Just keep in mind that survival depends upon three things; water, shelter, food; presented in order of priority. The 10 essential item fit into these catagories.
Any of you younguns ever read "My Side of the Mountain"? It is a great story for the naturalist/survivalist.
Although I do agree with this statement, what is Adequate footwear?
In North America most people swear you need the newest most expensive shoes to run a marathon. However some people now are starting to run them barefoot and getting less long term injuries.
My wife is 1/2 Maasai (African Tribe). Her fellow tribes members are some of the longest distance runners in the world, either running barefoot or with worn out car tire pieces strapped to their feet. People running in modern shoes just can't keep up, however what is interesting is some white folks who ditched their modern shoes are able to.
With this in mind, in my opinion we are often being mislead when we are told that this is the shoe we Need for this activity.
In my case I prefer snowshoeing long distances over traditional hiking. Although I have always used regular, or purpose made boots for it I miss the freedom of being able to wiggle my toes around. So I am planning on ordering a set of moccasins while I am working in the Canadian North West Territories. Made of nothing but warm furs and a tough water resistant leather sole. I figure that the Inuit were able to treck around for weeks while hunting with similar footwear. So why can't I do the odd day trip here and there with them.
I'll just second what John said in another thread....about taking common sense with you. Sure there are things that make life easier on the trail (or essential). We all have slightly different needs.
Oh, and we learn what to take from experience what to leave in the vehicle/home. Some of us learn from our own epic failures or from others.... Indeed, books can be written on this stuff.
Les
if you include a cell phone on this list you may as well include your last will and testament...
Here's an "eleventh essential" I've been using: Trip reports before you leave.
There is a lot of crap on the internet, but backpackers' trip reports are pretty remarkable. You can learn about trail wash-outs, updates to way-trail landmarks, where to find good water, all kinds of good info to help you prepare and in some case change your mind where you want to go.
don't know about TEN non-photography essentials, but a Persian philosopher listed a number of them several hundred years ago:
"A book of verse beneath the bough
A loaf pf bread, a jug of wine—and Thou
Beside me singing in the wilderness
And wilderness becomes Paradise e'now!"
Omar Khayyam
Drew Bedo
www.quietlightphoto.com
http://www.artsyhome.com/author/drew-bedo
There are only three types of mounting flanges; too big, too small and wrong thread!
Back in 1978, in his alpinism book Climbing Ice, Yvon Chouinard advised, "leave the 10 essentials and other impedimenta behind. If you bring overnight gear, you will use it."
He was being deliberately provocative. And was speaking to people engaged in endeavors where safety depends on speed. And he didn't mean it, in absolute terms... he would never go anywhere serious without a headlamp or water, for example. But his basic point was reasonable, and has been followed more seriously in recent years than it was at the time: don't weigh yourself down with so much crap!
A long list of safety stuff probably makes sense for a boy scout or a beginner. But really, once you have some experience, you can judge what you're likely to need. Overnight bivy gear? I never consider it. What a buzz-kill to have to carry on a day trip. First aid kit? Sure, a small one, on a serious climb. A biger one on a multiday trip to someplace genuinely remote. On a day hike, I might just bring a square of moleskin, if I don't have complete faith in my shoes.
For me, a hat and sun block are always mandatory. Others with darker skin can go without in many settings. Like some of you, I often go without a map in familiar places, and never bring a compas. But there are settings where I'd like to have both, and my phone's GPS as well.
The point being, it all depends. You're always weighing cost and benefit, and in most cases this is a kind of gambling. It's always possible for that once-in-a-century storm will swoop in right after you've twisted an ankle. But then again, it's even more possible to be killed in a car wreck on the way to the trail. It's a matter of perspective.
In the mtns, those storms can hit fast and hard. Totally blue skies can turn totally black in about fifteen minutes. In fact, that happens almost every day during
certain storm cycles every summer, not to mention autumn. A simple rain parka and sweater in a belt pack can easily make the difference between life and death to a day hiker. The weather can also vary drastically with significant changes in altitude, which something routine hiking in the high Sierras. I'm kinda getting sick of encountering crews doing body recoveries even midsummer, or of having my trips ruined by following someone out who had naive stereotypes about the weather. Now out here on the coast in the summer I rarely worry about such things, though I do just tend to keep the pack fully geared all the time just to keep the training wt up (other than tent, slpg bag, food etc - the 8x10 gear easily substitutes for that kind of wt). But I've also known my share of famous moutaineers, and just this morning learned another one had succumbed to the elements. I know a guy who turned away from the summit of K2 just a few hundred yard shy on
three different occasions. But he's still alive and at it. But I'll sure agree with that freeway statement.... more close calls on my daily commute to work than ever
in the mtns!
Footwear ... Most people don't know what real boots are anymore. They walk into a REI or some place like that an see some glorified tennis shoes and think those
are boots, but end up needing a rescue with only two inches of snow on the ground. I won't even allow someone to take a backpack trip with me wearing those
silly things. Not to mention risk of a twisted ankle. Fine for casual wear. But there's nothing casual about hopping half a mile across talus blocks with a heavy pack.
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