Les Stroud vs Bear Grylls: The Survive-Off

While Les has more practical knowledge, I would have to bet that Bear's physical conditioning would deliver him from most survival situations well in advance of Les. I find it interesting that among all the preparation details in articles I have read about survival, this aspect (conditioning) is rarely mentioned even though it must be near the top of the list in importance.
 
I will offer a few thoughts here, though we have been over amd over this material so much.... just do a search.

Why do we keep getting statements that Les has more practical knowledge?
It may "Seem" that way, but who really knows. Notice we don't get any credentials?
He was a musician, worked in a sound studio, I know that much to be true.

My point being all we know (or don't know) is what we see on TV and what we read on the internet. Neither one I hold as the "gfospel" for aboslute facts.

Each show, whether Les or Bear has a survival expert to teach and guide them. What plants to eat and Not eat, which are medicinal. How to get water, where to look , etc. etc. They are both 'prepped". Frankly, I'd rather listen to the prep, and learn from the expert of camera, for that region.

Right it's in vogue to bash Bear. Discredit him, etc. I remember when it was Les everyone was bashing. Bear never claims to be surviving,m at the beginiing of each show he says he will "Show you some of the skills you need to survive".

Bear has climbed Mount Everest. Does anyone on this forum have any expereince in the Himilayans? Didn't think so. he was the youngest Englishman to ever climb Everest.
The endurance one needs to survive Everest is almost inconceivable. Trash him all you like, but he parachutes into his locations. I'll ask everyone another question, who can parachute? Who can parachute into something other than an open level field? Once again, bash Bear all you want, but balance it with some realization, not only is he in good shape, but he is a trained climber, parachutist, Mountain climber, and seaman.
Bear did, in fact, take an open boat to the Artic.

OK, so now you think, oh, this Skunk-dude is all impressed with Bear. Nope. I could care less. make that care Les. Why? They are both TV shows. That is all they are.
I take from them what I choose, whether it be good scenery, a tid bit of survival knowledge, or just plain entertainment. bear drinking pee, Les cutting himself on a vine that is NOT a water vine, etc. etc. etc.
Both of them eat critters for the purpose of shocking the audience and ratings.
I gotta give Bear the ULTIMATE shocvker award for squeezing elephant or rhino dung for a drink of water. Damm Bear? That was a show stopper!

Take what you can from either show, but don't get so hung up on their credentials and who stays in a motel. Without the prepping that occurs, both of them would be fumbling around trying to remember which mushroom was edible and which would make your guts turn green.

les can play the harmonica better, Bear can do more push-ups. That's about all we can glean from the small peek we get from a one hour TV show.
 
I honestly think Bear takes more heat because if his continual and hazardous "feats of strength". And I agree that Les gets considerable coaching as well but at least his show includes some of the frustration and difficulty that real survival entails. This shows on his face and unfortunately he complains too much. Bear's show is an adventure race with survival snippents mixed in. Your point on both of them is well taken. I think there is probably better out there...
 
SkunkWerX said:
Bear has climbed Mount Everest.
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Whatever. Nice if he did it. I didn't see him do it so I don't necessarily believe him. When your entire series is fraudulent, and your resume is fraudulent (weekend warrior with no SAS training calling himself SAS), it develops a rather healthy skepticism of all the rest of your claims.
 
SkunkWerX said:
Bear has climbed Mount Everest.
Click to expand...
Whatever. Nice if he did it. I didn't see him do it so I don't necessarily believe him. When your entire series is fraudulent, and your resume is fraudulent (calling himself SAS when he was really a weekend war who was gonna try to become SAS someday), it develops a rather healthy skepticism of all the rest of your claims.
but he is a trained climber, parachutist, Mountain climber, and seaman.
Click to expand...
Maybe he is. Or maybe this too is BS that he tells the chicks in the bar of the hotel where he stays while filming survival shows.
 
I would just rather have a Les Baer and be down with it. more fun and far more useful....

What they need to do is go find one of the guys who does the canadian railroads maintenance in the yukon and follow him for a few days, then find the guys who keeps the road open in siberia for the oil rigs,.. watch a couple of guys who have to stay alive on a daily basis in the worst of conditions.
 
I like both shows.

Bear gives a better instructional. He's also more entertaining. The photography is also clearer, so it's easier to see what he does.

Les on the other hand is more 'raw'. He gives you the feeling he's out there actually surviving, not just showing us how to do it. Plus he plays the harmonica which is neat, lol.

Overall, I like characteristics from both shows. In a survive-off, I think both would make it.

RR
 
Nemoaz, he spent three years in SAS Territorials, and they work pretty closely with 22SAS, and sometimes on an operational basis, and at one time he was the youngest person to climb Mt. Everest.
 
SkunkWerX said:
I'll ask everyone another question, who can parachute? Who can parachute into something other than an open level field?
Click to expand...

If my 2 broken legs are any indication- not me!:D
I have watched Bear for a couple of seconds and it pissed me off with his jackass antics. In a survival situation sliding down hills is retarded. I like that Les has a semi-realistic survival situation and that he messes up- as we all would do if put into the same situation and were recorded. I have never felt that Les put on airs that he is a survival expert- he does what he feels he needs to do to get by and sometimes learns on the fly.
 
Who would you rather be lost in the remote wilderness with? I'd have to go with Les hands down, at least he won't be telling me to drink my toxic urine......
 
Les would drive me mad, he is so miserable, at least with Grylls I would feel more upbeat, but I would much rather not get myself into that mess in the first place.
 
Yoshi said:
Nemoaz, he spent three years in SAS Territorials, and they work pretty closely with 22SAS, and sometimes on an operational basis, and at one time he was the youngest person to climb Mt. Everest.
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Yoshi,

I have heard he spent 2 yrs, 5 yrs and 3 years but was his back injury laid him up for more than 1 of those. I also heard he wasnt in long enough to learn much of anything but get a cap badge. Who knows. But what we do know is he is fraudulant in claims in his show as entertaining as it may be.

The Territorial SAS is NOT 22 SAS. They do not work closely together. In some instances few part time reserve SAS get called up to do some minor jobs for 22.

I have read books by 22 SAS troopers that refuse to work with the reservists at all as they are not up to the standard and that they would rather work with regular military than SAS reserve.

The point is we dont know exacty the Grylls story but we do know he lies on his show and much of his claimed SAS career is less than honest.

It is an entertaining show I agree but its not survival.

Your mileage may vary.

Skam
 
Here is the issue I have with Bear as evidenced on the video shown...."I need something to keep me head warm" proceeds lto cut off the arm of his base layer while sleeping in rotting deer flesh. Fine. But why not just put your hood up? Dee DEE deeee.
 
Apparently, three years in reserve SAS means that you still haven't learned how to build a fire with a bow. Jackass Grylls has to use an cordless drill to fake it. Not that impressive since most boy scouts can do it. I've worked with SAS, and every SAS I knew had intimate survival knowledge which Jackass vs. Wild lacks. And the real SAS say Jackass isn't one. Sorry, Yoshi, but I'll take common sense (Bear's lack of basic survival skills) and the real SAS troopers statements over yours. And again, when everything else he claims he's done has been proven fraudulent.....
 
When I watch a new episode of either Survivorman or Man vs Wild, my wife and I bet on how many minutes into the program either Les's harmonica will come out or Bear's shirt will come off. We've thought about turning it into a drinking game. . . . .
 
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