Thanks Pat. I agree, how you think and how you face situations of extreme stress probably are your best weapons. Try to be ready, but you never know until you find yourself in that kind of situation. Fire, water, shelter, the rest can follow. But what about extreme situations, such as the arctic or the Brazilian jungles? Probably you have much less time to even orient yourself, and nature can be far harsher than many folks today realize. Fliers in WWII were told if they went down over the Brazilian jungle they were good as dead, and rescue was just not an option. I read a story about a rescue attempt of a pilot in New Guinea (my dad's mother's brother was part of that rescue), and within a week, they men's clothing was rotting off them, and their weapons had rusted to the point of uselessness.
If you have spend time in the desert, you know how bitterly cold it gets at night. Knowledge is power in this case.
Probably retaining body heat and protection against the elements is critical in any environment. People can go insane from exposure to the sun after ships sink, for instance.
Oh, a good story to read is by Jack London, "To Build a Fire."
Dane
