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Reliance on gear - drawing the line?

3273 Views 12 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  JeepHammer
My takeaways from most survival stories and advice are: be flexible and improvise. (I am thinking wilderness survival / stuck in car survival / etc)

I'm concerned that relying too heavily on a big pile of precisely the right emergency gear may give a false sense of security and lead to inflexible thinking and panic.

In real life nothing goes as planned. When (not if) some of that gear you're counting on is lost or damaged, it may be all too easy to despair and get focused on what you don't have instead of what you do have (or can find).

How do you address that when putting together an emergency kit? Or when practicing survival skills? How do you make sure you always have the kit when you're likely to need it?

Do you figure out a way to disperse the necessary items across your pockets rather than carrying a single container kit (all eggs in one basket)?

Do I include gear with overlapping functions? E.g. fishing line + 550 paracord + snare wire? Or e.g., lighter, matches, flint/magnesium?

Do you rate stuff according to utility or previous experience? And include only the highest rated?
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I don't think you can take or pack the "Precise" gear all the time. Start with the basics and build from there. I always tried to adhere to the multiple use idea myself that everything in your GO bag should do double or triple duty if possible and things that don't should have 1 or 2 backups. For example the para cord could be used for boot laces, tying down a tarp, lashing together a field expedient tent pole even a tourniquet etc........ 1 item, multiple uses....but a good wind proof Zippo lighter sealed in a baggie is only good for one thing, starting fires, so it makes sense to carry backups, another lighter, some lifeboat matches that have been dipped in wax to make them waterproof and then sealed in a baggie with some cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly.

The improvise part you can't plan for. That will happen when you are in the moment and have to rely on your brain. But that's where the real survival is anyway. Stuff just makes it easier...................
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