Lessons learned from the Oregon tragedy

Jay Honeck writes:

I know he wasn't expecting to take a wrong turn, and I know he wasn't
expecting to get stuck in the snow, and I know he wasn't from that part
of the country -- but the unfortunate Mr. Kim apparently did not take
even the most basic precautions.

Granted ... but how many people _do_ take these precautions? How many
people driving through the wilderness really do carry survival gear
and supplies, just in case?

We keep a giant Tupperware container of survival gear in each of our
vehicles. In that kit is warm clothing, some food, chemical hand/feet
warmers jumper cables, flash lights, tools -- the basic survival stuff.

Sounds sensible. Is there anything that you have to replace or renew
periodically?

We have an even more extensive kit in our airplane, knowing that the
*average* time from crash to rescue is 18 hours in the United States --
plenty long to die of exposure in the Midwest.

Seems to me that survival gear would be an ideal form of ballast when
you need to adjust the aircraft's center of gravity. A few pounds can
go a long way (except for water, which is extremely heavy).

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