The Ten Essentials of Backpacking

[mitunnelrat]

Hygiene would be a must in my opinion.

I'm right with you on this, and have a hygiene kit in my BOB, but I only have the BOB now (revamp in progress but near completion, current weight is 31 pounds - winter load) to supplement my belt kit (21.5 pounds, complete), which is a self-contained unit in its own right. I don't have any hygiene items in it, though. I only packed what I absolutely needed to effectively move, shoot, and communicate.

As an aside, my FLC weighs in at a whopping 11 pounds (without water, 17 with) and my rifle weighs 7. That brings my current weight with pack, rifle, vest, and belt to 76.5 pounds. I need to add food and some odds n' ends to my loadout. I'm guesstimating another 10 pounds there at most, for a total estimated weight of 86-87 pounds. It sounds like a lot, but last time I weighed my kit it was at 150, so I dropped a total of 63 pounds!

Anyway, that was somewhat on topic I guess due to weight being an essential consideration in what we "need" to carry. But like I said, I have a hygiene kit, but I can also see where it wouldn't be an essential component to every kit.