Pack List Basics Part 1: The 10 Essentials

PACKING LIST BASICS
By Taz1
Last Edited 23 Nov 2005

What to bring? What not to bring? Some things are essential. Some things are not. Some packs are light. Some are heavy. Sometimes you bring something you wish you didn’t, sometimes you don’t bring something you wish did. What you do eventually bring is a personal choice but there is nothing like good planning and good choices to make sure your hike is enjoyable. Remember this: A failure to plan is a plan to fail.

Generally, there are 10 things you never leave home without. Most hikers have their own opinion on what is essential or not. Lightweight hiker afficiondos might cut the essentials list in half, or less! What you leave out (or add) depends on your passion for lightweight hiking or your ability to carry heavier loads. The 10 essentials are:

1. map
2. compass
3. extra clothing
4. fire starter
5. matches
6. sunglasses and sunscreen
7. extra food, including water and a way to purify it
8. pocket knife
9. first aid kit
10. flashlight

A LOOK AT THE TOP 10 ESSENTIALS

What you pack depends on your planning, your experience and simply how much you can or are willing to carry. For example, I rarely bushwhack so I almost never carry a compass. If needed, I can usually get my bearings by the sun or using a map and terrain associating. Therefore I almost always have a map and/or photocopies of a trail guide. (I used to carry a GPS, but it seems that more often than not I have had trouble getting a signal, so now it stays at home. But I love my therm-a-rest chair!)

Extra clothing will be dependant on the weather and your environment. Since much of the AT traverses through mountains and mountain weather can change suddenly, an extra set of dry clothes or wet weather gear goes with me. I will take up to 3 pairs of sox (and liners) depending on how many days I am out. Happy feet means happy trails; you have to take care of your feet. Remember that planning, experience and knowledge are your friends. Know your environment and if possible, expected weather forecasts.

A small Bic lighter may be better to ignite your fire starter than damp matches. I’ve used windproof matches that burn like a 4^th of July sparkler! Fire starter is easily obtained commercially and naturally. If gathering fire starter from the woods, remember Leave No Trace (LNT) ethics.

Even Bic lighters are susceptible to dampness and will not light. One hiker reports that he carries a little bottle of alcohol, an altoids tin candle, and 1/3rd of a magnesium fire starter. The alcohol is used to start the candle from a spark, and then the candle is used to start a stove or a twig fire. The candle can be used as a light, eliminating the need for a flashlight.

I have never used sunglasses and sunscreen in the woods. I get all the shade I need from trees. Again, if you are planning above tree line hiking, these might be good to bring along. I leave these at home.

I generally don’t bring “extra” food but always seem to have some in my pack when I get off the trail anyway. If I were thru hiking or doing 15 to 20 miles a day I would probably gobble up what I have. Water is another matter. I tend to be paranoid about running out of water. For extended trips I usually start with a 5-liter dromedary that is full. That’s about 10 pounds of weight but I constantly sip the drinking tube while moving. Also, your body can’t last as long without water as it can without food. The dromedary is also useful in camp. I usually fill it up when I get to a shelter or campsite and there is plenty to drink and cook with until morning.

The lightest way to purify water is to not purify it at all, but that isn’t recommended, especially when water sources are of a poor quality. Who’s to say the quality is good or not? Another option is using chemicals, like iodine tablets. Fortunately for me, the iodine taste does not make me gag. For extra weight and a lot more cost, there are a variety of water pump/purifiers. The safest way to purify, but also burn fuel, is to boil the water. Different sources claim different lengths of time to “boil” the water. According to The Complete Walker IV by Colin Fletcher and Chip Rawlins, a 2-minute boil should kill anything. (This 800 plus page book contains so much information it hurts to read! Be warned that it is not the best source of information for lightweight hiking. Equipment technology progresses so rapidly that more up to date info can be found searching the internet).

My pocketknife of choice is a swiss army knife (the fieldmaster model, I think). It has all the gadgets I need. I’ve even used the saw to cut firewood! Next to water, I value my pocket knife the most.

It is hard to say which of the essential items is the most essential, but the top of the list includes a first aid kit. It should contain gauze pads and a gauze roll, band aids, alcohol swabs, butterfly closures, a triangular bandage, pain killers (ibuprofen works great for me!), adhesive tape, ace bandage, moleskin, tweezers, small scissors, safety pins and personal medications if needed. (My swiss army knife has scissors and tweezers on it). A small first aid manual wouldn’t hurt either if you don’t actually have the knowledge to use the kit. Wilderness and Travel Medicine by Eric Weiss is pocket sized and cost about $7. It can be found at www.campmor.com

The last essential is a flashlight. I normally use a mini-mag lite for reading after dark, but this is a heavy choice. I’ve only stealth hiked one time and the mini-mag was enough to light the trail and see blazes. I got to a shelter just as it started to rain. I also have a tiny Black Diamond headlamp, which weighs much less. Small LED lights work too. On shorter trips, I may pack along a Coleman Excursion lantern.

There are a number of different pieces of equipment that are available for the 10 essentials. What you get, that is how much you want to carry, is up to you. A good choice for a piece of equipment is one that has multiple uses, such as the trusty swiss army knife. It cuts moleskin, removes ticks, produces fire starter, slices pepperoni, cuts tie down and many other things. I am not a lightweight fanatic so I could probably trim a few pounds here and there. I’m usually at about 35 pounds before food and water is added.