I'd second others observations that what garners media interest probably is not an entirely accurate representation of all that's happening with SAR.

I also would bet a good deal that those who are mindful of the need to carry survival gear also tend to be more likely to be more cautious overall before venturing out (i.e. monitoring weather, informing others of routes and arrival time, scrutinizing maps, etc.)

And I suspect a lot of us would confess that but for the grace of God in our younger days we could very well have ended up in a survival situation with little or no gear or survival skills.

I grew up in rural Oregon and spent a lot of time as a teenager and 20-something driving by myself or with similarly ill-equipped and ignorant friends in the Cascades -- in all kinds of weather. We routinely hiked and rafted with NONE of the ten essentials. And none of us wore seatbelts back then, either....

I feel very lucky to have survived my first 30 years without my lack of preparedness and experience coming face-to-face with a serious survival situation. Though today orders of magnitude more prepared, I'm still only a mistake or some bad luck away from a very bad day.

But at least now I'll have Lipton's Cup O' Noodles soup and down booties to help me through.....