re: Majority of Americans believe they can survive two weeks in the wilderness

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I’m 50 and have a bad heart. I’ve done it, and believe I could do it again, but maybe wishful thinking. Let me bring my meds and a couple other survival essentials and it will be the flip of a coin. I’m game. I’ll outlast most soyboy punks.

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Same here. I’ve been backpacking and climbing in North America’s backcountry for more than 45 years .... and I still log more than 600 miles annually ..... which is less than half what I was logging into my early fifties. Back then I’d buy two pair of boots at the beginning of each season.

The new gear today is ultralight and makes a huge difference. My pack weight for a 2 week trip was in excess of 55 lbs in the eighties, .... now it’s less than 32 lbs, and has extended the career of this old trailhound.

Admittedly I’m a three-season backpacker now, ... so I don’t suffer the below-20 degree trips like I was able to when I was younger .... but I still love it and I have zero doubt I could last a month or much longer if I was pissed-off enough to commit to do so ....