Taking the Essentials
Page 6 of 29
Taking the Essentials - The basic survival items you should have in ANY outdoors situation
whether the duration of your trip is few hours or few days to ensure a fun, safe, and more
comfortable adventure.
• Flashlight and spare batteries - A large number of unplanned overnights could be
prevented by carrying a flashlight or headlamp. Often, someone who requires rescue did
not start out lost, but simply ran out of daylight and was unable to get back to their car or
the trailhead. Once it gets dark, the chances of getting lost are greater. Although we all
have some night vision, we are much more vulnerable after dark. Without a source of
light, moving at night can be dangerous.
• Fire-making kit – waterproof matches/ lighter, fire starter/candle - This can be vital to
staying warm enough outdoors during a change in the weather, an injury, or an unplanned
overnight. Fire can be used for providing essential warmth, drying clothing, cooking food,
signaling, melting snow or boiling unsafe water, keeping animals away. As well, fire can
provide an important boost to the morale. The survival benefits of fire are more than just
physical. It is important to practice with fire-making items, and not to underestimate the
skill necessary to start a fire, especially in wet weather.
• Signaling device (whistle or horn) - A whistle or a signaling mirror can increase your
chances of being heard. It takes much less energy to blow a whistle than it does to yell,
and the sound carries farther.
• Extra food and water (1 litre/person) - Sometimes a trip can last much longer than
anticipated, and having extra food and water can make the difference between an
extended stay and a survival situation. Outdoor activities require energy, and having extra
food can give us the boost we need to get out of an unplanned situation. Water is even
more important, and is needed by the body even more than food. A loss of 10% of total
body fluid will cause extensive disruption of bodily functions; a loss of 20% usually results
in death. Under “normal” circumstances, a person can survive for only 3 minutes without
air, 3 days without water, 3 weeks without food.
• Extra clothing - The importance of bringing extra clothing cannot be underestimated, and
yet often people have not brought enough clothing to keep them warm in changing
conditions. Even in summer, temperatures can vary dramatically depending on the terrain.
People often misjudge the conditions they will encounter because they only look at the
weather they see before them. Hypothermia is a serious risk if you do not prepare to
survive unexpected deterioration of the weather.
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