Survivorman or Man vs Wild??

[dug]

Agreed. Take them for what they are worth. They are entertainment, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't learn anything from them. I hope I never have to use what I've learned, but good to know none-the-less.

 

[Jay H]

I've only seen a couple of episodes of survivorman, it seems a lot more realistic. But the guy isn't as good looking or have the accent, so...

But Bear doesn't wear scooby doo boxers, and probably wont rip it up to make a sling to catch food...

Jay

 

[KMartman]

Agreed. Take them for what they are worth. They are entertainment, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't learn anything from them. I hope I never have to use what I've learned, but good to know none-the-less.

yeah especially the elephant poo thing....ewww. I dont wanna EVER put that into practice.



M

 

[Jaytrek57]

I bet Mikey from American Chopper would kick both their butts!

Peace.

 

[jime]

But Bear doesn't wear scooby doo boxers, and probably wont rip it up to make a sling to catch food...

Jay

BUT.....he did wear them on his head while traversing the Australian Outback! Not that I really pay that much attention to the underwear that others wear, but I digress.

I like M vs. W but I do have a beef with promoting walking out of a survival situation. Statistically isn't it better to stay put and wait for rescue? And climbing a tree that you could potentially fall out of or attempting to swim through a Utah slot canyon when he's not "sure" where it goes seems incredibly foolhardy. Still, I enjoy watching the show and like Bear, although it has brought home to me just how little machismo I have. Sigh.

Weenie Man

 

[percious]

I can't wait till they put Bear in the Desert and he has to "conserve" his own bodily fluids... Only a matter of time. Maybe Elephant dung is worse?

I am glad he had a life jacket on when he went down the rapids. That looked crazy. I saw an episode recently where he made a raft from vines and driftwood and went down rapids on that. No life jacket there, wonder which episode pre-dates which.

The last one I saw he was in some desert canyon, and he had to get down, but he saw coyote dung, so he knew it there was an easy way down. He chose to downclimb 5.0X terrain instead.

Gotta wonder about some of the decisions he makes out there.

Also entertaining, breaking a ski-pole to make a long glissade. It didn't look like it helped him control his speed much, and I wonder if having a sharp object in your hand while sliding is a great idea. I wonder if two full sized poles under his armpits would have done better?

Heading into a melting crevasse inside a glacier? Um, is this "Ice Age"? Perhaps he expected to find a "slide" out into a hot spring surrounded by numerous scantily clad women? Now that would be entertaining!

Yes, survivorman rules, but I think the series had run it's course. I doubt Stroud would put up with half the stunts they put Bear through.

-percious

 

[SAR-EMT40]

I like M vs. W but I do have a beef with promoting walking out of a survival situation. Statistically isn't it better to stay put and wait for rescue? And climbing a tree that you could potentially fall out of or attempting to swim through a Utah slot canyon when he's not "sure" where it goes seems incredibly foolhardy.

All remarkably stupid things to do and the list doesn't stop there.

As far as staying put it depends. If you fall from the sky and no one knows where you landed, you better be prepared to self rescue. For most of us though if you are on an established trail and others know that you are not back on time (you left your itinerary right?) and about where you should be. You are unquestionably better off staying put, building shelter, staying warm and dry and conserving energy. Most searches end in less than 48 hours with the subject being found safetly. Don't move around if you are on a trail. That just makes you a moving target for us. If you are not on a trail you might, read probably will be better off at least trying to get to a trail and waiting it out at the trail, again making shelter, fire, etc. If you are not expected to be away from standard trails you would probably be best to try to get to one, any trail would be better than none. There are caveats to this but as a general rule you are going to be remarkably difficult to find if not impossible if you are off trail during a cold search.

Keith

 

[KayakDan]

Both shows are great entertainment,with different styles. But in the end it is just entertainment. Nobody is really going to teach serious,comprehensive survival skills in a half an hour( including 15 minutes of commercials).
But ,hey,it's great fun. When Bear says if you never plunged through the ice and had to save yourself-and then he leaps throught the ice!
I have gone through the ice,and I don't care how much $$ Bear is making-it ain't enough to do it on purpose!

Wouldn't ya love to see them both on a weekend camping trip together?!

Les:" Well,all I have is this crappy little flint,but I'm gonna make a fire,that'll cheer us up."

Bear:" Now that's a SERIOUSLY shaap stick,and you've got to be SOO careful not to injure yourself,or infection can set in...."

Les:" Geez Bear,just go ahead and roast the marshmallows will ya?"

 

[SAR-EMT40]

But in the end it is just entertainment. Nobody is really going to teach serious,comprehensive survival skills in a half an hour( including 15 minutes of commercials).

Thats the problem Dan. I think, and have heard people who think it is a survival guide. Even my brother asked me. Believes he is an expert. He must be, he is on TV. Time will tell how many Bear action related injuries happen but I think there are enough people out there giving bad information already without a supposed expert on TV passing off entertainment as lifesaving advice.

Just my $.02,
Keith

 

[Sleeping Giant]

Percious, your ship has come in. You said "I can't wait till they put Bear in the Desert and he has to "conserve" his own bodily fluids... Only a matter of time. Maybe Elephant dung is worse?"

Well, last Friday Bear got put in the Kimberley region (desert) in Australia and did exactly what you were hoping for. Evidently you missed it, but it's sure to be rerun.

Anything else you're hoping to see?

 

[dvbl]

I bet Mikey from American Chopper would kick both their butts!

Peace.

Speaking of shows that can't get cancelled fast enough...

 

[dug]

All remarkably stupid things to do and the list doesn't stop there.

As far as staying put it depends. If you fall from the sky and no one knows where you landed, you better be prepared to self rescue. For most of us though if you are on an established trail and others know that you are not back on time (you left your itinerary right?) and about where you should be. You are unquestionably better off staying put, building shelter, staying warm and dry and conserving energy. Most searches end in less than 48 hours with the subject being found safetly. Don't move around if you are on a trail. That just makes you a moving target for us. If you are not on a trail you might, read probably will be better off at least trying to get to a trail and waiting it out at the trail, again making shelter, fire, etc. If you are not expected to be away from standard trails you would probably be best to try to get to one, any trail would be better than none. There are caveats to this but as a general rule you are going to be remarkably difficult to find if not impossible if you are off trail during a cold search.

Keith

I believe the first Survivorman I saw, when he was in a "plane crash" in Ontario, he mentioned that you shouldn't walk out. But, the show would be pretty boring if he just sat there waiting for a rescue....

 

[SAR-EMT40]

I believe the first Survivorman I saw, when he was in a "plane crash" in Ontario, he mentioned that you shouldn't walk out. But, the show would be pretty boring if he just sat there waiting for a rescue....

If you filed a flight plan like you should have and especially if you had an elt/epirb you would be much, much better off staying with the aircraft. If you didn’t do that or have neither of those you might be better off trying to walk out. Tough call. If you decided to stay put showing people how to improve an expedited camp that could actually make for a good show. If you stuck to the facts and really showed people what to do to survive. But you are correct that tramping around in beautiful scenery is worth watching as entertainment. Waiting around improving your camp and conserving energy is probably boring to watch but I think you could fill and hour with that information. Different areas i.e. swamps, desert, glacier, forests, etc all provide very specific challenges.

Again, just my $.02,
Keith

 

[DougPaul]

If you filed a flight plan like you should have and especially if you had an elt/epirb you would be much, much better off staying with the aircraft.

Also the remains of a crashed aircraft are much easier for searchers to spot than a human.

Doug

 

[dug]

If I recall correctly, I think he hung around there for a couple of days and showed how to make a camp, etc. Then, he moved to the "Well, nobody knows I'm here, so I better hoof it" mentality.

 

[giggy]

its all boring - that why I watch reality porn.

 

[king tut]

I love Man Vs Wild, i find it thoroughly entertaining. I am not sure if most people understand this, but it is television, it is meant to be entertaining..... If it was titled "Man sits around and waits to be rescued", there is a chance i may not watch it. it just seems a bit idiotic to monday morning quarterback about all the stuff that you think he does wrong, how you think he is egotistical, and has no credentials. if you don't like the show, watch something else.

I find a couple of cool little things from each episode that i may never try, but that i would have never thought about before. Like the smoke fire that he did to stay warm in Mexico, or damning a little stream at both ends and concussing a fish with a stick to get dinner. Oh, and which gross insects are edible, even though i would never eat them. So is his show practical? Probably not for 99.99 % of the population that will never be in a life and death situtation, but hell I love to watch him climb down trees,jump off waterfalls, eat elephant dung, and sleep in ice caves.

He seems very intelligent to me. I am sure he has writers that feed him lines to say in voice over to make the show more interesting, but what is everyone looking for... A well polished show put together by many people or "an authentic" show put together by one guy?

I can't wait to see the next show.

 

[SAR-EMT40]

Also the remains of a crashed aircraft are much easier for searchers to spot than a human.

Doug

Very true of course most people stand up waving their arms. Not very visible to an aircraft flying overhead. Lay down and make like a snow angel. Better still hopefully you have a fire going that you can turn into a signal fire to create tons of smoke and you also have a signal mirror. They are very small and very effective during sunny days. Fires, lights and even better are signal lasers at night.

It took a real long time to find that lear jet that went missing and never was actually found during one of the orginized searches. It was found by accident.

Keith

 

[truepatriot09]

Seriously, Man v. Wild is totally entertaining and educational all at once. I don't care that Bear doesn't set his own camera, walk in front of it and go back to collect it. Nor do I care that a camera crew is along for the ride (and they are not allowed to help him by the way). The show is well produced, a bit over the top (which makes it fun) and I've picked up more survival tips than any literature I've read or show I've seen. Bear Grylls is the man.

 

[shadowcat]

Survivor Man!!!

I watch both but I definitely feel that Survivor man is more grounded. I don't need to see Bear drink his own pee or smash a snakes head into the side of a canyon wall while saying " i really hate to kill anything but..."
He's got a crew there so unlike Les he's going to eat so he could provide the same survival info w/o having to drink piss or unnecessarily kill wildlife. However, I have learned a lot and it is interesting. But I like Les better.
Has anyone seen Les' feature movie of when he and his wife ?partner go and live in a boreal forest in some remote part of the Canadian wilderness? Guess they lived like it was 500 yrs ago; no matches, tent etc. just a stone axe really roughed it. the title is "snowshoes and solitude" (i think).
I'm not sure if its in book form too but if it is I would def like to read it.
Does anyone know if it's been on tv or you can rent it around here anywhere?