since what you carry is sooo personal, take everything I suggest with a grain of salt! for reference I personally a have a large ALICE at the moment but my husband and I are kind of gearheads and not everyone is. With that being said, my opinions after your selections!
Medium ALICE pack w/frame & straps (molle kidney pad)
USGI 4 piece sleep system - I have no experience with this system or.how compact or light it is, am wondering how well it work with the 10x10 tarp though? It seems like other people like this system. Me i'll stick to my sleeping bag, that's my "system")
10x10 tarp - I think the standard size is 4x6, I carry the next size up from that, and husband's tarp is even bigger. Somehow mine takes up more room, I think because he is more patient when he folds it. You will have fun folding yours on a windy day, brings levity to mornings sometimes.
Space blanket (small one) - I can't knock carrying extra blankets cos I am a wuss about the cold. I carry two lil fleece ones for my ferrets.
US Surplus canteen w/steel cup
Magnesium fire starter
and
Matches - is there a real reason you prefer these two things over a lighter? The first time I got a magnesium fire starter I was amped to go and build a fire but I used it once, and just kept lighting with a regular ol bic. I mean I guess I dont know how or where you will be camping and traveling but my two cents are as follows: good fire safety says you should be able to easily put out your campfire when you are finished and the places you can actually light a fire are sometimes a ways away from where you could easily get more water, ya dig? I am rarely somewhere I could get away with lighting a fire without drawing attention to myself. The matches are a cute little "what if" thing.. I guess, so if you want to stash them deep in your pack then knock yerself out but I think you would use a lighter far more often.
Food:
Cliff bars (4)
Sardines in oil (4)
Canned tuna (2)
Beans (2)
Bag 'o' beef jerky
Trail mix
All of these things can acquired at any grocery store, gas station, cvs and if you are about to hop out you can stow a couple of cans of train food but seriously, carrying cans of shit is fuckin tedious. I just checked a can of kidney beans, theyre like 15.5 ounces dude! It doesnt look like much in writing but you are going to question it after the first five miles. last time I went way out of my way I bought like 8 cans of food thinking I was going to be mostly stationary and stuck there for awhile... I wasn't and then I had to eat a shitload of food over the next few days I really was not in the moid for but was sick of carrying. Keep some clif bars in case of emergency I guess. You're in the US right? Food is everywhere. At least you picked high protein stuff. Shit, you could probably stow a jar of food bank peanut butter if you are worried. High in protein and calorically dense.
Small cook kit - to be used with the fire? I liked having one in slab city but have never carried them else where. husband and I are decidedly more urban than you seem to be... My prefernce is a fork, spoon, p38 on a carabiner, a knife somewhere on my person. Pow, now I got the bases covered. A coffee mug, travel, insulated, with a lid. Thrift one and now you can fill it up with hot water (usually free at gas stations, coffee shops) for coffee and ramen.
Insulated coveralls
Thermals
2 bandannas (black and navy)
2 shirts (1 long sleeve 1 short sleeve)
Socks (3-4 pair)
Warm jacket (?)
Rain jacket (lightweight)
Underwear (2 pairs)
Shorts/pants zipper thing - okay clothes. so when I first "hit the road" I had like all these clothes and extra shirts and three pairs of denim jeans fucking extra shit (AND a laptop! and more dumb shit!) And right after baby's first ten mile hike I picked up a wicked case of tendonitis, a shitload of gnarly face squirting blisters, and the ability to separate myself really quick from a the stuff I thought I needed. What is your daily wear like? you dont gotta be crust lord status but like, I just have a warm hoodie and I dont pack a lot of clothes, I avoid the rain, and I do not winter where it is cold. you said you might not be leaving for awhile. You will wonder what is wrong with your brain when you are in the middle of an east coast summer or even a southwest autumn with your warm jacket and long sleeve shirt... not only that but it gets hot as shit when you move vs being stationary. I regularly layer up in anticipation of cold only to realize I overdid it and now I am hot and stuffy.
Goretex boots- on your feet, right? You arent carrying boots on your back?
Gloves- I could maybe justify leather work type gloves but...
Toothbrush- get a case or wrap it in plastic unless you like it mingling with all the detritus in your pack. Husband doesn't mind but I.can't stand the idea so I keep mine in a plastic travel case... Lol.
Floss With 1-2 sewing needles inside- I carry scissors because the itty little multitool type ones suck. I buy a pack of hand needles because I break em. This can be entirely personal... I sew a lot, so one or two needles wouldnt work for me. Also they dont come in packs of two? Get the handsewing needles... There are seven. Should fit in a pill bottle or an altoids tin.
Dr. Bronners (Use as toothpaste?) - every tube of toothpaste I have explodes. Every dumb little trial shampoo I try to carry explodes. We take special precautions. I am klutzy i guess..!
Toilet paper wrapped around pen - I sometimes carry an extra roll but it loses its integrity but you never want to be without it. I am a collector of napkins. I am a classy classy gal.
Chapstick -I find this really endearing for some reason. Like whoops! Almost forgot my chapstick!!! Cute.
Pocket multitool
Duct tape wrapped round pen - husband carries a whole roll. we still have lot of duct tape. I can't think of anytime I was super glad we had it but I guess it has come in handy, I think.
Compass - sure why not
Baseball cap with Cyclops headlamp (?) - why a headlamp and not a flashlight. Headlamps are cooler but the batteries cost more. I just hold the flashlight in my mouth... Also sometimes I need light but am trying to be stealthy so I place my thumb over the flashlight to obscure the light... A headlamp is like HEY LOOK OVER HERE... Like I said, we seem to camp in a lot more urban places.
Spork - see above comment about cook kit
Sharpie
750 cord 50 feet (for tying bag, tarp to pack.) - my tarp fits in my large ALICE, I just fold it and put it under the lid flap and close it, I guess as long as it doesn't take up room.
Playing cards (?) - sure why not
Wallet, cash -goes in your pocket
Books - cherished weight. Read it and give it away.
Camera -film or digital? See comment about laptop
Tracphone - see comment about laptop
Ukulele w/case (in hand/strapped on to my back; not in pack)- I play uke. I strap mine with a dog leash. Do you play already? Get a guitar humidifier, one of the cheap clay ones. I added an extra strap to my gig bag so I could carry it on my shoulder.
Cardboard (will find in dumpsters), ok, do that
Tablet/laptop - a laptop with a battery and the power cord is a lot of weight for a creature comfort. You can combine the needs of a tracfone, camera, and entertainment device by getting a prepaid smartphone. Small and light. I use an old as shit Galaxy S but the more modern devices have better battery capabilities (they last longer and charge faster). You're still going to be pissed if it breaks. Off the top of my head swappa dot com has used phones.
tablets are not really up to the physical demands you are going to undergo. I know some people do it.but unless you get a pelican case you can't even sit on your pack without possibly wrecking a laptop.screen. Some phones I can think of that are tough are the Kyocera Brigadier, or the Casio G'zOne Commando, both are waterproof dust proof, shock proof iirc. You can get pricier Otterbox cases to protect any new phone (a case is cheaper than a new galaxy s5) and prepaid phones are like 40-60 bucks.
HOWEVER
if you use a smartphone to post on facebook or StP complaining about boot rot I will kick yer ass! if you can afford a phone you can get a pair of socks.
The only thing I don't see here that I really like is a small bottle of hand sanitizer. It is great for its intended use and also dries out your feet and kills bacteria so its good for boot rot. You could probably start a fire with it and the lighter I suggested faster than with a match or a firestarter
2
