I bought the Bestglide NATO canteen kit: pouch, canteen, plastic cup, steel cup and cooker. In the winter it rides in one of our cars, but in the other three seasons I cant find much use for it. So, I decided to create a summer 10 essentials plus kit. I usually carry a lumbar pack while dayhiking in the Appalachians from late spring until early fall, when the night temps remain above freezing, with more gear than this. Ill likely post it later, and Ive already posted my winter kit elsewhere on ETS.
This is different. This kit is the bare minimum with which Id be willing to walk into the mountains, and then only for a daylight trip with a forecast for warm and fair weather. I could cram more into the pouch, certainly, but I want to be able to easily remove and replace the canteen. I welcome any suggestions, but please bear in mind that my main goal is to keep this small and light.
From top left, moving clockwise:
Bestglide canteen pouch with belt loops, webbing attachments and shoulder strap
Millenium energy bar, 400cal
25 paracord
Mini-Bic lighter
Paracord bracelet, containing 8 cord
Ritter MINI Mk1 lockblade knife
6 MicroPUR water purification tablets
Heatsheet emergency blanket
NATO 1L poly canteen
Small first aid kit in waterproof bag: Ibuprofen, Benadryl, Pepto, Imodium, band-aids, gauze pads, tweezers, moleskin, butterfly strips, antiseptic towelettes, and antibiotic, burn and hydrocortisone ointments.
Map. The NatGeo TOPO series are excellent, and they cover most of my stomping grounds in great detail. They are a good balance of scale: small enough to navigate by landform, but large enough to show road access.
The Ritter PSK is in the center. Mine is beefed up with 8 wooden matches, 4 MicroPUR tabs and a Ritter Photon. I just realized while typing this that the kit also needs the Photon clip so that I will have a hands-free source of light. Consider it added.
The sweater is a back-drop only. I don't carry it in summer. It was 79 degrees today.
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