dwcphoto wrote: Smith, the philosophy is in the thought of who thi ks what is needed and in that the difference between needs and wants. It could either leave you feeling over burdened or cold and wet.

Personally, I like to read about the items for preparation. I’ve always been guilty of carrying too much stuff and still on occasion being wet! dwc

I agree David, and I do think that the “philosophy” behind what we carry, and why, is certainly interesting. In fact, it’s part of the reason I started this thread to begin with – to get us all to think about this topic. Where I guess this conversation lost me was in there being the suggestion of ‘philosophy” without including useful specifics that the rest of us could learn from. For example, if someone feels that my philosophy on emergency gear is different than theirs (something that shouldn’t be surprising), and that what we choose to carry reflects that philosophy, then I would love to hear the specifics of why they choose a different approach, and what they choose to carry instead.