Poll: Which Of The 10 Essentials Do You Carry?

[TJsName]

I guess having one more essential is fine. The list of 10 is really 13 anyway. The 11 essentials takes advantage of alliteration, which kids love. Perhaps we could come up with an acrosstic to help people remember?

 

[JustJoe]

I carry all 10 on 90% of all my hikes, solo or other wise. There's also a secondary list from HikeSafe of which I carry must of as well.

Sturdy Footwear and Extra Socks
Watch
Trash Bag (for trash or rain protection)
Light Plastic Tarp or “Space” Blanket
Guidebook
Insect Repellent
Sunglasses
Sunscreen
Gloves or Mittens
Personal Medications
Cord/Rope
Gaiters
Extra Batteries

 

[Tuck]

I don't bring rain pants and have Gerber River Runner knife instead of a pocket knife. I usually bring my water filtration system so don't usually concern myself with extra water. I seem to always have left over water from what I started with at the end of my hikes. Seriously thinking about adding a GPS to my pack.

Tuck

 

[TJsName]

Yeah, extra batteries are key. Apparently my headlamp got turned on in my pack and was dead when I pulled it out Sunday evening (and I had just changed the batteries on my last trip). The light tarp/space blanket is kind of what I was getting at with the bivy. The full list might really be closer to 20 essentials (and the knowledge of how to use them properly).

I carry all 10 on 90% of all my hikes, solo or other wise. There's also a secondary list from HikeSafe of which I carry must of as well.

Sturdy Footwear and Extra Socks
Watch
Trash Bag (for trash or rain protection)
Light Plastic Tarp or “Space” Blanket
Guidebook
Insect Repellent
Sunglasses
Sunscreen
Gloves or Mittens
Personal Medications
Cord/Rope
Gaiters
Extra Batteries

 

[erugs]

I carry all of those and more, depending on the day-hiking situation. I carry spare batteries, for example. And a headlamp plus a hand light. I have never used my compass. From what I see for pack sizes, I'd offer that many we see do not have what they would need.

 

[Jazzbo]

Watch should be on the list. Perhaps it is not on list because writers think everybody carries a watch right? Not so - I remember being in remote peak 12 miles in winter late in the day asking my associate whether we ought go for one more peak or turn around. He asks me what time is it? You don't have a watch? Turns out he never carries a watch hiking.

 

[Raymond]

If memory serves, the sun moves one diameter every 15 minutes, so you could estimate time til sundown.

 

[1SlowHiker]

I clicked on all, but I dont generally carry rain pants in the summer but wear what could be considered rain pants in the winter so i guess i'm at 9.5. I think I still have a pocket knife in my bugout bag but I carry a larger folding knife attached to my back-pack straps and on overnights bring my K-bar. Other things I always carry in my bug-out bag are; heavy needle and thread, scissors, knee brace, extra batteries for headlamp, gps, flashlight, water purification tablets, an extra map in case I lose the one in my pocket, reflective mirror, duct tape (actually gorilla tape on my hiking pole handles).

 

[1SlowHiker]

Yeah, extra batteries are key. Apparently my headlamp got turned on in my pack and was dead when I pulled it out Sunday evening (and I had just changed the batteries on my last trip).

I put a small piece of plastic between one battery and the contacts in my spare headlamp so that won't happen. I also reverse one of the batteries in my flashlight (guess i could do that to the headlamp also). If my spare batteries are loose i put a small piece of elect tape on the pos end so they cant accidentley make a circuit. Had some replaced batteriers in my pocket once with loose change and they shorted out and gave me a hot seat.

 

[Tim Seaver]

More than one headlight (recently inspected and with fresh batteries), a few snacks, and a upper body shell of some sort are usually my bare minimum to carry in summer, but it really depends on where I am, what I am doing, and the weather. I'll generally have all that on longer hikes. No Bowie knife, though.

Slightly off the topic - It would be interesting to do a study on past rescues to look at the number of incidents directly related to the lack of physical items (like the huge numbers of SAR calls for idiots that go hiking with no lights and get stuck on a mountain) compared to incidents brought about by bad decisions, lack of knowledge, poor fitness, etc. - things you can't carry, but that can be of far greater significance when things go awry.

 

[Tim Horn]

A suitable list for a summer hike but most of the year I think you better be ready to spend the night. A bivy and bag in the pack lets me hike with confidence in all temps and weather.

 

[DougPaul]

If memory serves, the sun moves one diameter every 15 minutes, so you could estimate time til sundown.

The sun moves (approximately) 360deg/24hrs =15deg/hr = .25deg/min.
The sun has an angular diameter of .53 deg.
Thus the sun moves ~1diameter/2min.

Perhaps more useful is your fist at arm's length is ~10deg across. Thus the sun moves a fist width in ~40min.

Doug

 

[peakbagger]

I did 8 out of ten. I do not typically carry rain pants but make sure I have something to cover my legs. in the summer if I am wearing shorts, I usually have a pair of polypro long johns. I don't know how much is enough extra food so I am not sure if I carry enough.

 

[sierra]

I did 8 out of ten. I do not typically carry rain pants but make sure I have something to cover my legs. in the summer if I am wearing shorts, I usually have a pair of polypro long johns. I don't know how much is enough extra food so I am not sure if I carry enough.

On day hikes, I carry enough food for two days in case of injury and I cant get out in one day. After day two, I'm either make it out or most likely don't need food anymore.

 

[John H Swanson]

In summer, I gave up carrying warm clothes except in the northern mountains. I usually hike in shorts in summer. Trying to stay warm with bare legs is difficult. So I carry rainpants to ensure I have full clothing coverage in case of emergency. With my rain jacket, I'm sure I have about 0.9 to 1.0 clo. I also carry a large trash bag as an emergency bivy. It is so light and compact and usefull. Plus it has a low purchase price so there is no issue giving it away if needed.

I made a serious lightweighting effort and reduced my non-winter pack contents and weight to these items:
wt in g

PACK-Deuter Speed Lite 20 500
Precip Jacket 328
Precip Pants 208
Water Bottle insulator 200
20oz PET with Water 622
20oz PET with Water 622
20oz PET with Water 622
20oz PET with Water 622
DITTY BAG 40
PENCIL 4
Rope - 15ft x 4mm x 2 56
Iodine 24
WHISTLE 8
IBUPROFEN 10
Dental Floss w needles 12
Lip Balm 8
LIGHTER 18
COMPASS 25
Shoelace and Small Rope Pieces 18
SWISS ARMY KNIFE 84
LED Pinch Light 12
Stub Candle and Fire Starter 26
MAP 50
Headlamp 94
SUNSCREEN 50
Insect Repellent 50
TP w/lighter 68
PLASTIC BAG Contractors grade 33 gal 188
First Aid Kit 120
SUNGLASSES / Saftey glasses 68
Wallet and keys 100
Marmot Wind Shirt 200
Food 500

Total Weight in kg 5.56
Total Weight in lbs 12.26

I have a few seasonal variations:

In summer:
remove - Marmot windshirt and headlamp.
add - lightweight shirt and nano LED light with 2 sets of batteries. enough for 8-10hrs light.

In fall:
remove - insect repellent and 1 water bottle
add - thin pair of gloves and hat.

I also bring my phone not shown on the list.