Why do people always say he was an idiot or unprepared/unskilled?

They miss the point completely. He didn't care if he died or not. He wanted to escape society and find adventure, danger, freedom,and true friendship in any way he could. The possibility of dieing probably got his blood pumping and made it even more exciting and worth while. His last years he probably felt alive in ways the wage slaving facebook blurb status updating drones of society will never feel. This wasn't some stunt to show how impressive his survival skills were. His entire journey was a desperate act to find some authenticity in this existence.