UKC

I'll start off with my monocular. Fits in the mesh hip pocket on my daysack. Great for spotting wildlife, cheap light and bombproof.

In reply to CharlieMack:

My compact camera.

In reply to CharlieMack:

A hip flask - or is that essential?

In reply to CharlieMack:

wife

In reply to ow arm:

I'd go with little travel towel. On hot days you can have a quick jump in a lake or pool if the feeling takes you.

In reply to CharlieMack:

Short gaiters. Superb for keeping grit and stones out of boots (and eliminating the need to stop and remove same) and also for crossing patches of soft snow.

In reply to John Stainforth:

I think gaiters are essential if you don't walk on paths. At least few weeks ago some bogs were so terrible that half of regular length gaiters were covered in mud (and I still tried to avoid the worst parts!).

As I usually walk/scramble alone, my best friends are camera, notebook (not a computer!) and book. However, everything else is pretty much essential.

In reply to CharlieMack:

Little foam mat to sit on for lunch. Makes everything a lot more comfortable when stopped; takes up little space and weight is negligent.

In reply to CharlieMack:

Some sort of stove, to have a brew.

In reply to splat2million:


Agree. I have a little bit of z-rest foam mat as my lunch seat.

Not quite sure about the "non-essential" though; I replace the back padding in my rucksack with it so that I also have some ground insulation for unplanned bivvies. Had to sleep on it once, and it was a whole lot better than nothing.

In reply to CharlieMack:

my Kindle

In reply to CharlieMack:

Wetwipes

In reply to splat2million:

I just sit on my rucksack! Food gets packed in top pocket,and I sit on it sideways so I can access that pocket while seated on it.
When supervising DofE groups, I carry a little pocket game (tantrix) to play with other supervisors while waiting for groups to pass us. Only non essential I can think of that I carry

In reply to nufkin:

Wetwipes are the bomb