Excellent. That is absolutely the way to evaluate a list: Take a look at a real life situation. Would your list have helped? What would you drop? What would you add? What did you fail to anticipate?

My list is a hiking list, but let's see how it would stack up for the Kim family on their car trip. If you look at the original post, item 25 is a PLB. James Kim deploys the PLB, a 406 MHz signal indicating his identity and his GPS coordinates goes to a SARsat which notifies the AFRCC, the AFRCC notifies local authorities who proceed to the general vicinity and home in on the 121.5 MHz homing beacon, the entire family is rescued, and a minor note is posted in the local newspaper. I think my list would have done the Kim family a lot of good, yes?

Now, let's artificially restrict them to the first 20 items on the list, would that have helped? A map is the first item on my list. Carrying a map instead of just MapQuest instructions might have kept them out of the situation in the first place. A map might also have made Mr. Kim think twice about hoofing it out (although why he didn't just backtrack down the road they came in on I'll never know). A map could also have directed him to the lodge nearby. I can't think of anything in the top 20 (or top 30) that would be harmful, although his not filing a trip plan before leaving and the fact that searchers didn't know where to search would have been hard to overcome.

I can't think of too many things that would have helped him that aren't on my list except maybe a Ham Radio or a Satellite Phone, both of whose functions are covered by the PLB. And, please, I mean no disrespect to Mr. Kim or his family; I use his story in an effort to prevent what took his life from recurring.

What, if anything, would you have recommended for the Kim family that is not in my top thirty?

A wilderness SAR incident took my father's life. I've had two serious wilderness SAR incidents happen to me, either of which could have easily resulted in the loss of my life. My interest is far from academic.

HJ