Hi Arotic,

I agree with you on your thoughts that each person has their own tolerance for extra weight/gear and that in a survival situation useless material will be abandoned. I tend to be a little heavy on the EDC of survival items but I would bet that most Forum members are. I think this is OK as long as you are willing/capable to carry the load and realise that in different situations you may have to discard some equipment to achieve the priority survival goal of that moment (e.g. if you fall through the ice you may have to drop your pack).

"This doesn't apply at all to the sort of survival we're preparing for, since by its very nature we would be cut off from any supply or support outside of what we carry on our backs."

I find myself disagreeing with part of the above statement though. It is often the mechanical failure of my transport vehicle (truck, ATV, snowmobile, boat, aircraft, etc) that causes me to be in a survival situation. Unless the vehicle was consumed in a fire or sunk to the bottom of a lake, I usually have the vehicle itself and the load of survival equipment in it to help me improve my situation. I surely would not walk away from the security/visibility of my vehicle and all that useful equipment, with just what I could carry, unless safety was very close by or in a last resort situation.

Each occurence if different and Stopping long enough to Think clearly, throughly Observing your situation/resources then developing/implementing a Plan, will get you out of most difficulties.

My $0.02 cents.

Mike