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The Ten Essentials- A Personal History
The original Ten Essentials was a list of gear items first recommended by The Mountaineers, a Seattle, Washington outdoor club. The original list included:
- Extra Clothing- More than needed in good weather.
- Extra Food- Enough so something is left over at the end of the trip.
- Sunglasses- Necessary for most alpine travel and indispensable in snow.
- Knife- For first aid and emergency fire-building.
- First Aid Kit.
- Matches- In a waterproof container.
- Flashlight- With extra bulb and batteries.
- Map- Be sure it’s the right one for the trip.
- Compass- Be sure to know the declination, east or west.
Source: 101 Hikes in the North Cascades, Ira Spring and Harvey Manning, The Mountaineers, Seattle, 1970
The Author with father's vintage Kelty pack, USFS Challis National Forest, 1974
An Early Outdoor Education Experience
When I was eight years old, my father became interested in hiking (“backpacking”). He took the family to a seminar for beginning hikers that was hosted by a local mountaineering club. Over the many weeks that followed, we learned about the virtues of traveling light in the backcountry.
Continually emphasized was the need to carry the Ten Essentials as espoused by the Mountaineers. Our seminar added a whistle as the “eleventh essential” to the list.
Soon afterwards, our family put what we learned into practice. We acquired the gear, and undertook a number of family hiking adventures. I still have my father’s vintage Kelty pack from that era.
This early outdoor education influenced my life, as it helped shape my education, recreation, and career choices.
The Ten Essentials Today
My early training listed the Ten Essentials as individual, specific items to be carried, and for many years I considered them no more than that.
Subsequent experience encouraged me to adopt a systems approach, where the Ten Essentials are viewed as categories, rather than individual items.
The category titles are much the same as the original Ten Essentials list, but allow greater flexibility to meet a broad range of trip requirements. Category items may be selected or modified based on specific trip needs.
Note that the systems approach by no means alters the fundamental Ten Essentials concept. All categories refer to required personal equipment that must be carried by every individual.
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