In a dayhiker's kit, what are your most essential items for survival in the wilderness come what may?

Welcome to the forum RobertRogers, be prepared for a deluge of information in answer to your question. Everyone will have a different answer for you based on their own experience, you will just need to process the information based on your needs.

If I were to make a list to answer your question this would be it:

First make your quest simple and purchase one of Doug Ritter's Pocket Survival Packs it is a good foundation for a PSK (Personel Survival Kit) for backpacking/hiking. The PSP takes care of a matchless fire starter, signal mirror, whistle and a number of other important items.
Next I would add the following:

1. Adquate water, carry more then you think you need. I also carry something for backup water storage, like Gerber Breast Milk bags. Add some Micropur MP-1 water purification tabA lets and a couple coffee filters to complete your water kit.
2. A full sized compass and good maps of the area your are hiking in. Even if you are planning on travelling well worn trails you should have these items.
3. Headlamp or flashlight, an LED light is prefered with fresh batteries. for Dayhikers I personally think the smaller Petzl Headlamps like the Tikka are best.
4. Locking blade knife or locking blade multi-tool. Doug RItter's RSK MK1 and Leatherman's Wave are my choices.
5. Adventure Medical Kit's (AMK) Heat Sheet and Heat Sheet Bivy are a great addition to the PSP for warmth and shealter. The also double as a signal panel if needed.
6. Dress for sucsess, leave the house with the proper clothing already on and be prepared for the worse weather that could affect you. This includes making sure you have sunscreen, head cover, and sunglasses/eye protection.
7. GOOD footwear, don't skip on quality footwear...
8. A decent first aid kit, AMK makes a number of quality kits for a wide range of needs. I like the Ultra-light 0.7 for day hiking.
9. Your fire starting needs are taken care of in the PSP, but adding a simple BIC lighter or lifeboat matches are a good idea.
10. TELL SOMEONE WHERE YOU ARE GOING. Plan you hike and hike your plan! 90% of SAR is knowing where to start!
11. Expensive but a huge assest to getting found is a PLB... nothing better if you need to be found and rescued!

Hope this is a good start!

Perhaps the best thing to do is to just read this web site (and not just the forum). Next, go pick up a copy of Cody Lundun's "98.6" book. Those two things should get you off to a flying start.

You nailed it!

I"m a big fan of starting a kit with a Ritter PSP. It provides a one-stop way to pick up basic high quality gear at a reasonable price.

Before you pack away all your gear, slide the SparkLite sparker out of the PSP and spend some time lighting cotton balls with it - just to get a feel for how it works. Familiarity will help a lot if something bad happens. The rest of the PSP can pretty much stay packed up.

Many folks tend to slide a mini Bic lighter and a Photon-type LED light into the PSP kit too.

Another item that I prefer to include - but isn't discussed much - is a large bright bandanna. It is useful for keeping sun off your head, swatting bugs, wiping water off morning dew or small crevises - if needed, etc...

Make sure your survival kit is carry ON YOU in a fanny pack or daypack, not in a bag in the tent or car. If you don't have it with you it does absolutely no good.

Though the PSP does come with a little button compass, I'll agree with bringing a "real" compass and a GOOD map of the area. http://www.mytopo.com sells excellent USGS topo maps of the U.S.

Another item that can really help keep you from getting lost is a small GPS - such as a Garmin Geko. Before you head out walking, create a waypoint on the GPS identifying where your vehicle is. After that you'll always know the direction and distance to your vehicle, just in case. You can also pre-enter key waypoints along your hiking trail. This is much easier using software like ExpertGPS and then uploading the waypoints to your GPS. If you do that you'll need a GPS with a PC interface, such as the Geko 201 (as opposed to the 101).

As mentioned, a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) is the ultimate survival aid. It will quickly bring help to you.

and a jacket; either rain or warm. Makes a huge difference when the weather shifts.


Teacher

And tell someone where you're going and when youexpect to be back.

Just for fun, here's a variation of the Ten Essentials list.

01 First aid kit: bandanna, iodine, tape
02 Shelter: tarp or poncho plus cord
03 Woolens: cap, gloves, sweater, socks
04 Fire: matches, spark, tinder, and kindling
05 Mirror and whistle
06 Compass and map
07 Flashlight
08 Water
09 Knife and hone: folder with saw, ceramic
10 Pot: metal cup or kettle

The Ten Essential Groups
1. Medical- first aid kit, medications, insect repellant
2. Shelter- raingear, emergency blanket, tarp, rope
3. Communication- whistle, signal mirror, HAM radio, PLB, pen/pencil and paper, cellular phone, safety plan
4. Navigation- map, compass, light, GPS
5. Fire (pick 3)- matches, lighter, sparker/tinder, metal match, fresnel lens
6. Hydration- water container, purification method
7. Nutrition- extra food, fishing kit
8. Insulation- jacket, warm hat, gloves, proper footwear, closed-cell foam pad
9. Sun Protection- sunscreen, sunglasses, wide-brimmed hat
10. Tools- knife, repair kit, wristwatch

I like how you organized the list into 10 main categories. That is a very good way to remember them :-) I found this list of 15 essential survival things, but it is more item by item rather than by categories. It seems to fit well with what you guys are saying. essential for survival

Thanks. It is a better approach. I decided on this list to combine ideas from hiking and ideas from survival. I plan to write an article for the local Dallas Sierra Club.

IzzyJG99 wrote:

No offence intended, IzzyJG99, but what do you need with a Topo map? I know the area around you (I lived about an hour south of there two months ago). That land has exactly two elevations: dry and wet.

Honestly, I never felt the slightest need for a topo map in Florida. Maybe around the Mt. Dora area there MIGHT be some use for one, but you could probably do without.