The Ten Essentials

By Scott Stoddard

"DON'T leave home without it." But what good will a green plas

tic credit card do you 20 miles from the nearest paved road? What

do you really need when out away from civilization?

Experienced outdoor enthusiasts know what items are most impor

tant to bring - even for short walks or hikes out of base camp.

The "10 Essentials" are items that cannot be improvised from

materials lying on the forest floor. To be found without these

few items, even only a few miles from camp or cabin, can spell

disaster.

The standard list of 10 essentials varies slightly depending

on which source you go to. The Boy Scouts have their list, the

Sierra Club has another, and the Mountaineers in their outdoor

bible, Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills, have come up

with another variation. They all incorporate the same basic

items.

The following list is not to be considered cast in concrete -

each survivalist should customize his or her own kit for the

barest minimum of supplies. Note that the first three items are

for finding your way, the second three are for your protection,

and the last four are for emergencies.

1. A MAP of the area you will be hiking, canoeing, or camping

should be detailed enough so that you can find man-made items

like trails, unimproved roads, power lines, etc., and natural

features such as rivers, streams, hills and other terrain land

marks that will guide you. A U.S Geological Survey Topographical

map has all of these features and more. For an index to topo maps

in your home state contact: U.S. Geological Survey, Map Distribu

tion Section, Federal Center, Box 25286, Denver, CO 80225; (303)

236-7477. A 365 page book titled, The Map Catalog, (Every kind of

map and chart on Earth and even some above it), is available

from: High Country Enterprise, P.O. Box 746,...