Inputs needed (Top 5 Safety Items)

[glessed]

I always forget to ask some of the most important questions. Probably because I didn't know what to ask. So, I am looking for a brief list
(5 items) that you have experienced (related to Safety) that I may have forgotten to ask. AND What do you recommend for each. I don't want to learn these things the hard way. The other experiences (not related to Safety) are better left to the my new experience.

What are your inputs?

Thank you in advance.

[JustaTouron]

** always carry a whistle on you

** when you leave the tent at night for a pee run, leave a light on at the tent and don't leave sight of the tent.

Most people who get lost or separated from a group do so when heading off to go to the bathroom and are unable to find their way back. Keep in mind you also don't have your gear at this point and are likely underdressed so it is more dangerous than getting lost with your pack on your back.

[Pacific Tortuga]

whistle
mirror
compass & maps other than the AT, for the most part
duct tape
fire starter
neosporine
shelter
make sure someone knows your path and return date
First Aid - info card, blood type, allergies, meds taking & one to notice of injury's/insurance card

i can't count

[Roland]

Number 1 item: Common Sense

[glessed]

Great answer. Thank you. You're right. I would never have asked about this one.

[Mountain Wildman]

A good knife.
Headlamp or Flashlight, I carry both.

[BrianLe]

I think that top "safety items" depends to some degree on level of experience and knowledge of the person carrying them, as well as on trip-specific factors: anticipated (and most extreme possible) temperature ranges, how easy or hard it is to limp out to a trailhead, season of the year, etc etc.

For example, if I'm hiking during hunting season, then some sort of bright orange clothing is a great safety item that doesn't apply at other times. If I'm hiking in dry areas, then extra water is a great safety item. If hiking where there's a lot of poison oak (ivy out east ...), then some Tecnu might be a good "safety" item to carry.

Some might argue that keeping your pack load somewhat light is a safety item: reduces the chances of falling, and reduces overall damage to muscles, joints, ligaments. In that context, "a good knife" to me is a pretty lightweight knife, and I wouldn't carry both headlamp and flashlight --- my backup light is a very lightweight LED.

There are so many ways to approach this question. One way would be to look at the ~safety items that a person has ever actually used --- but that doesn't mean that basic first aid stuff should be left home if it's not been needed so far (!).

[Dogwood]

Top 5 safety items...

That thing between your ears
That thing between your ears
That thing between your ears
That thing between your ears
That thing between your ears

[garlic08]

The top three priorities in a survival situation are shelter, water, and signalling. The order will vary depending on where you are. Carry what you might need to accomplish those objectives, tailored to your area and season. A cool head is the most important tool. You don't need much more than that.

In winter, extra insulation is always in my pack, along with appropriate tools to build a shelter and fire. In desert, I carry stuff to make a rudimentary solar still and shade.

[fiddlehead]

Wow, i rarely carry many of the items mentioned above.
My initial thought when seeing the thread was: raingear, shelter, water bottle, duct tape warm clothes (kept dry in the pack) and of course no. 1: sleeping bag.

I've never used a whistle, mirror or any of these:
" make sure someone knows your path and return date
First Aid - info card, blood type, allergies, meds taking & one to notice of injury's/insurance card"

[Egads]

Garlic & Fiddlehead are spot on

"Safety Items" has a different meaning to the person with the self reliant mindset than it does to the average product of our modern society who feels the need to impose on others for help with a Spot or PLB.

A Safety Items list should change for hikes in different locations and seasons as the risks change. i.e. Hypothermia is the greatest risk for winter hikes in the SE USA, so rain gear, shelter, insulation, and fire tools are important. High Visibility vests & hats are crucial for safety during hunting season. I am allergic to bee stings, so benedryl is in my first aid kit during summer & fall hikes.

As others have said, Grey matter is the essential safety item.

[Doooglas]

Map and compass
Fire and / or water purification
Knife.not a boy scout or swiss army toy, but a decent, small to medium fixed blade.
Rain protection.....another reason why ponchos RULE. If you are hurt and can't build a debris shelter the poncho and a fire will let you bivvy.
Water container..........a medium Maxpedition roly poly comes to mind here.

If I can be dry, build a fire and a shelter and have safe water to drink it's all good.
With a map and compass..AND THE KNOWLEDGE TO USE IT lost won't be the reason for "survival' anyways.
Weather or injury will.

[Blue Jay]

Every single thing you carry is a safety item, if you did not NEED something there is no reason to carry it. If you carry every single thing people say you need, your pack will weigh 100s of pounds. For example, after literally cumulative years of LD hiking, I've never seen the need for a knife other than to cut garlic. Needing it to limit your fear IS useful, but getting rid of the fear is much lighter. One thing that almost no one carries is something to stop heavy bleeding. Twice I've come upon the need for this item and no one other than myself had something. Almost everything in first aid kits are not needed due to the fact that almost all other important problems require getting to a road and getting to help. In almost all cases whats in your pack will be hidden in the wood so you can move fast and thus be completely useless.

[sbhikes]

Blue Jay is absolutely right. If you don't need it, there's no reason to carry it. The safest thing is a light pack that keeps you nimble on your feet. You should have what you need to stay warm, safe and dry, but not much more than this.

Always be thinking of back-up plans. If I lost my jacket what would I do? I'd wear my sleeping bag. If I lost my gloves? I'd wear a spare pair of socks on my hands. If my sleeping bag got wet? Prevention is best, but if it was wet, I could build a fire and try to dry it out, or dry it in the sun. If my shoes came apart? Duct tape or dental floss and a sewing needle. No sunglasses in the snow? I could make pinhole glasses from paper or carry a spare pair of roll-up glasses. Tent broke? I could use my poncho.

I choose not to carry a big knife. I don't want to cut myself. I don't see a need for a whistle unless it's the kind I can play Irish tunes with. I signal mirror? Not unless it serves as a mirror to look at myself, too. Bleeding? I have a bandana. I could wrap up all kinds of wounds with that.

Tweezers are an important overlooked item.

[Bronk]

When I'm hiking I have a nylon wallet/changepurse on a nylon cord that hangs around my neck...in that I keep my zipka headlamp, a Bic Lighter and my money/debit card.

I'd emphasize a Bic brand lighter. Cheap ones burn a lot of fluid and don't last as long, and they aren't as reliable...they tend to break. I've never had a Bic lighter break or run out of juice...I always lose them first...I usually carry 3 of them when I hike...one in my wallet/changepurse, one in my pocket and one in my pack. That's one thing you don't ever want to be without. The same Bic lighter was in my pack for over 5 years and it still worked before I misplaced it.

[Trisha]

Ten Essentials - your mileage may vary - take the smallest item that does the job right every time you use it - use it before you actually need it, or leave it at home.
Keychain - spiral keychain from Wal-Mart, Swiss army knife, tiny LED light, whistle, key chain watch, clippers, ball compass (replace when water evaporates), pepper spray.
Water bottle and method of purification
Rain jacket with hood, billed hat, sunglasses
Hiking boots or trail runners, non-cotton socks
Fire starter and lighter / matches
Tiny first aid kit to clean, disinfect and cover wounds, sunscreen and lip balm, bug spray
Cell phone and charger appropriate for local service
For overnight, extra food and shelter, warmth layers as needed

[SGT Rock]

Cell phone a ten essential? When did that happen. I'm afraid that is a BAD idea. Lots of stories about what goes wrong when a cell phone is an emergency item.

1. first aid
2. water
3. knife
4. light
5. food
6. navigation (map and compass, but some GPSs do it these days)
7. signal (MAYBE a cell phone, but don't count on it to always work)
8. shelter
9. fire
10. clothing

Lots of ways to say how to make that happen on that list. But most of all, as has been said - use your common sense.

And for what it is worth, as a person that has done rescues, I found the whistle to be worthless. Best signal I ever got from a lost person was banging on a canteen cup. A hiker could use a pot for the same effect unless they are using a Heinikan can.

[Tipi Walter]

I know when I head out the door and get dropped off for a trip that I better have these important items:
Bic lighter(s)
Working stove and MSR fuel pump
A working Thermarest.

And so, I have a couple 'emergency caches' placed in the 100,000 or so acres I backpack: One cache consists of a new Thermarest and 20 or so miles away I have another waterproof cache consisting of another new Thermarest, a brand new MSR stove pump and old Whisperlite stove. The malfunction of one of these items could pretty much ruin a long trip.

Blue Jay: "Every single thing you carry is a safety item, if you did not NEED something there is no reason to carry it."

This is pretty much how I feel, except of course I carry a lot of comfort items not needed: candles to thaw out fingers in the winter, several good books, excess white gas for winter tea and boiling/melting snow, and more food than I really need.

In the old days I used to think that the single most important piece of gear for living outside in the NC mountains was a high dollar goose down sleeping bag as it almost alone would give you the freedom you would need to sleep out every night thru the winter. Great mountaineer Fritz Wiessner says it best: "Moreover, the sleeping bags were the most valuable gear on the expedition."

And then, of course, some kind of shelter.

[Jim Adams]

Number 1 item: Common Sense

The only answer that matters!

geek

[Jim Adams]

1. knowledge from a first aid course.
2. knowledge about map reading and if you carry one, knowledge about compass skills.

These two items alone weight nothing and will eliminate about 90% of what others are suggesting to carry.

geek