WinterCampers.com – Celebrating the winter camping experience.

So you just humped in an 55 lb pack, in frigid conditions, to the base of that monster of a mountain that you have been amped to climb for 5 or 6 years. You drop your pack and prepare for the brutal assault on the peak. No real reason to carry all that stuff up and down the icy slope. You ask yourself out loud “What do I really need in my fanny pack to make it up and back safely”….. Ahh the ten essentials.In the 1930s, the Mountaineers, a Seattle-based hiking, climbing, and conservation organization, came up with a list of 10 essential items that no climber should be without. Many outdoor training schools make use of the 10 essentials to teach outdoor skills and good practices. Since then the 10 essentials have been published by various groups to suit particular outdoor situations.

1) Map – A map tells you a ridiculous amount of information that can be used in the back country. It tells you were you are, how far you have to go, time to get there, amount you have to climb, where to park your car, campsites, water sites, and an emergency route in an accident. We are positive that we left out 50 other things but you get the idea. If travelling on foot in the back country 7.5 minute USGS quads or 15 minute maps will give you the detail that you are starving for. Oh, you better know how to read it!

2) Compass – Carry a compass at all times. Learn to use this tool, and its cousin the topo map, and you are on your
way to finding that never done route to the never visited part of the forest. You can do all this in zero visibility of course since the compass doesn’t lie when the visibility goes to zilch. For all you GPS carriers out there, don’t even think a GPS is a replacement. Don’t trust anything with a battery in the backcountry.

3) Flashlight Or Headlamp – A flashlight or headlamp should be carried at all times. You may need to walk in to your camp in the dark. Flashlights can also be used to signal for help from anybody that may be looking for you in a critical situation.

4) Extra Food – Whenever you are outside have extra food in case you are delayed by bad weather, injuries, getting lost, or getting exhausted. The mountaineers of the 1930’s suggest a one-day supply of extra food. Extra food can boost morale, ward off hypothermia, and when things are bad give you that needed energy. Leave the low carb food at home, that’s for sissies.

5) Rain Gear And Extra Clothes – You need to have extra cloths and rain gear to deal with almost anything you can think of. Remember in the backcountry cotton kills. In addition to non cotton layers you would normally take while outside bring extra clothes. These extra clothes are critical when the conditions get real bad or you have to spend an extra night on the mountain. Remember that a good hat is the best weight per warmth ratio item in your backpack.

6) Sunglasses And Sun Screen – Ever have snow blindness and sunburn at the same time? This becomes even more pronounced at higher elevations since the intensity of ultraviolet rays becomes more of a problem.

7) First Aid Kit – Prepackaged first aid kits designed just for hikers are a great item to have. These packages contain band-aids, bandages, basic medicines, and many other items. Of course this is like the compass. If you don’t know how to use it, it wont be of much use.

8) Pocket Knife Or Multi Purpose Tool – A knife will allow you to perform various tasks in the back country. A few of them include lifesaving procedures such as cutting bandages, removing splinters, punching holes in tarps, cutting rope, making kindling, and putting a hole in your friends thermarest in the middle of the night.

9) Fire starter And Matches – Fire is warmth and warmth is good when you are cold. Fire also serves as a good signal to others when you are lost. A basic fire starter is useful for starting a fire in emergency situations and for getting wet
wood blazing. A fire starter can consist of a chemically-treated fire stick, candles, melted paraffin and newspaper, waxed cardboard, dryer lint, wood shavings, or hundreds of other materials. Clean out that belly button and save that lint! In addition to the fire starter carry waterproof and windproof matches. These will be essential in starting your fire starter when things go south.

10) Water And A Way To Purify It – Without water your body will weaken and your muscles and organs just wont be able to function. Water also fends off hypothermia and altitude sickness. Having a water purifier such as a commercial water filter or iodine tablets in addition to a good stove to melt or boil water can solve the problem.

Wired magazine published their list of 10 Essential Outdoor Survival Items. The table below depicts the difference between Wired’s list and WinterCampers.com. The Wired list does not place a premium on navigation as they do not include a map or compass on their list. I suppose the trash bag could double as rain gear.

Another take on the 10 essentials is listed at Gotta Go – It Snows: Daypack List.

Backpacker Magazine has a short video called “Pack Like a Pro” where Jonathon Dorn describes items he packs on for dayhikes.