Benadryl (Diphenhydramine hydrochloride) and it's drowsiness effect is different on different people. I had 6 tablets in a blister pak in my FAK. I gave two to my nephew as a "just in case", who I knew has reactions to bee/wasp stings. That left me with 4 x 25mg which is basically 1 day's worth that I stretched over 7 days. Next time in heavy mosquito country, I will bring more because while it was handy to relieve the itch, my body still reacted to the mosquito bites with edema in my hands.

My other issue was that I experience cramping in my legs when I don't replace my sodium/potassium sufficiently. Sodium is easy to get in any salt but I lacked the potassium which I prefer to get naturally by bananas or artificially with Gatorade. Powdered Gatorade (G2) is probably going to be a staple in my FAK in the future.
http://www.powdermixdirect.com/G2-Gatorade-Propel-Powder-Sticks-s/38.htm

I keep these electrolyte tablets in my FAK. Much more compact and they seem to be pretty effective in my experience. I don't recall where I actually bought them, probably RedFlare, Emergency Essentials or Chinook.

Hmm. Electrolyte tabs are not a bad idea at all.

I keep little packets of salt in my kit. I also sometimes bring Gatorade* or Cytomax* powder pre-measured into Ziploc bags as part of my normal (non emergency) carry. I don't plan to use salt on the trail; it's there as a just in case.

On other fronts, I made a slight tweak to my list. Let's see how this flies. I moved Chapstick* from a separate item to the general sun protection category. I like calling Chapstick out separately since a lot of people will remember things like a hat and sunscreen while forgetting Chapstick, but it does belong in the sun protection category. Hopefully people will read the list carefully.

Moving Chapstick up to the Sun Protection category allowed me to move a multi-tool or SAK into the top twenty which I think is more in keeping with the actual value of a multi-tool or SAK.

I added a cell phone to take the place of the multi-tool or SAK in the last ten items. A cell phone is kind of questionable item I realize. If you're really out in the wilderness, there aren't going to be any cell towers. I certainly would never depend on a cell phone, but it just might be a handy tool provided there are other things in your arsenal. Also, while I do like to get out into deeper wilderness, I only have time to do so occasionally; the majority of my outings are closer to town where a cell phone might come in really handy. I'll append the revised list below.

HJ

*Usual disclaimer: I have no financial interest in any product I mention.


**The 10 Essentials**
- Map (topo, preferably around 1:25,000 scale with approx. 40' contour intervals)
- Compass
- Light (headlamp or flashlight), LED strongly preferred -- with extra batteries
- Sun protection -- hat, sun glasses, sunscreen, Chapstick (SPF 30)
- Extra food & water
- Extra clothing
- Matches (or lighter or fire steel or sparker) <==at least 2 methods
- Firestarter (tinder) -- e.g. Tinder Qwick, Wet Fire, Vaseline cotton balls, candle, etc.
- Knife -- Fixed blade preferred
- FAK

**Additional Essentials**
- Duct tape
- Important Meds (3 day supply) -- Perscriptions, Antihistimines, Immodium, Anti-Inflamatory, etc.
- Whistle
- Signal Mirror
- Shelter (e.g. space blanket, space blanket bivvy sack, tube tent, etc.)
- Raingear
- Watch
- Bandana
- Insect repellent (DEET or Picaridin)
- Multitool or SAK

**Strongly Recommended**
- Cell phone
- 55 gal trash can liners (3) -- Can be used as a pack cover when in camp, ground sheet for shelter, pack liner, etc.
- Needle & thread
- Key chain sized LED light (as a backup)
- PLB
- Strong Nylon Cord -- Parachute "550" cord (Mil Spec) is an excellent choice
- Water retrieval device (straw, tubing, sierra cup, etc.)
- Water purification means
- Backup compass
- Pen & paper

To me, it never made much sense to count items needed for a particular outing. That is why I decided to group my essentials into Ten Essential Groups. Multiuse items may fit into multiple groups.

1. Medical- ID/medical tag, first aid kit, medications, insect repellant, bug netting
2. Shelter- raingear, garbage bags, emergency blanket, bivy sack, tarp, tent
3. Fire- matches, lighter, sparker/tinder, fresnel lens, stove/fuel
4. Hydration- water container, purification method, straw
5. Communication- safety plan, whistle, pen/pencil and paper, signal mirror, cellular phone, satellite phone, HAM radio, personal locator beacon, weather radio
6. Navigation- map, compass, light, altimeter, GPS
7. Nutrition- extra food, fishing kit
8. Insulation- jacket, hat, gloves, footwear, foam pad
9. Sun Protection- sunscreen, sunglasses, wide-brimmed hat, lip balm with spf, long sleeved/legged clothing, gloves
10. Tools- knife/multitool, repair kit, wristwatch, bandana, rope/cord, duct tape, money

That's actually a very good, certainly better than the original ten essentials, way of organizing things: around functions as opposed to individual items. The Mountaineers, the organization that came up with the original ten essentials now promotes the Ten Essential Systems just as you do.

One thing I've always objected to with respect to lists is that they tell you what to bring but not why. A list organized around function (as yours is) is a step in the direction of rectifying that short coming.

HJ

A cell phone (smartphone) can be much more useful than just making/receiving phone calls (even when not in range of a cell tower).


Here are things it can do even when not in range of a cell tower:

Most now have a GPS.
Many also have a compass app.
Many can store off line topo maps that will work with the GPS.
Together these can track your trail on the map.
They can measure inclines and distances.
They can store medical reference manuals, or edible wild plants info and pictures, etc., etc.
You can make electronic notes.

I put mine in the top 10 (including either a spare battery or a solar charger).

Interesting.

I know my phone has a GPS chip in it, but I don't know if it can display coordinates. I'll have to check into that.

Cell phones have the ability to broadcast your position. Most of the time, cell phones only broadcast your position if you call 911. However, since I'm a hiker, I set the locator function to "on" so that my position is broadcast continually. In other words, as long as there's a cell tower, the phone company has a "track" of where I am. Now, in deep wilderness this may not be particularly useful, but at least they'll have a last known position for me. The Sheriff's office here won't even start a search unless they can verify where a person is by finding a vehicle at a trailhead or other positive proof that the person is actually there. At the very least, a cell phone track might be able to persuade the local authorities to start a search.

HJ