I've never been in the SAS. I don't have an English accent either. But I've hiked and backpacked hundreds (maybe thousands now) of miles into the wilderness. I studied waterborne survival at the military academy I attend and consider myself to be an avid survivalist and outdoorsman. These guys (Bear and that other guy) are both fucking morons. Some of the things they say to do are plain dangerous. Its all for show-- for TV. Its all entertainment. I can tell you that the number one thing that will help you in a survival situation is tools. Having some simple tools with you at all times can increase your chances of survival tenfold. Our bodies aren't primal anymore. We are not designed to be able to dig holes with our claws (nails), nor can we stand up against many predators in the wild without at least a spear or club. A few things I ALWAYS have on me are: A large folding knife, half serrated and kept sharp Three sources of fire: Bic, Zippo, and a small ferroserium rod on my keychain Cell phone to call emergency services Spare optics (I am legally blind with nearsightedness and carry spare contact lenses with me) Watch There are more things I have that I usually carry (really bright Petzl headlamp, for one), but I also have a BOB (Bug Out Bag) that has 72 hours of food and water, and tools for me to live. I have everything from a sharpening stone to a bandanna to a folding shovel in it. It weighs about 20 pounds, but has everything I could need (including shelter in the form of a poncho). The point I'm trying to make is that wilderness survival is NOT about trying to live off the land sucking juice out of camel shit for a week while you follow some dinky little creek off a cliff. Just like in triage for first aid, when you get lost in the wilderness your far better off staying where you are for a period of time. Figure out your priorities (food, water, shelter, fire, signals) These shows make it seem like nature is something that should be feared since there are no wifi hotspots or starbucks. Just needed to vent. Those guys are phony television personalities and I'm sick of hearing people idolize their 'survival skills'. If your interested in learning more REAL survival, check out the US Army's field manual for survival. Google search 'FM 21-76. Its packed with great information and is way more interesting then watching some nitwit run down cliffs for a half hour (then go back to his hotel after filming)
I really dont know much about survival, but those shows seem pretty legit, sure tools are helpfull, but you cant always predict when your going to be stranded in the wilderness, and those shows, as far as my common sense can decipher, show pretty good survival tactics. Sure some of the things that Bear does are too dangerous for the average person, but it is about entertainment and showing the extremes of what a man can do is always entertaining. Les on the otherhand shows just pure survival as far as i can tell.
I was thinking about making a Bug out bag.. I was reading on this one website and it made me think thats a pretty good idea to have one of them ready. I mean who knows what seriously could happen some day. I already got a suitcase with a couple outfits, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste and a few other things for a gotta go NOW type scenario.
You don't know when you're going to get into a survival situation, that's why you should ALWAYS carry around a few tools with you. You'd be suprised how often you can find a use for a pocket knife or a leatherman. You can't bring them everywhere, but its worth it to have it. I see these guys make so many elementary mistakes and dumb decisions that it can be dangerous to people's lives if they tried it in a real survival situation. For example, desert survival. In one episode he squeezes moisture out of camel defecation for hydration. First, he only got a few drops of water, which is negligable when your facing severe dehydration. He makes no note on how to conserve water. Water is the most important thing in a survival situation, next to shelter (think hypothermia). Second, its feces. There are bacteria living in it. I'm no doctor, but I know that gastrointestinal bacteria from other animals will make you diharea like there is no tomorrow. Diharea (caused by diseases) used to be the number one killer of humans because you can get dehydrated so quickly. Protip: Water can be collected from the atmosphere at night and in the early morning using a myriad of techniques. You can also go to a tall place and look for trees, or you can eat plants. When you drink water, swish it around in your mouth for 5 seconds before you swallow it. A certain amount of water is absorbed directly in to the veins in your mouth and throat and will instantly replenish you. ^ That is common knowledge in the survival field. I have never heard any of it on these reality tv shows.
www.zombiehunters.org Check out their forums, they have some very intelligent members and great info. Also, the red cross website has some information about BOB's.
bear grills does this wild stuff, eat crazy shit and then sleeps in hotels, from what i hear. survivorman is a legit show. he has no camera crew. he just moves the camera.
well it is tv, and man vs. wild can be absurd, but les stroud seems legit. I am positive you would learn a whooole lot more from survival literature, but survivorman does show some good basic tactcs, like demonstrating different shelter constructions, and tips like following streams and setting traps and such and sometimes seeing someone do it makes it easier for us to do. I think all and all those shows are mainly for entertainment purposes, but they do have some knowledge involved, kind of like a crichton book.
Lol Yeah man I never liked bear I think his show is bullshit. Not to mention there was some rumor they busted him in a hotel on one of his 'survival' expeditions lol. I find Les more genuine but I'm sure he would have mentioned something about conserving water before (which I haven't heard and Ive seen like every episode I think.). Its still pretty cool to see it in person though. Entertainment no doubt.
I agree Survivorman is better, even though he too has a crew that are on standby... he still is roughing it unless something fucked up happens. I mean it's TV, and he's getting pretty close to danger for a TV guy, if I were him I'd have people ready to swoop in and get me too... It's still a good show to watch.
I think its kinda like accidental knowledge. They purposely make it interesting so that people watch it for entertainment but in the backs of their minds remember certain things. That way if they actually DID get caught in that scenario they may perhaps remember 'hey I remember les stroud doing this...' and survive.
If I ever heard an instructor tell me to squeeze feces for water..... I'd honestly tell everyone in the classroom he is a fraud and to leave now and find a legitamate survival course. There is soooo many better ways to collect water in the desert. Who would walk around in 90+(F) degree heat, with the sun beating on you, looking for poop that provides no nutrients or hydration..... That would be like jogging to the store, buying celery, jogging back to home, eating it and then expecting to gain weight. Edit: @ HerbIsGood. Alot of the stuff on Man vs. Wild is risky,dangerous to you're health, and could quite frankly get you killed. They never teach actual good shelter building skills. I saw one episode and I instanlty decided never to watch it again. He ate a 3 day old fish that some animal left behind. Of course he cooked it. But he did so inside his shelter, on a rock that was possibly sandstone, and then wondered why a bear came later on.... I couldnt even get away with that in PA without 3 racoons and a black bear mauling my ass.
in all fairness, bear never claimed to actually be surviving, he merely demonstrates different scenarios.
I've seen Bear do way more fucked up ridiculous crazy shit than Les... Les always seems to do things the right way.
Bear drinks his own piss even though he has a bottle of pure water at his hip... Les drinks his own piss because he looked for miles for pure water, and couldn't find any. Bear eats his own shit, and a baked potato and cream cheese. Les eats his own shit, but only because he's moments away from dieing of starvation.
If you're going to drink you're own piss I hope you have a fire, a skillet or pot with a glass lid, and some garden hose. That or you'll quickly regret not taking some survival classes and watching TV instead
You're missing the point of the thread. Alpha was trying to say that both the shows are not to be relied on in a survival situation. It's titled Survivorman and Man vs Wild. Not Survivorman vs Man vs Wild
I think what this says is that Grasscity would rather talk about which one of them is better, rather than how to survive in a survival situation.