I think in this case it's not the gear which failed but a false sense of security provided by the UL gear mentality. I think most of us remember the magazine article a couple of months ago advising people to ditch their knife and replace it with a razor blade...going light for the wrong reasons or when your body isn't prepared (mentally or physically) is a ticking time bomb...and for that matter going heavier than you are prepared for is just as bad.

Bottom line is that cousin needs to concentrate on physical conditioning (strength and stamina) regardless of the gear he's packing. He'd probably have had as much trouble keeping pace if he had had no pack at all.

I didn't see that. How do they expect you to carve a deadfall trap?

http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=111241&fpart=1

It was a hot topic here for a while.

Funny, I have a nice sedentary job and wish there was more physical component to it. My upper body strength is severely lacking. I have to go out of my way (to a gym) to keep in shape. It is amazing how much precious after work time it takes up, just to be in shape. I also know that even when I can jog 3-4 miles in 45 minutes, I am still not in shape. Better shape, but, not top shape.

I believe that a person's pay is inversely proportional to how important they are in the short term.

OK. I would be much closer to agreeing with that. Maybe it's just me, but when I hear the word brawn I think of body building super strong guys, not just the "physically fit" part of it. And when I hear "Braun", well, I think of electric razors ;-)

Heavier is not better - it's just heavier. Cheaper is not better - it's just cheaper.

(See - the same blanket statements work in reverse.)

Good gear is good gear, and can be light or heavy, cheap or expensive. I prefer stuff that's well-made and multi-purpose, and I don't want to carry extra weight unless there's a good reason. If there is, I do.

As almost everyone said, you can't go wrong being in better shape and knowing how to get the most out of whatever gear you have, based on experience in the conditions you'll be in.

This is the exact point I was trying to make. You put it in better words.

I don’t want anyone to misunderstand. I am not a big advocate for heavy items. I am a really a big advocate for reliable items. I don’t care what they weigh (within reason) so long as they do the job that I want. Are there stoves smaller than the Peak 1 that can do the same job in a smaller package?? Without a doubt there are many, but I do not feel the need to suddenly rush out and spend tones of cash on one. I certainly no longer feel at any disadvantage to someone who has(like my cousin) because for all the money he spent he was let down. For another example, one item in my backpack PSK is a Suunto compass. It is a compass that I have used for 11 years at work as a backup to a GPS. The ability to shoot accurate bearings/back bearings is just something that I cannot do with any button style compass. I am so used to it that I cannot imagine ever replacing it with anything smaller. It has worked for me in the dessert and in the Arctic with no problem, and the sighting mirror is a great back up signal mirror. In eleven years I have never seen one broken. It is not exactly small for a compass in a PSK by any stretch though. I have had NUMEROUS arguments with people trying to tell me that I should replace it with something smaller. My whole argument is why should I ? It works great. If my GPS should ever fail and I am faced with only one compass to trust my life to then it will be this one. I have friends that think this way of thinking is totally insane and that light is the only way to go, and no matter how good an item works they will not consider it unless it is the absolute smallest available. The point of the post was more to vent at people like them than to create a big debate. At the end of the day we all carry what we like the best, regardless of others opinions. I just feel some people get a little carried away with the whole idea of making everything super light.

Does the Peak 1 stove burn unleaded gasoline in addition to white gas? If so, then it could really be worth it's weight and then some as a survival too. I wish I'd known about the Coleman dual/multi fuel stoves before I spent my money...they're pretty affordable compared to what's out there.

They burn kerosene or Naphtha by simply changing the generators. They are a little harder to light and may require that starter/heating paste in extreme cold or at high altitudes. The booklet recommends against using gasoline, but I have heard of people using it with the only problem being that the stove burns sluggish and not at the normal high (blue/white flame) level of intensity. I personally have not tried it though.