Packing a day pack

A day pack does not have to be equipped for every imaginable situation. It is meant to help you get safely through an unplanned delay: a few hours waiting for help, a sudden change in the weather, an unexpected night outdoors. Most day trips go without incident. The reserve is for the few where things turn out differently.

The “Ten Essentials” list has proved its worth. It comes from the mountaineering organisation The Mountaineers and is presented in the handbook “Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills” as a list of functions: navigation, light, sun protection, first aid, tools and repair, fire, weather protection and insulation, emergency shelter, extra food and extra water. It is not about particular items but about making sure every function is covered somehow.

The list is a checklist, not a rigid packing scheme. For a walk in the town woods the reserve is smaller than for a mountain hike. In winter more insulation is added, on hot days more water and sun protection. The thought stays the same: what do I need if I am out for much longer than planned?

Weight: heavy things like water and food belong close to your back and in the middle. That keeps the centre of gravity close to your body, and the pack does not pull you backwards. Light, soft things like clothing go at the bottom or on the outside.

Access: what you need often or quickly on the way goes on top or in outer pockets – rain jacket, snacks, map, sun protection, phone. The first-aid kit does not belong right at the bottom but in a place everyone in the group knows. In an emergency someone other than you may be looking for it.

Protection: pack clothing, electronics and the first-aid kit in waterproof bags, or line the whole pack with one large bag. A rain cover alone does not always keep things dry, because water can get in along the back and the straps. Finally, adjust the straps so nothing swings: hip belt (if any) on the hip bones, shoulder straps snug, chest strap closed.

A change in the weather in the afternoon: it suddenly gets cool, windy and wet. With a rain jacket and a warm layer you carry on calmly or wait somewhere sheltered. Wearing only a T-shirt, you chill quickly – even in summer, especially in the mountains.

An injury: someone twists an ankle and cannot walk any more. It can take a long time for help to arrive. During that time the injured person sits still and cools down. Now a sit pad, emergency blanket, warm layer, hat and something to drink help more than anything else. A whistle helps you be heard and saves strength compared with shouting.

Dusk comes earlier than expected: one detour or a long break, and suddenly it is getting dark. With a headlamp you find your way far more safely than with your phone light – the phone is also your navigation and your way to call for help, so its battery is worth saving.

The best gear helps little if nobody knows where you are. Leave your route and planned return time with a trusted person and agree what they will do if you do not get in touch. Check the forecast before setting off and turn back if the weather gets worse than expected.

Do not rely on your phone as your only light and only means of navigation. The battery can run flat, there is often no signal in valleys or forests, and cold makes batteries weaken faster. A paper map and a lamp with its own batteries are a reliable reserve.

In an accident or if someone cannot go on: call the local emergency number (112 in the EU), describe the location as precisely as possible and protect the person from cold and wet – from below too, with something between them and the cold ground. For alpine routes or winter trips in avalanche terrain an ordinary day pack is not enough; they need additional specialist gear and training.

Put the basic kit together once and leave it in the pack: first-aid kit, lamp, emergency blanket, whistle, small repair items and a hat. Before each trip you then only add water, food, suitable clothing and the map for the route. That takes a few minutes.

A short checklist by the door helps: phone charged? Water filled? Weather checked? Route and return time left with someone? After the trip, replace straight away whatever was used – plasters, batteries, snacks – so the pack is complete again next time.

Children like carrying their own small pack with a water bottle, snack, whistle and a warm layer. Explain what the whistle is for: anyone who is lost stays where they are and blows it. The adult carries the actual reserve.