OK...You two have talked me into it.
Bug net, Check!

TEACHER says:

1. "more water purification pills"....Check

2. "drop the chem lights in favor of other light source"... I don't think so. These are light weight and convenient. Spun on a short cord at night these can be seen for miles.

3. "add a fleece hat and fleece jacket ( tied on top) --even in the Summer nights get cold". Got it. That's at the end of the list. "User's add"

4. "sunglasses/ ball cap for sun protection", Again, bottom of list "User's Add"

5. Drop the paracord in favor of 50# fishing line... OK but how can you grasp and reef on #50 mono? I've been looking for flat nylon lace to no avail (thus far) anyone have leads?

6. "can you find a metal cup which fits on the bottom of one of your water bottles?" I have a foil bread pan but I like the cup idea too, as long as I don't have to pay a ridiculous price for it...(like titanium) Any leads to aluminum cups that fit a standard 16oz water bottle?

THANK YOU!

Schwert says:
"How are you storing the Potable-Aqua?" In tiny zip locs, two of them.

"I agree more tablets are necessary (or switching to another type). Glass vials with teflon seals are required to keep these tablets from decomposing." I may have to repackage these then right?

"I also think you should add matches in a waterproof case...or a disposable lighter. As Chris has pointed out many times having a familiar firestarting method for others to use to assist you can be a very good idea. Not everyone is familiar with a firesteel." That's a good idea.... I hate matches but I'll add them in a waterproof container.

What are Iosat tablets? Iosat is Potassium Iodide used to block the effects of radiation on the thyroid.. Learn more about radiation blocking.

Isn't it better to pack bug lotion containing DEET such as Ultrathon® by the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company (I thought 3M was Canadian before...) because you're sure to not put it on your synthetic clothes and you shouldn't put it under your clothes anyway. Another benefit of this kind of lotion is that you can see where you put it unlike the Muskol® clear liquid lotion. And this kind of lotion slows the absorbtion of DEET in the skin. That's also probably another reason why you should apply suncreen 30 min before DEET lotion if you have to protect against both sun and bugs.

Unfortunately for me Ultrathon® isn't allowed in Canada because since 2004 the maximum DEET % allowed here is 30. But the closest product I found is Watkins 28.5 DEET lotion and apparently many foresters in Québec swear by it but to be really sure I would have to try it myself and expose myself in a mosquito and black flies infested area because as Doug points out we don't all have the same body chemistry.

François

In my opinion, the knife sharpener is not required.

I would not bring tealight candles. I suggest UCO 9-hour burning candles... Non-dripping, long lasting, better burning.

I'm currently wondering what the so called pink lady candles have that other white emergency candles don't have. Why are they called pink lady?

Thanks

Yup....Potable-Aqua in a poly zip bag will degrade into an inactive tablet quite quickly and potentially damage adjacent items in the kit with iodine vapors.

In a kit this size I would simply carry the Potable-Aqua bottle they are supplied in....gives you 25 doses and shelf-life at the same time.

Switching to micropur is another alternative, but I just carry a full bottle of Potable-Aqua in my shoulder bag kit.

Bee, those are pretty cool. Is the wind guard on the lantern big enough to support a metal cup? More importantly can you put one on top without the candle going out.

I'm also wondering if they are dripless when not under compression in the lantern. Ever try cutting them down into smaller "tealight" size ones?

<img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> nice!

I wasn't necessarily talking about the UCO lantern as a whole, but only the non-drip candles that designed to be used in them (for the original poster's PSK project.