>"Stupid mistake if one is planning on taking their best mate hiking make sure the person is somewhat athletic. My friend heard about all the cool adventures I have been having in Isle Royale and Pictured Rocks. He decided to head up with me to Isle Royale for a week. I told him what he needed to purchase. He decided not to so he carried all cotton and deniem very heavy. "

I'd suggest the mistake was not about your friend's athleticism but about your tolerating his refusal to get the necessary equipment. I have experienced and witnessed this kind of behavior on numerous occasions. Somehow some people manage to delude themselves that what you are telling them simply doesn't apply to them or would only matter to a connoiseur or fanatic but doesn't have any real impact on comfort, much less survival. Also some people manage to think "Well, if this is true, this is going to cost me money. Since I don't want to spend the money, it must not really be true".

I cope with this issue by being very explicit about what gear is optional and what is not optional (and what is not permitted). I even tell people that one required "gear item" is empty space in their packs so they can help out someone else in the group in case that person's pack needs to be lightened.

Not only am I very specific about what gear requirements are, I briefly tell people why: "If you get wet and don't dry out you could die of hypothermia". It helps to be able to give direct personal examples like "last time a guy didn't pay any attention and brought a ton of denim and really suffered when he got soaked".

I also try to give people an idea of what kind of budget they may need to spend in order to get the equipment. I include options there like buying new from a local gear shop, ordering from a catalog or online, shopping a thrift store, or borrowing from me.

Finally, I make sure that people understand that if they unfortunately don't have the proper equipment by departure time, that they will be left behind. It's just that simple. You never know when failure to properly prepare may result in a worse situation than what you recently experienced and it's not worth the risk. Also, if you are the "mentor" and they are the "newby", the relationship isn't going to work if they don't have enough respect to follow your recommendations prior to the actual trip. If they won't follow directions then, what may they do in a situation that may be much more critical?