Click on any photo in this list to see more about it on Amazon.com

COMPASS

The compass can be the sexiest item in your safety kit. The style you use can depend on whether or not you plan to blaze your own trails or just generally follow them.  The point is, however, that the compass really shines when you least want to need it -- when you're lost.  That said, start with taking a navigation course to learn how to use a compass, then decide which kind is best for your purposes.

FIRST AID KIT

Adventure Medical Kits is an excellent outdoors brand. Their kits will come with most of what you need for hiking. At home you can add specialty items (like poison oak wipes, etc.) from your own home stash.

JACKET

Stuff an ultralight thin windbreaker in the bottom of your pack and forget about it. Seriously. If you ever forget a jacket it will be there when you need it most. Just remember to stuff it back down there when you take it off.

FLASHLIGHT

Pretty Cool

Hands-Free

Tiniest

WATERPROOF MATCHES

If you need to get warm, chances are the emergency is that you got caught in the rain and are freezing. Make sure the matches stay dry!

POCKET KNIFE UTILITY TOOL

WATER PURIFICATION

A few good options:

Sawyer Squeeze

Steripen

Purification Tablets

EMERGENCY BLANKET

Emergency blankets are truly for emergencies only. Have one and carry it, it might keep you alive, but understand that it will not keep you very warm. It is no substitute for packing smart.

Remember, when you're backpacking, everything you carry weighs something and those ounces add up to pounds really quickly. It is important to first weigh comfort at night vs. comfort while hiking.  

For shelter, you can opt for a tent that totally seals you in from wind, rain, dirt and bugs, or you can just carry a tarp that you roll up in to protect from wind or drape over a rope if it starts to rain.

Long distance backpackers have very light, efficient sleep and shelter systems that are low on the cushiony softness/element protection factor. Car campers, on the other hand, don't have to carry their portable homes much further than the length of a picnic table so the sky's the limit.  Just about any arrangement will work for car camping as long as it keeps you warm enough and you have space in your car, so below are a couple of functional, economical backpacker weight sleeping systems that should work well for every level of outdoor explorer.

Sleeping Pad

Therm-a-rest Z Lite Sol is a perfect backpacking sleeping pad because it is very light, nearly indestructible, and reflects your body heat to keep you toasty. Outdoor nights in Southern California get colder than you may think. You could be waking up in 40-degree temperatures. Heat reflective properties are a great feature in a sleeping pad.

Thick, cushiony, inflatable pads that are also light to carry can get extremely pricey.  Below is a product that inflates to 2.2 inches and only costs around $45, which is pretty spectacular for how light it is: less than 1 lb and pack smaller than a water bottle!

Sleeping Bag

This is an unbelievably inexpensive sleeping bag for the qualities it has. It is a synthetic fill bag rated down to 15 degrees. It weighs only 2.5 lbs and compresses to fit in a backpack. It costs only $145. Really an incredible deal on Amazon.

It doesn't come with a compression sack. Here's one that will fit and is cheap.

Minimalist Shelter

This lightweight tarp shelter package comes with ropes, stakes, tarp, and carrying sack for $25. Pretty good!

Bivy

A bivy is basically a pole-less sack-like tent that seals you in from dirt, bugs, and the elements. Its a lightweight minimalist option if all you want to do in your shelter is sleep.

Bivy Tent

A bivy tent is kind of a hybrid Bivy and Tent. It is a very small tent that has minimal shape and structure to it.  It does use a couple of poles and usually you have to stake it to the ground so it will keep is shape. It gives you a bit more wiggle room inside than just a bivy.

Tent

A one-person tent is all you need if you are by yourself, but they tend to weigh almost as much as a 2-person tent and here's a hint. If you are traveling with a buddy, you can each carry parts for the tent and cut that weight in half! The trade-off is you have to sleep really really close together. Perhaps that's what you're angling for you wild woman ;-) No matter what size backpacking tent you are shopping for (1-4 people), you should aim to keep it under 5 lbs at the absolute maximum. The trick is to shop for something that costs as little as possible and also weighs as little as possible, and that is a trick. Lighter weight always equals higher price. When tent shopping, your budget will dictate how light you can go.

The 1 person tent below uses trekking poles to support it which saves you a lot of weight and is a smart option if you plan to have 2 hiking poles with you anyway. It comes in at a very light 1.5 lbs. for $99.

Below is a freestanding 1-person tent that comes with everything you need to set it up. It weighs only 1 lb 10 oz (heaven), but costs $260.

Big Agnes brand sells a 2-person tent for $285 that weighs only 2 lbs. That's one pound per person if you share!