=)) survival experts =))
It's only a show, IMHO.

Bogdan

 

I wholeheartedly agree......

 

i find most of them a bloody bad joke and often find myself wondering why on earth dont i take advantage of people in the same manner that they do other than the simple fact i wouldnt be able to live with myself

Hey neighbor !... I just wonder what the rate of emergency room visits has risen to with sheeple being stung on the tongue from a scorpion or having the screaming sh*ts from drinking water from a animal feces laden mudhole?..........LOL. Must be grand........

Doctor: " And what were you doing before coming in to the ER today?"
Sheeple: " I was eating grubs and chasing them with my own urine."

 

This is probably a reflection of my current perspective on television programming in general, but I have watched them, however I don't watch them regularly or view them as anything more than entertainment.

 

I agree.....but I do have to have a laugh now and then.

 

I do not watch shows, what snippets I've see of the first two on You Tube are suspect.I have read both of Lundin's books. His information is credible. I think Ray Mears and the bushcraft folks know what they are talking about. The difference is, of course, in the latter two, it is the craft that is the focus, in the first two it is the individual who is the focus.

 

You Tube.....suspect......best comparison I've seen in a while... Good point about the craft instead of the individual being the focus, but come on Razor....throw me a bone here...give me some specifics on what you personally count as "credible'......( as well as the rest of the posters here.... ) Thanks for the input.

 

I watch Les Stroud. Good thing about him is that he tells you he has back-up in case of emergency AND tells you when he is doing something to only try similar actions in an EXTREME situation.He also shows how to use what you have and whats around you effectively.

Bear...puh---leeze... I imagine that man is more responsible for multiple ER visits than the Jack@ss show!

Not familiar with the Cody fella. Will look him up before giving an opinion.

Many of the books out there make me laugh. I have experience in camping and such and I have seen books that gave such bad advice that their only usefulness would be in using them for campfire fuel.

I have several military (American) handbooks/manuals and have used them extensively. I do try out things on a regular basis, whether it be in the backyard or on a camping trip and I encourage others to do the same.
Having all the knowledge does you no good without practical experience!

 

Thanks Lamb.......I agree and appreciate the comments. 'Ya know....eventho' Bear is ex-military, and I'm sure has vast knowledge on many different subjects and situations, the sensationalism of his show is really just that......

No argument on Les.......

Get back with an opinion on Cody.....

Good point on the military handbooks and practical experience......

 

Thanks Lamb.......I agree and appreciate the comments. 'Ya know....eventho' Bear is ex-military, and I'm sure has vast knowledge on many different subjects and situations, the sensationalism of his show is really just that......

Dude, Bear TRAINED with the British version of the National Guard. He didn't fly over Everest and he's no expert at anything except for eating with his mouth open, like an undisciplined little brat.

Check this: http://www.mounteverest.net/news.php?id=16274

 

prefer ta think of em in mah dads definition of an expert.

break the word down an ya git

ex -- a has been
spert -- drip under pressure

its entertainment, dont try this w out adult supervision

 

I don't get excited about the survival shows on tv. It's like watching meatloaf. There is a lot of filler to stretch the meat out. Life's too short to have to wade through the crap.

However, I do like to watch the Ron Hood dvds. I have picked up a lot of basic common sence and practical ideas watching his dvds.

 

Ray Mears concentrates on the craft of survival. Never gives the false impression of being on his own, in fact makes a point of the fact that he has well equipped back-up with him. Mind you I do not see him in the same way as the other so-called experts, more like a teacher trying to impart real knowledge. His series Wild Foods is a tour de-force on forgotten knowledge. He understands the incredible knowledge the human species has lost and tries to make you stop and think if so-called modern ways of living are all that great for the human condition.

 

Agreed...Mears puts it perspective and while he is making a living at it he is not a chest-pounding nut. I like his videos and his books. I think he strikes an acceptable balance.

 

I have enjoyed the series about surviving in Alaska. The name escapes me at the moment. Groups of people had to survive a winter on "their own".

 

I watched this one too but let's face it, that show was also fitted to the mass viewing audience.....like it has been said in other threads and responses concerning the Alaska Experience, put some people who actually know what they're doing in that same situation and see what happens.....wouldn't be very interesting viewing I wager.........

 

I lost interest in the "survival Shows" the day i saw that guy squeeze an elephant turd over his head to prove you could drink the water it was saturated w/. Me and the wife said it at the same time...Damn, ain't there something else on?!?!?!?!?!?!

 

Yeah...that one kind of took the cake for me also.....I mean eating a dead zebra is bad enough, but dung water?.......come one....

 

"Practical experience makes a world of difference"

Of course in no way was I defending / supporting / endorsing Bear or any of the others by stating the "ex-military" thing. As you so eloquently put it Lamb, just becaue you're "ex" something don't mean squat.... I appreciate the well versed response.....

 

Lamb, I like your humor...

 

Gee, no one mentioned EatTheWeeds....

 

I am not too fond of the word "expert" and having said that, I've watched some of these survival shows. To me, some of the stuff makes me laugh and other things are a "yeah, but.." I'm all for making people aware of what they can use around themselves, and yes, to those who have never been in a situation to survive anything, makes for good entertainment...but to label themselves experts, just don't float in my book and that goes for any profession. One can be very proficient in what they do, but no one is really an expert in anything. Just my $.02.

 

I am a experienced survivor but no expert,try to learn something new everday and make some one smile. Keep your knife sharp and your powder dry.

 

An expert on survival. TV guys are in it for the money. Nuff said.

 

Don't disagree for the most part, but Ray Mears got into it precisely because he was too poor to do anything else as a kid.

 

Same can be said for the SAS in the First Gulf War I guess...they survived some god awful nights while not being prepared for the unexpected conditions. But I too, along with several others survived behind enemy lines from getting lost..yep, you heard that right...do I consider myself an expert? Heck no. I used what I was trained with and that is it. But it don't make you no expert.

 

I'm sorry I must have overlooked the University of Survival in the phone book. I suppose they hand out masters degrees in survival. (Note sarcasm)

Look, human beings, like most creatures, inherently know what they need to survive. They need food, water, shelter, and rest. If you can endure for a long period of time in a given set of circumstances and come out alive, you're an expert. I don't need the blessings of the SAS, or SOCOM for that, and nothing against those boys I think they do a great job.

The reality of it is, this a field where anyone and everyone with the smarts and the ability to get through whatever circumstances they are presented with has the right to say that to some degree they too are experts on the matter. Weather someone else did it better than you doesn't matter. There's no ribbons here, worst to first, there's only weather or not you made it out alive.

 

Tom Brown.

 

The Bear show is more of a comedy.

Les is the real deal in the sense that he seems to be really doing the stuff, but he demostrates how tough it can be & in many of his shows he is very inept at getting food. In the desert episode he eats food when he has very little water & has to stumble out a couple days early because he is severly dehydrated - in real situation he would have died. I wouldn't mind being with him in a survival situation, but wouldn't do everything he does.

Cody Lundin - I haven't read his books - he seems to know what he is talking about in the Youtube videos I've seen - nothing jumps out as suspect - though his 2-4 weeks of food comes up short by a couple years IMO, but he does say how much food is up to you.

 

Totally agree with you Black Horse. I have a huge issue with labels...thus don't believe in them. For example, I hold a doctorates degree...to me, whoopdedoo. It's just a title, but I never use the "Dr." in my name, on my license or in my profession because titles don't make you who you are or what you are. Some people enjoy titles because it makes them feel better than others, more important and sometimes more powerful. But I feel if you're good at what you do, cool. However, one doesn't need to label themselves to look important to the world.

 

Why do the experts charge so much for a course with them, my favorite survival guy charges 300 pounds thats nearly 600 $ for a two day intro bush craft course. Daylight robbery!!!!!!!!!

 

Good lord, do you even get a kiss or a reach around with that?

I read an article once about taking advanced shooting courses in a firearms magazine. The author was a man with many years experience taking various firearms courses. He put it best when he basically said that taking an advanced firearms course was pretty much just like taking a basic course only it moved faster, you shoot more and you pay more for it, but essentially you're still pointing a gun at a target and pulling the trigger just like the basic course.

Camp craft is pretty much the same so this notion that you need to pay 300 pounds for "An intro to bush craft" followed of course by other courses which I'm sure sound ever more impressive like "Intermediate Bush Craft" and "Expert Bush Craft" is just some dude ripping you off. Bush craft is common sense in the woods, that's it. That's my opinion on it anyway. I've spent many a night in the wood, I'm still alive and I never paid some guy to teach me how to do it. I got a few good survival manuals and read them and then applied common sense. You must do what you feel is right for you of course.

 

experts..........put anyone in an unfamiliar environment and see what happens.........

 

I don't watch those shows much. But I watched a Ray Mears episode where he was in the mountains, claiming all bears are basically man eaters. I know your bears are different than ours, we only have a few bear attacks here and there, mostly people just pass the bear and don't even see it, the bear sees them and leaves. Makes me wonder, how bad are the bears really? No question they could easily kill you, but how likely would it be? Because the show is made for the thrills, so what is exaggeration and what is not? Then he built a shelter. He basically chopped down enough trees to build a house. That must've taken all day. Like he did it himself. Then he builds some freaky shelter from it, it's very steep and only shelters from one side. That can't give you much help if it rains with strong side winds. He could have built a simpler and better shelter. But I guess it wouldn't look macho enough. Also he claimed in the woods there is nothing to eat but animals and fish. Does this sound sane? How would you remake this episode?

 

I like the "I should't be alive" shows. OK, they are overly dramatic, but it's real people and real situations they talk about.