The regular Mini-Maglite is needlessly heavy. I don't understand why people still buy those, there are much nicer lights (i.e. the Fenix brand comes to mind, or other generic equivalents) out there for the price, and they are lighter as well.

A good headlamp with spares batteries is one of the essentials you must absolutely never be without. Bring it everytime you hike, even during the day. Don't rely on the Photon only. You could use NiMH rechargeables but bring alkaline as backups (or Lithium for multiday trips or during the winter).

It's not as hard as many people think to survive a few days in the wilderness. It mostly depends on your mindset. In the winter, there's nothing like spending a whole night around a fire and just enjoying the wind and snow falling down. I do this often with a buddy of mine, we build a fire, collect tons of firewood, sit down on our foam pads and just chat and laugh until 4 am.

The only thing we use to "survive" is proper clothing, a foam pad, a compass, a GPS, fire-starting material, a Bahco Laplander saw and some whiskey (beer has a tendency to freeze... lol).

Try to keep it simple. It's very easy to go overboard especially if you browse these forums for too long. I wouldn't bother with the metal cup, the larger knives, the sharpener, the firesteel (you have a Bic and the Spark-Lite already), the poncho (I prefer a Gore-tex jacket), the spork (unless you planned your meal and really need it). Also, careful with the containers and pouches. More weight. Maxpedition stuff is extremely rugged and great for some uses but for a recreational hiker, there are much lighter alternatives.