Funny. After decades of organized cave exploration my safety kit content differs based on expectations and prior experience with various cave types. Any moray eel bite treatment differs from vampire bats or a snapping turtle. Guess which one I carry a saw- tooth edged heavy steel knife to take the jaws off? .

Excellent advice - will be following it

Nice one. Here in New Zealand someone did some calculations that on average for every hour a caver is into a cave it takes 12-24 hours to get them back out in a rescue situation. I must say I'm pretty slack about how much I take with me, but I have at times taken at least some and occasionally all the things you mentioned (excepting tealights), although I would carry most of them in my pack. We have it drummed into us to never get parted from your pack, so I think it's not a great extra risk. Hat tucked into the helmet is fairly universal, spare emergency lighting on helmet or around neck definitely is, and something to nibble on in a pocket is pretty common here. I did like Sid Perou's observation about the tin of sardines under the helmet for cavers of the 1960's, I rate sardines for lunch but don't keep them under my helmet...

Thanks great advice