Don’t know what the camping and hiking essentials are? These include: informing friends and family of your whereabouts, forecasting the weather, maps, compasses, first aid kits, Swiss army knife, additional food, clothing, and water, storage compartments, matches, flashlight or headlamp, fire starter, sunscreen, sunglasses, hat, whistle, water purifier, cell phone as well as a PDA. While it seems that this list is overloaded and just not necessary, you always have to be prepared. Again, the less you bring, the more dangerous a situation would be.