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Posted by alan on January 3, 2008 at 11:30:25 am EST
In reply to What's in Your Survival Kit? posted by Alicia on July 2, 2007 at 10:55:02 am EDT

Averages in this sort of discussion really are meaningless. The real numbers are 1 or 0. That is, you either wind up in some sort of trouble (survival situation) or you don't; 100% or 0%. One does not end up in a 5% survival situation. Also, having a few basic items (knife, fire starter, tinder, whistle...) always on your body, not in your pack, is what will make a huge difference should you wind up in a survival situation.

Two events shaped my belief regarding the above. The first was a backpacker in northern Minnesota who set down his pack, stepped off the trail to look at something and got lost. He was found alive after several days. He was smart in that he had left an itinerary with a friend and also stayed put after he realized he was lost. The survival gear in his pack did him no good, he didn't have his pack. Was he found? Yes. Did he live? Yes. However, a knife, firestarter, tinder and a whistle would have made his days much more pleasant and likely have allowed the search party to find him sooner.

I then read Deep Survival shortly after I heard about the lost backpacker. After reading the book I realize how one can make a simple mistake of setting a pack down and getting lost. We all know the lost backpacker story happens to someone else, until you realize it can just as easily happen to you. Just because it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it won't the next time you head out. There is no downside to having a few items in your pockets just in case.

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