IF this guy doesn't stray from known well traveled trails...

IF this guy doesn't encounter any severe weather conditions...

If this guy doesn't mind depending on the largesse of other hikers he meets who will be more than happy to help him out of difficult situations...

IF this guy likes to brag that he hiked 35 miles in one day along the trail, basically seeing nothing because he had his head down plowing along like a freight train...

If this guy doesn't mind being laughed at by "normal" people...

and finally

IF this guy doesn't mind being basically miserable his entire time in the wood...

Then yes, this guy's wilderness philosphy is perfect, for him.

Personally, I wouldn't go into the woods with this guy. Wait, he doesn't really go camping anyhow. God forbid he left the trail, except to go use his 6 sheets of single ply potty paper.

Ok, enough typing, I am going to save 1.2 oz by tearing the labels off the underwear I normally pack.

I really don't mind this guy's choices of equipment. He is exercising his right to play Russian roulette. However, I find it totally irresponsible to publish this kind of "advice". It may mean suffering or death for unexperienced hikers.

Like a lot of other people here, I had an epiphany:
This person is on a self powered tour. He or she walks well established trails, while hauling minimal gear because each night is spent in the safety of a campground, every couple of days they stop at a post-office to resupply, and forward their real 'camping' loadout to the next stop. Bet they carry a cellphone or maybe a SPOT. Their choice to eat crushed snail-trail mix a couple of times a day. Eating that stuff, they only need the minimal TP, as it's likely only a twice a week habit for them. In a bad weather event, they know they have rations, warmth, and shelter to hole up for awhile. It's not survival as most interpret it. Survival is acting to get yourself out of whatever situation you find yourself in, these people revel in travelling by foot with as little as possible, but with a support system for resupply.

You too could do it with even less gear by making reservations at hotels along your route, and send packages addressed to you, at those locations, leapfrogging the packages, if you timed everything right, you could sleep in a warm room, in a bed, and have the luxury of running hot water daily.
You could pack pajamas in your boxes, so you'd always be able to
do laundry. You could take advantage of the sink and wash clothes, and possibly dry them with a hair dryer, rather than lug them around to air dry.
If you scheduled it right, you could even have a couple of hot meals cooked by others for your benefit.
All you might need is the clothes on your back, a fanny pack or purse to haul water bottles, cellphone, snack bars and credit cards. But it's not survival.

I would rather smell bad and have the knife than smell good and need the knife. But maybe it's just my animal magnetism...

My knife and my firesteel would be the first things I would grab and the last I would give up.

It just occurred to me: NOTHING smells worse than rancid, old sweaty synthetic inner garments. Replace with wool underwear and the unpleasentness of the stench is reduced by a factor of 100. Other benefits are increased insulation when wet and excellent fire resistance.

A well sharpened Classic is surprisingly capable. I EDC one on my keychain, along with a Leatherman Wave in a belt pouch. I often use the Classic because it is just a little more convenient, and it works quite well. I do sharpen it from time to time.

I firmly believe that big knives are over rated - too many Rambo movies.

Only carrying an SAK classic is part of ultra-light hiking dogma.Carrying anything bigger then that gets you dismissed from the UL religion.

I,ve read that back packers use deodorant for more than smelling good.The stick type deodorants are good for reducing chaffing and blisters on feet.Just something I heard and read.

BOATMAN
John

Knee high nylons also reduce chafing and blisters, however don't do a darn thing for the way you smell.

Never understood the UL religion myself. So what they can hike 30 miles in a day? What do they see besides the trail.

Life's a journey, not a destination.

What really burns my @$$ is the author is recommending to knew hikers not to carry necessary gear because they can bum it from others on the trail. Bad enough he would consider this a viable and acceptable alternative, but now he is propagating the same line of thinking in others. Hopefully a bad accident when he was younger has left him unable to reproduce. Stupid makes me sick.

EDIT: Not directed at you JB, but the author of the article.