MCS 10 Essential Pieces of Gear

Interesting and well thought out. Mine differs a little and there's a bigger difference when I consider essentials for work and day-to-day activities as opposed to purposefully heading to the outdoors.

I did a post a while back that I need to update. Instead of focusing on specific items, I went the route of "categories". For example, I just listed one essential as appropriate clothing and PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). As seasons change, so does you clothing and dress. PPE is a collection of the same equipment you identified...gloves, ballistic eyewear and I've added a hat (and/or a helmet for motorcycle or bicycle use). I do agree that ballistic glasses should have removable lenses to provide both polarized and clear capabilities.

Good write up. Making it simple, making it a habit and making it easy to maintain is what's important. :thumbup:

ROCK6
 
Although the list is well thought out, I wouldn't really put gloves and clothes into the 10 essentials list. I would put them perhaps into a 20 or 30 essentials list :D but then we've opened a can of worms. Also, I would put a means to procure food along side or before the actual food itself. I tend to think long term and when those cliff bars are gone, what then? Depending on your environment, glasses might be further down the list also. Although I see the rational, those aren't my personal top ten. I tend to be more old-school in that department.
 
Iboschi said:
Although the list is well thought out, I wouldn't really put gloves and clothes into the 10 essentials list. I would put them perhaps into a 20 or 30 essentials list :D but then we've opened a can of worms. Also, I would put a means to procure food along side or before the actual food itself. I tend to think long term and when those cliff bars are gone, what then? Depending on your environment, glasses might be further down the list also. Although I see the rational, those aren't my personal top ten. I tend to be more old-school in that department.
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Statistically speaking hand injuries are likely the most common. Pretty much any urban disaster will inspire a great appreciation for gloves. Food and water are basic human needs, if one has been paying attention to their environment and doing their homework the primary tools necessary for food procurement are there in ones head. There is only so much one can practically/physically edc... the bulk of that has to be in the form of knowledge.
 
Not totally the way I see things but important to get others views to see ones own shortcomings. Great to see you Mercop- I haven't seen your posts around here for a while (unless I missed them- totally possible).
 
Nice write up. Most of the things would be in my top 10 but a few of them...well thought out list.
 
KuRUpTD said:
Here's a good 10 essentials list posted by Kevin Estela that covers the basic necessities :

http://www.slideshare.net/kevinestela/the-ten-essentials
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Apples and oranges these are :) One clearly states that it is for the wilderness while the other clearly states that it is not.

A great example of how lists of essentials can vary not only from skill set to skill set, but from region to region, environment to environment, age group to age group....etc., etc.. The ten essentials for actually surviving the wilderness environment once you get there can vary greatly from the ten essentials it took to get you to it.

.
 
mistwalker said:
Statistically speaking hand injuries are likely the most common. Pretty much any urban disaster will inspire a great appreciation for gloves. Food and water are basic human needs, if one has been paying attention to their environment and doing their homework the primary tools necessary for food procurement are there in ones head. There is only so much one can practically/physically edc... the bulk of that has to be in the form of knowledge.
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I agree that the primary tool for sustinance procurement is skill related. However, some tools make it MUCH easier than zero tools, especially when calories are at a premium. If you're in a survival scenario, a cliff bar or two won't save your butt, but a bobbin of fishing line with a hook, or a bit of snare wire just might.

Regarding gloves. My mitts aren't weathered like my grandfathers, yet they aren't soft like my womans. Somehow, humans have lasted thousands 200,000 years without gloves. Prudence is the word of the day when handling dangerous materials or even mundane materials. As in everything survival related, attention must be paid.

Additional clothing (again) might be handy, but I'd trade in any of the above for some chemical water treatment options (especially in an urban scenario viruses may be an issue, and filters won't neutralize viruses), or a quality space blanket, button compass, whistle or mirror (this is while operating under the OPs emergency situation scenario rather than Bug-out or survival scenario).

The list reads more like "handy stuff to have around the job site" than anything. I actually have these things in my truck, but with this forum (W&SS) the post reads more like a top ten bug out bag list, and the priorities seem flawed in my opinion. MC states:
It is not based on fast roping of the Space Shuttle whacking tangos or bugging out to the woods with my family to create a new life for ourselves. Instead, it takes into consideration that during emergencies you will need what you need any other day, along with some other items.
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So, it is a list of every day AND emergency gear? So is this in Conjunction with a BOB with overlapping items, or are these the primary items and the BOB is inconsequential. There seems to be a contradiction, the list is built for emergencies and yet ISN'T built for emergencies, but every day use. I'll trade you all my cliff bars for a space blanket any day. When my woman is in shock or the weather requires we stay warm, we'll be grateful.


I'm not being argumentative here. I think survival priorities should be water, shelter, and food, in that order (generally depending on local, weather, health, and the season). Everything else is a matter of comfort.

With all respect due to Mercop, I think some of this could be a part of the top 20 essentials list, some of them ranking after 10. Mercop is a valuable contributer here with much wonderful info to share, and I respect that. Either I'm misinterpreting this list as a concept or we just disagree on this point. Either way, it spawned some great discussion and for that, I am always grateful.
 
Well thought out list. Eye protection is something that I hadn't really considered, even though I use it frequently at home and work. Go figure. Going to throw a pair of safety glasses in with my gear tonight.
 
Wow, glad to spark the conversation. I have not posed a bunch. Busy teaching and that means traveling. Today I leave to teach High Threat Driving for three days, then home for two, and then to IL to teach hospital sercurity, IET, SAS, and Vehicle Tactics.

Again, it took me years to settle on this list before I would put it out. I took a hard look of all the environments that I have found, or will likely find myself in, the gear I have a history of using and the gear I would most likely use.

Also understand that I have made my living since the age of 18 as a response guy, running to help others. Now I am pretty much retired from that but it is hard to break away when there are so many people in the crowd that are untrained.

In my experience of the the most common types of emergencies you can be involved in or roll up on is a motor vehicle accident. After responding to hundreds on and off duty I force myself to take the time to always put gloves on. Again, jagged metal, broken glass, and heat will damage hands, cause immediate task fixation and limit your effectiveness.

I also kind of have the Plane Crash mentality, meaning when I fly I want to have the stuff in my carry on that would best allow me to survive the ground, after the crash. You have no choice in where you crash, like you don't have a choice in some of the other emergency situations you find yourself in.

The bottom line is that I carry way more stuff than listed, and always have it within arms reach. Since I travel so much, when at home I find myself going to the Bag of Evil when I need something instead of the rest of the house.

Carry what you want, carry it everyday, be familiar with it.- George
 
Sooner or later, as you spend time outdoors, you eventually realize you are packing about the same items.
Covering water, food, shelter and comfort/security/safety means different specifics to different folks, but in the end, most of us choose many of the same items.
 
I would change some of the priorities for my area, but overall not a bad list to start out as. You just need to take into consideration what your strengths and weaknesses are.
 
Gloves and eye protection are great, especially if "bustin through" thick stands of juniper, and gloves if climbing up a dried creek bed.
 
jyearly said:
Gloves and eye protection are great, especially if "bustin through" thick stands of juniper, and gloves if climbing up a dried creek bed.
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I like to have leather gloves when I'm working with a large size campfire, processing a lot of wood, clearing woody brush, etc.

I've found they're especially helpful if you're working with locust trees, thistles, & nettle.

They also make great potholders in a pinch if your bail breaks on you.
 
Do you think the author has a financial interest in goinggear-dot-com??? I love surfing the internet to find ads to read... especially the educational/informative ones!!! <gag>
 
Gloves and towel are good thoughts I hadn't really considered before. I think as a list of essentials though, you have to really consider the intent. The clothing and food make sense in a response kit since you're not gonna be able to start a fire if you role up on a car accident and it's 20 degrees outside (and on that same note fire starting equipment gear ISN'T an essential item) or hunt/fish for food if you're hungry. where you're going to keep it, what you're intended scope of practice is, etc. dictate the rest of a kit like this. In the trunk of my car I keep for response purposes Stanley FUbar, a medkit (modeled after nutnfancy's level one kit), a hacksaw, warm clothes, water, fixed blade knife, good flashlight, lighter, and a blanket, in addition to a toolkit (with jumper cables) I put together for my car. It's not a kit I would pack around with, but I've rolled up on more than enough car accidents to require it in my trunk. I'll definitely toss in some mechanics gloves and a sterile towel after reading your list.

In terms of essential items for broader, longer term personal preservation, I lean more towards the kit KuRUpTD posted. A fixed blade knife, 550 cord, duct tape, flashlight, 3 methods of creating fire (storm matches, metal match, and butane lighter), medkit, couple of heavy trashbags (or barrel liners), signaling equipment, and metal water bottle seem to be universally applicable in this regard. certainly gloves and a towel couldn't hurt though.

Don't you guys think people stress about food WAY too much in a survival kit? Again, it depends on the goal of the kit. If you're concerned about getting lost in the woods for a day or two (or 7), then food isn't really that important, nor is a fish and tackle kit. if it's gonna live in the trunk of your car for emergency response, then there's no harm in throwing in a couple cliff bars or some granola and beef jerky. And in a BOB or extended stay kit, you need something more sustainable than a quick meal (hence the fish and tackle). It's all about intended purpose of use I suppose.
 
Your intro makes it sound like "I am not going to give you another survival kit list, but an EDC list for the emergencies that happen the most". Most people live in urban or suburban areas and are not hikers. However, a survival kits is just what it is, and the 10 Essentials list has been out for years since the Mountaineers came up with it.

I would include in the list a whistle and signal mirror, I do want to be found.

A metal water bottle or at least a metal can is very important to me, no better way to purify and carry water in a wooded area, a metal container can work for 20+ years, the same can't be said for a single filter cartridge of bottle of tablets. I like long term gear.
 
Great list. Has inspired me to update my list yet again. Just speaking of gear (we all know gear does not replace skill) there seem to be some pieces that end up on most all lists I have seen. And then there will be those items that are more environment specific. Thanks again for the post. :)
 
I've recently added headlamps and gloves to my gear. I've found them indispensible. Having hands-free lighting allows you to do more things efficiently after dark. Gloves protect your most valuable tools besides your brain ,helping to prevent injury. I've recently adopted using gloves batonning in the summer to protect from missed strikes and slivers.
 
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