While learning primitive living skills certainly is beneficial, the readers and posters in this forum come from a variety of backgrounds, skills levels, and geographic regions. Some of the emphasis on gear reflects this, as well as the fact that certain gear can simplify (not to mention make more comfortable) the various tasks that a person in a survival situation may face. Also, remember that the overall goal for information sharing in this forum is to survive, not necessarily prove that one is adept in primitive living. Take fire-starting for example, you'll notice that DR's review of fire starting methods emphasizes the ability to start a fire with one hand, in the event of injury. Most of your primitive skills fire-starting methods require two functional hands, a problem if you find yourself injured. This isn't a criticism of primitive living skills, merely one explaination for the plethora of postings regarding gear.