Even without any high-tech tools (which I think are awesome) or even some basic tools they had the survival game beat.

1. Had the shelter of the car to keep them out of the wind & dry. Plus the heat of 4 human bodies huddled together under whatever clothing, etc. thrown on top.

2. All the water they needed from melting snow over the fire that they had.

All they were lacking was some basic food calories to keep them alive long enough for help to arrive. If they had had that he wouldn't have been under the pressure to try to hike out.

A 6 pound jar of peanut butter ($6.42 at Sam's Club) and a couple boxes of Ritz Crackers would have bought them a couple more weeks. 16,000 calories in the peanut butter & 4,480 calories from the two boxes of crackers would have given them 1,462 calories a day if rationed out over 14 days. I would have given the breast feeding mother a little more than myself & the older daughter.

The father & older daughter could have easily gone an additional 14 days on top of that without any food as long as they could stay warm & drink enough water. I'm not sure on the baby & nursing mother?

I'm not against PLB, GPS, etc. on the technology. And all for a good signal fire. But some very cheap food calories would have saved his life very easily. IMO

The mountain men used to hole up all winter long as long as they had enough food to get them through.