I have always enjoyed the outdoors, especially camping and hiking.

After reading about the "10 Essentials" somewhere, and putting together my own little pouch, it sat there for years in my backpack.

I would pull out the SAK to cut my sandwich or the sunscreen for a day's hike. While the basic gear was there, I hadn't really given much thought to practicing with it, and certainly not to modifying or updating it.

Then I discovered ETS.

Although my friends & family probably think I'm over-prepared, it's nice to have a safety net when you're in the middle of nowhere. Travel for work also takes me to lots of remote areas, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized I'd have nearly nothing if I was stranded.

So now it's kits galore, reference books, and practice whenever I can. I've also taken on the task of trying to equip family members, despite their jokes and goofy looks. <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />