Dual Survival

On Cody's facebook page he gives the reason for going barefoot. He's all about not having to rely on stuff and shoes are a part of that. He gave reference to being taken prisoner and the first thing they do is take your boots. This is something that happened in my city as late as the '40's. Men were kidnapped, dragged down below the street, locked up in a room without shoes and the floor covered with glass. I get it though I still wear shoes.

Yes, I'm sure that Cody's villainous captors would be perplexed that he has no shoes for them to remove from him. They'd certainly have to release him straight away as he will have proven his mental prowess over their insideous shoe taking ways. He'd stroll out of their with his pig tails swinging while the kidnappers woud be left scratching their heads. That Cody is a real thinker.

He believes remaining perpetually barefoot will somehow give him the upper hand one day. There is that and not to mention the obvious benefits of walking around with no foot protection. It's obvious...right?
 
Looks like a dogs breakfast

I had trouble reading the blurry text on that diagram, so i "enhanced" it. ;)

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Anyone ever consider Cody might not wear shoes as a way of making money. There is a sea-o-people out there. Standing out (pun intended) from the crowed is a great way to garner attention. After all we are talking about the subject right now.
 
Anyone ever consider Cody might not wear shoes as a way of making money. There is a sea-o-people out there. Standing out (pun intended) from the crowed is a great way to garner attention. After all we are talking about the subject right now.

Damn, you're right. I feel strangely like I should be giving him some money for shoes. The wise bastard! And I guess negative attention is still attention after all...Yes he stands out. I'll take note of this marketing strategy. I'm sure we'll all see that it is fool proof as everyone will want to see the bare foot action that is Cody soon enough.
 
There is that and not to mention the obvious benefits of walking around with no foot protection. It's obvious...right?

I'm a proponent for minimalist footwear but not much of an advocate for being barefoot. Ironically, my son (age 15) frequently hikes barefoot (although I still make him take socks and his Vibram Five Fingers). We did a 35 mile hike on the AT and this kid did that last day over Blood Mountain barefoot and at almost a jog of 7 miles while wearing a 28 pound pack. He amazes me and he's able to hop around rocks on the trail almost like dancing. For me the barefoot posture via minimalist shoes really helps on the knees and ankles.

ROCK6
 
Damn, you're right. I feel strangely like I should be giving him some money for shoes. The wise bastard! And I guess negative attention is still attention after all...Yes he stands out. I'll take note of this marketing strategy. I'm sure we'll all see that it is fool proof as everyone will want to see the bare foot action that is Cody soon enough.

I think in the Vibram five finger class action lawsuit there was a study that determined humans were never made to actually run or guessing walk for that matter on our bare feet. If it was determined during a lawsuit it must be correct so perhaps you're on to something.
 
On the flip side Shaka Zulu never heard of the Vibram five finger class action lawsuit so he trained his warriors to go bare footed. How did they ever do so well being paralyzed with bare feet?
 
I though Cody once said that that the barefoot thing was so he was forced to slow down and observe his environment more.

Id like to know how Cody and people like him, think mimicking primitive man is a good thing......
We have evolved and learned 1000's of years ago, that shoes are GOOD.
 
does it really matter that Cody goes bare foot?? While it might not be common any more in 1st world countries. It does work for him, its same as Joe which it seems to bother him more that Cody walks bare foot, Then it bothers Cody to actually walk bare foot. People make it more of a big deal of it then it is. There are millions of people out in 3rd world countries that go bare foot everyday including doing hard labor or carry heavy loads on there backs. For me I love to walk in my five toes Vibrams. I feel there is more balance and you do have to walk slower as you can feel sharp rocks..
Looking at those shows I don't think Joe would be a bad guy to hang with. Its more of his way of thinking about things in military way.. I bet if it would have been a show about a firefight people would think of him better. My ex GF father was all that and then lots more. He never talked about it. All I knew about him was from my GF who thought the world of him. He mentioned once that he was trained to do what ever it takes to do a job not live off the land. One of the reason they expect you to be in top shape. So you can survive with less food and keep on moving.
Matt is an interesting character that's for sure. If it was him with Cody that would be the most boring show to watch. But I would watch Joe in naked and afraid.. I don't think there would be any animals alive in the area after the show.
 
Every time I watch a survival show that takes place over the course of a few days or 21 days I always watch there teeth closely, if they are pearly and shiny at the end then they are cheating and receiving help. Becuase after one day my teeth get so gross and stained. You dont have access to toothpaste in a survival situation
 
does it really matter that Cody goes bare foot?? While it might not be common any more in 1st world countries. It does work for him, its same as Joe which it seems to bother him more that Cody walks bare foot, Then it bothers Cody to actually walk bare foot. People make it more of a big deal of it then it is. There are millions of people out in 3rd world countries that go bare foot everyday including doing hard labor or carry heavy loads on there backs. For me I love to walk in my five toes Vibrams. I feel there is more balance and you do have to walk slower as you can feel sharp rocks..
Looking at those shows I don't think Joe would be a bad guy to hang with. Its more of his way of thinking about things in military way.. I bet if it would have been a show about a firefight people would think of him better. My ex GF father was all that and then lots more. He never talked about it. All I knew about him was from my GF who thought the world of him. He mentioned once that he was trained to do what ever it takes to do a job not live off the land. One of the reason they expect you to be in top shape. So you can survive with less food and keep on moving.
Matt is an interesting character that's for sure. If it was him with Cody that would be the most boring show to watch. But I would watch Joe in naked and afraid.. I don't think there would be any animals alive in the area after the show.

Cody is a good survival instuctor for sure, but going barefoot in almost every REAL survival situation is just plain stupid. He himself has mentioned many times how bad it is to get a cut(wound) in a survival situation. You can die from infection in just a couple of days.
Having exposed feet in real life is ok if you dont mind getting cut up and have access to a medical kit or emergency room. But when you're stranded in the wilderness, thats just plain dumb.
His style of teaching is sometimes misleading, especially the barefoot thing.
 
"His style of teaching is sometimes misleading, especially the barefoot thing. "

I believe that you should teach by example. Cody's insistence on going barefoot in the majority of situations is simply, a poor example. There are places where going barefoot can be helpful (the amazon rainforest). And some places where (maybe) it is neither a cost or benefit (in the area where he lives). But, face it, in most places shoes have provided us with a survival advantage. Also, I am not at all convinced that the ancient native Americans (in most parts of our county) went barefoot as a matter of course.
 
I like the show, even with the flaws, obvious hyping and scripting...I like Man Vs. Wild, Survivorman, and the others too...none are perfect, but I generally do enjoy them to a degree and usually snag some nugget of knowledge off of them...

In any event, I think Matt is bringing some serious skills to the table, and Joe is getting 'schooled' a bit here in recent episodes. I like Joe, and my hats off to him for his skills and service...I am sure inside military specops, he's more in his element. But if I have to hear him say one more time "in my 20 years in special operations..." OK, ok, we get it. But in reality, in most of the scenarios, there's boy scouts that have comparable. solid relevant skills for over-nighting in the woods compared to 'specop' operators.

And I'm sorry, if you have to 'get in the zone' and look at it like an enemy combatant to add another stab on a small, mortally-wounded pig, you probably need to decompress a bit there Francis. Like I say, I respect he's probably a very skilled specops guy, and I'm not saying there are times when that type of focus and mindset aren't beneficial, but over a 25 lb. pig, really dude? Simmer down, simmer down. And going all the way back down into the water pit thinking he was going to find a small, clear lens off a set of glasses in umpteen feel of water? Really? No way, no how. Just foolishness there.

While Matt has that sorta hippy vibe going, when its time to act, he certainly steps up. And it kind of hit me...he seems more laid back than Joe due, in my opinion, to confidence in his skills and abilities. Joe, at least per his script, seems to have to kill and eat anything that may come across his way, because he seems overly concerned (ie worried) there may not be something else. I understand a sense of urgency (textbook military stuff there). Matt on the other hand, seems more like, 'whatever, I'll get something else...' in a much less panicky sort of way. It seems like he's got an underlying confidence, borne of experience to know he can still survive if he doesn't kill this thing right here, right now. Maybe a couple days later with no food, he'd feel differently, but he's seems to know there's other better opportunities that he'll be able to make use of. If he doesn't get 'rescued--oh my' tomorrow, not the end of the world...he'll get rescued the next day...or the next...or the next...

As to the knife...well, a machete is a great tool in the right environment (jungle/brush/etc), and adding some saw teeth to the spine is a simple practical asset, so I don't fault the general concept...but that things is way over marketed and too busy IMHO.

As to shoes...they're a good thing. As others have said, exposing a part of your body, especially the part that is most (almost constantly) in contact with foreign things (the ground and anything on it) is not the wisest course of action. Enhanced protection, stability, and traction from quality footwear is the smart way to go 99% of the time, especially in the wild. Vibram, Gortex, etc are good stuff.

If nothing else, these shows teach you, for the love of all that is outdoorsy...put a freaking Bic in you pack and another pocket before you head into the woods...they're like less than 1% the cost of your fancy custom fixed blade!!

BOSS
 
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Cody is a good survival instuctor for sure, but going barefoot in almost every REAL survival situation is just plain stupid. He himself has mentioned many times how bad it is to get a cut(wound) in a survival situation. You can die from infection in just a couple of days.
Having exposed feet in real life is ok if you dont mind getting cut up and have access to a medical kit or emergency room. But when you're stranded in the wilderness, thats just plain dumb.
His style of teaching is sometimes misleading, especially the barefoot thing.

I never heard Cody teach people to go barefoot. In fact he says it is a personal choice and not recommended during an ER.
 
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