Every year I go on a multi-day backcountry hiking trip. Early on I carried a 5D Mark II, then a 5DsR with a telephoto, macro, and a wide angle lens. As I got older I wanted my weight down, but I didn't want to compromise quality. I eventually went with a SL1 which created some saleable images for me, but I hated the noise at higher ISOs.
I resisted going in on the M series for quite some time because I felt that Canon just didn't offer the lens lineup I needed. Finally, I went in on an M5 just because every ounce counts when hiking. I picked up the 11-22, 18-150, 55-200. The 11-22 is pretty good, I'm not really a fan of the others. My biggest use case for my cameras is landscape so the wider the better. I got pretty good at stitching M5 images while the camera was balanced on a trekking pole. Here is an example of that.
I wanted to choose a backcountry site that was more out of the way than during my previous trips to Rocky Mountain National Park. Mirror Lake is generally accessible from the far northwestern corner of the park which is a couple hour drive from Trail Ridge. From there it was about a 5-6 mile...
www.journeyoflight.com
I then found the Laowa 9mm and fell in love with wide angle all over again. I picked up the M6 II which I think is a very capable camera and so easy to pull out and capture images. In fact, I frequently have my 5DsR on a tripod with my 11-24 f/4l and I grab the M6 with the Laowa and capture better images because I'm unburdened by the weight.
While I like the R line, for me it's going backwards on the weight a tad. I know it's lighter and very capable (I own an R5 and have preordered an R7), but the M series had brought back a little of the fun for me. Plus it has the quality I need to create saleable images. If the M line dies, so be it, my M6 II and Laowa will continue to function regardless. With that being said, I personally would love to see the M series continue in some form.
In the end, if I have to choose water over a camera, I'll choose water every time. The M series just enabled me to have a camera and still go quite a distance on my hikes while capturing some memorable images.