The article shows an MSR Reactor Stove so should be able to boil about 20 litres on a single 250gm cartridge.
It was time consuming to boil water each time he needed to drink.
An MSR Reactor Stove will boil a litre of water in under 4 minutes.
On the whole emphasis of the equipment failures in the article were actually pretty minor. Being in a pine forest he could have made a temporary fix to the sole of his boots using tree resin and charcoal ash. The water filter failure again was a minor issue, boiling water needs only a metal pot and a fire even after his gas cartridges ran out. He had access to both.
He doesn't even appear to be actually lost, the White Creek cabin's location would most likely have been marked on the map of the area.
He set up his tent outside and laid out fence posts as a signal beside the cabin, but apparently didn't have the energy to break inside or build a signal fire. Much of this story really doesn't make any sense.
He could also see that the weather was starting to change. Clouds were coming in. The wind was picking up. He didn't know what that meant, not being familiar with the climate and territory here, but he knew it was getting colder, he was tired and dehydrated, and needed to get out of the elements.
This quote is particularly lame, then later in the day;
He burned some extra socks and clothes. He thought, why carry all this equipment when what I really need is water.
Socks weigh virtually nothing and a change of dry socks can make the difference between a comfy or painful walk home. Then of course the socks can be improvised as mittens, scarve and water carrier (when used in conjunction with a Condom) etc.
Perhaps this chap was just too reliant on his gear, didn't know how to improvise and then panicked or became despondent when his imagined critical survival gear actually failed or didn't work how he imagined it would work.
Some excellent advice from Ray Mears again about not getting even more lost and how to rehydrate the number 1 survival tool is shown here at the end of the this Youtube clip of his new TV show series 'Northern Wilderness'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpWJPobfWd8http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moyCJ7Z-EaY 
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