Thanks siguy, after enjoying the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, I enjoyed your article!  

I don't see your matchsafe in the pictures, although it may be there. I have a small 1/8" x 2" ferrocerium rod covered with black shrink-wrap in mine, which being a bit long and therefore bent over, keeps it from rattling. In the spirit of multiple uses, the shrink-wrap could also supplement tinder as it burns. After learning that Mors Kochanski carries a needle in his, I thought that was a good idea and added an awl needle which is visible, but not obvious, in the picture on the bottom right of the matches. I also have a regular needle with large eye in the same small fragment of cork. I'll probably add a glover's needle now that I finished repairing my old deerskin gloves. A minimalist work in progress. There is a bit of tinder (tinder-quik) in the bottom which serves to cushion the matches. Now underneath the black protective cap which protects the compass, I have two disks of birch bark (all I had that was uniform enough). I intend on taking a stitch in the middle, using them as a small bobbin and wrapping some Kevlar thread or Spectra fishing line around them. Meanwhile if scraped they will take a spark and/or act as tinder.

Another thing, siguy.  The knife sharpening thing. Does people send in knives?  Will they have it done for free?  In my part of the woods, I am the knife sharpener, and recently my mother convinced a neighbor wife/family friend, to let me sharpen 3 kitchen knives for her.  She loved being able to cut  tomatoes instead of squishing them.  But in the end she sendt over her daughter with 3 islandic licorice-scholate bars, she felt she HAD to pay something. 
I told her of my new 2-for-1 policy, that this was pay for 3 more knives,too
timann

liquorice chocolate ?
What's that like I love both liquorice and chcocolate

donald, good looking mini kit there.  i think in those photos i left the matchsafe in my pocket by accident...   i have switched to a lighter for every day carry, but i always pack some matches and a ferro rod in my pack for backup.  also, i think its easier to start a fire with a match than a lighter, since you can poke the match in there without sticking your whole hand in the tinder bundle.

in my bag i carry a small zipper pouch that i got from someone (he told me it came from a little sanitary travel kit) with a pencil stick refill container with some needles and a spool of heavy upholstery thread...has come in handy more than once!  also a small pair of  needle nose pliers, a roll of athletic tape, and a tube of super glue make up my repair and first aid kits.

lobo, good to hear the trip is coming well.  curious to know what your sleeping setup is (tent, tarp, bivvy bag?)...

timann, i also often end up carrying a bit too much...last hike it was too much water.  it was justified in my case though since i didn't know how long the hike was and i wanted to be ready for everything...so i carried 2 litres and drank 1/4 of a litre on the whole hike...i would have been glad to have it on a hotter, drier day though.

about sharpening, you can visit my site to see what i charge...but for people that come over to visit i tell them to bring their knives and i sharpen them up for them for free, since they are usually my friends and i enjoy it.
http://www.freewebs.com/sfaknives/

thanks for the kind comments everyone!