RANDOM THOUGHTS: The military makes decent stuff. Don't just buy everything military issue, because most of it isn't great, but if you pick carefully, then you'll come out ahead. GET INTIMATELY ACQUIANTED WITH YOUR EQUIPMENT! Before you take my word for everything, and run out to camp and try desperately to remember what I said, try it out for yourself. When you get a new toy, get to know it. Check it out, explore it, find out exactly what it can and can't do BEFORE you camp. Nothing can take the place of experience. No amount of reading or studying will prepare you for any trip. There is nothing more valuable than experience, because with that you can decide what works and doesn't work for YOU. Example: I was camping and caught in a rather large storm. It snapped one of the poles in my tent, and there was no escaping the fury of the wind. We were VERY cold, and needed to get a fire going. Well, I learned that those magnesium firestarters don't work so well in the wind. You need to shave off little bits of magnesium and collect them in a pile and send a spark into them to get them lit. Well, when the wind is blowing at 40 knots it can be rather hard to collect little bits of magnesium dust. In the frenzy to start a fire and get some desperately needed warmth I resorted to trying things that I would never have tried before, and hence learned things that I would never have known. Did you know that Country Time powdered lemonade makes an excellent fuel for firestarting? It does; I speak from experience. Keep in mind that nothing you ever buy is going to be perfect or flawless, so accept that. There will be problems with everything that you buy, it's just a case of trying to minimize the use of trash in favor of more useful utilities. Some guys who want to try and prove themselves as "hardcore" will go without a sleeping bag, or a tent, or a stove, or even boots. Some people will eat their food cold, sleep out under the stars, and hike in deck shoes. Not me. I like my ankles, so I like hiking boots. I like eating warm food first thing in the morning, so I take a stove. I don't like sleeping in puddles of water, so I take a tent, or some sort of shelter. I don't like pneumonia, so I prefer using a sleeping bag. If I have to, though, I will go without one.

RECORDING INSTRUMENTS: I don't think that I have to tell you that ink smears when it gets wet. Lead, while it is not as dark, and so not as readily readable, does not smear when wet, so try and use a pencil. Try and get waterproof paper, and even with that, keep your paper in a waterproof container. U.S. Gov't Issue chemical decontamination containers work well for this purpose, and are just the right size for those smallish spiral-bound notepads. As far as brands go, Storm-Safe and Wet-Notes are good. If you are really feeling like getting something good, then go to an art store and pickup some paper there. They have this paper in any store that carries calligraphy pens. It is made out of fiberglass, or some similar material, and in addition to being waterproof, it is nearly indestructible. You actually have to put some effort piercing it, and you can not tear it with your bare hands. If you value your hiking journal at all, and you are tired of papers disintigrating in the rain, or tired of your waterproof paper tearing and ripping, then get some of this stuff. There is minimal smearing of ink. Credit for discovery goes to my girlfriend, Lisa, who does calligraphy.

NECKERCHIEFS: These are little known, but easy to find, 4 foot kerchiefs. They can be used for: a makeshift facemask, river water strainer (not very well, but gets much of the dirt out, at least), with the paracord it can help make a little shelter sort of deal, wet them to use as wash cloths, keep them dry and use 'em for towels, wrap one right and use it as a scarf, tie it right and use it as a sling, or even a tourniquet, when wet they are handy pot holders, tied at the 4 corners right they make a neat hobo bindle, folded and tied around the forehead they are excellent sweatbands, and can be used as an emergency bandage. And, like any good kerchief, they serve as dust masks and hankies. When hiking, I lay one across my shoulders before putting a backpack on. It can just kinda hang around, and doesn't get in the way, but if the Sun comes out with a vengeance, it's long enough that you can cover both arms (unless you're 7 feet tall) to the elbows. For me, at least, I burn more easily above the elbow.

MINI MAGLITE: There is an extra bulb in the butt cap underneath the spring. Take the face cap off and use the light like a lantern. You can also reverse the facecap, set it upside down, and rest the flashlight in it like a candle. In the mornings, once the Sun is up, reverse one of the batteries so that it doesn't accidentally get turned on and drained. In the evening, as the Sun is going down, pop your flashlight open again and straighten them out. It's small enough to still be handy, will stand up to punishment, and gives out decent light. It is also a popular flashlight, and an even more popular flashlight size. There are plenty of cheap versions, but go for the MagLite brand. Among the accessories I've got for mine are a rubber cover, a clear lens protector, varied color filters (amber, red, and blue), a fiber optic adapter, a belt clip, a magnetic clip, a nylon handle, and a headband. The Lite Bite, while nice in concept, is too small and while your teeth will hold it just fine, it doesn't hold the flashlight so well. If you camp in the cold, try what I did instead: get yourself a bike inner tube. Use scissors to cut off a piece about the same thickness as duct tape. Now wrap duct tape around it about 5 layers. The duct tape will be much cooler than the metal, and if you ever need duct tape while camping, its right there. The reason you are taping the inner tube is so that you can slide the thing onn and off if need be, and you don't have to worry about the tape getting all gooey in the heat and ruining your Mini MagLite. Oh, did I forget to tell you that? After wrapping the inner tube, slide it onto the tail of the light. Another hint: I took mine and tied some 550 into a double figure-8 (anybody a rock climber?) around the lanyard ring, then again around a miniature carabiner. This gets secured at my belt, so that I don't ever lose it should my pouch become torn. These flashlights will run you about $15.

POCK-ITS UTILITY HOLSTER: This is one of the most versatile pouches you can find. It will hold both your Mini-Maglite and your Leatherman. There will also be room for other things in all of the other pockets. Handy thing to have, and it will run you around $20. Compared to buying a seperate pouch for the flashlight and using the one that came with your Leatherman, it's not a bad trade. Beyond the Leatherman and MiniMaglite, it has two elastic loops, a full length flat pocket in the back, and flat pockets on the bottom. It can be worn either horizonally or vertically. It is supposed to be water resistant, but just how resistant is left for speculation. I wouldn't bet on it. Another alternative is to look in paramilitary company catalogs and find .45 pistol twin magazine pouches. These will also hold both your Leatherman and MiniMaglite, but they don't have the extra pockets. If you get the Pock-its, though, it will fit very nicely into one of your cargo pants, opposite the EMT pouch. You do have cargo pants, don't you? Don't put it on your belt; it will just get in the way.

OTHER STUFF: Then there are the 55 gallon garbage bags, ziplock bags (the biggest of which can be used as a pillow when inflated), hammocks, etc. None of this will hinder your packing limits, size or weight, and if you are in a bind, they will be pretty handy. There are also the spring loaded clothespins (for securing bandages, etc.), metal coat hangars, old AOL CDs (mirror, frisbee), metal ash tray (for building a small fire in the tent vestibule, mirror), short lengths of garden hose (holds chopsticks, great for pot handles), half-gallon milk cartons (wax+paper=quick fire), fine steel wool (more kindling, pot cleaning), cotton balls (pack in extra space to keep stuff from rattling, kindling), lint from mom's laundry (kindling), powdered magnesium ($5 at gun shows, don't look at it when you light it), emergency road flares, paper egg cartons . . . you know. All the obvious stuff.