Maybe we should append

0.003 seconds without adequate protection from a nuclear blast

to the start of that list <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

No offense intended here, it just seems to me that that list of 3s while useful, has to be balanced against the likelihood of the results. For example, the shelter requirement is void if you are in a very mild climate: 350 days of the year I could make it just fine in the woods near where I live without shelter of any kind. The same with the guns - if you need one, you DO need it, but the question is how many survival situations will you find yourself in when you are under armed attack?

For the weight, I'd argue that its much better (generally speaking) to carry a PLB instead of a .45. Not nearly as much fun to play with, of course.