Chris,<br>Not to worry. I know what you were trying to say. I am envious of you military guys who have all the expensive toys to play with. Most commercial operators in the arctic use DHC-6 and DHC-7, with a few new ATRs showing up. I'm just a working guy on a limited budget. I fly a very small single engine airplane. I have made a couple of flights in the arctic with it and have a fantasy of flying to East Greenland where I have friends and a minor business interest. It is important to equip oneself for survival (duh) but when one tries to fit all the essentials into a small 'plane it can result in overloading or a balance problem. We all joke about drilling holes in our toothbrushes to save weight but I am seriously experimenting with reductionism. Not being satisfied with the current situation is how improvements and advances are made. <br><br>I have found that carrying bivouac gear goes a long way toward assuring that you will have one and sometimes one has to realize that the difference is not always between being comfortable and being miserable. Sometimes the choice is between being miserable and being dead.<br><br>In flying, we train for emergencies and hope we will be prepared when (if) they happen. But, we have to assume on every flight that the engine will keep running and the wings will not fall off or else we would never fly. Everything is a compromise: a gallon of fuel, which you probably will need and for which there is no substitute vs. a sleeping bag, which you probably will not need and which you can probably improvise. The list goes on and the compromise is the same no matter whether you are walking, paddling, flying, on horseback, etc.<br><br>Suggestions from you and the expertise of the members of your forum is what I am seeking.<br><br>Regards,<br>Dan