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Rules for the Ideal Backpacking Accessory

1. It is light.
2. It is compact.
3. It does at least one job well, preferably several.
4. It is cheap, it is free, or I already have it.

Some Suggestions

1. Bread Tabs: Make perfect clothes pins, consume no space, and add no weight.
2. A Length of Cord (10 m to 20 m): Braided nylon cord works well, but a good length of bailer twine will work too. This can be used as a clothes line, as extra tent rope, or for a number of other unforeseen circumstances, such as repairing packs, replacing broken shoe laces, tying up water bottles when cooling them in the creek, ... Avoid unnecessarily heavy rope.
3. Film Canisters: These make excellent containers for all types of small items, spices, and things you need to keep dry. They can be used as match containers if you are willing to cut off the matches slightly. Keep an eye open around your house for other compact containers; just remember to avoid glass. You might find:
   • Pill Bottles
   • Cake Decoration Vials
   • Spice Bottles
   • Contact Lens Solution Containers, and other finds ...
4. Plastic Margarine Containers: Make perfectly adequate bowls.
5. Metal Coffee Cans: Make perfectly adequate pots/billys. Just add handles.
6. Flagging (Hunting Marker Tape): Attach a piece of this tape to all valuables you carry in your pack (camera, compass, knife, flashlight, binoculars, ...) Then, using a permanent marker, write your name and phone number on the flagging. It's easy to misplace any of these items if not marked in this manner. A piece of flagging on the top of your pack will also make you more visible to those following you on a trail through the bush or - heaven forbid - to those looking for you if you are lost. You can also use flagging to mark your progress through heavy bush if you are lost.
7. A Garden Spade: The kind you would use to weed in the flower bed, the smaller the better. You probably already have one of these at home. Use this to bury the evidence when nature calls. In extremely wet weather, you may use it to trench around your tent to avoid flooding. Avoid trenching unless absolutely necessary, as this is a high-impact choice. Store the shovel in a plastic bag, preferably on the outside of your pack. One shovel can be shared among the members of quite a large group.
8. Folding Camp Saw: Not a necessity, but it can be useful in collecting deadfall in areas where fires are allowed. Or it can be used to trim up logs for sitting on. Consider this a group item. Leave the axe/hatchet at home.
9. Toiletries:
   • Toilet Paper: For a short trip, if packing as an individual, pack only a partial roll. Alternatively, pack as a group accessory.
   • Shampoo: Find a small bottle to hold this. Some hotels/motels are very helpful in providing these. Can be shared. Not necessary to bring.
   • Soap: Remember those motel soaps? An ideal size for packing. Pack in a ziploc or plastic container.  Liquid soap in a small bottle works very well.  Can be shared among friends.
   • Comb: Don't share.
   • Tooth Paste and Floss: The smaller the better. Share.
   • Toothbrush: Store in a ziploc. Don't share.
   • Wash cloth and Small Towel: Were not going to the beach remember. A viscose "super" towel will serve surprisingly well and consume very little space.  A bandana is versatile and can serve as a wash cloth.
   • Pads/Tampons
   • Hair bands
   • Contact Lens Solution
   • Case for Glasses/Sunglasses
10. Emergency Kit: The following items can be stored in a small fanny pack which can be worn comfortably around camp or any time you are not wearing your pack or sleeping.
    • A Small AA Flashlight or AAA headlamp: Provides plenty of light to navigate in a dark tent or around the campsite at night. If you are purchasing, look for a light to which you can attach a string. In this way, you can wear the light around your neck to allow for hands-free work in the dark. You can also purchase head bands to hold your flashlights or headlamps which come with their own headband.
    • A Sharp Knife: It does not need to be a 25 cm hunting knife. A small folding knife will do. If you do use a larger knife, make sure that you have a proper sheath to protect you from injuring yourself. The knife can be kept either in the emergency kit or in a sheath on your belt. It should always be readily accessible, while you are in camp. A knife with a locking blade is best.
    • Matches in a Sealed, Waterproof Container: Use regular, wooden, kitchen matches. Waterproof matches tend to be too small and more difficult to light. Penny Matches just don't cut it. Pack more than you think you will need.
    • A Compass: Should be marked in increments of 2^o. A Silva 7NL is an appropriate purchase.
    • Bic Lighter: Matches may get wet. Sometimes technology is a good thing.
    • Fire Starters: Can be purchased. Select the fibre style, not the solid fuel type (they stink). You can also make your own out of drier lint stuffed in paper egg cartons and topped with paraffin wax, or soak cotton puff balls in Vaseline and store them in a film canister. Store in a ziploc bag. Don't be a hero and think that you don't need these. Keep in mind that in an emergency which requires you to light a fire, you are probably wet and cold. The wood you want to burn will be in the same condition. 
    • Bouillon Cube or Cup-a-Soup: For emergency nutrition.
    • Eatmore Bar (or granola bar): Also an emergency ration. Don't eat it on the trail. You can eat once you are successfully on the road home. It will spoil before the next trip, right? A treat for a tired backpacker.
    • Aluminum Foil: Can be used for emergency cooking and for signaling (reflecting light).
    • Bandaids
    • Small Notepad and Pencil: Can be used to help you record compass bearings or calculate travel plans. Can be used to leave notes if lost. A pen can be used, but pens fail. Include a pencil; it can always be made to work, even on damp paper.
    • Safety Pins: These have many uses. They can replace wires in clevis pins on backpacks. They can hold together ripped or broken items. They can be used to fashion a sling from a piece of clothing. The list goes on ...
    • An Unbreakable Mirror: Can be used for signaling. Also useful for removing slivers, etc. from hard-to-see areas of the body. Not essential if you pack tin foil.
    • Whistle: Another signaling device.