View Full Version : The *New* 10 essentials
TJ aka Teej
05-01-2005, 17:59
"Don't leave the Trail Head without the Ten Essentials."
Map, Compass, Water and a way to purify it, Extra food, Rain gear/extra clothing, Fire starter and matches, First aid kit, Army Knife/multi purpose tool, flashight with extra batteries/bulbs, sun screen/sun glasses.
Does this old saw still hold true?
What would a 2005 10E look like?
max patch
05-01-2005, 18:10
Depending upon where and when you are hiking, sunglasses and sunscreen are usually not needed.
Contemporary hikers would probably replace those 2 items with a cell phone and some form of music.
SGT Rock
05-01-2005, 18:19
I would say except for the sunscreen and sunglasses this is a good list. Those two items seem sort of odd to me to have on an essentials list. My idea of a general 10 essentials list in no particular order:
1. map
2. compass
3. fire starter
4. light w/batteries and maybe an extra bulb depending on type
5. warm clothing
6. food
7. water and purifier/treatment
8. first aid kit
9. knife
10. shelter
**Note: depending on what solution you use, either your clothing or your shelter should also be or include rain protection**
11. common sense
12. whistle
13. something to remind me of 11.
SGT Rock
05-01-2005, 19:09
After doing a few searches for lost people (with whistles) I found that whistles were fairly useless.
After doing a few searches for lost people (with whistles) I found that whistles were fairly useless.
Hmmm. Always carry one; never needed it. Figured someone could hear me a long ways away if I got in a jam. I'd like to hear more about your experiences.
SGT Rock
05-01-2005, 23:17
When I worked at Ft Knox PLDC, we taught land navigation. Basically orienteering. A soldier was required to find 3 out of 4 points within a 3 hour period. These points were about 600-800 meters apart and the terrain was often across thickly wooded areas with lots of undergrowth and draws up to 300' deep. We often had 100-130 students on a course that was about 3 kilometers by 5 kilometers. Considering most search areas, this is a pretty small and easy to covered area. At the end of three hours the soldier was over time and considered a failure. Usually 80% of soldiers had returned by 1 hour past start time, so after that we would saturate the area looking for lost soldiers that had trouble making it back to the start point. And we issued every soldier whistles so we could find them easier.
What we found that was unless you were right on top of the person with the whistle, the sound didn't travel in wooded and hilly terrain well. Often soldiers that blew them did so for quite a while and eventually got tired of it. As we searched listening for whistles, some far off birds could sound similar enough to whistles to have searchers chasing phantoms. Over the course of multiple classes the whistles would get lost, and given that they never seemed to help, we reduced to just giving whistles to soldiers that were having problems navigating, and eventually quit replacing them and just gave up on whistles.
What we did find out one class was how distinguishable and easy to track metal on metal banging was to find when a lost soldier banged his canteen cup with his flashlight. It was so out of place, loud, and easy to track we found him right away. After that we actually put that technique in the test instructions and used that method on multiple occasions to find lost soldiers. So my advice is if you are lost or hurt and trying to get some help, get your pot out and hit it with a rock, tent peg, tent pole, metal spoon, or whatever else you can find.
fiddlehead
05-02-2005, 00:18
I would say except for the sunscreen and sunglasses this is a good list. Those two items seem sort of odd to me to have on an essentials list. My idea of a general 10 essentials list in no particular order:
1. map
2. compass
3. fire starter
4. light w/batteries and maybe an extra bulb depending on type
5. warm clothing
6. food
7. water and purifier/treatment
8. first aid kit
9. knife
10. shelter
**Note: depending on what solution you use, either your clothing or your
shelter should also be or include rain protection**
Interesting, i was just putting together a list of what AT hikers could do without and find many of them on your essentials list: on the AT, many people could do without: map,compass, fire starter, flashlight (except in the fall or early spring), water purifier, first aid kit (except for perhaps duct tape, knife.
My 10 essentials would be:
1/ sleeping bag
2/ food
3/ raingear
4/ water bottle
5/ warm clothes
6/ spare sox (keep them dry)
7/ cook pot
8/ lighter
9/ pack
10/ tarp
11/ OPEN MIND!
sorry #11 just slipped in there. fh
SGT Rock
05-02-2005, 01:14
I think your 10 essentials list assumes nothing goes wrong, which is totally opposite from the laws of Murphy. The 10 essentials is what you need when nothing goes right and is meant for every hiker, not just a backpacker. I would NEVER recommend someone goes without any of those items even on a day hike. I keep a Mountainsmith fanny pack with all these items in it in case I get a day hike whim. I think your ten essentials misses the point that the original ten essentials was created for. There is a dangerous trend I see these days from hikers to tell other AT hikers that a map and compass isn't needed. As to some of the items on your list, there are those that would say you don't need a pot, and some that would even say with all the shelters on the AT you don't even need the tarp. These are folks that use hope as a strategy, and hope is not a method of planning you can count on.
one item that my hubby always carrys, even in his vehicles, is an
"EMERGENCY BLANKET" so light and so essential in an emergency. He has also used one for a tent foot-print or ground cloth. hikerwife
... What we did find out one class was how distinguishable and easy to track metal on metal banging was to find when a lost soldier banged his canteen cup with his flashlight. It was so out of place, loud, and easy to track we found him right away. After that we actually put that technique in the test instructions and used that method on multiple occasions to find lost soldiers. So my advice is if you are lost or hurt and trying to get some help, get your pot out and hit it with a rock, tent peg, tent pole, metal spoon, or whatever else you can find.
Damn. Now I gotta put a pot on my keychain.
Seriously, that's fascinating. Actually testing something that's always been assumed to be true. Who'd have thunk it?
Rain Man
05-02-2005, 10:00
I think your 10 essentials list assumes nothing goes wrong ...
I agree about these euphemistically-named "essentials" lists. Kinda like "virtual realities"? To my way of thinking, how can any "essential" backpacking list not contain a map?! Or, a knife?! But, to each his own, I suppose.
:dance
Rain:sunMan
.
The notion of the 10 essentials is one that I have always found to be both overkill and short sighted. There is no way that one list of ten trinkets can suffice for all situations, in all climates, at all times of the year, for people of all abilities.
For instance, carrying firestarter and a steel-flint device is pointless if you don't know how to use them. I don't. I sometimes carry a knife to open up cans of ham or bottles of beer. I'm not quite sure what it would do for me if I found myself lost in a rainforest.
Giving people a list of 10 things and saying, "Carry these because they will keep you safe," provides a false hope. Instead, people need to generate ability, apply some intellegence, and hope common sense comes through for them. In some places, at some times, extra warm clothes are necessary. At other times, they are not. Sometimes I bring a compass, other times not. It depends on where and when I am. Instead of a one-size-fits-all list, I instead look at each trip and ask myself,
"What do I need?"
"Is the worst case possible?"
"Am I being stupid?"
I carry the 10 essentials plus a few other things that can come in handy if needed and don't weigh that much to make any major difference in my pack weight. Those are:
1. Petroleum jelly saturated cotton balls, stored in a plastic film vial (tube that your camera film comes in). These come in handy under wet conditions for good fire starter.
2. Small signal mirror or use the one from your compass.
3. Candle
4. Whistle, not all whistles are created equall. Some will not be heard in the woods. Look for the "Storm" brand whistle. Most outfitters carry this one.
5. Two heavy duty freezer bags (one gallon, one quart). Can be used for many things.
Just depends on what you want. I carry a couple of other things but this will cross over to a "survival kit" and that is another topic.
Thanks, Happy Trails,
Chip ;)
SGT Rock
05-02-2005, 11:21
The notion of the 10 essentials is one that I have always found to be both overkill and short sighted. There is no way that one list of ten trinkets can suffice for all situations, in all climates, at all times of the year, for people of all abilities.
Well, it is more like a first aid kit IMO. No way you can always carry a backboard, IVs, J Tubes, SAM splints, etc to meet any contingency in your first aid kit. But with some general basics, training, and the ability to improvise and use common sense that these basics should be able to pull you through most situation with about a 4 ounce kit. The same thing can be said for a 10 essentials pack the size of a small fanny pack or book bag. And a backpacker probably already covers most everything without any extra thought to it.
For instance, carrying firestarter and a steel-flint device is pointless if you don't know how to use them. I don't. I sometimes carry a knife to open up cans of ham or bottles of beer. I'm not quite sure what it would do for me if I found myself lost in a rainforest.
When I read "Fire Starter" I don't think of those magnesium and flint devices which take practice to even use correctly in the first place. I think of waterproof strike anywhere matches or a lighter with some sort of tinder like dryer lint or balls of Vaseline coated cotton balls. I also find so many uses for a knife I always carry one, but that doesn't include opening hams or beer bottles. But if I found myself needing to get into those sorts of things I would probably be OK to begin with.
Giving people a list of 10 things and saying, "Carry these because they will keep you safe," provides a false hope. Instead, people need to generate ability, apply some intellegence, and hope common sense comes through for them. In some places, at some times, extra warm clothes are necessary. At other times, they are not. Sometimes I bring a compass, other times not. It depends on where and when I am. Instead of a one-size-fits-all list, I instead look at each trip and ask myself,
I don't disagree with that, I often say the same thing when people just bring a cell phone for safety. But back to the list, I have found that in most any environment that a long sleeve thermal top and some extra socks is very useful from deserts to mountains to even swamps. I also think even a simple compass is useful since it would prevent you from at least walking in circles even if you didn't have a good azimuth to follow to begin with.
"What do I need?"
"Is the worst case possible?"
"Am I being stupid?"
No argument there.
Little Frog
05-07-2005, 00:54
The notion of the 10 essentials is one that I have always found to be both overkill and short sighted. There is no way that one list of ten trinkets can suffice for all situations, in all climates, at all times of the year, for people of all abilities.
Trinkets? I doubt many hikers would consider potentially life-saving items like matches, or items like rain gear or shelter for protection against hypothermia to be "trinkets".
For instance, carrying firestarter and a steel-flint device is pointless if you don't know how to use them. I don't.
So, since you're too lazy to learn to use them, they are "pointless"?
MedicineMan
05-07-2005, 01:14
something I always carry whether day hiking or on a multi-day trek is several large leaf type garbage bags....even had the oldest daughter make a sleeping bag (well a quilt really) with them.....the new kinds that have the built in 'stretch' are way good. the large plastic garbage bag is like the bandana with too many uses to list, cheap and weigh just right.
another thing on my teness. list is a pair of reading glasses....its the presbyopia thing and if i had to do anything small like repair they would be critical....
the last thing always accounted for is the tube tent or the bivanorak cause you never know
fiddlehead
05-07-2005, 02:01
I think your 10 essentials list assumes nothing goes wrong, which is totally opposite from the laws of Murphy. The 10 essentials is what you need when nothing goes right and is meant for every hiker, not just a backpacker. I would NEVER recommend someone goes without any of those items even on a day hike. I keep a Mountainsmith fanny pack with all these items in it in case I get a day hike whim. I think your ten essentials misses the point that the original ten essentials was created for. There is a dangerous trend I see these days from hikers to tell other AT hikers that a map and compass isn't needed. As to some of the items on your list, there are those that would say you don't need a pot, and some that would even say with all the shelters on the AT you don't even need the tarp. These are folks that use hope as a strategy, and hope is not a method of planning you can count on.
Obviously everyone's list is going to be different. that's why it's My 10 essentials and you have yours. But i still would take a sleeping bag and tent/shelter over a knife or flashlight any night in the woods. I've had some rough nights out there without my pack already. (10,000 in 1 foot of snow on the CDT) I survived because i had a Bic lighter and that was about all. (we were 18 miles from civilization. My essential list may have changed that night but it was the sleeping bag that i missed the most. (tent/shelter would be next but luckily for us, it didn't rain or snow) The cookpot would've given us water rather than eating snow, the tent would've kept the wind off of us, food would've definitely helped us in the morning to do the 18 miles but a water purifier, first aid kit and knife weren't on the list before or after. To each his own. Peace!
SGT Rock
05-07-2005, 09:34
In my "10 essentials pack" there is a stainless steel cup with the emergency food. I have a couple of candy bars, some ramen, and some coffee. I agree about the need for hot food BUT for a general every even 10 essential list from day hikers to backpackers, I can't see how a sleeping bag and cook pot would be something to list. Again, the whole idea for the original 10 essentials was not just for someone backpacking, but also for the day hiker that wants to take a quick jaunt down to Charlie's Bunion and ends up accidentally on the Boulevard Trail after dark, caught in the rain, and feeling the effects of dehydration. A 5 pound 10 essential kit ain't gonna hurt him to carry and it might mean the difference from a multi day search and rescue or just a miserable hike out.
SGT Rock
05-07-2005, 10:43
For the sake of the debate, I'm putting up the 10 essentials packing list I have for my general 10 essentials pack.
This pack generally stays in the car in case I am out on a vacation or a work trip and get the whim to go on a day hike. This way I can plan an all day trip without much thought to anything other than getting a new map for the area and filling up the water bottle. Almost everything in my list came from a single trip to a Wal-Mart and didn't cost that much.
1. Clothing
>2.1oz - 1 pair Thorlo light hiker socks. Something dry and fairly warm for back up.
>7.5oz - 1 long sleeve Dufold Coolmax Zip-T. Something that can protect from bugs, sun, and can even add to a layering system.
>5.3oz - 1 pair of nylon running pants. Again, something that can protect from bugs, sun, and add to a layering system.
TOTAL: 14.9oz
2. Rain Gear and Shelter
>14.0oz - Extra large vinyl poncho. This can serve as both a shelter and as rain cover when you have to move around.
>2.8oz - Emergency space blanket. This can be used with some forest duft to make an improvised sleeping bag.
TOTAL: 16.8oz
3. Extra Food
>8.0oz - Ramen, 2 snickers, and some coffee singles. The coffee singles assume you have something to heat water in.
>5.1oz - Stainless steel cup with foil lid. Serves as both a cup and a small cook-pot. This is totally optional.
>0.5oz - Ion stand with aluminum windscreen. Lets you heat water in the cup. Also totally optional.
>2.0oz - Four 14 gram hexamine tablets. Good for boiling about 8 cups of water total. Also totally optional.
>0.4oz - Plastic spoon. Something to eat hot food with, also totally optional.
TOTAL: 16.0oz / 8.0 if you don't carry the extra 8 ounces of optional stove stuff.
4. Water
>1.7oz - Gatorade 1 liter bottle. I like the wider open mouth.
>1.0oz - Iodine tablets. Easy to use, small, light, cheap.
>34.8oz - 1 liter of water.
TOTAL: 37.5oz
5. First Aid/repair Kit
>3.3oz - contains 2 small needles, 2 safety pins, floss, 6 Alive, 2 Immodium, 1 tube Neosporin, 1 tube Super Glue, 1 AAA Lithium battery, 3 bandages, 3 gauze pads, 1 roll surgical tape, 1 small ace bandage, and some duct tape. All stored in a zip lock bag.
TOTAL: 3.3 ounces
6. Fire Starter
>0.6oz - Scripto lighter. I use a flint type because even if it runs out of fuel, you can use the flint if you know what you are doing.
>0.60z - Vaseline/cotton ball fire starters. I have 5 cotton balls swabbed in Vaseline carried inside a small zip lock. One can normally start a fire quickly, but it has taken up to three to get a fire going in the rain.
TOTAL: 1.2oz
7. Light
>1.2oz - Single AAA LED Flashlight.
TOTAL: 1.2oz
8. Map
>2.8oz - maps vary, but this is the average weight for most backpacking maps I have checked.
TOTAL: 2.8oz
9. Compass
>1.1oz - Small compass. Especially good if you actually learn how to use one, but even if you don't you can take general azimuth headings and also keep yourself from walking in circles.
TOTAL: 1.1oz
10. Knife
>1.7oz - Leatherman Micra. There are other small knives out there that are even lighter. I just like the Micra and have been using one for years.
TOTAL: 1.7oz
Miscellaneous things not in the 10 essentials that I carry extra:
>2.3oz - Trash compactor bag. This sturdy bag can have a lot of uses.
>1.5oz - 2 each 2 gallon Zip lock bags. Again, a million uses.
>3.0oz - 50' of parachute cord. Another thing with a million uses.
TOTAL: 6.8oz.
All this goes in a Mountainsmith lumbar pack I got on clearance that weighs about 14 ounces. It still has room for a camera and some other goodies.
So total dry weight of the 10 essentials is: 44.7 ounces or 2 pounds 12.7 ounces. Add to that my optional equipment and you get 3 pounds 11.5 ounces. Put all that stuff into a bag and add food and water and it equals up to a pack that just weighs 7.25 pounds. If you wanted to spend some hard cash you could probably drop the dry weight by half.
With this you will also need to dress for the season. If it is cold, wear a jacket, hat, and maybe some gloves. If it is hot and sunny, then a wide hat, sunglasses, and some loose fitting clothing that will protect from the sun.
When I backpack, these sorts of things are already in my pack and I don't have to cross level or worry about them other than doing a standard PCI on my pack.
Knives tend to be on the heavy side. For years now, I have replaced my old swiss army knife (heavy) with a single edge razor blade (very light). I've never missed the knife, nor the extra weight.
Dances with Mice
05-07-2005, 11:48
OK, kinda long story: Once upon a time when my son first started Boy Scouts and I was the Troop's Ass't SM I took son & youngest daughter (14 & 10 yo, resp) to pre-hike a forest trail where I was considering taking the Troop. A scouting trip for Scouts, you could say. This was in the fall.
OK, so I have a map, compass, and trail description. A light jacket each. Matches, toilet paper, water, that was about it. The trail was easy to follow from the description, I wasn't looking at the map. The sun started to get lower as we got to a road just like the trail description said, more than halfway through. I'd turn right onto the road (heading east), follow it a quarter mile or so, then it would head back south to the parking lot. No problem. Only as I turned right, the setting sun was right in front of us. Huh? That's not east!
Now I became real interested in the map! All looked good, I saw some terrain features we'd passed. Then there's the road, had to be the one we were on. Turn right (east). The compass showed that right was west. But there was no way I could have been travelling south when we hit the road! I was so turned around. The kids were getting tired.
Just then 2 other young couples (in their mid-20's) came walking down the road. "We're SO GLAD to see you! Do you know how to get back to the parking lot?"
I was afraid I had some bad news for them. They had the same trail description I had but no map.
So we all studied the map. Looked over at the sun. Checked the compass. Back to the map. Yep, we all agreed, something was screwey.
So we went the way the map showed, turning right. Which was west, and we should have been heading east, but no matter. Now I've got youngest daughter on my shoulders. The road dead-ended at an intersection (no such thing shown on map) so we turned left on the new road for no good reason, except the road had to go somewhere and we needed to go south. After a couple of miles the sun was really getting low, it was getting chilly, and we still didn't know where we were. I was thinking about alternative plans.
I started looking for a bivouc site. My plan, which I didn't share yet, was to ask the couples to keep looking for the parking lot and when they found it to go to a store and call my wife and tell them we were safe but would be home tomorrow. Meanwhile I'd find a roadside campsite, get a fire going, make a big pile of leaves for the kids to sleep in to stay warm, and I'd stay up and tend the fire all night. The next morning we'd try to make our way out. I had a few candy bars, I had water containers and could get more water, but it would have been nice to have something to heat the water in for at least a hot drink of water. I didn't have an emergency blanket, but one or two would have been perfect. Damn!
I was just about to pull over to the side of the road and make this happen when one of the other hikers said "Look! It's the underwear road!" Great. Now I'm out here with crazy people. One of them ran down and used a stick to fling a pair of underwear up in the air. They all cheered.
They'd found this road earlier in the day, now they knew were they were. We went around a corner and there was the parking lot! About 200 yards from where I was about to give up and go to ground for the night. 20 minutes later we were all eating hot sandwiches at a Hardee's.
So now when I go for a day hike I always remember that other hike and take what I wished I had then. Something to cook in, doesn't have to be big. Something to make a fire with, doesn't have to be much. A bit of shelter, an e-blanket or two's fine. A bit of extra food, an extra Ramen can go a long, long ways. Map and compass, a little first aid kit, something to hold water in, a warm hat or jacket with a hood, and appropriate clothing and raingear. Just enough so that, if I had to, I could spend the night.
I think Chris has a valid point.
For example, I'd rather have a medical doctor for a hiking partner than a graduate of a single first aid course with a huge first aid kit.
For most of my outdoor activities, I believe a full sized heavy-duty space blanket is an essential item. I have used it at least one true survival situation. I didn't even carry one on the AT because I was carrying a shelter with me at all times.
Sunglasses are critical to prevent snow blindness in March in Alaska, and completely unnecessary in rain forests.
Another subjective essential is a bee sting kit or prescription medicine.
Many items on our "essentials" list didn't even exist 100 years ago, so how essential are they? A naked pygmy in his home turf is safer than I would be in the same place with every "essential" I could carry.
More than anything, it is essential to have sufficient experience and good judgment. That's the best way to help avoid Murphy's Law.
For all practical purposes, it DOES make sense to carry certain items on certain outings for certain people. Among my most commonly carried essentials are a compass, knife, space blanket, lighter, maps and rain gear. Two of those items I didn't carry on my thru-hike. I think most of the items folks have listed are reasonable essentials for many trips. One of the best suggestions I saw is to carry a couple of of the large, leaf type garbage bags. Very light, very many uses.
My essentials are enough Scotch to get me through thick and thin, the rest is gravy. :D
littlelaurel59
05-07-2005, 23:49
"For example, I'd rather have a medical doctor for a hiking partner than a graduate of a single first aid course with a huge first aid kit."
As a medical doctor I appreciate your confidence; however, things in the wilderness are VERY different than they are in an office or ER. Prior to becoming an Asst. scoutmaster in my son's troop, I took an intensive course in wilderness first aid (I assumed I would be asked to take of any significant injuries). Best thing I ever did!!! I HIGHLY recommend such a course (NOT the simple regular 1st aid course), especially for people who might be leading younger or less experienced hikers. I am MUCH better prepared to handle a true emergency.
The "essentials" are those things that are intended to save someone's life in the event things go horribly wrong. First and foremost- good trip preparation (letting folks know where you are going, intended route & schedule, etc). Doesn't weigh a thing. Secondly, the ability to stay reasonably warm and dry (rain gear, proper clothing). Thirdly, the ability to manage injuries (first aid kit and the ability to improvise). Finally, common sense and good judgement. The middle-of-nowhere is not the place to take undue risks.
OK, kinda long story:
Great Story..thanks for sharing.
"As a medical doctor I appreciate your confidence; however, things in the wilderness are VERY different than they are in an office or ER."
I'm sure that's true. The more you know the safer you are. My main point being that what's between your ears is often more important than the specifics in your pack.
Sufficient Knowledge
Good Judgment
Proper Experience
Good Planning
Those would be four of my essentials. :)
MedicineMan
05-08-2005, 02:48
i put 1/2 skin-so-soft and 1/2 DEET in a nitroglycerin bottle (its 1/16oz)...so if you're lost you dont have to be miserable with bites
SGT Rock
05-08-2005, 08:20
I'm sure that's true. The more you know the safer you are. My main point being that what's between your ears is often more important than the specifics in your pack.
Sufficient Knowledge
Good Judgment
Proper Experience
Good Planning
Those would be four of my essentials. :)I don't disagree. I might even add a card telling you what to do if you get lost to the kit. I once had a soldier that was lost for over 24 hours when I was the PLDC First Sergeant at Ft. Knox. We were actively looking for her for the entire time with over 100 searchers on foot, 5 guys on 4 wheelers checking the back-country trails, 2 helicopters, and about 2 MPs with bullhorns calling her name. Now she had a map and a compass, had been briefed on a panic azimuth, had an MRE, 2 canteens, a whistle, and probably some other stuff too that I can't remember (this was 1998), but she was also someone that had lived in urban areas and worked in an office and the only time she had ever stayed over night in the woods was about 4 years prior in basic training on bivouac and then it was very regimented and was a huge group.
When we finally found her, turns out she had crossed 2 roads on her map, saw the helicopters, and even heard the searchers. But she was so discombobulated by being lost she hid from them. She drank all the water in her canteens but she walked down a creek to a river yet never used any of the water from either the creek or the river because she was scared of it; instead, she found a soda bottle on the side of the road and was drinking from it because she reasoned that if it came from a bottle it must be safe - even though it tasted terrible to her. In fact, it tasted so bad that she couldn't drink it all, but held on to the bottle so she still had a partially full bottle when we found her. When we opened the bottle it turned out it had been an empty soda bottle a hunter had taken up in a deer stand to urinate into and had discarded at the road without emptying it.
When we finally found here, it was about 24 hours after she had last been with the class and she walked up to a range control truck on the road near the Salt River. When she was found, she was quiet at first, but once she started talking she was incoherent and babbling for about 20 minutes. When she did start to calm down, all she would say was how she thought she was going to die and was just glad to be alive.
Now remember that this was just 24 hours alone in the woods. To most of us that would be a vacation.
There is a saying: "Lost is a state of mind". I totally believe it. Someone that is completely prepared can still be totally lost in their mind. While on the other hand I have been on patrols where we didn't know exactly where we were, but we knew if we just went this way or that way long enough we would be fine - so no reason to panic.
Maybe there should be a big label on the outside of the guidebook with the words: DON'T PANIC!
littlelaurel59
05-08-2005, 11:06
Maybe there should be a big label on the outside of the guidebook with the words: DON'T PANIC![/QUOTE]
Hmmm. Seems like I remember a guidebook like that in the past. Maybe it will make a comeback!?;)
Maybe there should be a big label on the outside of the guidebook with the words: DON'T PANIC!Hmmm. Seems like I remember a guidebook like that in the past. Maybe it will make a comeback!?;)[/QUOTE]
Good point!! If one panics and you lose your train of thought, there is no 10
essentials that are going to help at that time. You gotta remain calm.
Panic, fear and hypothermia will kill you.