I've just been reading Chris Townsends book 'The Backpackers Handbook'.
Some of his advice varies considerably from this site. Hardly surprising since this is, after all,'Equipped to Survive' not 'Equipped to Backpack'.
But even so some is worth thinking about.

He finds water filters "too heavy, too complicated, too inneficient and too complicated" and says "they can't remove viruses unless they also include chemical disinfection, in which case you might as well just use chemicals".

He sometimes carries a tiny 3 quarter of an ounce swiss army knife as his only tool and never a multi-tool or strong locking blade.

He never mentions 'batoning' to get dry wood. Just recommends looking under logs and at the base of trees.

He finds bottomless sleeping bags (makes sense in theory; why have insulation that doesn't work, because you are lying on it?)like 'Big Agnes' have cold spots where the pad meets the bag.

Any opinons?

While I'm asking: I've always considered one of the best reasons for carrying a strong locking blade, is to break the glass if in a car crash. Does anyone know if a strong locking blade can actually do this?

- Simple Simon