Please do not take it personally but I do think that you rather carry a huge amount of gear. If it is working out for you so far than great. Yes, on the outside I wish for calm and good weather yet inside my sick and twisted mind wishes for hurricanes, storms, rain and strong winds every time I'm out. Somehow I don't remember the good trips where everything went as planned. But I do remember trips where things went awry. Those expeditions stock in my mind the most as being part of the experience. It's easy to get from point A to point B if you have a map and compass. It's even easier when you are prepared to the point that you carry a SPF3000 lotion just in case of a nuclear blast. I myself prefer to go in light. My pack is the same for a week trip as well as for an overnight trip except for an extra change of socks and spare boxer shorts. If it wasn't for my girlfriend I would probably never even thought of using a tent. If you want the experience of roughing it: go minimal. Learn how to pack, double up on essentials but the most important thing in my opinion is to become familiar with survival techniques. Go back and see how they did it before lighters were available or before the invention of muli-tools. Learn how to dry your clothes in an hour or how to start a fire in the wild. I think that skills come way before tools and equipment. I’m not saying that you should go back and start carrying a muzzle loader for bear protection or a knife made out of an obsidian. What I’m saying is that one should learn the basics and than spoil him self with little bit of technology. <br><br>I once had a discussion with my friends on the topic of "what if". Well everyone can be a hero before things do happen but when the stuff goes down not to many people can think with the clear head or their own survival instinct overtakes everything. But the most important questions that I'm being asked when I show different stuff to my friends is what's the point of having the skills if you can not use them everyday? My answer is simple: I never wish to use them, they are there just in case.<br>