Yes, it seems we get gadget oriented quickly when thinking ahead and how to solve a problem we might imagine in a given scenario, but more likely we will be put into a situation where we may not have the most ideal inventory with which to work. Then it is more a matter of figuring out how to make do with what we have at hand.

That is the dichotomy of thinking survival. Pre-emptive preparation is always apt to focus more towards unlimited gear selection. Once you are in it, though, the opportunities for accessorizing evaporate, and so the mind must focus on getting the task done.

If we can train ourselves into pre-emptively thinking about how to get through a given scenario using only what we might have on us day to day or what is readily available in the environment we might find ourselves, then we become less gadget dependent and better problem-solvers.

Somewhere in there is a happy balance. Survival zen can be achieved.