There are only about 10 essentials
in a typical survival kit, so anything beyond that is not essential.
I’ve been working on my packing list for several years and recheck it after every trip. On most trips I use every item I bring except for emergency items. So I considered everything I bring to be important because it all gets used.
E-Reader
and solar charger.
Platypus of wine.
The three add to a relaxing time between dinner and sleep.
or a pleasant afternoon if I just feel like being lazy.
stuff to bring
I want to camp with seatosummit.
Non essentials?
Pipes, tobacco, and The Glenlivet.
Oh wait, you were looking for NON ESSENTIALS?
I dunno, TP, food, water?
Wanda The Inflatable Boat Bitch
Go in style
I once traveled overnight downriver with fold-up aluminum table, full size fold-up chairs, linen table cloth & napkins, china plates, wine glasses, T-bone steaks, potatoes for baking, salad, two bottles of wine, charcoal grill, 3-person tent, inflatable full-sized mattress with fitted sheets, comforter cover, pillows, portable toilet, and separate changing tent. There’s nothing like roughing it in style. 
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I would love to see you
in Algonquin with that kit… No I won’t help on the portages.
Answering the question is really kind of just another way to pass the time…pretty much like playing Candy Crush.
Clearly the canoe guys take alot more
Boy the canoe guys are really spoiled with all the extras they take. Being a kayak only guy I cant take many extras. A crazy creek chair, a solar shower, and maybe some junk food (potatoes chips).
Lots of good ideas here. One item I find to be a fun luxury is some extra lighting. A string of tiny led christmas lights , and some fake candles (votive size). They are lightweight and add a nice touch to camp.
Dark chocolate
Fancy hi test coffee in a can. Beats the hell out of having to boil water before getting caffeine in me.
Book.
Slippers with a good sole
Hotel reservation 
Lazarus thread!
Funny how often scotch is mentioned… Balvenie doublewood here. Camp chair, nice air mattress.
Yikes! 8 years later and this thread has resurfaced. Good call @kevburg!
It’s been so long, I forgot I was the OP! And in reading my Top 3, not much has changed including the fact that I still don’t know how to play the harmonica. Maybe this is the year!
It really is interesting to read the responses and see how differently people interpret “non-essentials”.
Poor planning has made me a minimalist. I usually just take a spoon. So a fork is a luxury. Sometimes I splurge and take two plastic cups, that way I can eat my oatmeal and drink my coffee without having to separate them into courses. I guess I’m really splurging if I take the paco pad compared to a more modest thin insulite pad. Real maps are always a welcome bonus and soft granola bars versus the old hard style are pretty decadent.
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On big western rivers we don’t portage. We line the boats sometimes. I like big canoes. Everything on this post is pretty much essential for old guys to be comfortable. Cooler with fresh food and furniture especially.
I like to bring something people don’t expect like baking a cake, some rare whiskey or a great poem to read. One of these days I will be giving my brother a Golden Mule Shoe Award.
I am ingrained with the “Fast and Light” type mentality of packing because of my many years in the USMC, and also from spike camping for elk hunts and Big Horn Sheep hunts.
The luxury hunting camps outfit all kinds of goodies, and when I worked them I went with pack strings of horses and mules, as many as 9 per trip. But when I go out myself I pack like I did as a Marine on reconnaissance patrols. I do much the same in my kayak. The only non-essentials I take as a rule are a book to read at nights, and my shaving kit. I really need not shave when in the field, but I just like being clean shaven. So that’s my non-essentials. Book, razor, soap and shaving brush.
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telescope! cool idea. Which one and how do you keep it safe?
I bring cookies. Either Oreos or the store brand ginger snaps. Something sweet and crunchy that feels luxurious.
I have a little write in the rain notebook i take and do travel journal in (date, location, route, interesting things seen, gear in need of work).