There was this survival game where the referee wanted normal characters. I made up a gym teacher who loved the outdoors and spent a lot of time traveling doing outdoorsy activities like climbing, hiking, etc. There was this epic lightning storm, so my character grabbed her backpack and her go bag, then headed out to the basement of her apartment building to wait out the never before seen storm.
Lightning storm plot device teleported me into deep water. Her hiking backpack with her tent, sleeping bag, and food was sinking, but she saved the removable daypack of survival gear, a waterproof floating bag of clothes, and her survival knife. She swam her way to an 20x20 foot sandbar in the middle of nowhere. The PC dug into the sand in the middle of the sandbar to get some relatively salt-free water to purify to drink. At this point, the referee decided she didn't fit his character concept for his game and I was out. And now for the vents...
1. Why would grabbing emergency gear to take with you in a very bad storm be unrealistic to a referee? Even the Federal Government wants you to have supplies.
http://www.ready.gov/build-a-kit
2. Why would anyone think that a character who basically lives outdoors during her time off wouldn't have a bag of survival tools and supplies?
3. Why would anyone think that a character who basically lives outdoors during her time off and has a bag of survival tools and supplies not be considered to know how to use those tools?
4. Hey Ref!!! If you ever read this and you want your starting players to begin with no real world skills and nothing but pocket lint for equipment, say so in your RTJ. That way a gear-head like me will avoid your game like the plague.