Jason Merrill 
The following two camping essential kits really go hand in hand. They are what I would consider the essential essentials. Most of the items are fairly self explanatory so I am not going to go in depth as to what I use a mini Bic lighter for, or why I sometimes wear ear plugs at night, how incredibly useful the scissors in a Swiss Army Classic are, etc.
What’s in this Accessory Backpacking Kit?
Cuben Fiber Stuff Sack – .1oz (2 grams)
1 Set Ear Plugs and 1 Tab Sleep Aid – 0 (does not register on my scale)
Mini Bic – .4oz (11 grams)
Mini Biner – .1oz (3 grams)
Swiss Army Classic – .7oz (21 grams)
eGear Mini LED – .4oz (11 grams)
Aquamira – 1.2oz (34 grams)
Total Weight = 2.9oz (82 grams)
Aquamira kit is stored in a mini Ziploc. Aquamira parts A and B are repackaged in 10ml mini droppers. A 3ml mini dropper is used as a pre-mix bottle. At the beginning of my day, I add the appropriate amounts of parts A and B to the pre-mix bottle, so once I reach a water source, I can forgo the 5 minute pre-mix waiting time. The 3ml dropper will hold enough pre-mix solution to treat 3 liters of water. Any pre-mixed solution that is not used within 18-24 hours is discarded. (This method is not supported by the manufacturer, so do your research and use your own judgement). Also included in the kit is a small piece of stretchy mesh, cut from a nylon stocking, for PRN use as a pre-filter.
EMERGENCY KIT
Total Weight = 6oz (171 grams)
Basic Emergency Kit
This basic emergency kit is for when things have just gone completely and utterly wrong. The purpose of the kit is to simply keep me alive (not comfortable by any means) until help can locate me or I am able to crawl my way out of whatever mess I have found myself in. This kit is kept in a cargo pocket on whatever pants/shorts I am wearing. If I need to utilize this stuff, then something has most likely separated me from my pack, so keeping it stowed in my pack would be completely counterproductive. Now, if I lose my pants too, then that is a whole other story.
Accessory Kit Includes:
Cuben Fiber Stuff Sack – .1oz (3 grams)
Lithium AAA Batteries x3 (spares for headlamp) – .8oz (22 grams)
Duct Tape – .4oz (11 grams)
Micropur Tablets x8 – .2oz (5 grams)
Signal Mirror – .6oz (18 grams)
Matches – .2oz (6 grams)
SOL ER Bivy – 3.6oz (102 grams)
Mini Biner – .1oz (3 grams)
Final Thoughts
One thing to note about the above kits is that they could just as easily be carried in a Ziploc bag. Why they are not, is merely personal preference. The small bag with the Aquamira is a bag which is fairly frequently accessed. The dedicated Emergency kit, with the exception possibly of the duct tape, will (hopefully) never be used. For these reasons, I will take on the few extra grams to have the gear separated. Plus, I just really like those mini cuben fiber ditty bags from Mountain Laurel Designs
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