Ditch the fish hooks. They are a survival item and there is very little fishing on the AT on tops of the mountains. If you hike out west in remote mountain areas with lakes, I’d take some very small hooks (trout hooks) for the mountain lakes–don’t forget the line (fishing hooks no good without fishing line–LOL), say 5 pound test or so, which should be very light and plenty big enough for trout, most of which are a pound or so, or less.
U need some safety pins. Good for pinning a broken arm into a shirt sling. U also need some Duck tape—good for all sorts of purpose–blisters (use it like moleskin), splinting a broken arm or finger, repairing water leaks, repairing tents, etc. Take a duck tape roll and wrap about 4 or 5 wraps around your water bottle—that way you don’t have to carry the roll of duck tape. U can also wrap it around an MSR fuel bottle or a piece of cardboard.
These are some extra items I carry in my first aid kit, which seem to me to be needed and a good place to carry them: matches in a ziplock bag, cig lighter as backup, bug dope, hand sanitizer, iodine tablets/vitimin C tablets for water purification if needed, and modern snake bite suction device.
My first aid kit is way too big weight wise, say at least 3 lbs or more. But mine has lots of bandaids in it, gauze pads, etc, which are really not needed in the bulk and numbers of them I carry. But better safe than sorry. The first time you leave it home will be when you really need it. I’ve hear some horror stories about people ditching the first aid kit while hiking in a group, and then really needing it.
U can also carry soap in it, hand sanitizer you use daily, fingernail clippers, tp, etc. I’m beginning to do this more and more and I’m starting to use my first aid kit everytime I go out, bacause I carry needed items in it, which I use. I believe a first aid kit should be like this, used daily, not just thrown in the bottom of the pack and forgotten. Because if you do this, you will forget what it has in it, and maybe even forget you have it, in which case it becomes useless weight. I’m starting to use my hand sanitizer every time I eat, so I pop the kit open, use it, and zip it back up, that way I’m constantly seeing what is there, etc. U can also use it to carry a razor, shaving lotion, etc for long trips.
Ur kit looks pretty good to me. It is more than most hikers carry I think. And it should serve you well. Hope this helps.
See you out there. :cheers
Maintain
