Fascinating account, but color me skeptical. From the story itself, it is clear that his lighter was more important in his survival than his knife. And what would have kept this from happening at all would have been a topo map.

I am very familiar with the Santa Catalina Mountains, living in Tucson and Arizona from 1956 - 1985. The Cats are a wonderful retreat from the desert heat and usually very pleasant during the day in the fall. I have often hiked there, often solo, sleeping around an impromptu fire as described in the story,and I have participated in numerous SAR operations (probably over 100), some very short and some very long, requiring many overnight bivys.

His concern about bears was misdirected and overblown. To my knowledge, there been exactly one fatal bear encounter in the Catalinas since the 1950s, in contrast to many from falls and exposure (60 plus??). Black bears are usually no problem unless you are considered a food source. The standard advice for black bears, i believe, is to make yourself look big and make some noise. His spear might have helped in that effort.

If someone had known of his plans and notified Pima County SO, Southern Arizona Rescue Association would have been on the case, a search would have been mounted that evening, and he would have been located before dawn, especially with a going fire - that makes it very easy for searchers. I remember one where as we gathered to begin the operation, someone noticed a fire at a distance - let's check out that fire - problem solved - all safely tucked in bed that night.

As for the Buck 110? It is a very fine knife (I have one myself) and it might have been critical in an ursine encounter. His sharp stick would merely irritate Mr. Bear - it would not keep a motivated bear away.

Good story, wrong conclusion. Tell someone of your plans, maybe leave a note in your car.

Yeah, the story makes it seem like when he was done goofing around, he got serious about finding a way out.

I was more interested in the advertisement for the Benchmade 200 Puuko knife in the righthand column. A Puuko in 3V, that will be nice. Jury is out here regarding Benchmade’s use of a saber grind rather than the traditional Scandi grind.

Actually, a Swiss Army Knife was perfectly adequate for all the situations I encountered for many years, including those in Arizona. I went to a Leatherman simply because it included pliers, sometimes useful in technical climbing.

There’s a Leatherman Skeletool CX hanging on the front of my backpack w/ pliers and an okay knife if required, but there will always be at least one more folding knife.

Russ,why is your Skeletool CX so far away? Mine is in my right pants pocket, ready as I type this,to spring forth and perform good deeds....

The Skeletool is probably the very best multitool for most situations.

I never considered dropping the Skeletool in my pants pocket, but its corners are rounded and I can see that working well. I always felt the best way to carry was attaching the carabiner to one of my backpack’s D-rings. It’s always there when needed.

I cannot tell you how may survival or unfortunately tragic non-survival tales or articles include loss of a backpack. Open pockets aren't perfect, but at least it is more likely to be with you.

Pouch on a belt or pockets with closures are best.

We had such a philosophy in the military:

Line 1 gear: What you need to survive, on your person

Line 2 gear: What you need to fight, in your web gear

Line 3 gear: Everything else in your rucksack

Interesting problem: What is the most secure location for critical items? Nothing is completely foolproof. I am on my second Skeletool CX, one having strayed during a field project two years ago, and that was normally carried on my person....So, stuff happens....

Losing a backpack is the sign of an inexperienced amateur. Your pack should be on your back, primarily, but never out of reach until you are in camp, and then always handy. One learns this soon enough, sometimes the hard way....

I remember one rescue, in the Santa Catalinas, as it happened, in which the group set out and encountered adverse weather. Freaked out, they started running through the forest, discarding items from their packs (!!). This stopped when one of them crunched an ankle, which eventually initiated a rescue operation. Arriving on scene, we were relieved to see that they still had some of their essentials, including tents and bongs (gotta keep your priorities straight). We got them off the hill eventually....

I bet his lighter was a Bic.

Regarding the backpack issue, essentials for survival should obviously be on your person. Even if you are a pro, there are many ways you can become separated from a backpack. For examples, you fall in a river and need to start swimming to shore with speed; you fall down a ledge and need to lighten your load while you hold onto something; put your pack down for a second and get lost like the guy in the original post; etc.

I don’t see any upside to keeping all essentials in a backpack.

Essential items should be kept on person which is the reason I prefer distributed pocket carry over a “kit”. I routinely walk here with essentials (no backpack) — knife (Benchmade 940, Bugout or RSK), SAK, 1xAA LED flashlight, Bic, flip-phone, GPS, FAK, wallet, ...

The LM Skeletool is not an essential, it’s convenient to hang it on the D-ring where it’s readily available, but if all I need is a knife, RH front pocket has a locking folder. But if I lose the backpack, there are other things I’ll miss more than the Skeletool. Water is the essential in the backpack. I won’t be inadvertently forgetting my backpack, because losing the water is abort criteria. It’s 95ºF outside, cooler than yesterday.

Agreed. Second the motion.

I carry some essentials on my body, including a key ring which has a small multitool (PS4), a peanut lighter, a cash capsule, a small prybar, a AAA light, as well as house and car keys. I usually sleep with this ring in my PJs.

When I am out int he woods, my pack will have water (quantity variable depending on the environment, but at least a liter, usually two), lunch and snacks good for 24 hours, maybe a mini stove and cup plus fuel and lighter, a light jacket, a sweater, FAK, headlamp, plus mission/job relevant gear which can vary all over the place (oh, yest, I almost forgot - TP!!)

Maybe this comes from SAR experience, but you simply don't lose your pack. Our bags were generally packed, ready to go right away, and adjusted seasonally for conditions. One of my colleagues famously remarked that in the summer (Tucson, AZ) our packs were essentially giant water bottles! Your pack is not a burden; its contents are the materials that keep you and those for whom you are responsible, alive and healthy. You simply don't lose it.

In my pockets or on my belt I will carry a Swiss Army Knife, compass, map, lighter, storm proof matches, a multi-tool, a small flashlight, a signal panel, about 50 ft of 550 cord or similar, and a nice water purification kit Water Pouch Plus because it fits in a pocket. I will carry either my cell phone or an InReach, depending on where I am, maybe both.

I really like Ribz Front Pack for other things that I like to access easily without taking my backpack off. More survival gear, water bottles, gps, camera, small binoculars, anything I need to do whatever work I am doing.

I use my Ribz on on a daily bases for carrying EDC-stuff in the summertime when it is too warm for a jacket or a vest.

" Hutter stepped off the path for a moment, and then couldn’t find it again."

Ben East was a writer for Outdoor Life, and for many years covered survival stories. He wrote several books about people who got into trouble in the outdoors. He had this advice for hikers -

"Never step off a road or a marked trail unless you're ready to spend the night in the woods."

https://www.amazon.com/Books-Ben-East/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3ABen%20East

I would say don't go near the woods or even leave your home without minimal gear and a plan for spending an unanticipated night in the woods. Stuff happens all the time...

I have lost count of the times I have heard "We were only going out for the day..."

' Hutter plans to write a book about his experience, to help other adventurers avoid similar trials. '

Survival stories never get written by people who were prepared and equipped.

' “I was prepared for a 15-minute excursion,” says Hutter. “It was about two hours in before I realized I was in big trouble.” '

There's your mistake. This is how these stories start, with people who don't think they are doing anything dangerous.

(Since I haven't been around here in about 10 years, I'll just briefly mention that the much-publicized case of the Klein Family, who got lost in the snow near the Grand Canyon in December 2016 was actually my college roommate. Eric and Karen thought they were just going on the proverbial "three hour tour", and following the GPS in their rental car. Thankfully, they all survived, though Karen lost a toe to frostbite, I believe.)

I keep my usual backcountry ditty bag in my handbag, right next to my makeup bag. I used to have just the basics in my makeup bag, but decided recently to carry more.

I have a Victorinox Rambler, Bic mini Bic, and Fisher Bullet Space Pen, a Storm whistle, a small PackTowl, an Inova X1 flashlight and spare battery, a LMF Swedish Army FireSteel, and a DiaSharp card, along with a few odds and ends like a couple of blanket pins, a couple of ponytail elastics, and a small vial of acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and diphenydramine, plus a 1 oz spray bottle filled with 70% isopropanol for hand sanitizer.

All of that goes in an IKEA fabric sandwich bag. I'm looking for a new pouch, though. There's a few things that need to be added/replaced, like a simple compass and a bit of cordage, those are on my shopping list.

On top of that, in my handbag is *always* a full set of Snow Peak titanium flatware (knife, fork, spoon, spork) a pair of Keith titanium chopsticks, and a fixed-blade Buck Diamondback for cutting baguettes, because those are all my EDC for lunch.

And then there's my vintage Gerber AirFrame folding knife.

My makeup case always has a compact in it that has a mirror that could be used for signalling, if necessary. Also, lip and eye pencils make good tinder, or a carpenters' pencil, if you don't wear makeup.