I've never objected to anything that anyone does. I simply said it wasn't for me. I carry gear with me from time to time. I own a GPS although I don't know where it is at the moment. As for what brands, I don't know the difference. I also really don't care. I can look at the construction quality of something and tell whether it's going to serve my purpose or not. I don't get sucked into the name brand stuff. I don't carry expensive knives, just ones that work. I don't have a good compass, I can tell direction without one. I don't carry name brand firestarters (unless you count Bic) or any fancy multitool (I've never needed a corkscrew, philips head screwdriver, three inch saw, nail file, ruler, or bottle opener). I buy tools for their functionality, not because someone said I had to get one. I do a lot of my shopping in hardware stores because I know they have quality tools, not because I need a status symbol. In the end, mother nature doesn't care what brand name your gear has on it, she just wants to kill you with whatever she can throw at you. Now people can make fun of me because I am more "primitive" than the rest, but the simple fact is, I can probably do more with less than most of the people here. I can also make it more comfortable, and more survivable. How do I know this? Because I have done it. So far I haven't heard such claims from anyone else. The longest I've heard of so far is two weeks. So the way I see it, I might have something to contribute even though I don't do things the same way. By the way, the last time I was out for more than a couple of months, I gained 20 lbs, and all I had was a small machete and 100' of paracord.