Emergencies are not the time you want to be learning the ins and outs of your equipment. One of the reasons I avoid top-line equipment is so I can buy multiple copies of the same items. Generally, with a few exceptions, if I don't feel good about buying three or four of any item I feel like I can't afford to buy one.

I can, for instance, have one for home use, one in a disaster kit, and another riding in the truck. When the day comes I break out the kit I'm intimately familiar with the stuff inside. I know how it feels in my hand and know how far it will take me. Nothing, not well meaning advice nor expert reviews, tells you more about a piece of equipment than actually using it. And, within certain limits, the more you use something the better you know it.