Skip the footprint and you might as well skip the tent. Dave got lucky his gear stayed dry in his bag, but that bag wasn't doing anything under his floor at 2am. Water pools in the low spot and your sleeping bag pays for it. Thirty five bucks is cheap next to a soaked night at Texoma.

My cast iron sat in a cabinet for a year before I finally gave it another shot, same deal.

Locking yourself to one brush forever sounds like a fast track to boring art. Sure the timer trick helps you stop scrolling panels, but texture is half the fun of painting, going full robot with one hard round would drive me nuts. I still keep my favorites on a hotkey and switch when the piece actually calls for it.