I read the article on Monday night, and that was my impression too. It was a sort of "let's everyone learn lessons from the ultralighters" article.

One of my complaints with BP magazine is that they often trivialize serious things. In a recent first aid article, they said, in conjunction with bee stings, something about "treat for anaphlyactic shock." Um, really helpful there guys. No mention of how to recognize anaphlyactic shock, how serious (life threatening) it is, or how to treat it.

In this "learn from the ultralighters" article, there was no mention of the potential consequences of a choosing a razor blade vs. a knife. The idea of carrying empty water bottles did not stress the importance of intensely scrutinizing and planning your route around water (personally, I always carry at least a liter even on hikes where I know there will be water up ahead). And the idea of not carrying a map is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. What if you are forced to alter your route? (e.g. there's a section of the PCT near me that is closed) How do you check the distance to your next water point so you'll know how much you need to carry? What if a trail sign is missed, missing, or vandalized? I once missed a signed trail junction in the dark, and soon said, "this doesn't feel right," to myself. I pulled out my topo, shot a bearing on the trail and then compared it to the bearing on map. I was on the wrong trail! Thank God I had a topo. The wrong trail would have led me miles in the wrong direction, potentially into a survival situation. No topo, no real basis for making such a decision, truly a shot in the dark.