Thanks for posting the article on this incident. It's always nice to have a living subject to debrief who knows he screwed up and wants to do things better next time. He seems to have the right mindset. Everything that needs to be said is in the report -- errors in judgment, gear problems, et al. There will be differences of opinion on specific knives to carry and fire-making kits; whether what you carry is good or bad depends on whether or not it works for you.

The big error I saw was the last minute change of plans without letting anyone know the plans changed. He knew enough to call his wife and let her know he was hiking Buchanan Pass, but then didn't tell her he'd changed to Brainard Lake, which was apparently a new place for him. Lack of a cell signal is a reason, not an excuse. At the time it probably seemed like no big deal, but he knew better.

Getting lost -- How often does a survival situation commence with someone getting lost? (That's a rhetorical Q.) GPS/Map/Compass always in unfamiliar locales. The line in the article that troubled me most was: Wow. The GPS had a known (by him) critical bug and he used it anyway. A GPS that will take you in the wrong direction is not a device to rely on when you need it. I have a couple of the older gen Garmin receivers and they've never done that. I still use a Garmin Geko 301 occasionally, good GPS within its limits, simple and all the GPS you need if you also have a map. You've got to know the limits of your gear.