Necessity vs. Importance: Considering Ultralight Essentials

Should that be Fenix L0D? I've not heard of an L01.

Ryan,
Thanks for the insight. I am, admittedly, a beginner and find myself wrestling with the question of, "do I need this or do I want this?" Then, I remind myself that it's the weight, or lightness of weight that's important.

I usually have several sticking plasters (Band Aid..) and Gaffer Tape with me. I have used the Gaffer tape when I had the brilliant idea of taking my almost new Teva sandals on a 3 day hike ( too many wounds and too much abrasion for the Band Aid) and a couple of other times when I wanted it to be there for longer than a day.
Would you ditch the sticking plasters in favor of the Leukotape ?
( I have with me some cotton balls with Vaseline and a cotton handkerchief)
Franco

I carry the e+lite. It's lightweight but powerful enough if necessary, plus has red light for comfortable night vision. An excellent weight/feature combination.

On a recent trip I had two a large blisters on the outside edge of my feet just above my heel pad (below and slightly behind my ankle). It wasn't from rubbing, but (I think) from not having narrow enough heel-cups such that my heel was allowed to move side-to-side as I stepped on rocks, roots, angled pathways, etc. This side-to-side movement (combined with soggy feet from daily downpours) resulted in the separation of skin layers.

These "blisters" occurred under very thick skin (the waning edge of my heel pad). Given the location (difficult to reach) and the thicker cover, how should I drain these? What tool should I use? I had a small needle, but nothing would drain from the wholes through that thick skin.

Any thoughts? Scissors?

tony. i would not drain them, as you set yourself up for one nasty infection, especially if you feet are wet all the time. i would put an antiboitic on them and keep them covered during the day and uncovered at night. there is a product out there (can't remember name) that is designed for blisters. use one of those then put a piece of mole skin over, as the blister paks are not very wear resistant. you could also put a piece of duct tape over, being careful not to get tape on any of the blister. would hurt like h–l to rip off blister…..

Don't you have difficulty removing the Leukotape from your skin? This is a great product, expensive though, but it adheres to skin vigorously especially if you coat the skin with Tincture of Benzoin. I have used duct tape for years and it manages to adhere for most of a week with 20 mile days.

Don't you have difficulty removing the Leukotape from your skin? This is a great product, expensive though, but it adheres to skin vigorously especially if you coat the skin with Tincture of Benzoin. I have used duct tape for years and it manages to adhere for most of a week with 20 mile days.

I've tried duct tape and it won't stick to my skin. The Leuko works like a champ though and I don't need the benzoin tincture with it either. Best piece in my medical kit by far.

Where can I get some of this Leukotape?

Leukotape on sale @ BPL

I think Tori is talking about "Second Skin", which I've always carried and it is only useful for blisters. I use Leuckotape (used to use moleskin) to prevent getting blisters and if someone (I don't get blisters) gets a blister, I (being the good, friendly trail amateur foot medic), I apply the Second Skin first, and on top of that Leuckotape to hold the second skin to the foot. There is no adhesive power to a Second Skin layer.

How do you carry a small amount of tape off the large roll? Does it retain its effectiveness?

clifford, they actually have small rolls of duct tape in camping gear stores such as gander mt.,etc.

I have a small vial that has a needle, tick tweezers, and a couple of safety pins in it that I wrap the leukotape around. It's just as sticky when I pull it off that tube as it is fresh off the roll.

You can DIY small rolls by rolling onto a length of drinking straw. My experience is that so long as you don't touch or otherwise contaminate the adhesive, the tape retains its properties.

CELOX is the only thing I would add…so light weight and worth its weight in gold if ever needed.
It is a new granular hemostatic agent that controls life-threatening bleeding fast.

EVERY REASON TO CHOOSE CELOX
CELOX is lightweight, small, and fits into a pocket. It is intelligently packaged to be safely opened with one hand and easily applied. CELOX is affordably priced and available in two small, lightweight, and compact package sizes – 15g (0.5 ounce) or 35g (1.25 ounce) with a shelf life of 3 years.

FEATURES BENEFITS

For all bleeding emergencies Count on it as an immediate first response. Safe and reliable.

No special training needed, easy open Can be self applied and one handed use possible.

Can rapidly add granules
to wound No careful measuring or application needed

Safe for chest, head and
neck wounds No hazard from inhalation or ingestion

Controls severe arterial bleeding Minimizes blood loss, tissue damage, risk of shock

No heat from exothermic reactions Won't cause burns to victim or caregiver

Use in all temperatures Works even in hypothermic conditions

Forms strong gel-like clot Protects the wound yet is easy to clean out

Clots Heparinized blood Works on patients taking anticoagulants such as Heparin, Coumadin, Warfarin, as well as Aspirin

Lightweight, pocket-sized, economical Available in 15g or 35g sizes, affordably priced

I never bother with bandaids but I never go without Burn Gel either… children and young men always seem to get hurt… and NO I do not sell this stuff..lol
Just discovered it this year is all :)

Here's a link with a little more background
http://www.celoxmedical.com/?page=sabnorm

I use a product called Spyroflex and from the given description of leukotape it sounds like it may be the same thing. Anyone know if this is the case?

Gail, thanks for the informative post and link. I just ordered some from here:

Very interesting. As someone who has (touch wood) not had foot probelms, most of that footcare stuff just wouldn't get a look in my kit. I would swap the journalism/photography gear for a good book…however, to me the MOST important items would be a sleeping bag and food. Sometimes food and insulated sleeping can be found along the way though, so maybe not 'necessary'.

The camp fire and fire-starting material I wholeheartedly agree with. It really is amazing how different everyone's 'important' items are.

'Necessities' should make an interesting topic by comparison. I actually like the term 'important' to encompass both that which is necessary and that which is desirable. 'Important' puts a personal and undebatable perspective on what we choose to carry with us.

!

I was admittedly a bit thrown by the content of this article. I fully expected 'necessity' to win out as the prevailing definition of 'essential'. By my read, Ryan chose to describe how some of his gear is evaluated with the 'importance' definition of 'essential'.

All the same, I think this article is very relevant to ultralight backpacking, and I found it interesting and insightful. In the future, I would also like to see an updated article with BPL's take on a 'necessity' essentials list that is more applicable to ultralighters than say "The Ten Essentials" or various adaptations thereof.

In my gear list, I have a hidden column where I evaluate the need for gear on a given trip. My ratings in that column, in order, are necessary, important, and optional. The most scrutiny for leaving behind is given to optional items.

For example, the following is my prioritized list of 'necessary' essentials:

1. Water – includes adequate storage and treatment (bladder or bottle, tablets, etc)
2. Shelter – includes clothing, insulation, waterproofing (wind shirt, vest, rain gear, sleeping bag, warm pad, tarp)
3. Conveyance – a pack, pulk, pannier, etc.
4. Fire – includes spark and tinder or accelerant
5. Food – includes nutrition and protection such as a bear bag
6. Navigation – includes map and compass

Whereas this is my prioritized list of 'important' essentials:

7. Comfy pad
8. Illumination
9. First aid
10. Sun protection
11. Insect protection
12. Bear protection

I can survive with just the necessities, but I need most of the important list to enjoy myself. So I guess my 'essentials' list includes both – with a gradual transition from the 'necessary' items at the top, to the 'important' items at the bottom.

To me, the definition of essential items should not be blurried by adjectives like "necessity" or "important". Using those adjectives will only cause confusion. There are essential items and then there are comfort/enjoyment items.

Compeed's by Bandaid. Called Bandaid's Advanced Healing Blister:
http://www.bandaid.com/productList.do?typeId=4.

They go over the blister giving a padded surface. I do tape mine down though.

They are NOT cheap but are worth it. I carry about 6-8 in my pack pocket at all times.