Your pack is your shell, your hump, your fur. If it dies, you've got to choose which gear you carry in your hands, and what you leave behind. If it isn't comfortable, that means it is rubbing at your skin, which mean blisters and bleeding and infection where you really can't reach it alone, or you are doing muscle and joint damage. Or worse, you are messing up your spine. All of these can lead to you meeting Murphy before you are ready.

Similarly, a pack can limit where you can go. That might mean you can't take a certain path. Or you can't take it into a shelter with you, so your gear gets wet (not much is truely waterproof, just resistant), which means more weight, wasted rations and medical supplies, a sleeping bag that has negative insulation, et al. All of which can lead to you meeting Murphy before you are ready.

The funny thing is, I actually have a very good friend named Murphy who is probably lurking here. And waking up to his ugly face is good for a yelp.