Thanks for your comments and helpful suggestions gents and ladies. Really I am trying to put the best kit together that I can without breaking the law. Instead of sharps I was thinking more of things that I might be able to take to improvise sharps in the field if necessary. In cities I should be able to aquire some things I agree, but as much as I bounce from country to country I can not really afford to keep buying and tossing equipment. I need to be able to cover the basics like food and water as well as medical supplies to cover most circumstances given the constraints on travel. I also need to keep it light which means probably keeping it pretty basic. I am thinking more of the if you couldn't carry anything on the prohibited list, how good of a kit can you make. Can you compensate for the sharps with other items that will either substitute or allow production of need items in the field? I was thinking of taking Doug Ritter personal survival kit found at AMK and removing anything prohibited for all the time carry and doing something similar with a personal kit that would stay in my bag. That or the other option is a completly custom kit. That's why I was asking about maybe a primite skills survival class to make the most of given items. Problem is the desert is pretty harsh and from what I have seen without some significant water and food carrying capability you can get into trouble fast. Part of my problem is weeding out to the truly essential or important items that will make things light enought to carry while still getting the job done. I would be happy to hear any thoughts you all might have.