By Priya Anand, Backpacking Gear Research Writer · Published September 14, 2026, 6:03 PM ET · Updated September 29, 2026, 6:16 PM ET
Direct Answer
A hiking backpack should carry water, food, a map and compass or offline map, sun protection, an extra clothing layer, a first-aid kit, a headlamp, and a repair kit as a baseline. Overnight trips add a shelter, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, and cooking gear. This baseline matches the ten essentials used across US trail safety guidance.
In plain English
The Ten Essentials is a checklist of ten types of gear that hikers carry on every trip, short or long. They aren't ten exact items but ten jobs: finding your way, protecting you from the sun, keeping you warm, lighting the dark, treating small injuries, starting a fire, fixing broken gear, food, water, and shelter if you get stuck out overnight.
Most of it isn't for a normal day. It's for the day something goes wrong: a twisted ankle, a wrong turn, or a storm that rolls in. Think of it like the spare tire and first-aid kit in a car: you hope you won't need them, but you'd never leave home without them.
On an overnight trip, you add the things you'd sleep and cook with: a tent, a sleeping bag, a pad to sleep on, and a small stove.
The baseline answer is the ten essentials plus trip-specific food and water: navigation, sun protection, insulation, illumination, first-aid supplies, fire, a repair kit, nutrition, hydration, and emergency shelter. These ten categories apply whether the hike is two hours or two weeks; only the specific items and quantities inside each category change.
Day hike vs overnight
A day hike needs the ten essentials plus enough water and snacks for the planned hours outdoors, all fitting a daypack under 25 liters. An overnight trip adds a tent or tarp, a sleeping bag and pad, and a stove with fuel, which usually moves the pack into the 35–55 liter range.
Packing by category
Navigation and safety: map, compass, phone with offline maps, first-aid kit
Hydration: bottles or reservoir, plus a way to treat water for refills on longer routes (most portable filters don't remove viruses or bacteria; boiling is the most reliable method)
Food: trail snacks, plus a packed meal for hikes over four hours
Clothing: a rain shell or insulated layer, even when the forecast looks clear
Tools: a headlamp, a knife or multi-tool, and basic repair tape
What not to over-pack
Duplicate tools, oversized first-aid kits, and "just in case" items outside the ten essentials add weight without adding safety margin. A second knife, a full-size first-aid kit built for a group, or a week of spare clothing for a one-night trip are common sources of unnecessary weight that don't improve safety.
Weighing gear before a trip and cross-checking it against a base-weight target, as described in pack weight and base weight, keeps the pack useful instead of just heavy. Packing everything into stuff sacks by category, rather than loose in the main compartment, also makes it obvious at a glance if something on the list got left behind.
Why each essential earns its place
The NPS describes the Ten Essentials as items that help in minor injuries, sudden weather changes or unexpected emergencies.1 Several of its specific recommendations explain the gear choices: headlamps are the recommended light because they are hands-free, a pre-made first-aid kit is a good starting point that you adapt to the trip and your own medical needs, and bright clothing makes you easier for search and rescue to see.1
Insulation is the essential most often dropped on warm days. The CDC says hypothermia can develop even above 40°F when someone gets chilled from rain, sweat or cold water, and lists hikers among the people at higher risk.2 Sun protection matters in cool weather too. The EPA says UV intensity rises about 6% per kilometer of elevation and that overcast skies still let through about 31% of UV,3 and the CDC recommends broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher, reapplied every 2 to 4 hours.4
Water: carry, treat, or both
The page lists a filter for refills on longer routes. That's sound, but filters vary. The CDC says water from a clear mountain stream is generally not safe to drink untreated and that most portable filters remove parasites but not viruses or bacteria; boiling is its preferred method, for one minute, or three minutes above 6,500 feet.5 Check what your filter is rated to remove, and consider chemical treatment as a second step after filtering.
How much to carry depends on heat and effort. In hot weather, hikers can lose one to two quarts of water per hour, according to NPS guidance at Grand Canyon, which also suggests salty snacks to balance water intake.6 At the same time, the CDC Yellow Book warns that forcing water when you are not thirsty raises the risk of low blood sodium and advises drinking enough to relieve thirst.7
The essentials that don't go in the pack
Some of the most important preparation weighs nothing. The NPS advises leaving a trip plan with your route, timing and companions with a trusted person who is not on the trip, and notes this helps search and rescue.8 It also warns against relying on a cell phone for emergencies and suggests considering a personal locator beacon.8 If you do get lost, the NPS says to stay put unless there's an immediate threat to life, and notes a whistle helps rescuers find you while saving energy compared with yelling.9
Fire gear comes with rules. The NPS advises checking for fire bans, restrictions and the fire danger rating before building a fire,10 and California's national forests require campfire permits year-round outside developed sites, including for stoves.11 A fire starter stays in the kit for emergencies; whether you can use it depends on where and when you hike.
