Lesson 1: What do I need?

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Pack for this journey, not every journey

Every item in your pack is weight you carry up every hill. Sort what you could take into four kinds:

• Essential: the journey is unsafe or impossible without it. A sleeping bag when you camp, a torch, enough water, rain protection when rain is likely, food for every day.
• Useful: worth its weight on most journeys. Spare socks, a small towel, a phone for emergencies.
• Conditional: right for some conditions only. Insect repellent in humid forest, a warm hat on a cold ridge, a water filter where refills are few.
• Unnecessary: comfortable at home, heavy on the trail. A Bluetooth speaker, a big bottle of shampoo, a bath towel.