Has watching any of the 'survival' shows changed your ideas/priorities on survival ?

Jonnyt, you must have been away for the big alone threads, they got pretty well covered.

Have my priorities changed from watching some of the shows. Yes. Flat out YES. Seeing how fast the mental state of these guys degrades when things get uncomfortable and hard has proven to me that I need all my gear to work. I don't want to make it work, it has to work the first time, every time. Now thats partly because if I'm out in the woods, my situation isn't made more difficult because its a survival situation, its more difficult because my poor brain is also doing the thinking for a whole bunch of other people. This means I don't get the luxury of figuring it out. I cannot get sunburned, I cannot get heatstroke, I cannot loose some gear. I have to be ready with a plan for almost anything with no time at all, and have a response for why that thing bear grylls did on TV is a stupid idea, and one that will make a 13-16 year old believe me over him. Its shown me that water is important. Sleep is more so. I can sort out water if my brain is functional, but miss a nights sleep and suddenly it won't matter if the water is easy. It means that yes I can get the fire going with a firesteel, and I practice that when I can, but dry matches, and a dry bic are there as well. Natural tinder is good, a few fires worth of manufactured is better. Now would I need to go through all that in controlled conditions, by myself? nope. probably not. But its not how I tend to camp. I guess its not as much changed the priorities, rather its shifted the curve as far as how I treat them, so looking after my gear is much more important to me now than it used to be. I figured, yeah, I can mcguiver that. Now it has to be right. Water is important, but I'll make sure I'm full and keeping track more. shelter is important, not only for me, but as a group. What happens when a tent pole blows out? Does my shelter stuff just work for me, or can I adapt it for someone else's use?
 
A metal pot is what you really need for long term survival. I got that from watching "Lord of the Rings." ;)
 
I have the DVR set to record Dirty Rotten Survival.

Dave Canterbury & two other guys (can't remember their names ATM) do 'junkyard survival' challenges where the main objective is to improvise their tools. I love the resourcefulness and creativiy.

Another one I really like is Hillbilly Blood. Again for their improvising, resourcefulness and creativity!
Eugene Runkis (one of the stars) has videos up on YT. The show has gotten a bit cheesy with the scripted plots, but those dudes are geniuses!
 
Naked and afraid is my fav of the current genre. It is an unbelievable experiment to show how important these peoples mental toughness is to surviving starvation, exposure, and other un-thinkables like a body covered in allergic reactions. It is shocking and many times a life-changing experience for those involved in multiple ways.

From the very 1st show, I couldn't believe they wouldn't let these guys have 3 items. A cutting tool, a fire starter, and a cook pot. I am glad in the new season they have been granting them 3 items as well as a map. Many contestants suffered long term from drinking bad water.
 
I have placed a lot more value in having clean water available. For me that means I carry multiple methods of making water safe via either boiling in a metal container, tablets, or filter. Most of the people on the "suffering" type shows are not successful because they get dehydrated early and never fully recover. The ones who do better, have water and shelter day one and are better equipped physically to endure the stress they experience later. One of the most ingenious ways to boil water that I have seen came from a Bear Grylls show. He needed to boil water and had no container. He dug a pit, lined it with his rain jacket, added grasses to the bottom, them filled it with water. Using a fire to heat rocks, he dropped the hot rocks in the water to boil it. The grass kept the rocks from burning through the rain coat :)
 
First I might say that I don't read the survival books. They are something I have bought off and on over the years and look at them and put them on the shelf for a rainy day. Woods "survival" was something done for fun as in camping. The fun trips however might well save my butt if I was ever in a real life or death situation. The shows brought preparedness to the forefront of my thinking. I carry more with me even on day hikes (just in case) now. I often will have some thick plastic sheeting with me, just in case.

Water.....
I developed a better appreciation for heat and cold impacts from a life & death point of view. It's not all fun and games.
I learned that you need more than a knife. But it doesn't take a huge knife to give you versatility in terms of cutting.
Les Stroud's comment about a pot made me buy another pot (a better pot). It is clearly one of the most needed and most difficult to replace items if you don't have one with you. They can be used for carrying water, collecting water, boiling water, meal prep, and so forth.
I learned that I am not superman. None of us are. Be humble and accept what you don't know and make some changes.

I never really considered making a shelter. But, I know that I can if I need to.
I became more interested in tarps, packs, tents, and sleeping bags. Basically the whole survival framework brings your thinking into line with what might be reasonable and what isn't.

Of all the shows, I liked Mykel Hawke's and the Weather Channel survival shows the best. I found the Alone series rather boring, but real survival is boring.
 
I usually like to watch all these kind of shows. I even like mountain men, life below zero, and somebody those Alaska shows. I know a of it is entertainment but I always learn something new. Whether its how to preserve food to use certain things for tinder or making snares. But imo, a cutting tool is as just as important as a container. When it comes to survival, I want my 5 C's of survival. When I go out for even a day hike, I carry my TOPS Condor Alert, which has a ferro rod on the sheath, plus I have a lighter since I smoke, a couple trash bags, a stainless steel water bottle along with my Stanley cook set, and about 30ft of paracord thats also attached to my knife sheath. I know its pretty bare bones but at least if I had to stay the night I can make a lot more comfortable and rather enjoyable vs not having any of these items or just one of them. I think all of the 5 C's are just as important. But really, I have learned the most by watching a few YT channels like Wilderness outfitters and Bushcraft Barton's.
 
We watch some of the "survival" shows. Naked and Afraid is more a challenge than a "how-to" show. It's can you tough it out rather than here's how to prepare. Survivorman and Alone are probably two of the more realistic shows. Neither features a crew, those men are truly on their own for their day to day needs. Of course they have emergency plans. No one wants to die for a TV show.

But even those shows are entertainment. Les Stroud mimics real survival situations and some of his strategies are useful to learn. Same with Alone. But they fail when it comes to being prepared. Limiting yourself to ten items or some arbitrary weight limit like you see on YouTube is fun as a challenge or learning exercise but it's not practical survival preparation.

My bag is 23.6 pounds without water. I've got all the basics, a few luxuries and the important stuff has one and sometimes two back ups. I've got it all and it's carefully chosen for weight, size and practicality. It's not for bushcraft or camping, though I use it for those things. Practice makes perfect. I hike with it several times a week for exercise so I know I can carry it long distances if I need too. The bag is for survival. I get stuck off-roading, stranded out fishing, whatever, with no cell coverage, with my vehicle or not, I can survive in relative comfort for two or three days.

But I also always dress for the weather, tell my wife where I'm going, etc. I may never need the bag but I've got it. What I've learned from those shows is not being prepared sucks! Not having all the gear you would need leads to suffering or death. I don't like either of those things. Those shows are games, challenges to see if it can be done but they aren't practical. If you're hoping to be Survivorman or Naked and Afraid, you might live if you have the skills. Most people would perish without the gear, skills or not.
 
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What I like about Les is he tailors his scenario to a situation that could happen to the average person.

Out for a bike ride and lost/broken down with just your bike and some wrenches.

Kayaking and washed up on an Island.

It's good to always have a cache of gear we carry. Pockets, bag or whatever. But what about that one time you get caught without it?
 
Les is definitely my favorite when it comes to entertainment and knowledge.

For straight up education though.. I've been watching Dave Canterbury. Surprise, surprise! The former Dual Survivalist is now doing youtube series with Pathfinder school and it's pretty good :thumbup:
Teaches all sorts of things from smithing, braiding, woodworking, cooking, traps/snares, navigation and more.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfa-XVztQrDlf-2v1UUdkwg

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To be honest I have learned more from the forum members here, skills practice, and a few books, than any of the TV shows.
 
Most of those shows have great content, but at the same time making me wonder about cancelling my satellite subscription due to a lack of continuity. Take Mountain Man as an example where they bounce around from Tom with his bear problems to Marty with the plane and then to Eustace hauling the logs mixing the content up every few minutes to totally confuse viewers like myself. I find that I use the PVR fast forward and rewind function a lot to navigate through the program to make sense of it. Naked and Afraid is one of the better ones where there is one story line to follow creating interest and drama.
 
Makes sense to me as to surviving all you need is water ~ food ~ shelter ~ lighter ~ and a naked woman ~~ now just how are you going to end up dead unless all you want to do is have sex 24/7 but then ask yourself "is this really a bad way to go" ? nnaaahhhh -- not at all ~~ we all have to go some day --- ya know.!** Besides I do like Naked & Afraid and it has taught me a lot ~~ pick your own woman to be alone with ( do not let them pick anybody period. ) or your done for before you even start.!^^
 
I learned I NEED to bring several thousand dollars worth of camera gear to survive....who knew! Or planing ahead is key to surviving and getting home
 
Although I am annoyed by the staged drama that is all too prevalent on these shows, sometimes a gem does pop up. An ingenious solution to a problem I have faced before or even just a different way of approaching work I would consider myself experienced in. It helps me to think outside the box of knowledge and skills I already possess.
 
wolf-man-12 said:
Makes sense to me as to surviving all you need is water ~ food ~ shelter ~ lighter ~ and a naked woman ~~ now just how are you going to end up dead unless all you want to do is have sex 24/7 but then ask yourself "is this really a bad way to go" ? nnaaahhhh -- not at all ~~ we all have to go some day --- ya know.!** Besides I do like Naked & Afraid and it has taught me a lot ~~ pick your own woman to be alone with ( do not let them pick anybody period. ) or your done for before you even start.!^^
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This is a good topic! I admit that I have some odd level of fascination for several of the "living off the grid in the Wilderness" shoes- "Alaska: The last frontier" being a fave, but also "Port Protection", "Alaskan Bush People" "Life Below Zero", "Mountain Men" and "Live Free or Die"- they have a high entertainment value for me and I have picked up a few tips that are tucked away for future use. To a lesser extent I watch stuff like dual survival and survivorman more to see how they handle some situations but I just cant stomach anything with Bear Grylls, he inserts himself into stupid/risky situations too often.
 
I enjoy em all.

Was already where I needed to be when I started watching Survivorman.

The one show that changed my priorities was Man vs Wild. After watching Grylls demonstrate the most effective ways to die, I made it a priority to change the channel, and to educate anyone who thought they had learned anything.
 
Survival went from an elusive idea of "what on earth are the priorities and skills needed in woodland survival" to an understanding of these priorities. Can I survive in the forest from the knowledge gained by watching TV?? NOPE! Hell, if I was to copy Bear Grylls' style survival, I would need to find a waterfall to jump off of and a snake to skin and pee in so that I can drink it later.

I liked Alone the best, showed me that the will to survive is more important than any skill or piece of equipment.
 
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