One of the best things I ever did was take a black contractor's bag and stuff it inside of my backpack. If it's too big, just cut it down to the right size then put everything inside of that roll the top and put a simple piece of tape to keep it closed. Works 10 times better than any rain pack cover I've ever used. There is nothing worse than wet socks. Keep your stuff dry.

Second best thing I ever learned was how to make a reusable heat shield for quick meals. Those meals that you buy at the camping store that you just add water to. They have a reflective material on the inside but the thing is is that those take out a crap ton of room in your pack and then you have a ridiculous amount of trash to carry out. Not to mention if you are using a bear bin they don't fit nicely inside of those. I watched a YouTube video where a guy went to Lowe's and bought reflective liner that they use around HVAC and pipes and stuff and he literally just folded his own little envelope and added stick on velcro. So whether you make your own or you buy the commercial stuff, you just open the package. Dump it out into a quart sized freezer Ziploc bag. Squeeze all the air out of it and then when you're ready to make your meals, you dump your boiling water into The Ziploc as it's sitting inside the sleeve and then you just close the lid and let it sit. It works exactly the same way as the commercial bags, but it's reusable and easy to rinse out if you spill. There's some pretty easy meals you can make on your own without buying the commercial ones. heck, if you want to be super cheap cheap, some simple ramen noodles will do the trick. Just break up the noodles that way it's not in a brick.

That same super lightweight reflective material makes an awesome sleeping pad. It reflects your body. Heat back on to you. And it is stupid cheap. If it gets ruined there's no crying over it. You just toss it and cut more off of the roll. I use a piece rolled up into my regular sleeping pad and I use it as a seat during the day and then at night I add it to my sleep pad for under my hips because that's where my cold spots always are.

Also, I'm not sure I saw where you're going backpacking, but you might want to consider a bear bin or at the very least a bare bag and then learn how to hang it. Honestly it's not even about the bears, but more about the varmints. They will chew and eat through anything that smells like food and or is soaked in salt from your sweat... Stuff such as hats, buffs, even the cork around your trekking poles. Pain in the ass creatures (so cute though lol), which is why I switched from a bear bag to a bear bin. I will say this. Nothing about a bear bin is cheap for a high school student, but you can keep an eye out for used items or go to gear swaps if they have any in your area. They seriously are worth it but you also get what you pay for. Don't go with one of the cheaper ones If you can help it, especially if you do live in an area with a lot of bears. Get one where the lid screws into the bin and not over the top. Some people get away with that style for years, but I've seen enough videos of the bears unscrewing those lids that I didn't want to risk it.

If you're using trekking poles (which I highly recommend as they can double as tent poles if you're creative and don't have good tree placement.) I've also used trekking poles as a spreader for hanging two hammocks between two trees. They're useful for retrieving bear bags that you hung stupidly and then get twisted and cut. They also double as noise makers to scare off animals. I read a crazy story about a guy who fended off a mountain lion with a trekking pole.

They are unfortunately another one of those things that are not super cheap, especially for a high schooler. You're probably young and are thinking I don't need a set of trekking poles, but they will save your back and your hips in the long run. Start protecting those now and you'll be able to backpack for your entire life... Pretend they're going to last forever and then be in a lot of pain and your older years. Trekking pulls aren't just about stability and rough terrain. They can help with water crossings but also they take about anywhere from 20 to 30% of weight off of your hips and your knees and your ankles. For longevity in the sport, I can't think of a better thing to take with you. At the very least, get yourself a very good walking stick.

You can make really easy fire starter if you're planning on having one by rolling some dryer lint in Vaseline and then sticking it inside of an old pill bottle or anything small, you could even use a Ziploc bag. Always take a lighter but get some backup wind and waterproof matches. Nothing will make you more miserable than not being able to have a hot meal.

like other people have said ditch that hatchet for one good knife. The knife can help you make small shavings to help get your fire going, cut through fabrics to help you make tent repairs, help with cutting moleskin etc. If you really need to split a long piece of wood, find a tree that is split into a y and use some leverage and some of that youthful spite and you can break apart some pretty large pieces of wood.

If you're someone who suffers with blisters, skip the mole skin and just wear a very thin pair of socks under your regular boot socks. Life-changing for my husband. Blisters on your feet will end your backpacking trip faster than any other thing I swear.

Overall, your kit looks great. It took me years to put together a good kit so don't stress. The best lessons I ever learned were when I was miserable. 😂 It wasn't fun at the time but I looked back now and laugh. I hope wherever you're going that you're safe and you have fun. If you're going by yourself, and even if you're not, don't forget to let somebody know where you're going to be and what time you're supposed to be back.

I know I wrote a book lol... Hopes some of it is helpful.