Greatings Ladies and Gents; Hope all are well. Personal quest of mine; present company accepted but we are not representative of the population in general and the outdoors community specificly. Yearly, we find folks that got injured, lost or for whatever reason stranded in situitations that they weren't prepared nor equipped to deal with and as a result all to frequently have unfortunate outcomes. IMO survival equipment should be divided into on person (ETS PSK, PFAK, on body EDC), with the important stuff dummy corded to you, and clothing chosen as the first layer of shelter (environmental armor). This is so if you lost or were seperated from your pack, you could still function. In pack, I agree with the above. Additionally, extra clothes/ insulation, spare batteries/bulbs for headlight ( hands free illumination is great) and for the LED flashlight that is on body EDC. How about a map? Re first-aid,a more comperhensive kit, and look into what 's known in the tactical/millitary community as a blowout kit. It contains stuff for gun shot wounds/ knife wounds ect. Keeps you or someone else alive untill help arrives. Check out Old Jimbo's site Re: axes, the old one's that frequented the north woods in winter would often reach for their axe before their knife <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />. How about a folding saw? Chemical lightsticks, surveyors tape,duck tape. As above, you must be able to make a fire. Think multiple methods ( vasoline on cotton in 35mm film little plastic thingies, Sterno, hexamine/thiroxine(sp) tabs, strike anywhere matches in K&M match case, several sparkey sticks, ( the big ones are better) and a tinder case that you refill as you see stuff (birds nest, lighter pine, birch bark, ceder, various fungi, ect) , I didn't notice it in your post, but how much water are you carrying? In hot weather like we had recently, reccomend 1 gal/day. Respectfully; Jim