The sewing kit
Cheep!
Since it came from my father, the original sewing kit was stocked with what
came with the $1 store kit, plus a selection of rusty and broken bits that
I think he thought were useful. At this point, the sewing kit has in it:
Crappy sewing accessories I just can’t seem to get rid of
Multiple spools of thread in various colors
unwaxed dental floss (supposedly for sutures...)
NEW needles, pins and such
a nail-clipper set
the signaling mirror
Book of matches
All of these things have come in handy from time to time, even the steel signaling
mirror. The one thing that I seem to have a lot of is fire-starting items.
The matches in the sewing kit actually are there for first aide purposes.
When I have new shoes, I have to deal with blisters. (It is hard having women's
size 11 wide feet... Thanks, Thorbjorn.) The matches are in with the needles
so that I can pop blisters, if they get that bad.
Note: Before you go hiking, make sure you have walked the equivalent of your
intended route to break-in your footwear. Or at least walk for two or three
miles. Or wear them to and from the bus... Even though it is a common fallacy
that even I have tried in the past, do not walk thru a puddle and wear your
shoes until they dry. It is bad for the shoes, and you can get jungle-rot
sprouting between your toes.
If you do not know how to sew, you should still have a sewing kit. If a button
or strap on your pack decides to remove it’s self from the situation,
you must repair it before you can go any further. Try hauling a 50 LB pack
down a 5 mile trail on one shoulder some time...
The book of matches are in the sewing kit to be close to the needles. This might sound strange, but if I need to remove a splinter, pop a boil or other nasty biological thing, I want to sterilize the needle, first. I find it is easier to have the matches in with the sewing kit than the First Aide Kit.