the 10 Essentials Myth: basic equipment for White Mountain adventures

The 10 essentials is a myth. It is a tale told many different ways, all with similar elements, but all missing the truth. Every outdoor organization and retailer posts a version of the 10 essentials. Most are incomplete. For example, the US Forrest Service and NH Fish & Game have a decent list on their Hike Safe site, but it leaves out a few key items. It divides some categories but combines others (map & compass are on separate lines, food & water are combined). Outdoor retailers, who I would think want to sell more stuff, often forget important items.  For example, EMS (a store I shop at regularly) leaves off their list emergency shelter, rain gear, and sanitation. Several other retailers (REI, Campmor, Sierra Trading Post) simply copy the list from well known outdoor manuals. Most of those leave gaps. Even the seminal book on wilderness travel "Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills" misses the mark by my estimation; rain gear is not listed, neither is a whistle or phone.

the "classic 10" according to REI

The truth, in my view, is there are not 10 essentials, there are 12.


The 12 essentials are:

1) Hydration: water and a purification system
2) Nutrition: food for the hike & an emergency stash
3) Navigation: compass & map and/or GPS device
4) Communication: emergency whistle and/or mobile phone and/or satellite tracker
5) Protection: rain shell, sunscreen, sunglasses
6) Insulation: warm hat, spare base layer, socks, & mid layer
7) Illumination: head lamp and/or flash light
8) Combustion: matches in waterproof case
9) Medication: basic 1st Aid kit
10) Remediation: knife or multi tool, cord, duct tape
11) Habitation: emergency blanket or bivy shelter
12) Sanitation: trowel, wipes, & baggies.

While this may seem like a lot of stuff, I can fit compact versions of each into a Camelbak on trail runs. My usual day hike bag is a 20L pack. I fit robust versions of all these items with room to spare. My 11 year old son carries the full set in his 16L kids pack. I am so serious about the list that I posted it in our mud room above where the packs hang.

My 12 essentials list above the day packs

I am certain the authors of the various 10 essentials lists could quibble with mine. For example, could hydration & nutrition be combined? Sure, but I list them separately because water is not food and food is not water. You may need to purify water if you run dry, and that deserves it's own consideration. Is sanitation always necessary? It is when you need to go and don't want dysentery. I won't use an emergency shelter on most trips, but I wouldn't like to spend a night out without one. That is the whole point of this list. Things happen on the trail, things that may keep you in the woods until the next morning. A quick day hike could become an all night ordeal with a single slip and a broken ankle. I would want each & every item on my 12 essentials list if I were stuck in the mountains for 24 hours.

My typical summer all day kit

Neither the original 10 nor my 12 essentials is a magic totem. Merely carrying a full pack into the wilderness will not guarantee anyone's safety. First one must know when and how to use the equipment. A map offers no help to a hiker who cannot read it. A headlamp is only as good as it's batteries. More importantly one must decide when to use each item. I've witnessed folks get to a breezy summit and neglect to put on a hat or layers until their lips turn blue. The time to don a rain shell is when the drizzle starts, not when one is already drenched. On the other hand, sweating inside a shell jacket after the rain stops is as poor as leaving it at home. Good judgement is more important than carrying the proper gear. I have read plenty of accounts of experienced & equipped people who failed to make timely decisions and paid dearly for their mistakes.

My 11 y.o. son's typical kit

I realize some folk can get by with out many of these items. A few very skilled people like Tom Brown Jr. can walk into the woods with nothing but a knife and keep warm, fed, & comfortable for weeks. But most people will never know how to make a bow drill fire, or an adequate brush shelter, or a game trap out of twigs, much less a solar still for purifying water. That level of bush craft is far beyond what 99.9% of Americans will ever realize.  My list is for the typical civilized somewhat skilled hiker. I simply seek to survive a long cold night in the wilderness if that is my fate.

Also understand that the list posted above is for summer day hiking. If I am on a backpacking trip some listed items are redundant (like an emergency shelter when I am carrying a tent). If I am hiking in winter or "shoulder season" then additional gear is required. At very least more substantial types of insulation, combustion, & protection are needed. But for a fair weather warm season day trip this is my list. I do not wish to start an argument with those who believe in their 10 essentials list. If that set gets one safely in & out of the wilderness then I find no fault. I only hope that my list may inspire you, dear reader, to consider how you might more securely travel the back country on your next adventures.