10 “Essentials”

– Pocketknife Yes, for meal prep
– First-aid kit Band aids and a few things, less than 2oz worth
– Extra clothing What do they mean by this? I take the required amount of clothing for the expected conditions.
– Rain gear See above
– Water bottle duh, of course I might not treat my water.
– Flashlight They ever gonna change that to headlamp? Not always
– Trail food Depends on how long I think I will be out
– Matches and fire starters Fire ban? if so then no.
– Sun protection Could be clothing, could be a sunscreen stick
– Map and compass Depends.

Though I am by no means a UL BPer yet, I'll play along.

– Pocketknife – yes, either my Buck Paklite Caper or a ToolLogic knife that includes a flashlight and ferosium rod
– First-aid kit – yes, but its small some bandaids, moleskin, vitamin I and a few other small items
– Extra clothing – I bring warmer clothes to sleep in (poly long johns and shirt) keeps my bag cleaner and me warmer at night, I could layer them if I need to during the day.
– Rain gear – yes, especially in summer and fall, rocky mountain rains come out of no where
– Water bottle – yes, an old Platypus big zip and maybe another small bottle
– Flashlight – yes, headlamp and maybe another light
– Trail food – I always include some extra snacks because I never know when I'll be hungry, on multi-day trips I include an extra meal just in case
– Matches and fire starters – see pocketknife, also I always have a couple of bics and a very small container of homemade firestarter
– Sun protection – long sleeves and a small bit of sunscreen, dang Scandinavian and English ancestry and the fair skin you bring with you!)
– Map and compass – depends on how familiar I am with the area and trail. I bring my phone for a camera and have the map of the area loaded up in Gaia. If I plan on referring to the map a lot I print up a hard copy. After packing the same compass for more than a decade and never using it outside of an occasional orienteering course, I finally just dumped it. I've never had a problem orienting myself by landmarks.

So pretty much all yes's in one form or another with the exception of extra clothes if its just a day hike and the compass.

Here is my take, For some reason you have missed:
Sleeping bag or quilt
Shelter (tent, bivy or tarp)
Water treatment (filter, chemicals or UV…OK, maybe not essential…)

For trips of a couple weeks:
– Pocketknife- Yup, I always carry one, even when I am not out.
– First-aid kit- Nope. I make do with a small roll of duct tape and superglue.
– Extra clothing- Nope. I have worn everything on occasion, nothing extra.
– Rain gear- Nope. If it rains, I get wet, unless it is below 40F.
– Water bottle- Yup. I carry two half liter gatoraid bottles.
– Flashlight- Yup. Essential for midnight runs.
– Trail food- Nope. Breakfast & Supper are my meals. I may eat a candy bar inbetween. But, no energy bars, gorp or the like.
– Matches and fire starters- Nope. I carry 2 bic lighters
– Sun protection- Nope. Long sleeve shirts, long pants and a hat.
– Map and compass- Yup. Compass is around my neck. Often two different maps of the same area.

Basically, I carry my "dry" clothing with my sleeping bag, including a pair of loose fitting socks, down jacket, in a dry, compression bag. It might go about 3.5 pounds in the bottom of my pack. Food is highly variable between 1.1 and 1.2 pounds per day. Depending on the length of the trip, I will bring an alcohol stove for up to 3 days, canister stove for about 3-6 days, SVEA for longer. My base weight varies between 7 pounds and 11 pounds, depending on the duration… spare batteries, heavier pack, heavier stove (but very fuel efficient,) whether I bring a saw or not, extra dry bag for food, etc.

Yes all of the above for me. My basweight is 8.5 lbs before camera gear.

Pocket knife – sak classic

FAK – 3oz

Extra clothing (read insulation)- weather and hike specific. Three season overnighter includes silk weight top and bottoms plus I can wrap up in my sleeping bag. Dayhike more than an hour from trailhead, 4 oz down vest or silkweight top in warmer temps; depends on overnight temperature forecast.

Rain gear- yes on all overnighters and on a case by case basis on dayhikes. If I'm far enough away from a trailhead where a broken ankle can turn a day hike into an overnighter then I bring something. This can be a garbage bag, poncho, etc.

Water bottle – yes every time

Headlamp – yes every hike

Food – a reasonable amount. Don't need to bring an extra 3000 calories for what ifs.

Firestarter – Bic lighter always in my pack

Sunblock – yes a small tube except for when I forget it on my kitchen counter like I did last trip

Map and compass – common sense on dayhikes and yes on all over nighters.

OP said every HIKE — so the answer to that would be that, for a quick 5-miler, I often take zero (0). I have a phone with me in case of an emergency, but otherwise, if the weather is ok, I just go with nothing.

For an overnight, the answer is (of course) quite different, and I probably take at least 7 of the "essentials".

Yes, same as Ian, but a lighter in these areas:

FAK is mostly in my head. And being able to improvise with what's at hand. As I age and my skin gets thinner, a few band aids.

Extra clothing / rain gear is typically a trash bag and a warm hat.

No extra food other than the planned calories.

If I read "every" like Valerie did, then, yeah, many times I've got only a water bottle or only a warm cap along.

I hear "hike" and I'm thinking 10 miles or more.

"OP said every HIKE"

Wasn't ME :)

The current BSA Handbook language is "The Scout Basic Essentials are items to take whenever you go to the backcountry."

This puts some of our youth in the wrong (IMO) mindset, where they insist on starting out with this list no matter what, with no room for thought. It gets even worse when they interpret "water bottle" to mean "at least two full 32-ounce Nalgene bottles" and "rain gear" to mean "non-breathable raincoat." Uphill struggle to try to get them to even think about lightweight backpacking, let alone UL.

Discussing the 10 essentials on the BPL site is like reminding big wall climbers to bring a rope (I know, some don't use one). BPL is where backpackers obsess over every detail of equipment and level of preparation.

I imagine the 10 essentials was put together by folks familiar with how less experienced hikers get in trouble in the backcountry. The day is beautiful so they don't bring a jacket or rain gear, and a storm moves in. The trail looks easy to follow, but they take a wrong turn and are lost w/o a map and compass. It's cool out so they don't take any water, then it gets real hot and they are miles from the car. Etc.

I suspect folks on BPL will only fail to bring what's needed by accident, e.g. leaving something at home or in the car and not realizing it.

You know, for those of us a little "older", current society's whole attitude towards drinking water is a bit puzzling…

When I was a kid, we played outside for hours in hot weather with no water, and never gave it a second thought. We also got into the car, went shopping, strolled around town, etc. with — you guessed it — no water! Sometimes we felt thirsty, but it was perceived as being "no big deal". We'd drink later. Now, people virtually panic if they don't have a water bottle with them at all times (in the city!).

I live in the desert, so I normally take at least *some* water with me on a hike (except if it's a quick training hike of 5 miles or less, see above), but I don't routinely carry gallons, even on a longer hike (10-15 miles). Heresy, I know.

I think the Scout threshold has some merit – the notion being when you are not on a "greenway" trail or something like that.

However, some can get carried away.

For a 10 mile or less day hike I do have a different list than overnight – some based on the popularity of the trail and likelihood of ending up someplace where I may not be found for a bit. Even that can be a challenge as my son and I hiked a trail last weekend that I though would be a bit crowded and saw only one other hiker over the 8 miles in and back.

So… assuming hike means backcountry in the woods:

– Pocketknife – yes but I EDC a pocketknife so hiking would be no exception

– First-aid kit – yes I always have an FAK with me/us (I almost always hike with my son so sometimes we take his smaller kit – mine is really built around scout trips where I carry some extras for the troop)

– Extra clothing – depends on the weather and time of year and expected length of trip. Summer day hike probably not. Winter day hike yes – some insulation. Overnight yes.

– Rain gear – generally yes on day or overnight hikes.

– Water bottle – yes

– Flashlight – I EDC a flashlight so I always have one including on hikes although I might take something different on a hike – overnight for example I'll have a headlamp.

– Trail food – yes for any backwoods hike – how much depends on the trip

– Matches and fire starters – I have a firestarter and whistle on a lanyard that go on all hikes.

– Sun protection – depends on the hike and the time of year – hiking on the east coast there are a lot of trails that are of the "green tunnel" variety that even in the summer I may not always bring sunscreen.

– Map and compass – almost all the time yes – unless it is a well marked and traveled trail like the pinnacle at Crowders Mountain.

If I recall correctly, a class I took in our local community college years ago, included a signaling device, but then maybe the official list has changed. Whistle, mirror, flare for example, I guess a light (flash/head) will cover at night. I still have a plastic whistle in my FAK.
Duane

I think a lot of people end up over-prepared. There's a place for a trauma kit in a vehicle, and if you're going to remote areas, sure, bring a survival kit.

This is all I feel I need:

Duct Tape
Clothing

I can't really think of a reason to need more where I live. If I get cut? Duct tape. Break a bone? Sticks and duct tape and clothing should fashion a splint. Big cut? Clothes and duct tape. The mission is to get back to civilization, not do field surgery.

There aren't any ravines to fall in where I'd need to signal a helicopter. I can break sticks with my hand, so I don't need a knife. If it's wintertime, I might bring some matches.

I think there's a fallacy that having the right equipment means you'll turn a disaster into an episode of Man VS. Wild. In reality, the goal is to get back to civilization. If I were going anywhere that was more than a few days from help, I'd be telling everyone exactly where I was going and when to expect me back, and I'd bring a water filter. Otherwise, I try not to kid myself with the extent of my survival expertise.

When I go running, I don't bring anything but shorts and shoes.

"Now, people virtually panic if they don't have a water bottle with them at all times (in the city!)."

My wife, a city girl, used to think she would die if she didn't carry water for a 3-mile run. Took a long time to talk her into trying it sans bottle.

It has been very liberating for me to use the technique of carrying one 20-oz Gatorade bottle and Aqua Mira pre-mix when water sources are available and not too far apart, which is the case most of the time where I hike.

Max says:
"This is all I feel I need:

Duct Tape
Clothing"

So whats the big backpack in your Avatar picture for? Must carry lotsa duct tape……. :0)

Seems like something is missing here….

Bug Juice….

Venturing into the boonies with no thought to insect evasion can cause severe discomfort leading to injury or death.

Mosquitos not only carry disease, but in large quantities can cause enough portholes in the skin that any kind of virus carried on your hands can be transmitted easily to your bodies ecosystem when you scratch leading to potential delerium and incapacitation from infection…

Bug Juice is always on my top ten list

Valerie, I totally agree.

I too used to play outside all day in hot NYC summers without a thought concerning water, and guess what, I got thirsty. And when I got home, I drank something. And we didn't have air conditioning, either. And we didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

We're not talking a summer day in the bowels of the Grand Canyon, which is dangerous if you don't drink lots of water.

P.S. And I used to walk five miles back and forth to school each day, uphill in both directions!

Elliott, man — I'm THERE with you, LOL!!!

I've now been officially classified as an Old Fogey. Mostly, I'm ok with it. Mostly. I think… ;^)

Like the Mayor of NYC tries to ban 32-ounce Big Gulps, I am forever trying to beat down the 64-ounce bladders in day packs. Really? An additional 4 pounds for a two-hour hike? How about we just slug down a quart at the car and call it good?

Fix your shattered femur or broken back with some duct tape and twigs – who needs a whistle! That's waste weight!

Seriously, is 4oz or so too much? I know this is BPL, but.. Bad habits? Huh?

Did a quick 25 mile overnighter yesterday into this morning.
Of those 10, I had:
-pocket knife
-FAK
-water bottle
-flashlight(headlamp)
-trail food

Pack, tent, quilt, pad, filter…had a couple other things, but would have been fine with ten *items*.

edit: Forgot my TP and trowel. Those go in my pack every time, whether dayhiking, mountain biking, or backpacking.

It depends on the season.

Ex.
SUMMER: add more water carrying capacity, sunscreen, electrolyte drink mix, etc.

WINTER: add more food, large closed cell sit pad (used to line day pack back as well), more warm clothing, survival stove (like ESBIT stove) and small pot AND more fire starting goodies, more headlamp batteries, zip ties for snowshoe repair, survival blanket/bivy sack etc., etc.

I carry them all, every time. That doesn't preclude applying UL principles: seek out the lightest, high performance multiple use items you can afford. I have a one liter stuff sack with most of the small odds and ends, an AMK Heatsheets bivy and a poncho, spare food, water purification, knife du jour, spare insulation layer, gloves, beanie, water container, compass and map. I usually have a camera and phone. A 13 liter pack holds it all nicely.

And someone knows where I've gone and when I'm due back. Always.

I want just enough to make it through a night or two in case Murphy decides to join mevon the hike.

"I think a lot of people end up over-prepared. There's a place for a trauma kit in a vehicle, and if you're going to remote areas, sure, bring a survival kit.

This is all I feel I need:

Duct Tape
Clothing

I can't really think of a reason to need more where I live. If I get cut? Duct tape. Break a bone? Sticks and duct tape and clothing should fashion a splint. Big cut? Clothes and duct tape. The mission is to get back to civilization, not do field surgery."

Well it's nice that you're not carrying that 10 lb tube of Neosporin any more;)

What you carry is none of my business but I can't suppress an allergic reaction with duct tape or splint my bunghole shut to slow down the giardia two-step enough to get back to the trailhead in under 15 bowel movements so I've added a few items to my FAK that I can't improvise in the field.