“Oh, that’s a big bag. Are you planning to spend the night?”
No. I’m not planning to spend the night. That’s my DAY pack.
But if I find myself benighted, injured, lost or unexpectedly stuck out there overnight, I know I have what I need to survive the night.
Was I always packing like this? Mostly yes, but my pack has evolved with experience. Some things I’ve added because of situations I’ve encountered personally. Others items I’ve added after seeing how quickly a seemingly manageable situation can deteriorate - including watching hypothermia develop much faster than I once realized was possible.
Others will argue it’s too much. “All that stuff will just weigh you down when you need to move.”
If carrying your basic safety equipment makes your intended objective too difficult, you may not yet be ready for that objective. Your fitness, pace and plans should account for the weight of the equipment you need to look after yourself if something goes wrong.
You should be able to comfortably carry your 10 Essentials for the trip you’ve chosen. They’re not the stuff you leave behind so you can move faster. They’re part of going into the backcountry.
Do I need the essentials if I'm only going to Tunnel Bluffs? Yes.
What about the Grouse Grind? BCMC? Squamish Gondola Trail? Still yes.
Taking on Brunswick or the HSCT? You guessed it. YES.
No one plans to spend the night. No one plans to get injured, lost, or caught in bad weather. In fact, most of us head out believing it simply won’t happen to us.
That’s exactly why we call it an emergency.
Injury, shock and simply sitting still can make you cold surprisingly quickly - even on a warm day. Once we get into fall, I add a small stove so I can boil water, make a hot drink or, if necessary, melt snow. Cold rain, wind, an injury and a few hours of sitting still can change your situation remarkably quickly.
This is what self-sufficiency and preparedness in the backcountry look like.
AdventureSmart recommends carrying the 10 Essentials on every outdoor adventure: flashlight, fire-making kit, signalling device, extra food and water, extra clothing, navigation/communication aids, first-aid kit, emergency shelter, pocket knife and sun protection.
In this video, I unpack my day bag and show you what that actually looks like. I also carry a few extras that have become standard in my pack: a sit pad, spare phone battery, microspikes, hiking poles and electrolytes. On longer hikes, I also carry a water filter, giving me the ability to replenish my water supply rather than being limited to whatever I could carry from the trailhead.
And it’s not only about me. I carry this equipment for my hiking partners too, and that's why they trust me. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been on a personal hike and ended up giving someone else my food, water, electrolytes, first-aid supplies or other gear because they needed it more than I did.
I don’t carry these things because I expect something to go wrong. I carry them because when something does, having the right equipment gives us options — for ourselves, for our partners, and sometimes for a complete stranger we happen to meet along the way.