Kitchen sink and a few more questions.

Body glide works well on the parts that chafe when I'm biking. If it can do that, I'd say it can help with just about anything

Basically agree with what Zeke and Gabby said. We carry a bucket for hauling water to camp (to reduce riparian impacts from lots of trips) and washing clothes (not dishes. Like Zeke says, we "cook" in a freezer bag, and just rinse a few things now and then. No soap and all that). I bought one of the new silnylon super-light buckets, but it leaks (which isn't a huge problem, but I think we'll stick with the old one).

I carry a lighter or two and a box of matches. Belt and suspenders; I can't make a lighter work when my hands are cold or wet.

No liner socks needed with my Smartwool socks, but YMMV; you will probably have to dial this in with trial and error. One thing I will say: be sure your socks fit. Don't just buy by shoe size; if you have very low-volume or high-volume feet you may need to size up or down (I size down, which is a LONG way down given where my shoe size falls in the range for sock size. Something in between would be better, but small is better than loose and sloppy).

Rain protection: I carry a light-weight rain jacket and rain pants, which don't get used a lot (if I were still hiking in the PNW, I would probably invest in something heavier). Keeping your legs and butt dry, as Zeke noted, can be important. Hypothermia happens fast when you are wet and it's 45 deg. and windy. I'm contemplating adding a light poncho instead of just relying on a pack cover, in order to keep my pack straps, etc., dry.

I just started to realize that people seriously bring sinks/buckets backpacking. I never have and had honestly never really thought of it. I use water, a bit of moss, and sand to clean my pot/spork/mug when needed. The environments I hike in have it plentiful. In winter, I just use snow. I really don't have a need for that stuff. My goal is to always bring less if possible. If it isn't a "need" or a backup, it pretty much doesn't go.

I just bring a couple Bic lighters. I haven't found any possible time that those wouldn't do the trick for any emergency or just lighting my stove.

I don't use sock liners except for in the arctic when we are wearing the same clothing layers...for weeks.

I don't use body glide. Maybe I should check it out for my feet. I do occasionally get a blister that sneaks in when I don't notice it.

Rain shells - That is definitely environment dependent. I have to bring one in all but the dead of summer. When I do, I go full-on waterproof, not water repellent. In the mountains, it rarely sprinkles. When it does come down, it either rains hard, snows, or both with some strong winds thrown in for good measure.

I'm all in with zeke.

I do have an ultralight collapsible bucket to get water from an inconvenient source to a better processing location, but I bring it less and less often. No sink. I don't do any real washing, just a quick rinse with boiling water as needed.

No liner socks since I finally got my shoe fit figured out.

Two mini-Bics do it all for me. I carry a few firestarters in case of emergency.

I used a fair amount of body glide in my road racing career, but never needed in on the trail. (It's really good for keeping your nipples from getting erased on long runs).

For rain, I most often wear Marmot Precips top and bottom. Generally, if it rains enough to wear bottoms, you'll want really good water resistance, especially in cooler weather.

A lightweight. Sea 2 Summit bucket, though essentially for water transport to my campsite. I'm avoiding the riparian mosquitos and the chill night dampness that way.

Thank you all for taking the time to set me straight. I really appreciate it!

As for a water storage, I use a bucket. I use one from Antigravity Gear. Weighs under 1 ounce and holds a gallon. www.antigravitygear.com/shop/hydration/antigravitygear-1-gallon-water-bag/

I use Coolmax liners if I'm wearing Ragg Wool to prevent blisters; in more moderate weather I use SmartWool socks with no liner.

Rainwear - I use LL Bean's Trail Model WP/Breathable jacket & pants. www.llbean.com/llb/shop/68624?feat=rain%20wear-SR0&page=trail-model-rain-jacket Moderate weight (don't know right off the top of my head) and decently breathable. I DO NOT wear it while backpacking because I live in the deep south and even breathable fabrics don't cut it down here. I hike wearing a short or long sleeve Capilene (or similar) shirt and shorts/pants, depending on season. I do wear a supplex NON-waterproof hat to keep water out of my face without making my head sweat so much. I generally stay plenty warm while backpacking, even in winter by wearing wickable clothes. Upon stopping and setting up my tent I will change into dry clothes and put on rain gear to cook, etc.  Basically, I would rather be wet from clean rain than nasty sweat.