Campsite & First-Aid Checklist Generator
The Ten Essentials plus what your specific trip adds — tickable, printable, and saved while you pack.
Ticks and your own items are saved in this browser, so the list survives a reload while you are packing.
The Ten Essentials
Every trip, every time — including the short one.
For this trip
Your items
Why "systems" and not a fixed item list
The Ten Essentials were originally a literal list of ten objects. It was rewritten as ten systems because the right answer genuinely varies: navigation on a signed day trail and navigation on a trackless winter route are different problems, and a list that names a specific compass is wrong for one of them.
The one that gets left behind most often is emergency shelter, because people reason that they are already carrying a tent. That misses the point — it is what you have when you are three miles from camp with a twisted ankle and the light is going. For a day hike a bivy bag weighs a few ounces and is the difference between an uncomfortable night and a rescue.
How to use
- Set the trip type, length and season.
- Work through the generated list.
- Add anything specific to your route.
- Check the list again at the door, not only when packing.
Frequently asked questions
What are the Ten Essentials?
A checklist originated by The Mountaineers, now framed as systems rather than items: navigation, headlamp, sun protection, first aid, knife and repair kit, fire, emergency shelter, extra food, extra water and extra clothing. The systems framing matters — it is about the function, not carrying one specific object.
Do I really need all of them on a short walk?
The honest answer is that most incidents involving unprepared walkers begin as short walks. A twisted ankle two miles out on a summer afternoon becomes a cold night if nobody has a light or a layer. Scaling the quantity to the trip is sensible; skipping the categories entirely is what gets people into difficulty.
What do people most often forget?
A headlamp, and warm layers for a trip that was only ever going to be daytime. Both are the items you do not need until the plan slips, which is precisely when you cannot get them.
Should I tell someone where I am going?
Yes, and it is the cheapest safety measure available. A route, a return time and who to call if you do not report back turns a search from a guess into a task. It costs a text message and it is left off far too many checklists.
Does a checklist actually help?
Substantially, and the evidence from aviation and surgery is strong. Checklists work because memory under time pressure is unreliable in exactly the ways people are confident it is not. Reading it rather than glancing at it is what makes the difference.
Where is my list stored?
In your browser on this device while you pack, with nothing uploaded. It does not sync elsewhere, so print it if you want it away from the screen.
🔒 This tool runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter is uploaded, logged, or stored.