View Full Version : What non-essential item do you continue to carry ?
johnnybgood
01-01-2017, 21:17
No matter what the rational is for leaving it at home you keep packing it. A book , playing cards , gear that seems necessary.
For me, I always strap to my backpack a 3/4 ThermaRest that sometimes is used to sit on after it rains, maybe relax on at an overlook, etc.
Although it finds a way to being useful on occasion, most times it never leaves my backpack.
The Cleaner
01-01-2017, 21:31
I always pack my Fiskars 13" resin handle ax and several nails.I can put up nails in shelters for folks to hang stuff on.I use it to flatten left behind tin cans for packing out.It helps me split wood for a campfire to warm hikers.I can chop through blow downs enough till trail crews do a better clean up.Can be used for self defense.Also can be used to erase graffiti.Many uses.
MuddyWaters
01-01-2017, 21:40
Whats the definition of non-essential?
Most things are somewhat non-essential for most as there are usually simpler lighter alternatives that may be just less comfortable. I.e. a tarp vs a tent, or only needed in rarest circumstances , ie large knife or rope, extra clothes.
Restricting it to items whose function is not and would never be useful for hiking, camping, or survival is more defining.
I have brought a stuffed animal, comb, camera and spare batt, coffee, pen and paper.
Traffic Jam
01-01-2017, 22:19
A knitting project or drop spindle and hank of wool. If it's not too rocky or steep, I sometimes knit while I hike.
MtDoraDave
01-01-2017, 22:30
Book, pen & paper, 5x7 tarp, backup (spare) headlight... and I, too, bring a piece of ccf to sit/ kneel on.
Ever thing I carry can be non essential.
AfterParty
01-01-2017, 22:37
Tenkara fly rod I will enjoy fishing at times.
One Half
01-01-2017, 23:20
I guess it depends on how you define non-essential. I don't NEED to journal but I do and I (get this!) carry a notebook and pen for this purpose. Most of my first aid kit is non essential. Until I need it. I don't need the ccf pad I carry but it sure makes sitting on cold, hard objects more enjoyable. Is your phone "essential?" I hiked well before cell phones even existed so I would say they are NOT essential but I bet 99% of the people here carry one when hiking and consider it essential. Whereas I still carry a paper map though most would consider that useless. However, I once needed one to locate water off trail on a 95 degree day. I still consider a map essential (and a compass). Not sure if any trail app would help me locate water off trail. Sometimes I carry a book to read too! OMGosh! Certainly that's non-essential! I don't know. I like being able to identify specific flowers or mushrooms or even birds or possibly read just for enjoyment. After all, I hike to enjoy myself and I enjoy reading as well.
johnnybgood
01-01-2017, 23:32
Whats the definition of non-essential?
Most things are somewhat non-essential for most as there are usually simpler lighter alternatives that may be just less comfortable. I.e. a tarp vs a tent, or only needed in rarest circumstances , ie large knife or rope, extra clothes.
Restricting it to items whose function is not and would never be useful for hiking, camping, or survival is more defining.
I have brought a stuffed animal, comb, camera and spare batt, coffee, pen and paper.
Non essential is open to definition and I get that but you get what I mean. I also have carried hand snips when hiking during summer months, not essential but sometimes handy.
pilgrimskywheel
01-01-2017, 23:36
I carry a lucky buckeye in my medicine bag.
rocketsocks
01-01-2017, 23:52
Prolly my phone and iPod, but I enjoy the music, movies, encyclopedia britanica it provides (ie; google...so to speak), the life line I could do without..."be back in a few days, see ya"
G-FOURce
01-02-2017, 01:41
"... my industrial-strength hair dryer and I can't leave without it!"
I carry a full-length ZLite pad in addition to my SLX inflatible pad. Its not essential to survival or making it through a night, but it significantly boosts the quantity and quality of the sleep I get so I hump it in with me everytime. The other non-essential item I carry is a pair of reading glasses. I download regional maps on my iPhone, which I also use as a camera, and while I could just use the zoom feature I am partial to my readers.
Feral Bill
01-02-2017, 02:54
Camera gear.
fastfoxengineering
01-02-2017, 03:51
A long handled spoon over a shorter one
Camera/phone
Typically have an extra layer. Light fleece or similar
I use two cuben dry bags and a pack liner, not exactly necessary
Gravity filter equipment over regular squeeze filter
Most people wouldn't call those luxuries I guess, idk, I'm a simpleton.
I really want to get an MP3 player.
Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk
Traveler
01-02-2017, 06:58
This will sound strange, but Chief Squatsalot comes with me most always. A small toy indian figure with a spear in its hands, I found him at a small river crossing in the middle of nowhere where a plastic toy from the 1950s had no business being. I was curious how he got there and he was delighted to be found, we've been a team ever since. The presumption is he wandered off and got lost. So if unsure of which direction to go on a bushwhack or trail junction, Squatsalot is tossed onto the ground, whichever way his spear points we choose the opposite direction. Curiously, it seems to work about 90% of the time.
I carry a massage stick, voodoo floss, and a lacrosse ball. Recovery of those overused leg and foot muscles has become a priority for me. I am willing to carry the extra weight in order to recover at the end of the day and get some blood flowing to my legs prior to starting each morning. It is a game changer for me but will meet resistance from many. All good. I posted a video on YouTube that shows these items and how to use them. Happy New Years to all!
https://youtu.be/qEqKgVxr560
T.S.Kobzol
01-02-2017, 07:26
I carry a large kuksa cup for coffee, hot chocolate or soup...love eating out of it and it won't burn my lips like my titanium cup would :)
I carry quite a few non-essential items, but in the spirit of what I think you're asking for...a deck of Rook cards, an iPod shuffle with music and audible books, a piece of foam to sit on (actually, this thing has become more essential as I get older), and one of those neat inflatable LED lights that's solar rechargable. The last one lights up the entire tent with enough light to read, and weighs a paltry 1.9 ounces, probably one of the neatest finds of the year for us.
coach lou
01-02-2017, 08:46
When I'm with a group hike, I will bring a small travel chess set..............only played once........everyones always too tired......especially me!:p
Patrickjd9
01-02-2017, 08:52
A plastic flask of Irish whiskey.
A plastic flask of Irish whiskey.
He wanted non essential !
Lone Wolf
01-02-2017, 09:58
everything i carry is essential
cneill13
01-02-2017, 10:31
I carry many non-essential items but won't go hiking without them.
Helinox table and chair. 21 inch Sven saw. Evernew fry pan and a liter of vodka.
A few extra pounds but worth every ounce to me.
Carl
Gambit McCrae
01-02-2017, 10:57
A plastic flask of Irish whiskey.
Tennessee Whiskey here, Liter Gatorade bottle of it
G-FOURce
01-02-2017, 11:01
A long handled spoon over a shorter one
Camera/phone
Typically have an extra layer. Light fleece or similar
I use two cuben dry bags and a pack liner, not exactly necessary
Gravity filter equipment over regular squeeze filter
Most people wouldn't call those luxuries I guess, idk, I'm a simpleton.
I really want to get an MP3 player.
Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk
Amen! Best thing since individually-wrapped sliced cheese!
G-FOURce
01-02-2017, 11:05
This will sound strange, but Chief Squatsalot comes with me most always. A small toy indian figure with a spear in its hands, I found him at a small river crossing in the middle of nowhere where a plastic toy from the 1950s had no business being. I was curious how he got there and he was delighted to be found, we've been a team ever since. The presumption is he wandered off and got lost. So if unsure of which direction to go on a bushwhack or trail junction, Squatsalot is tossed onto the ground, whichever way his spear points we choose the opposite direction. Curiously, it seems to work about 90% of the time.
That's pretty cool, Traveler.
johnnybgood
01-02-2017, 11:20
A plastic flask of Irish whiskey.
Best sleep aid on the planet. I'm thinking essential. :)
ScareBear
01-02-2017, 11:30
A nice waterproof Nikon that has its own native GPS...
A "Write-in-Rain" notebook and Fisher SpacePen...
10,000mah battery(I could just leave the phone off unless emergency...)
Coffee and Earl Grey...
Zlite CCF sittingpad, soon to be up'd to a full-size Zlite Sol for colder camping(the old one went missing...)
HYOH!
G-FOURce
01-02-2017, 11:39
A nice waterproof Nikon that has its own native GPS...
A "Write-in-Rain" notebook and Fisher SpacePen...
10,000mah battery(I could just leave the phone off unless emergency...)
Coffee and Earl Grey...
Zlite CCF sittingpad, soon to be up'd to a full-size Zlite Sol for colder camping(the old one went missing...)
HYOH!
Where we backpack there is never cellular service. I use my phone as my map (I download regional topos for our hikes) and as a camera and since I don't service for either I just put my phone in "airplane" mode and I have never dipped below 90% battery yet.
I also carry both the Zlite sit pad and 72x20 sleep pad. I couldn't do a trip w/out my sleep pad bc its a gamechanger on comfort. I could probably lose the sit pad, but its too convenient and gets used too much not to have it with me.
DuneElliot
01-02-2017, 13:16
I'm not sure I carry anything I don't consider non-essential. Even a camera for me is essential in order to document the memories, and my phone is tied to my GPS emergency locator beacon and used for journaling. I carry part of a CCF pad to sit on but it is also the dog's sleeping pad. These things may be non-essential for some but they are not frivolous either.
coach lou
01-02-2017, 13:36
a P-38 can opener
You mean, your John Wayne!
Camera. A pint of brandy.
rocketsocks
01-02-2017, 14:29
When I'm with a group hike, I will bring a small travel chess set..............only played once........everyones always too tired......especially me!:por too cold, opting to hunker in.
handlebar
01-02-2017, 14:42
A wash cloth in a gallon Ziploc bag. Get some water in the Ziploc. Close it and carry a couple hundred yards from water source. Open Ziploc and fold about halfway down to serve as a wash basin. Use wash cloth in cold water to rinse the salt off body. Sometimes a little biodegradable soap for the face, hands, nether region, and pits. Heaven.
My ENO twilights (I call them the Party Lights - they are green and purple and look like Mardi Gras) for my hammock ridgeline. I know my headlamp would work just fine by itself. But, since it uses the same batteries as my headlamp I consider it a "backup" light.
A small bottle of intoxicating liquors of dubious legality - an ounce per evening is all I'll bring unless sharing with camp mates.
A sleeping shirt. I hate wallowing in my own stench, I'll usually bring a shirt just to sleep in, and on my last day out, I'll wear it.
rocketsocks
01-02-2017, 15:14
My ENO twilights (I call them the Party Lights - they are green and purple and look like Mardi Gras) for my hammock ridgeline. I know my headlamp would work just fine by itself. But, since it uses the same batteries as my headlamp I consider it a "backup" light.
A small bottle of intoxicating liquors of dubious legality - an ounce per evening is all I'll bring unless sharing with camp mates.
A sleeping shirt. I hate wallowing in my own stench, I'll usually bring a shirt just to sleep in, and on my last day out, I'll wear it.
Picked up a string of 20 battery operated LED Christmas lights at "Rite aid" for 50% off of $6.99 normally...$3.49...schwing! :banana
They Rite aids "Home" brand...takes two AA battery's
johnnybgood
01-02-2017, 15:17
My ENO twilights (I call them the Party Lights - they are green and purple and look like Mardi Gras) for my hammock ridgeline. I know my headlamp would work just fine by itself.
With Chinese New Year coming up soon and Cinco de Mayo in four months I might buy some myself.
Kudos on the perfect non- essential but otherwise entertaining must have backpacking item.
Last Call
01-02-2017, 16:54
A small, plastic 2 egg carrier....like my boiled eggs for the 1st breakfast out.....
StubbleJumper
01-02-2017, 17:08
Essential is a tough concept.
I do carry a few things for convenience/entertainment including an e-reader and my phone. I use the e-reader almost every day and I love being able to carry 100 books with me for no weight penalty. Similarly, I make good use of my phone in town and I like to send an occasional text to my spouse from the trail.
Beyond those two items which are clearly discretionary items, I have also carried a few items which I have almost never used. Interestingly enough, during the summer, I can go weeks at a time without using my headlamp. I tend wake up shortly after sunrise and I go to bed shortly after supper, which means that from May-July I am never awake when it's dark, and even in August I am rarely awake when it's dark. I never hike without a source of light (not even for a dayhike) but it's a little weird to carry something for 500 miles and not really use it. Similarly, I plan for abnormally cold nights by bringing appropriate clothing. It's a little weird to be carrying a bag and clothing for 30 degree nights when it hits 95 degrees during the day.
Finally, I always try to carry an extra ramen. I've always thought that ramen sucks as a meal, but it's an excellent pick-me-up for a cold evening, and I always like to have the flexibility to extend my re-supply by an extra day, so a spare ramen allows me to do that. Mostly I never use it, so maybe it's non-essential?
G-FOURce
01-02-2017, 17:17
a P-38 can opener
Do you carry canned goods? If so, seems prety essential. If not, I think you just took top prize for the most non-essential in-pack item!!
Traillium
01-02-2017, 18:44
This will sound strange, but Chief Squatsalot comes with me most always. A small toy indian figure with a spear in its hands, I found him at a small river crossing in the middle of nowhere where a plastic toy from the 1950s had no business being. I was curious how he got there and he was delighted to be found, we've been a team ever since. The presumption is he wandered off and got lost. So if unsure of which direction to go on a bushwhack or trail junction, Squatsalot is tossed onto the ground, whichever way his spear points we choose the opposite direction. Curiously, it seems to work about 90% of the time.
I, too, carry a plastic toy … For me it's a yellow rubber ducky that I found in a tide pool on the west coast of Devon some 25 years ago. The students laughed when I stashed it In my first aid kit with its head sticking out. But at the end of the week, they presented me with a tiny purple fleece 'jumper' (sweater) they'd sewn for me. Since then, I've carried it that way sticking out of my pack much of the time. Students almost always ask why I'm carrying a silly rubber duck. My response: in case I hurt myself and need some comfort. Frequently enough, if one of them gets hurt, they'll shyly edge over and ask me if they can hold Rubber Ducky.
I look at it, or feel it, every time I rummage around in the 'brain' of my backpack now. Still brings a smile to me!
scrabbler
01-02-2017, 18:56
Do you carry canned goods? If so, seems prety essential. If not, I think you just took top prize for the most non-essential in-pack item!!
Not to mention a not so great can opener. Just saying.
AfterParty
01-02-2017, 18:59
They work fine if you know how to use one.
A ukulele... Might be considered extraneous, but works really well as a nearby camper repellant.
G-FOURce
01-02-2017, 19:21
A ukulele... Might be considered extraneous, but works really well as a nearby camper repellant.
Bah-hahahahaha. Awesome idea.
I think the stuffed animal takes first prize! I used to take a spare pair of boot laces. Then I realized those things are never gonna break.
ScareBear
01-02-2017, 19:50
I think the stuffed animal takes first prize! I used to take a spare pair of boot laces. Then I realized those things are never gonna break.
Simply cut a slice of paracord/slickcord from your bear bag line if you need a shoelace...just sayin...
Luxuries I carry ? Small am/ fm radio Sangrean dt120, hiking poles, alum pot not TI , foam sit pad.
Thom
Simply cut a slice of paracord/slickcord from your bear bag line if you need a shoelace...just sayin...
Yep..I doubt I'll ever need it, but I could always cut off a piece of guy cord.
Luxuries I carry ? Small am/ fm radio Sangrean dt120, hiking poles, alum pot not TI , foam sit pad.
Thom
Speaking of radio, sometimes at night when I'm all alone out there, I'll waste a little battery to listen to the angelic voice of Jackie Evancho. If you never heard her, check her out on youtube. For me, there's something kinda magical about hearing that voice in a setting like that...
orthofingers
01-02-2017, 21:19
"Also can be used to erase graffiti."
Hmmm? I'm trying to picture how you erase graffiti with an ax.
MuddyWaters
01-02-2017, 21:26
Do you carry canned goods? If so, seems prety essential. If not, I think you just took top prize for the most non-essential in-pack item!!
maybe on AT....
but on dry carries on trails where you must carry all your water, it doesnt matter if water is in food or not. Ive carried cans of chili, ravioli, etc from trailhead.
G-FOURce
01-02-2017, 22:16
maybe on AT....
but on dry carries on trails where you must carry all your water, it doesnt matter if water is in food or not. Ive carried cans of chili, ravioli, etc from trailhead.
Roger that...
I forgot to add down booties as camp shoes as another non-essential that I carry on all cold-weather trips
Luxuries I carry ? Small am/ fm radio Sangrean dt120, hiking poles, alum pot not TI , foam sit pad.
Thom
I love that idea. I have an older radio shack shortwave receiver... I've thought of taking it and tossing a wire antenna into a tree. Maybe this summer when my load is lighter.
A plastic flask of Irish whiskey.
Blasphemy!
Greenmountainguy
01-03-2017, 19:15
Not always on the same trip: a small flask of rum (larger if the company is of the opposite gender and congenial), miniature playing cards, a longish plastic spoon for pot stirring, miniature board games. The cards now mostly stay home. The board games are from a discontinued table decades ago at a toy store (chess, checkers, backgammon, one or two others). The long spoon mostly comes and almost always a quantity of rum. I like to think of it as medicinal.
ScareBear
01-03-2017, 19:26
That's twice in the same post you mentioned rum...
Just sayin...:p
Five Tango
01-03-2017, 19:34
Speaking of radio, sometimes at night when I'm all alone out there, I'll waste a little battery to listen to the angelic voice of Jackie Evancho. If you never heard her, check her out on youtube. For me, there's something kinda magical about hearing that voice in a setting like that...
Are you listening to her on I Heart Radio,public radio,or how exactly?That would be something worth listening to out in the woods for sure.
A cell phone. Family pressure at work.
johnnybgood
01-04-2017, 19:19
Toilet Paper
should I ask...uh, well okay. I'll ask ; what did you use ?
ScareBear
01-04-2017, 20:56
Don't ask. You don't want the visual image...
And, what do you do above treeline?
Wait....on second thought, I don't want THAT visual image, either.
Last Call
01-04-2017, 21:01
Compass.....never leave the map, though.....
nalgene of crown royale.....for medicinal purposes only!
ScareBear
01-05-2017, 01:06
If you look around, above and below the treeline, there's plenty left behind from other hikers. Why carry extra grams when you can scavenge?
I sure hope you are talking about Cliff bar wrappers...
johnnybgood
01-05-2017, 01:37
If you look around, above and below the treeline, there's plenty left behind from other hikers to scavenge?
Not the answer I expected. Hope you're kidding ...seriously !
Speaking of radio, sometimes at night when I'm all alone out there, I'll waste a little battery to listen to the angelic voice of Jackie Evancho. If you never heard her, check her out on youtube. For me, there's something kinda magical about hearing that voice in a setting like that...
Are you listening to her on I Heart Radio,public radio,or how exactly?That would be something worth listening to out in the woods for sure.
Just youtube on my cellphone.
swisscross
01-05-2017, 16:02
Solo, an umbrella.
With daughter, a small tarp.
Another Kevin
01-06-2017, 14:48
A ukulele... Might be considered extraneous, but works really well as a nearby camper repellant.
Where do you FIT the uke in that itty-bitty pack of yours?
Outrider
01-06-2017, 15:25
Scotch and Cigars
Sarcasm the elf
01-06-2017, 15:30
Where do you FIT the uke in that itty-bitty pack of yours?
Maybe he uses the Ukulele as the pack and just stuffs his 9oz of winter gear in through the sound hole, wraps the whole thing in his hammock and tarp and wears it as a sling.
I probably shouldn't post this, it might give him ideas. :D
bamboo bob
01-06-2017, 15:45
Puffy jacket in all seasons. Makes a good pillow
ArvinSmee
01-09-2017, 14:56
about 10 lbs of camera gear.
josh_ATL
01-09-2017, 23:00
about 10 lbs of camera gear.
camera gear is absolutely essential!!!
I've been told my umbrella is non-essential...but only by people who know nothing of the umbrella life
So I guess it would have to be my mini Bluetooth speaker...I love sitting around camp listening to tunes with friends at night. I've seen many hiker's days turned completely around with something as simple as a song they like or haven't heard in a while.
ArvinSmee
01-09-2017, 23:42
camera gear is absolutely essential!!!
I know, it's become that way for me. I used to have a great time in the woods with nothing more than a point and shoot. Now I find myself getting frustrated I didn't bring the right lens. The ridiculous part is that as I've accumulated camera gear the rest of my kit has gotten lighter. I've found myself heading out with a 20lb pack for a two nighter, with half of that being photography equipment.
Whack-a-mole
01-10-2017, 20:44
About eight years ago, some guys were raising awareness of wounded vets, and they carried a rubber chicken with a bear bell around its neck. Of course people would ask about the chicken, and the reason explained to them. I think a Navy vet that went by Swagman got it started. It's my recollection that the "bear bell chicken" as it got to be called, completed an entire nb AT trip. Pretty cool if you ask me.
Just youtube on my cellphone.
Using one of your dozen phone batteries I presume?
Who backpacks in places where they get cell coverage?
Wayne
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
scrabbler
01-10-2017, 23:16
Puffy jacket in all seasons. Makes a good pillow
bamboo bob is 67. Take heed of his advice. And no, thats not a joke.
H I T C H
01-11-2017, 14:06
It's a toss up between my gas mask and my blow gun.
Hitch
The Solemates
01-11-2017, 14:29
I always carry these non-essentials:
full size trash bag - use it when sitting on ground, doubles as my pack cover
book
headlamp
Sometimes I carry these non-essentials:
map
small hatchet
rain gear
tent
small knife
Thinspace
01-16-2017, 14:48
It's a toss up between my gas mask and my blow gun.
Hitch
Hilarious!
Sarcasm the elf
01-16-2017, 15:55
It's a toss up between my gas mask and my blow gun.
Hitch
I imagine those are a bit difficult to use at the same time. :rolleyes:
I would say Electronics - Technically a phone and an External Battery are non essential item if you take a guidebook and a compass. If you use the phone then the Guidebook and compass become non essential. Same idea would work with a Bic Lighter vs. a Fire Striker. It really comes down to personal choices as to what weight one wants to carry. Some would even say that a Tarp, Shelter or any type of ground cloth is not needed; throw in a pillow with that one. I really think it comes down to personal choice. Some carry less than 10lbs and would say they carry nothing that isn't essential. Some (like myself) keep it under 15 and maybe have one or two items. Others carry 55lbs and would say that everything they carry is essential for them. In the end, I would say the best judge of non essentials is the gear list at the end of a Thru Hike. Everything left in the gear list would be essential to that hiker. Grandma Gatewood would say that all we carry this day's is non essentials!