Well said Benjammin!

Logan,

Primitive skills are something I'd considered silly but last night I was thinking about them again. These are skills that I'd almost never use except in a survival situation but the more I think about it, that's all the more reason to learn these things and practice them

I own several survival books that touch on this topic (including the infamous Bushcraft book by Mr. Kochanski)...I've always passed through these sections pretty quickly.

Wilderness first aid is on my to-do list but I'm waiting for my SAR group to run it instead of my paying for it. Unfortunately it's not required training in Alberta for SAR volunteers so I might have to wait a little while.

It's been a slow day at work today and I've been thinking about how I can solve the problem while keeping (and using) all of the gear (even if it's not all at once). Over the weekend I'm going to take Jim's advice and spread everything out (I've done this before with some success...until the DW makes me pack it up anyhow hehehe). I have a few ideas and over the weekend I think I'll have time to explore them...maybe even run out into the woods to test them.

Thanks for the encouraging words folks. I have a feeling there will be some really positive results come from this moment of doubt.