Essential nonessentials.

[ErktheRed]

I also bring a chair, it’s nice to relax comfortably and off the ground. Worth the added bulk.

Coffee contraption. Either AeroPress, or an ultralight French press. Not a coffee snob, but neither of those take long, require much work and result in good tasting coffee. And a good #2

A journal. I have a thing when I wake up. Make a small fire, get the coffee going, observe my soundings, enjoy real peacefulness, enjoy my coffee and log the previous day/night in my journal. If I don’t write down what happened, it’s likely I’ll forget a lot of the details later. Like weather, temperature, distance traveled, interactions, mosquito attacks, animal encounters.

Mind trap or trivia/cards. Mind trap is a game of riddles that makes you decipher a question that’s full of twists. I bring the travel version, it’s the size of a deck of cards

 

[scoutergriz]

An appropriately sized coffee percolator for me, big enough to make two cups per person, at least (and therefore, enough coffee that there is no chance it will need to be rationed). They're awkward and take up a lot of space in a pack and I've dug my heels in the sand on this one. I'm not a coffee "snob" by any means, but by God, I can't stand instant coffee. And I really like my coffee in the morning.

Pair it with an alcohol stove (another luxury I sometimes bring along), and you get silent coffee, done exactly to your liking. Your companions wake up to the smell of coffee, not the sound of you making it. If you can find one with no infernal plastic bits, you can use it over a campfire, too.

Instead of Prep H wipes, I bring baby wipes - the talc is very soothing. And I've found I'd rather just bring along witch hazel in a bottle and sturdy TP than Prep H. It's much less likely you'll screw it up and let them all dry out that way.

I use my pot to store the coffee fixins' in when it's not in use, I wrap the coffee and creamer ziplocks around the stem, and put my sugar substitute packs in the basket. That helps alleviate the "wasted space" issue, plus it protects the content from damage

 

[Jatfomike]

Definitely a chair! I forget the model, but started out with the original Helinox chair years ago, but as I get older it got harder to get out of....hard on the knees, so I upgraded a few years ago to the newer, similar model with longer legs......much easier....I also carry a helinox table for the cribbage tournaments and bourbon sipping when we are stuck under a fly due to storms......I am the only coffee drinker left amongst my tripping friends, if it's not a heavy travel/portage trip, I bring a small French press with freshly ground beans.....if it's a heavy travel trip, I opt for instant. I suppose the Bourbon would fall under the essential/non-essential category as well.....

Mike

 

[Grandpa Paddler]

Due to age and arthritis. 3 non-essentials are now essential: full size chair. canoe seat with back and a hammock. Without them it's lots of aspirin or ibuprofen and 2 or 3 trips to my chiropractor when I get home. Getting ain't for sissies