The Expanded Ten Essentials
/As experienced hikers, we always make sure that we are hiking with The Ten Essentials which include navigation, a headlamp, sun protection, first aid, a knife, shelter, extra food, water and clothes. Check out this REI article to familiarize yourself with the classic Ten Essentials so you can learn more and be prepared!
Over time, we have discovered some items that we always bring on our hikes and consider them to be our personal, “expanded” ten essentials. Most of these items are inexpensive and can be found on Amazon. We have provided some links so you can be stocked up in time for your next trip!
Disclosure: We may earn a small commission for any purchases made through links in this post.
Trekking Poles: When we first starting hiking, we made the poor assumption that trekking poles are for “old people”. We were SO wrong. Trekking poles have saved our knees while descending from hikes and allowed for increased balance on precarious water crossings. It is important that your poles are light, yet durable. An inexpensive option that we love is TrailBuddy. They are a family owned business (even though they sell exclusively on Amazon) and they are extremely responsive. When Emily took a tumble on Mount Willey in the winter, the pole caught her fall but she broke the snow basket. TrailBuddy happily sent her a replacement snow basket!
Seat Pad: These are great because they are helpful during every hiking season. We initially bought them for the winter so that we could sit and take a break without our butts getting cold or wet. However, we have found that they are perfect in the summer for lounging on a rocky summit, and save you in the spring from sitting in the mud. They weigh virtually nothing and fit perfectly in the water bottle pocket. We bought REDCAMP pads, because they come in a two-pack and lots of fun colors!
Chocolate: Now some of you may think that this falls into the food category, but we believe that it needs to be highlighted on its own. There have been numerous times after conquering a tough section of trail or just suffering from fatigue that a bite of chocolate has rejuvenated us. Especially in the winter, when there is no melting issue, we always pack chocolate! We had a particularly scary experience on Mount Moosilauke a few winters ago, and snacking on chocolate brought our spirits back up!
Shewee: Men, keep scrolling. Ladies, listen up! This will change your life on the trail. This is essentially a funnel for women to assist with going to the bathroom. It is exceptionally helpful in the winter so that you don’t have to strip down, and saves you from squatting when your legs are already tired from a day of hiking! Sunany is the brand that Emily has but there are some other options out there.
Muscle roller: This is the best way to keep your muscles lose on a hike! Recently, Adam has been suffering from knee and muscle pain so the roller has been essential. We have gotten into a routine of stopping about every hour to roll out and get lose. This is especially helpful while hanging out at the summit and preparing for the hike down. If you don’t have a muscle roller, you can always use a regular rolling pin. Adam used to carry a rolling pin from the kitchen - people thought we were doing some wild backcountry cooking! He has since upgraded to a real muscle roller that you can check out here!
Chapstick: The worst feeling is getting awful chapped lips because it takes days for them to go back to normal. When hiking, the drastic temperature changes, whipping wind, and constant heavy breathing are all sources of chapped lips. We have gotten to the point where we have multiple chapsticks in the waist pocket of each of our backpacks. You won’t see us with chapped lips on the trail!
Phone Tripod: We will be the first to admit that we are very particular when it comes to our photos. We love using a tripod so that we can set it up, put the phone on a timer, and get the perfect shot even when no one else is around. This has been an added bonus during the COVID outbreak because we do not have to ask strangers to hold our phone. This tripod is great because it is small, and its legs are flexible so that you can wrap it around a tree, or balance it on an uneven surface.
Bug Net: After a miserable experience in June on Mount Carrigain we went out and bought bug nets that same afternoon. The one downside to these is that it can get quite warm, but it is so much better than the horrible black flies. It is hard to enjoy hiking when the bugs are constantly in your mouth, nose, and eyes and these solve that problem! We like the ones we have because the wide-brim hat prevents the net from sticking to your face. We purchased them from a gas station in Twin Mountain. Check out the photo below for inspiration!
ViewRanger: This is a great GPS app for your phone. It is obviously important to have a traditional compass and map, and we are not advocating for relying on your cell phone, but this is a great tool that we use often. You can load the hiking trails ahead of time so you can use the maps without cell-service. The app can track your location so you can see where you are on the trail, see how much elevation gain/loss you still have, and you can record your hikes. Another popular GPS app is Gaia.
Car Clothes: When we do a day trip from Massachusetts and head up to the White Mountains, it can be a long day. For some reason, we never used to bring a change of clothes for the drive home! We definitely recommend leaving some comfy clothes, fresh socks, and cozy slippers to rest your feet for the ride home!
What do you think about our bonus essentials? What are some of yours? Let us know in the comments below!
Super thankful to have our bug nets!
Emily enjoying her TrailBuddy poles!
A shot of how we hook items onto our packs when we have a large load!
