The Mountaineers Ten Essentials

In the 1974, 3rd edition of Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills the “Mountaineers Ten Essentials” was formalized into a list of recommended items everyone should carry when hiking or venturing into the backcountry. Although 1974 is accepted as the first time there was a formalized list of the Mountaineers Ten Essentials, the concept and idea of carrying basic items to allow you to prevent and respond to emergencies, and if necessary to spend a night in the outdoors, dates back to the mountaineering classes of the 1930s.  

The classic Mountaineers Ten Essentials list included the following:

1.    Map
2.    Compass
3.    Sunglasses and sunscreen
4.    Extra clothing
5.    Headlamp/flashlight
6.    First-aid supplies
7.    Fire starter
8.    Matches
9.    Knife
10.    Extra food

Over the years the ten essentials have evolved from a list of ten specific items to a list of ten essential systems. The 2017, 9th Edition of Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills listed these ten essential systems as:

1.    Navigation: map, altimeter, compass [GPS device: phone with GPS app or dedicated GPS device], PLB, satellite communicator, or satellite phone], [extra batteries], battery pack]
2.    Headlamp: plus extra batteries
3.    Sun protection: (sunglasses, sun protective clothes & sunscreen)
4.    First-aid: including foot care and insect repellent (if required)
5.    Knife: plus repair kit
6.    Fire matches, lighter and tender or stove as appropriate.
7.    Shelter: carried at all times (can be lightweight emergency bivy)
8.    Extra Food: beyond minimum expectation
9.    Extra water: beyond minimum expectation or the means to purify
10.    Extra clothes: beyond minimum expectations

Dave Canterbury, of Self-Reliance Outfitters and the Pathfinder School. Developed the “10 C’s of Survivability”; items that should form the core items of any kit intended to be used for survival or self-reliance.   The 10 C’s of Survivability are:

1.    Cutting Tool
2.    Combustion Device
3.    Cover
4.    Container
5.    Cordage
6.    Cotton Bandana
7.    Compass
8.    Candlelight
9.    Canvas Needle
10.    Cargo Tape 

Regardless of whether you use the Mountaineers Ten Essentials, Dave Canterbury’s 10 C’s of Survivability, or look to the recommendations of Kephart from 1916, what is most important is that you have and carry basic survival supplies every time that you venture into the wilderness.

These essential items go beyond what should already be in your pockets or attached to your belt. Carried in a small rucksack or haversack this kit need not (and should not) be heavy or inconvenient to carry. A lightweight pack is easily carried on a day hike, but a pack that is too heavy or bulky will often be left in camp or in one’s vehicle at the trailhead.     
   
“The man who goes afoot, prepared to camp anywhere and in any weather, is the most independent fellow on earth. He can follow his bent, obey the whim of the hour, do what he pleases whenever he pleases, without deference to anybody, or care for any beast of burden, or obedience to the course of any current. He is footloose and free. Where neither horse nor boat can go, he can go, seeing country that no other kind of traveler ever sees. And it is just these otherwise inaccessible places that have the strongest lure for anyone who delights in new discovery, in unspoiled nature, and in the charms of primitive society. The man with the knapsack is never lost. No matter whither he may stray, his food and shelter are right with him, and home is wherever he may choose to stop. There is no anxiety about the morrow, or the day after. Somewhere he will come out - and one place is as good as another. No panic-stricken horse, or wrecked canoe, can leave him naked in the wilderness.” (Kephart 1916)