What annual time changes are supposed to be for changing batteries in smoke detectors, make May Day or Memorial Day the time you regularly go through your 10 essentials kits as well as hiking and trekking packs.

Make sure you replenish or refresh key items such as emergency matches, batteries and food. Moisture and light spawn mildew and molds, not to mention chemical breakdowns that are the main enemies of things kept in packs.

If you don’t do it every time you go through your outdoors gear, make these days the time you check emergency kits for these key things.

1. Matches

It is highly risky to rely on book matches or regular household stick matches alone in any day, bivouac or siege pack. While you may carry such in plastic boxes or bags for first-use, they should never be in an emergency kit. Last-resort matches should have thick, long sticks and waterproofed heads. They may be more difficult to light, but they are always more reliable. Have several different packages of matches from dry sunny day types to rainy or windy day sets. Make sure you replace abrasive strikers, because in storage they, too, can draw moisture and lose their roughness. Also check your backup tinder and hand fire-making implements. 2. Batteries

Disposable batteries in small backcountry appliances, such as flashlights, weather radios or GPS devices are not only problematic for losing their charge, their corrosive potential can damage the instrument. Even if the switch is shut off, small trickle discharges can occur due to moisture or characteristics of the electronic device itself. Batteries (disposable or rechargeable) in devices not regularly used can be shielded with electrician’s tape or card stock paper on their terminals until needed. Terminals of loose, backup batteries should be taped and the batteries kept in plastic bags. Check reusable batteries in solar chargers, too.

3. Foods

Emergency foods are not picked for their palatability, but rather for their ability to be kept for long periods in storage until they are needed. Depending in the nature of the need (the potential length of time away from proper nutrition) replacement carbohydrate calories is their first function, but such foods should have storable oils or fats, too. Pick emergency foods that don’t rely on water to reconstitute, but make sure you do have a way to provide reserve drinking water. If you go organic with dried fruits, check for mold. Also inspect cellophane or aluminum film for punctures and also confirm expiration or use-by dates. Another foe of the function of emergency items is temptation. More than one backcountry enthusiast has experienced the frustration of opening pre-packaged emergency kits in casual situations then trying to stuff the previously compressed, now seemingly bloated contents back into the box. Left to the air and light, match-heads soften and food gets crushed, melts or just goes stale.

Whether you build it yourself in a hard waterproof container or buy a pre-made emergency kit, opening and closing it should be limited to the dry, clean environs of home or at the appropriate moment in the field when their use is your last resort. By definition, emergency gear is a strictly a backup to an identical set of consumable pack items that are used regularly and replaced after every outing.