I guess …
he helped them to fall off a wagon…
West Marine carries “hand held flares”. Try Automotive stores, look for emergency road flares.
drop sheet
Instead of a clear plastic drop cloth, consider bringing an emergency blanket (the shiny metal kind) instead. They’re lighter, they pack much smaller, they make a perfectly good ground sheet or tarp when necessary, and they’re also quite useful for emergency signalling and emergency warmth if necessary. They don’t last for years if you use them as tarps or ground sheets (which I do), but since they’re only a couple of bucks, that’s not the end of the world.
Try to find the waterproof boater’s duct tape instead of regular duct tape. And instead of thread, I bring dental floss–it’s much stronger, and equally good for sewing. A mini-first aid kit is obviously useful.
long sticks, not shooting
Flares are a great idea as fire starter - I hadn’t thought of them.
In looking for them, look for the ones that are long sticks that are laid on the ground. Some items sold as flares are basically roman candles - they shoot a “flare” up into the sky. Could be useful for signalling, but not for fire.
The ones you want are sticks that are self lighting and then burn a bright flame from the end for 10-20 minutes before burning out.