vision — has its place, but it's the last thing we add, not the first. A tool you can't operate quietly in the dark is a liability.
Above all: redundancy for the boring things. Spare batteries, a backup light, and a paper map. The woods don't care about your firmware update.
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