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What items do you carry in your pack that are not essential to your hike, but you refuse to be without?
What items do you carry in your pack that are not essential to your hike, but you refuse to be without?
:D nothing:cool: neo
if i dont need it,i dont take it:cool: neo
mostly depends on your definition of "essential" - for example I carry a mini maglite with fresh batteries "just in case" of bad fog at night - also I carry a first aid kit with more than the typical supplies again "just in case"
D'Artagnan
03-24-2006, 10:44
Apple iPod and deodorant. There are some things I just can't go without.
BTW, where are you now Crutch? I heard you had been doing some trail magic this year. I plan on heading up Friday (3/31) to Damascus, getting a shuttle to Massie Gap and heading back in to Damascus. It's that time of year to clear away some of the winter cobwebs. I wish you only the best.
:D nothing:cool: neo
if i dont need it,i dont take it:cool: neo
i forgot one my cell phone,but i use it for weather updates and all kinds of stuff,to me its not a luxery item.:cool: neo
sparky2000
03-24-2006, 10:51
The external backpack. An extra 3 lbs. And the old whool WW 11 sleeping bag - still don't trust the new neo stuff, another 2 lbs extra. Fear rules.
i forgot one my cell phone,but i use it for weather updates and all kinds of stuff,to me its not a luxery item.:cool: neo
Makes sense, considering.
Those who carry a tent can just deal with the cold and rain as it comes, however.
Spirit Walker
03-24-2006, 10:53
Journal to write in (actually loose paper), camera and a book. I love keeping a journal - I reread them often to relive my hikes. Same with the camera. The photos keep the memories fresh. I like to read something non-trail related when I'm on a long hike. On the AT I was doing short miles in the beginning and had long afternoons in the shelter, especially when it was raining. On the PCT it was a necessity because of the long midday breaks. If I didn't have a book, we started out too soon and with the 100 degree heat it was brutal. With a book I could sit under a bush for a couple of hours and relax. On the CDT a book lasted a long long time, because we hiked much longer hours. But when we were snowbound, those books made the long hours in the tent much more bearable.
Alligator
03-24-2006, 11:08
This trip will be:
cards
cribbage board
poker chips
collapsible shot glass
no camera:mad: , someone didn't put it back where it belongs and that someone is currently unavailable.
Sometimes a book.
What items do you carry in your pack that are not essential to your hike, but you refuse to be without?
TOO MUCH Vitamin "I" & a trowel (more fellow hikers have borrowed it...i've NEVER used it!):D
bulldog49
03-24-2006, 11:12
A pack of Cigars
sdoownek
03-24-2006, 13:46
Bourbon and the dog tags.
Prosseroo
03-24-2006, 13:53
Whiskey
I have a Platapus bottle with the words "Please fill me with Old No. 7." written on it.
Useless things i take every time:
-"The Hobbit" (i always take it.)
-a headlamp (you can get by with a photon, really. just not convenient.)
-my old walking stick (i've had it for about 30 years)
Things that are 'nice to have but don't go every time' are:
-Binoculars
-Bug headnet
-Mini cards/chess/UNO
-Swiss Army Champ knife (the big sucker, with built in bbq grill)
-Swiss Army Champ knife (the big sucker, with built in bbq grill)[/quote]
Hey Seeker......Will you cook if I bring the burgers?
-Swiss Army Champ knife (the big sucker, with built in bbq grill)
Hey Seeker......Will you cook if I bring the burgers?[/quote]
:banana sure, but only if you bring the ketchup, mustard, and buns (and don't crush 'em either... they make tupperware for that, right? or is gladware better, since it's lighter?) :D
maxNcathy
03-24-2006, 21:12
yahtzee game,camera,brandy,teatree shampoo,underpants,down vest,book
icemanat95
03-24-2006, 21:14
A book for entertainment.
I have seperate clothes for sleeping in and a pair of socks reserved solely for camp/sleeping depending upon the weather.
I'm not a gram weenie.
Skidsteer
03-24-2006, 21:23
Book(s) and booze.
Two books at all times, something educational; field guide, plants, astronomy and something from a fave author like Conroy, Clancy or Robin Moore. You can always leave a book at a shelter, trade away or use for fire starter in a pinch.
CINDY
haven't done a thru, so can't answer for that, but 3 things that always make my pack are good scotch, at least 1 good stogie (I like to have 1 to share) and a good book (esp if I'm hiking by myself).....
What is essential for me may not be essential for someone else. There are several things in my backpack that usually never see the light of day. So, by that definition, these items may not be essential. But, I usually don't backpack without a first aid kit, duct tape, and a few other repair items.
Depending how you define essential, a stove isn't essential if I change my eating habits to going stoveless, and a tent isn't essential if I plan to stay in shelters (and hope they are not full).
hikerjohnd
03-25-2006, 10:06
MP3 player - I know it isn't essential, but I enjoy listening to books on tape as I go to sleep...
Almost There
03-25-2006, 18:39
A water filter!
Fat Man Walking
03-27-2006, 00:22
A mini copy of the Big Book and a Rosary.
Well, on my up & coming thru, I plan on taking some fine Cuban H. Uppmann 45's to smoke and possibly some Absinthe. Other than that, everything else is essential to me, including my walking stick. :sun
carolinahiker
03-27-2006, 09:14
A couple small books and my hiking staff i hate poles lol and a good first aid kit just in case.