A few things from the "survival" aspect of the course:
The guy who covered this section used to do search & rescue in the Colorado mountains (I can't remember if he specifically said Rocky Mountains or not).
Most of what he said was pretty standard stuff, but a few things I thought were noteworthy was this:
- He said that, when he used to to do search&rescue in CO, in addition to carrying matches + lighter + magnesium everybody would also carry a bottle of Coleman stove gas (white gas). If he couldn't get a fire started by conventional means in short order then just add gas. You will probably have more important things to worry about than getting a fire going - like gathering firewood (because a bigger fire will help you get noticed, and it will be more pleasant/warm) and shelter.
- Shelter: this guy wasn't a big fan of those cheapo mylar space blankets. He thought they were nearly impossible to fold back up decently and aren't that durable. He recommended something like this (if not exactly this):
SOL Sport Utility Blanket at REI.com It is more durable, reusable, its not
that heavy (although certainly more heavy than those $2 space blankets) has grommets which helps for building a shelter, can be used as a ground cloth for a tent, etc...
- Water: he said he usually just carried a small bottle of clorox bleach to add to water if necessary. Its much cheaper than other means (presumably referring to iodine tablets) and kills all harmful bacteria just the same. Can't remember what proportion he said - I'm sure you can look it up.
Think multipurpose for any survival gear when possible - Hand sanitizer is a good fire starter as well; cotton balls coated with vaseline are good fire starters as well as lip balm, chapstick can also be used for fire starting, alcohol wipes are good for sanitizing cuts as well as fire starting.
