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Ten Essentials


 
Boy Scout Troop 9208
(Olympia, Washington)
 
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Ten Essentials



TENESSENTIALS

(All of the Hyperlinksbelow are thanks to Wikipedia or ScoutStuff.org)

 

The Ten Essentials listed below should always be included in yourpacking list for all scout outings:

 

POCKET KNIFE,

(presumably more than just a knife,a Swiss Army knife for example) can come inhandy in a wide variety of situations. It is useful for tasks as large asbuilding an emergency shelter or lightinga campfire with poor fuel, oras small as repairing a damaged backpack.

 

FIRST AID KIT,

can be a lifesaver. A basic kit for first aid mightinclude adhesive bandagesmedical tape, sterile gauzemoleskinsoapantiseptic, a mouth-barrier device for CPR,and scissors.

 

EXTRA CLOTHING,

to match the weather. Multiple layers are superior to a singlemassive jacket,because layered clothing is adaptable to awide range of temperatures.

 

RAIN GEAR,

is very important. Being wet from rain may result in hypothermia, a potentially fatal condition.

 

FLASHLIGHT,

is, of course, important for finding one's way at night. (Don’tforget extra batteries)

 

TRAIL FOOD,

is good for maintaining your energy. However, the human body canreportedly survive for weeks without food, so starving to death should be theleast of your worries if you become lost in the wilderness.

 

WATER,

is probably the most important of the Essentials. Dehydration may develop into heat exhaustion and heatstroke. The human body may only survive for a few dayswithout water. Portable water purifiers and waterstills may be used to obtain potable water from virtually any source. If awater source is unavailable the use of a dromedary bag should be considered.

 

MATCHES ANDOR A FIRESTARTER,

maybe used to light fires forheat, or for signaling purposes. (Publicly owned forests in the United Statesoften have lookout stations for forest fires and signal fires.)

 

SUN PROTECTION,

may include sun blocksunglasseslip balm anda wide-brimmed hat. Used properly, it willprevent sunburn andpossibly heat exhaustion.

 

TRAIL MAPS AND COMPASS,

are probably the most important tools one can carry in case ofgetting lost, but they won't be of any use to someone who does not know how touse them. In knowledgeable hands, they can be used to determine one's locationand the best route to reach another location.