The premise of the “Rule of 3s” is simply to think about things in the order of potential importance. In extreme environments, it usually works out perfectly. In non-extreme environments, you simply get to the shelter step and think “the clothes I’m wearing right now are shelter enough,” and proceed to the next step.

It’s a checklist of things to think about, not a recipe of what to do in what order. Which situation do you think is better?

• You think about shelter, realize it’s not important right now, and proceed to water.
• You think about water, work on obtaining it, and ignore shelter when it’s really needed.