Whenever venturing into the wilderness it’s important to carry the “ten essentials”. It’s a mostly standard list but some people like to add a few items. I think that it’s important to carry what some called the “11th essential”, which is toilet paper (TP) and plastic bag, and a 12th essential, which is sunscreen and lip balm.
I adjust some of the essentials depending on the hike. For example, for short suburban hikes a lightweight wind jacket or rain jacket is my extra clothing. But for 12 hour hikes in remote areas, especially off-trail hikes, I’ll carry a down jacket, fleece hat, two pairs of gloves, rain pants and a rain jacket as my extra clothing since there is a real chance of injury or other factor that might force an unplanned night in the wilderness. The extra five pounds is a small price to pay for safety, piece of mind, and reasonable comfort.
1. Map. A map is critical since it’s your hiking guide to the area. It helps you stay on track and is one of the best tools for making sure that you come back safely.
2. Compass. I always carry one. Actually I carry two. It’s very useful for orienting the map in the proper direction, hiking in a constant direction, and it’s very lightweight. It helps assure that you won’t be hiking around in circles if you become disoriented. I also take a backcountry GPS (i.e. Garmin 60CSX with a map chip for California/Nevada installed) but only for the longer hikes.
3. Flashlight or headlight with spare batteries. I take two headlights since the weight of the 2nd empty headlight is small, and it’s difficult to put new batteries into a headlight in the dark.
4. Sunglasses and a sun hat. These are critical. Without sunglasses your eyes will tire quickly and you may develop a headache. A sun hat is especially important in the southwest or at high elevation.
5. Extra food and water. Two liters are fine for suburban hikes. More difficult hikes require 4 liters. Real strenuous hikes in hot weather may require 7-8 liters. If you’re sure you can find good water during the hike then you can take less, and carry Aqua Mira or a backcountry filter to purify the water you find. If you use a water bladder, place it in a clean garbage bag. That way you won’t lose the water, or soak your clothing if the bladder leaks. My goal is to always come back with an extra liter of water; I consider that my safety buffer. For my extra food, I always take at least 2-3 extra energy bars.
6. Extra clothing. See comment above. I always take more than I think I’ll need.
7. Waterproof matches. These are cheap insurance and light weight. I also carry a small butane lighter wrapped in plastic wrap. The lighter won’t work if it gets damp.
8. Candle or fire starter. I take a small tea candle, a small Esbit fuel tablet, or similar. There are many creative, low-cost alternatives that hikers carry.
9. Pocket knife. I take the smallest Swiss army knife, which has a small knife and scissors.
10. First Aid kit. Take a small commercial kit or assemble your own to save money.
11. Toilet paper in a small heavy duty plastic bag. You never know when nature will call and it’s always a good idea to carry out your used “TP”. Heavy rains will wash away dirt and expose the used TP, which then gets blown around by the wind. I don’t like to hike and see used TP and you won’t either.
12. Sunscreen and lip balm. These are important for hikes in the southwest and high altitude. I have sun sensitive skin so these are especially critical for me, probably more so than for most individuals.
The Options
Some hikers like to take a whistle but I find that the sound doesn’t carry very far, especially in a windy area. Still I take one since they’re light. Better hiking packs have a whistle built into the sternum buckle so the weight penalty is zero.
I sometimes carry an extra trash bag or emergency bivy sack for really long hikes.
This post is based on handouts from the Wilderness Basics Course, plus my first hand experience.
http://www.wildernessbasics.com/files_ehandouts.cfm
After writing this post I also checked wikipedia. Their list and my list are almost identical. My list adds a sun hat to the top 10 list but keeps sunscreen as the 12th essential.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Essentials
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