Moral(s) of the story:
-Always carry your survival gear
-A map is survival gear. Not getting lost can prevent a whole lot of survival situations.
-Be careful of assumptions about terrain. If it ain't adding up, then you might just want to abort a loop trip and return the way you came. Retracing your steps isn't "admitting defeat;" it's a smart survival technique.
-Always establish a turn around or "bail out" time.
-Leave word at camp of where you're going, what route you'll take, and when you'll return.
HJ
I think that about hits the nail on the head about getting lost.
Situations where you violently have your pack torn off your back or situations where you suddenly end up lost or seperated are going to be very rare (for most of us). More commonly situations will develop and become the result of the sum of various factors.
I think it was one of iawoodsman's videos on youtube where he states that you don't just become lost. It might take hours for a situation to develop before you realize you are lost. It will always be the situation you didn't plan for that takes you by suprise, unfortunetly it is impossible to plan for situations you never expect to happen or believe can't happen (getting lost on an "island").
I think people have to be realistic about what they carry to encourage a high probability of carry. In all honesty I rarely carry my tobacco based survival tin because I find the size and shape awkward. For that matter looking at senarios that are most common much of the contents are probably uselss unless I go very deep into remote wilderness. When conducting outdoor activities EDCing high quality and sturdy tools and signaling devices might be more useful. In alot of the senarios I read about people get turned around and lost within a few hundered meters or a few KMs of other humans. EDCing something like a penflare in the woods might get a response from other humans that allows you to self-rescue before ever getting "lost".
Just thoughts...
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