Part of Recommended Outdoor Gear by Mark Verber
The following covers all items except clothing and the "big three", shelter, sleeping, and backpack. There are a wide variety of things people take to the outdoors. This list only covers things I would consider taking. Don't expect to find hand cranked blenders, battery power DVD players, etc in this page.
Rational: Next to staying warm, the most important survive factor is to make sure you drink an adequate amount of safe water. This means you need to carry water in something and be sure that your water is safe.
My Choice: I normally use a 3L Big Zip SL with a hydration tube. It is light, durable, and collapsible. I have sometimes used a pop bottle attached to my shoulder strap. I typically use Kaytadyn Micropur tablets. Most water is safe within 30 minutes of treatment. I sometimes combine an inline filter with my Platypus to make a gravity filter. In the winter I purify my water by boiling an extra few minutes and use wide mouth Gatorade bottles because they are one of the few light weight drink containers which can handle boiling water poured into them without melting.
Options:
Carry: For carrying water, the standard backpacking container is the Nalgene water bottle because they are nearly indestructible and have a wide mouth which makes them easy to fill. Boiling water doesn't melt them which make them particularly useful in the winter as hot water bottles. You should be aware classic Nalgene water bottles are made of polycarbonate based plastic which might pose a threat to pregnant women and young children. Nalgene now makes a number of bottles which don't leach chemicals into water. Empty pop and bottled-water containers are a cheap and lighter alternative to the classic Nalgene water bottle and are surprisingly durable. They are also a good size to hang on your shoulder strap (adventurer racer style) which gives easily access and can provide a bit of weight to counter balance your pack. Growing in popularity are flexible water containers such as the Platypus, Camelbak, Nalgene Wide-Mouth Cantenes, and the heavy duty MSR Dromedary bag. The Nalgene cantenes are nice because they are easy to fill and clean like the classic Nalgene bottle, but significantly lighter and can be collapsed. Platypus are pretty much the lightest and most compact option. The one downside of a Platypus bottle is the narrow mouth which can make it a challenge to clean, dry, and in some situations fill. To dry, shake all the water out, fill with air, and then put the platypus in the sun. It will dry in a day. Platypus makes the Zip SL model, with a zip lock top which is much easier to dry. In 2008 the updated Big Zip SL seems to have addressed the problems I have had getting the Zip II closed reliably. Some people express concerns about durability... but unless you really punish your gear, the platypus should be plenty durable. I used a 1st generation platypus daily for more than a year without a leak or a break and then on periodic trips for several more years. Hydration systems such as Camelbak and Platypus have become popular because you don't have to stop to get a drink. Personally, I think the Camelbak reserves are excessively complex and heavy, I think they are fine around the town, but would use something lighter backpacking. Evernew makes some bladders which are much like Platypus.
Treat: Next you need to be sure the water is safe to drink. These days water filters are very popular because you can drink the water you pump immediately, they are simple to use, they are effective at removing biological contamination, and some will also remove some chemicals and improve water taste. Filters are particularly useful if you are in locations which are hot and have few sources of water. You can "camel up" at a water spot immediately. The Pur Hiker seems to be the most popular, MSR SweetWater is the easiest to use (thanks to the pump handle being a lever - though the lever can break), and the new MSR Hyperflow (fastest, light, but not a durable as others). Note: in the cases of water with a lot of biological muck, or glacier runoff with lots of silt, filters clog very quickly. Sometimes you need to remove the water from stream / pond and let it sit for a hour or two so the crud settles out. If you are expect water sources to have a lot of crud, you should make sure your filter can be cleaned in the field and bring a pre-filter. Some people have found using home-make or commercial inline-gravity filter systems such as the ULA Amigo, Platypus CleanStream or MSR Autoflow work well. I haven't had a filter completely die in the field, but I have had some getting so clogged that it would take 3-4x the time to pump water. Chemical treatments are small, light weight, and doesn't clog. First, let me suggest that you should skip to common chemical treatments of iodine and bleach. Both chemical are more effective than nothing... but both chemicals are less effective than Chlorine Dioxide water purification. The EU will ban the selling of iodine as a water treatment in October 2009. This seems to be based on regulatory processes than any specific concern with iodine. I like Chlorine Dioxide because it is effective and has less of a "taste" than most other chemical water treatment. Just after treatment, the water can taste a bit like pool water just after treatment and becomes less pronounced if given a bit of time to "breath". In clear water it's fully effective in 30 minutes, in cloudy water everything but cysts are killed in 15 minutes, with the cysts taking up to 4 hours to neutralize. I use Kaytadyn Micropur tablets because they are so simple. I used to use Aqua Mira treatment drops (vendor page) in BPL droppers. There are a few other chlorine dioxide based treatments including the pre-mixed Klearwater, tablets made by Aqua Mira, and the MSR MIOX system. The tablets from Aqua Mira and Kaytadyn have three times the chemical load of the suggested dose using Aqua Mira drops making them more effective but also having a stronger taste. Recently, a number of products have come to market that use UV light to purify water. The most popular are made by Aqua Star and the Hydro Photon's SteriPEN Adventurer. The nice thing about the using UV light is it will purify reasonable clear water in something like 60 seconds. No work, just scoop up the water and turn on the light source. The downside of the UV systems are that they don't work well with cloudy water, and the systems is complex, which is more prone to fail. In particular, I have heard a number of failures reported in temperatures around freezing. It you decide to use a UV system, bring a chemical backup. Three minutes of boiling water is also highly effective. Anytime you aren't using a filter, there might been a need to deal with particular matter found in the water. There are a variety of techniques for this. A piece of women's nylon hose will keep the larger items out while permitting very fast fill-ups but this doesn't filter out things like algae which can clog things up. More effective, but slower tools include using a bandana, coffee filter, or a specifically designed "pre-filter". Another approach is to collect water, let it settle for a few hours, scoop out the floaters, and then carefully pour the water into another container (or scoop water out) leaving the material that settled on the bottom behind. PCTA folks have a nice article Water Sources and Purification and more details in Water Purification In the Backcountry Overview & Treatment Comparison. The most complete review I have seen is the US Army's Commercially Available Water Treatment
There is significant evidence that poor personal hygiene (e.g. not washing hands during food prep) is the most significant source of contamination in the back country, so some people don't purify their water sources. I think this is an unnecessary risk and don't recommend this approach. There has been quite a bit of discussion about Sierra Nevada Mountain Water: Is it Safe to Drink? One of the early scholarly look at this was performed in 1984 about Giardia Lamblia and Giardiasis in Sierra Nevada and a more recent study from UC Davis from 2003 seems to indicate that the water in most of the high sierras is still pretty clean. You can read their technical article An Analysis of Wilderness Water in Kings Canyon, Sequoia, and Yosemite National Parks for Coliform and Pathologic Bacteria or check out their press release Backcountry Water Quality tests are Good News for Campers. Related articles include Cyst acquisition rate for Giardia lamblia in backcountry travelers to Desolation Wildereness and Evidence based Medicine in the Wilderness: The Safety of backcountry Water.
The best place to take water is from the top 1/2 inch of a lake. Constant exposure to UV light from the sun tends to purify the top layer of a fixed body of water.
Low Cost: Empty plastic 1 L pop bottles to carry water, and Aqua Mira. If you aren't moving much and it's sunny, you can put the pop bottle filled with water in the sun. The sun's UV will kill off biological threats within 6 hours.
I am in the process of integrating text about technique with gear recommendations. For gear recommendations about stoves, cook kits / pots, or eating wares, see my page The Kitchen: Food & Cooking.
Rational: Many outdoor activities requires cutting things. Cutting needs might vary from food preparation to trimming material to cover a blister to hacking branches off a tree to build an emergency shelter.
My Choice: Most of the time the only knife I take is the knife that is always in my pocket, a Victorininox Rambler which is a lot like the tiny "Classic" except that it has a small philips head blade / bottle opener. The blade is adequate (though a bit short) for the food prep I do, I can cut through light rope when needed, the scissors are easier to use than a blade when trimming duct tape or other first aid pads / tape, I can manage my nails using the scissors and nail file, and the small flat head and Phillips head screw drivers have been useful when I need to tighten up various items. If I am doing a lot of food preparation which needs a knife with a longer blade, I take a Benchmade 530. If I expect to do a lot of wood craft I will typically take a Ritter RSK Mk1 Knife.
Options: There are a large variety of knives in the marketplace today. Options includes basic type (pocket, fixed blade, etc), type of ground used on the blade, quality of the materials, and finally style and craftsmanship. Doug Ritter's Sharp Stuff page has a good discussion of knife choices with an eye on survival. You can checkout Knife Forums and Blade Forums to see what knife enthusiasts have to say.
Pocket Knife: A knife is one of the most used tools while camping and backpacking, but there are many different styles selected by people. Ultra-light backpackers often make do with a tiny Swiss pocket knife like the Wenger Esquire or Victorinox Classic which have a small blade, scissors, a nail file, tweezers, and a toothpick. These tiny knives are more than adequate for basic "housekeeping" cutting. In the last thirty years the most popular outdoors knives seem to be the classic Camillus boy scout pocket knife and it's cousin, the medium size Swiss knife from Victorinox or Wenger which contain a can opener, bottle opener, awe, one or two blades, maybe a cord screw, maybe a philips head screw driver. Personally, I think a basic pocket knife is more than adequate for most tasks. Alas, the tendency of bloated "more is better" led to the creation of large Swiss "pocket" knives with their 10s of tools in a package that really doesn't fit comfortably in a pocket anymore. In general I don't like these knives since they are expensive, bulky, and I expect I will use less than 50% of the tools.
Multi-Tools: Growing in popularity are the multi-tools first introduced by Leatherman. These are typically foldable piers or scissors with a number of blades hidden away in the two handles. If you expect to be repairing machinery, these are a great option since it is like having a small toolbox in small package. Of course having a single package can be an issue since sometimes since you can't hold a bolt with the pliers and use a screw driver at the same time. I think multi-tools are typically not particularly useful in the back country. The Leatherman Squirt seems to be one of the more popular multi-tools among backpackers.
Folding Lock Blades: Folding lock blades are often a good compromise for people who expect to be doing a fair amount of cutting or whittling. By locking the blade they are much safer to use than typical pocket knives and are more compact than fixed blade knives. The most common locking mechanism is a liner lock. It's cheap, but not super reliable. In recent years there are a number of locking mechanisms which are significantly stronger and easier to use such as the AXIS from Benchmade. My favorite high quality lock blades Ritter RSK Mk1 Knife, Benchmade 520, Benchmade 530, Benchmade 805, and the ultimate and expensive Chris Reeve Sebenza. More reasonably priced lock blades include Buck Protege, CRKT Bandera, Gerber Ultralight LST, Kershaw Chive, AG Russell Featherlite, SOG Flash 1, and Spyderco Endura. Interesting looking is this relatively inexpensive titanium folder. Opinel makes a number of folding knives which have good quality steel blades, adaquate wooden handles, and cost around $10. I generally perfect the simplicity of a single blade locking knife, but there are some multi-blade pocket knives that include a number of blades such as the Victorinox Hunter.
Fixed Blade: Finally there are some people who really like fixed blade knives because of their durability and wide range of uses, and ability to stand up to serious abuse (chopping, digging, etc). You should stick with knives with a full tang for maximum durability. Keep in mind that you don't need a huge / heavy blade, 3" is actually plenty for tasks as described in the book Bushcraft, and a short article in field&stream about The Wilderness Blade. The pricy Chris Reeve Mountaineer I looks really nice (the now discontinued Aviator even nicer) but I haven't used either. The Fallkniven F1 is also nice, and has a cheaper street price of <$100. The most affordable, but decent quality fixed blades I have seen are from the Swedish maker Mora though they typically don't have a full tang. If you are around salt water a lot you might look at the Gerber Silver Trident or the titanium Mission MPK-10Ti. The smallest / lightest "fixed blade" might be a classic safety razor blade wrapped with a bit of tape to you don't cut you fingers on the "back" side.
Scissors: Some people have found that all their cutting jobs are easily handled with just a small pair of scissors. Super ultralight folks tear apart the Victorinox Classic, some use the scissors from the Victorinox Swiss Army Swiss Card, while others seem to like small blunt-end kid scissors.
Low Cost: The cheapest option would be a pocket strait razor at less than $1... but that's a bit minimalist for me. They are wicked sharp but I expect they dull pretty quickly like a razor. The other issue is that the blade shape isn't useful for a variety of tasks. Another option used by some are small scissors which can typically be found for less than $1. I generally would recommend the small Wenger Esquire and Victorinox Classic can be found for less than $10 and are often given away with someone's logo on the side. If you want a larger pocket knife, it is possible to find the classic Victorinox Recruit for around $11. If you want a locking blade folder, then you should be able to pick up a Opinel folding knife for less than $10, it will have a good blade with a wooden handle.
Rational: Flashlights let you continue your activities once it is too dark to see.
My Choice: I typically bring a a Fenix L1D handheld flashlight for night time navigation and the eQ hands free light for around camp task lighting. When I need a good all around headlamp which can be used for navigation I bring a PrincetonTec EOS (Rebel) Headlamp. I normally use NiMH rechargeable batteries, though I switch to Lithium batteries on snow camping trips.
Options: These days, I would recommend sticking with LED lights. They are more energy efficient than conventional bulbs (sometimes exceeding compact florescent), and significantly more durable and longer lived. There are three types of LED flashlights on the market today. Micro or button lights, headlamps, and the more traditional hand-held flashlights. I generally recommend getting a headlamp because the hands free operation is extremely useful and you can always use it like a hand light. Why would you use a headlamp in your hand? Having a light source coming from the same location as your eyes creates hard shadows which can make it harder to see things. When night hiking having the light coming from down around your waist makes it much easier to see the terrain. Secondly, when in groups, there is a tendency to turn toward people who are talking which minimally exposes them to the spill of the headlamp if the headlamp is properly adjusted down, or worst case, you just hit your friend with full force light. During summer months I would recommend using a modern NiHM rechargeables which I have found outperform classic alkaline batteries and are more eco-friendly. I would also recommend getting a conditioning charger because you can be losing more than half a batteries capacity using stupid charger. I normally recommend the La Crosse BC-900, though the Maha MH-c9000 has more features at the cost of ease of use. In cold conditions NiHM batteries function better than alkaline, but I would recommend using Lithium batteries because they even less effected by cold, hold more power, and, are 30-40% lighter as an extra bonus. You should be aware that lithium batteries burn-out some LED lamps. Most of the headlamps made by Princeton Tec have regulation which support Lithium batteries. For more information about flashlights, batteries, etc check out Candle Power Forums, cpfreviews, and flashlightreviews.com to learn what flashlight fanatics are raving about.
Button Lights: Small lights that are powered by watch batteries and have a single LED. These lights are very small and light. They typically have a few hours of useful light useful for basic camp tasks or easy navigation on well developed trails. All of these flashlight permit momentary on/off operation by squeezing the case, and most provide a way to "lock" the light on. Many of the locking mechanisms will accidentally turn on, draining the battery. While more expensive than some options, I think Doug Ritter's MkII Photon Freedom is the best button light currently made. It's surprisingly bright thanks to the Nichia LED, water resistant, and the batteries are easy to change. It's user interface is very good (easy to vary intensity and to select push-to-light mode, and the various strobes stay out of the way unless you need them). It is pretty resistant to getting turned off in the pocket it you switch it to the momentary-on (also known as morse code) mode. It also has an auto-off feature... you put it in the Morse code mode by pressing the switch around five times. Then press and hold. The light will turn on, turn off, and then after a second will flash once... then release the button. It's now in auto-off mode. The light will turn itself off after 2 minutes of use. It will stay in this mode until you put it into morse code mode again. Photon also makes the less expensive X-Light which has the same UI. Many people hold their button lights in their mouth for "hands free lighting:". This is ok to do time to time, but if you do this a lot you run the risk of rusting the guts of the light with your saliva. Some people put a Velcro dots on a button light so it can be attached to something, or use clip/frame that Photon includes with the Freedom for hands free lighting. Some people use a pair of button lights as their only light source. I have done this on a couple of trips and it worked fine when I just needs light around camp. For me, it's worth carrying a couple extra ounces to get a light that is more powerful and longer running that a button light.
Headlamps: I would recommend the updated PrincetonTec EOS (sometimes called the EOSR) which uses a Rebel bulb which is 2x as bright as around 2x as efficient as the original EOS (review) which used a first generation Luxeon bulb. The updated EOS now has a frosted lens which produces a a very even beam which is floody enough to use around camp while still having a good throw for navigation removing the need for Jim Wood's DIY EOS diffuser. The EOSR can run around 120 hours on low with enough light for basic camp chores (50h regulated), medium is good for basic navigation (6h regulated), and high for wayfinding (1h regulated). If you want a light for around camp I would recommend the Zebralight H501 which uses a highly efficient Cree bulb, provides three well selected brightness levels, a regulated power supply which enables good battery runtimes, a comfortable headband, fairly low weight, and a 80 degree flood pattern. The downside of all Zebralight is nighttime navigation. The flood pattern illuminates near objects, but more distant objects aren't touched by the beam and your night vision is destroyed. Zebralight make a number of other lights which have a more pleasant color ("w"), cheaper options, and/or a wider flood pattern (120 degrees). If you are looking for a compact headlamp I would suggest the Peztl Zipka2 that uses a Spectra "zip" cord rather than a more bulky headband at the cost of being able to easily adjust the angle of the beam. The new Tikka XL2 provides the closest competition to the EOS. The Tikka XL2's advantages over the EOS is that it has a built in diffuser which provides a broader flood than the EOSR and maybe a longer throw without the diffuser, a small red LED which can provide a bit of light while preserving your night vision, a battery life indicator, and it's slightly brighter on fresh batteries. Alas, it lacks voltage regulator which is a non-starter for me. There are a lot of choices if you don't want a regulated light. PrincetonTec, Petzl, and many other made a wide selection of lights... but remember don't confuse these unregulated lights "runtime" with the runtime on lights with good regulation. The regulated lights have a shorter run time, but while they are in regulation mode the light output is nearly as bright as with brand new batteries. Many unregulated lights have lost significant brightness in the first hour... so while they will run longer, the light isn't that useful. Lithium batteries keep their output fairly constant, but can damage LEDs in unregulated flashlights. Some people like the Coleman Cree Mini because it's small and light Cree powered headlight, but I don't like CR2 batteries. Some people like using micro headlamps which are much like the button lights with an elastic head strap. I think the best option for this is the Ritter's updated eQ hands free light because it's less than 1oz, uses a pair of to reasonably easy to find 2032 batteries, a good lens / reflector to maximize useful light, is very resistant to accidentally turning on, and has made a good trade-off on brightness to battery life. Some people like the Peztl e-Lite but I think it uses the batteries too quickly and the switch makes it a bit too easy to accidentally turn on. I would not recommend the Black Diamond Ion because it uses a hard to find battery and provides just one output level which seemed to be slightly less than a Photon Freedom on high. At the other end of light is the incredibly bright Petzl Ultra Belt able to produce something like 300+ lumens?! In very cold conditions I recommend getting a headlamp with a remote battery pack which can stay under your coat. Otherwise, the cold gets to the batteries which reduces the effective runtime.
Handlights: MiniMag lights have been very popular because they were close to indestructible and have adjustable focus from flood lighting to spotlighting. They are also heavy, so I would normally recommend choosing some other flashlight. There are a number of nice compact LED flashlights which have 1-3W bulbs. As with headlamps, I would recommend getting something that uses the Cree or Luxeon Rebel LED. There are numerous good options today. I would suggest you start by decided what battery size you want to use. Three factors typically effect battery selection: what batteries are being used by other devices, size/weight, and run time. I tend to favor AA batteries, so my specific recommendation reflect this. Today my first recommendation would be the Fenix L1D (L1D-CE review) which weights just 2oz with a lithium battery, or a bit more with NiNH rechargable. It's rock solid high quality light with a good user interface and one of the best power regulation circuits in the marketplace. I get 20+ hours using a rechargeable battery on low setting with a near constant output until the last hour, and can be switched to high mode were it's brighter than most 3W lights (~60 lumens). The only downside of the Fenix lights is that "low" is typically 10+ lumens which is often overkill. The Photon Proton Pro is also nice with the very feature rich with the "Freedom" circuit control and extra long running mode using a second LED which is red. Liteflux is well liked by flashlight geeks but I have no experience with them. The is also the Nitecore D10 with a highly variable output including a nice 3 lumen low but somewhat quirky user interface and mine sometimes turns itself off which can be a problem. If you really need more light than these lights, consider Fenix lights which use 2 AA or CR123A batteries. If you need a smaller / lighter flashlight, you could look at flashlights produced by the above manufacturer that use a 123 or AAA batteries. The iTP Light A3 EOS Upgrade Edition (Candlepower review of iTP EOS) is one of the best values at $20 for a high efficiency AAA flashlight with good regulation. One of the simplest LED hand lights with long run times is the Pac-Lite which connects two LED batteries to a 9V battery, though it's not very bright.
Fuel Lanterns: Not a flashlight, but close enough. In the old days, candle lanterns, or small oil lamps were the lightest way to provide long lasting light. There were not bright, but you could get something like 12 hours out of a 2oz candle. The candle holder would be another 4-6oz, or you could use sand in the bottom of a bag like Christmas time luminaries to save the weight of the lantern. These days LED lights with lithium batteries provide more light for a longer period of time for less weight and long term cost without the danger of catching something on fire. The old candle lantern has the one advantage of providing a bit of warmth which is nice on a cold night. There are also a number of small, pack-able gas lanterns. If you want a lot of light, there is no better option. For around 8oz you can get a canister lantern such as the Primus Alpine Yellowstone Easy Light Lantern which will provide the equivalent of a 40 watts light bulb. Note: While the Brunton Liberty Mantleless Lantern seems to be a good design, I was disappointed with the quality and quantity of light it produced (skip it).
Low Cost: For basic task lighting, the photon II knock-offs are $3 from Brasslite and a number of other companies.
Rational: You want to protect yourself from biting insects for comfort and health.
My Choice: I normally use physical barriers. Supplex clothing and a TinyFly head net. When I am not wearing supplex clothing I will use Ultrathon if I expect nasty bugs or Picaridin when I expect modest bug pressure. I have been trying Picaridin since 2007. Published research indicates that it is almost as effective as DEET in comparable concentrations (20% DEET -vs- 20% Picaridin). Picaridin doesn't feel slimy like DEET and don't damage plastics and elastics. For a bit more information, see my bites & stings first aid page.
Rational: Popular in Europe for years, trekking poles are catching on in North America. There are a number of reasons to use poles. First, they help provide stability when the footing is difficult such as crossing streams, on very narrow trails, cross snow fields, or when you go cross country over broken terrain. Second, using poles distributes the work load between legs and arms which many people find less fatiguing, especially when climbing hills or carrying heavy loads. Finally, using poles can relieve stress on knees, especially when going down steep hills. Note: I think that the right shoes (going nearly barefoot for many people) will provide more complete relief for knees and hips, though poles can help. I found four downsides with using poles. First, you are exposing your hands to more of the environment than normal... you run the risk of getting blisters and sunburn in a new location, and when it is raining, your hands can get quite wet (and cold). Second, I found my hands sweating more. Third, if using anti-shock poles, they are noisy enough to chase away some wildlife. Forth, while using poles seems to distribute the work load, it seems to use more energy than the times I don't use poles. Not surprisingly, using the poles gives your arms a workout, but that could be viewed as a good thing. Pete's Poles Page is a good place to learn about using trekking poles.
My Choice: I have used trekking poles on and off since 2002. They made a big difference as I was transitioning from carrying a heavy-weight load. These days I bring one or two Gossamer Gear Lightrek 4 Adjustable_Poles for river crossing, when I go cross country, and as a way to put up my shelter. Generally though, the pole(s) are attached to my pack because I found that I like to have my hands free and that using the poles changes my gait in a non optimal way.
Options: There are five factors to consider. First is the length of the poles. Shorter poles tend to be lighter and pack more compactly, but the don't have enough reach for taller people, and might not be sufficiently long for use with some shelters. Second is the material of the poles. Carbon-fiber is extremely stiff for a given weight, but is also susceptible to breaking if you aren't careful. Aluminum will be heavier than carbon-fiber poles, but more durable. Third, is the shape / angle / material of the handles. This seems to be a very personal choice, though positive angle grips seem to be generally preferred. Forth is whether the pole is a single piece of material or made of sections joined by some sort of locking device. I wish poles makers would stop using the twist locks because I have found them difficult to adjust and have had them fail twice. Finally, there is the question of whether to get poles with anti-shock devices. I originally tried the classic Leki Super Makalu COR-TEC PA. I used poles with the anti-shock feature turned on and off. There might have been a tiny improvement on the down-hills and level sections with the anti-shock feature enabled, but I am not convinced that the anti-stock feature is worth the extra weight, cost, and noise, but the angled handles were nice. If you can, I would suggest borrowing one anti-shock, and one normal pole and compare them. These days I typically don't use poles. If I was going to buy a new pair of poles today, I would consider:
Rational: Storage containers are often used to contain smaller items. The storage might be used for protection (water or crushing), make it easy to find, or to take up less room (compression devices).
My Choice: I used to use a varied collection of storage containers. These days I normally use three Sea to Summit ultra-light Drybags + some sort of food storage. My sleeping bag / quilt and any clothing that will only be used at night go into a 13L drybag. I never open this bag until I am in camp so what's in the bag will stay dry. Clothing that I might need during the day are in a separate 8L drybag. Small items which are sensitive to water (first aid kit, matches, etc) are organized using zip-lock bags and protected using a 4L drybag. Combining all the items in the drybag makes it easier to find in my pack than if the individual items were loose. If I regularly used a pack with a top lid, I would most likely have these items organized using small Aloksaks and do away with the drybag. All my cooking / eating items live inside my cooking pot which protects them from being crushed or poking other items.
Options: There are lots of storage options. Some people use compression sacks to make large, compressible items smaller. This can be useful if you are packing into a limited space and you have a number of bulky but compressible items. I typically don't use a compression sack because they make solid lumps which often create dead space and are compressing things I might not want to compress. For example, sleeping bags will have a longer light if you minimize the amount of compression it undergoes. Many people use stuff sacks of various sizes to make items findable. Stuff sacks can be made out of mesh or nylon. Dry bags such as the Sea to Summit ultra-light Drybags are an excellent way to keep larger items dry under normal conditions. If I was facing seriously wet conditions I would recommend a more heavy duty dry bag. There was a nice review of ultralight dry sacks at BPL.com. Another option are Aloksaks which looks like ziplock bags, but are air tight bio hazard rated containers waterproof to 200ft (in theory), and some versions "odor proof". I haven't found Aloksaks very durable... ziplock freezer bags last longer. They are also very difficult to sell properly. I would skip them. I have often found that I re-use contains other products come in. For example, bio-degradable soap goes in what was an micro eye-drop bottle. You can find lots of small contains at travel shops, outdoor stores like REI, and backpackinglight.com, and easytraveler inc. It is often useful for the storage containers to be either transparent or translucent so it is easy to fine items without having to open up the container. Some people will use a pack liner rather than individual containers to keep their gear dry. Doing this can be lighter, and more space efficient than protecting items individually. Effective pack liners might general use items like a large plastic garbage bag, a pack size sil-nylon drybags, or a very purpose driven design like the gossamergear pack liner bag. Sometimes items need to be protected from not just water but use from being crushed. There is often a rubbermate product that will do the job. If you need items to be ultra-protected, you should look heavy but effective hard cases made by Pelican.
Generally I like leaving high tech gadgets at home. Part the my joy on the trail is getting away from the rapid fire interrupts endured in a go-go world (cell phones, pagers, email, etc) and to have a sense of connectedness with the world rather than being distracted by various gadgets.
Compass, Maps, Mapping Programs
National Geography Mapping Software & Ink Jet Paper. Google Earth
GPS
In general I don't think GPS are needed or even that useful. A compass + map is more reliable and is cheaper. GPS requires batteries (while typically last between 10-20 hours), the electronics can fail (has happened to me). It's also possible to accidentally erase waypoints (I have done this), so don't only take a GPS unit. Some people use GPS units to closely monitor their progress (e.g. how far they have gone, how much for distance / time until the next stop). In general I think this will detract from the outdoor experience. GPS can be a blessing when normal navigation queues are missing: e.g. night time, during a white out (though you should most likely be hunkering down and not moving), the the middle of deserts without durable landmarks, or if your goal is pure speed. I don't normally take a GPS. I own a Geko 201 which gets used periodically. GPS don't make a good altimeter because the earth is irregularly shaped. For a list of good GPS units check out gps information. In some urban-ish locations, it is possible to use Cell phone as GPS.
Pedometers
Some people like using Pedometers to keep track of how far they have walked. They can be reasonably accurate +/-5% and will be lighter and use much less power than a GPS. I don't use one. From what I can tell, New Lifestyles makes the best pedometers. Low tech low cost version is ranger beads. Often accurate within 10%.
Communication and Signaling Technology
See short section on signaling & communication on my survival page. Note: Some people might bring high tech signaling devices such as a Sat Phones not so much for safety, as for a spouse or parent's piece of mind. Normal cell phone don't work in most back country locations... and if they did, do you want to receive a call in the middle of a trail. I generally recommend not taking computing devices on backpacking trips. One exception would be people on extended / thru hike. On these longer trips something like pocket mail or a PDA can enable keeping and sharing a journal with just moderate lag time. PDAs can also be a light weight way to carry reading material.
Weather Instruments
I have always been fascinated by weather. I like the Brunton line of weather instruments. I currently own a Brunton Atmospheric Data Center Pro and love it. I took it on every trip I went on for several years. This helped me to learn how various factors effected my perceptions of conditions, and what equipment / clothing allowed me to face various conditions comfortability. Kestrel and Skywatch seems to make a nice line of portable weather instruments. If all you care about is tracking temperature, take a look at the temperature logger from ibutton. Other ways to record max-min temp and read them on the trail are the Coghlan's C-Tech Time & Temp Digital Dangler, control company traceable stick, or the expensive oakton digital thermohygrometer.
Entertainment
iPods, Gameboys, etc. My recommendation is leave them at home.
Rational: The best thing you can take away from a trip are the memories. Pictures are a great way to remember what you have seen, and provide a great way to share some of your experiences with other.
My Choice: I my opinion, there are no cameras which are ideal for backpacking. I normally take an a Panasonic LX3 because it has pretty good image quality, can shoot RAW, and has a good wide angle lens which is good for scenery type pictures. When I want better image quality or pictures of wildlife I bring a Panasonic G1 with a 14-45, and 45-200mm lens. When I was using film I took a Leica/Minolta CL, but I have switched to 100% to Digital Photography.
Options: The first choice is if you are wanting a camera for snapshots, or you are wanting high quality images. If you want high quality images you choices are either somewhat heavy, high end digital ranger finders or DSLRs, or film cameras which use high quality lens. The lightest option is using film with a high quality range finder such as the old Leica CL. There are currently no pocketable digital cameras which have high quality sensors other than the Sigma DP-1 which is far from perfect. In the mean time the best options are the Canon Digital Rebel (cheapest), The Olympus E-420 (lightest), Leica M8 (expensive!). If snapshot quality is good enough for you, then there are lots of choices. In most cases I would recommend a digital camera. If you are going to be the in the field for an extended period of time, I would recommend going with a camera which uses AA batteries and a solar recharged if needed. If several hundred photos will be enough for any given trip, then one of the internal, proprietary batteries should be good enough.
Low Cost: Disposal cameras (typically I would recommend the file over the digital due to higher image quality) can be fairly inexpensive if you don't want to take a lot of pictures. There is the added benefit that you don't have to worry to much if it gets lose or broken since they are not very expensive.
Rope: Kelty Triptease, gossamer gear ezc2 line is really great because it has a strong sprectra core, holds knots unlike 100% spectra, and is reflective which make it much more noticeable in the middle of the night
Towels: Some people use a 100% cotton bandana. Some people like "pack towels" which are typically made from rayon. I like pack towels but find that they take a long time to dry. Recently I have heard the handy-wipes recommended as being durable enough to last several seasons, cheap, very absorbent, and dry quickly. A new entry is discovery trekking's wicking towel.