Saw Survivorman last night

a few weeks ago i just saw the end of a new show that survivorman put on called,,urban survival
its a show telling you how to survive things like the new orleans flood ,,telling you how people who stayed managed to survive,,,i believe he even showed some of the gear that you should have in cases like that.
wish i had seen the whole show ,,,and i hope he has more like it
shaker
 
RescueRiley, sounds like you're thinking of doing what Michel Bromgren's done over on www.bushcraft.se. Those shows would bore the living crap out of 99.99% of the population, but for survival guys they're little nuggets of gold. I say go for it.
 
I might be wrong but it seams like its the first thing you see when the show starts. Black screen with white text?
 
I have to say that the episode where bear tries to catch a horse was about the stupidest thing I've ever seen, now a unicorn that I'd watch
 
Bumppo said:
Odd, I watched the same show for the first time and thought it was well done.
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Don't get me wrong. Given the scenario I can't fault Les for the things that he did. And I thought his use of the video camera to start a fire was a good thing to do as it teaches you to improvise.

I also like the way that they show how hard it is to start a fire with nothing, even for a guy like Les, so at least you don't come away from it thinking that this stuff is a snap.

Like I said in my OP, I just wish that there was (1) a big disclaimer on the show along the same lines as what Myth Busters do, and (2) that he would occaisonally talk about what he really wished he had to make various chores easier. Like a compass or firesteel or whatever.
 
bulgron said:
Like I said in my OP, I just wish that there was (1) a big disclaimer on the show along the same lines as what Myth Busters do, and (2) that he would occaisonally talk about what he really wished he had to make various chores easier. Like a compass or firesteel or whatever.
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(1) I think the disclaimer might depend on who broadcasts it; I haven't seen one IIRC.

(2) Yeah, I want to see the one where Les carries what he wants and doesn't have to fool around with the cameras. Give him the clothes he wants and say, only 5 or 10# of gear to keep it interesting. You know he'd grab a leatherman first :)
 
For me i do like to watch the show with Les. I know a few people that love the outdoors but if you ask them what they got in the pack just in case. All they have mostly is some water some bars and one guy had some paper matches. What i like about Les is he shows you that you shouldnt give up. If you stop and go over what you have on you, there just might be something usefull. Many people would give up as soon as they get hungry and thirsty. Les shows you that you can keep going and last for a week even if you are cold and hungry. If you have everything in your pack to build shelter hunt and carry 5 gallon of water. Its not realy that much of survival. Yes the all idea is that if something does happen you can make it home safe with out too much of a problem.

Now with Bear its a diffrent story. If the two of us were droped some place i can just see him jumping off a cliff into some river with me standing on the top looking down on him and going nope i dont think so. Then i would go the long way around to the river. If for any reason he has a broken leg i would help him along the way when i get hungry enough he should be too weak to fight back before i eat him.

Sasha
 
Les would do good to produce a few episodes on making survival kits and being prepared so you don't have to go through what he did on previous episodes. You know, basic minimums that you need to have on you even before thinking of heading off into the wilds or equipment you should have to deal with everyday situations on the road or at work.
 
Sorry to burst your bubble but those are two really small quibbles about a great show.
It seems lots of people have a problem with Les, I'm really starting to think it's a bit of jealousy, I can't imagine what else it would be.
I know I even want to make my own show like his, And I know I can improve on it, in my mind, But I also know it's never gonna happen.
 
GibsonFan said:
You know he'd grab a leatherman first :)
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As I said, I've only ever seen Les' show once (I've seen Bear a bunch of times, however).

Does Les always have a leatherman? Never anything else? Have you ever seen him deploy his pliers?

I think a leatherman is a fine tool and if that's all I had after the plane crash I'd count myself lucky. OTOH, I think a SAK probably makes a good alternative because it's lighter and more compact than a leatherman and it can have the really important tools on it (cutting edge, saw, and file).

But that said, I still also always want a good strong fixed blade. :)
 
i was wondering about all the cameras he often takes with him.

does he leave them behind when he walks out? in one episode, there was footage of him walking away from the camera in the snow. in another he was walking toward the camera on his way out. who set up that camera?
 
Liam Ryan said:
Sorry to burst your bubble but those are two really small quibbles about a great show.
It seems lots of people have a problem with Les, I'm really starting to think it's a bit of jealousy, I can't imagine what else it would be.
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I know that this might be hard for you to understand, but watching a show with a survival expert in it, and he's wandering around the wilderness without a compass or the means to start a fire, well, that just really offends my sensibilities.

I usually can turn my brain off when I watch TV. But last night I just could't get past what I was seeing. It bugged me, that's all.
 
I watched the show and LOVED it!!!

I think that it is the type of show we should have to watch with cub and boy scouts...it really was interesting to watch a man struggle to live with little of the toys we take so for granted...

I hope the next show is as good...
 
bulgron said:
I know that this might be hard for you to understand, but watching a show with a survival expert in it, and he's wandering around the wilderness without a compass or the means to start a fire, well, that just really offends my sensibilities.

I usually can turn my brain off when I watch TV. But last night I just could't get past what I was seeing. It bugged me, that's all.
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As someone else said, he could easily take enough gear to survive, but the point is to show how to survive with nothing.
There are other ways to start fires and he manages to start one without matches every episode. There are other ways to find direction in the wilderness as well. The fact that he is a survival expert means he can do it, not despite the fact.
The day he starts a fire with flint and steel and puts up a tarp tent with his flashlight is the day I stop watching
 
Liam Ryan said:
the point is to show how to survive with nothing.
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The real point of the show is to attract viewers in order to increase ad revenue. Everything else - especially including any survival strategy, prep, etc. - is a far distant second. :thumbup:

cheers
 
I think Survivorman and Man vs. Wild are both great shows.

Les survives for a week with close to nothing, and I think that's the whole point. 99% of the population that ends up in trouble does not have a GPS, compass, flint, knife, etc. with them when it happens. I like to see that simulation. With our better-than-average knowledge of survival skills (I'm referring to members of this forum and others like us), we are the extreme minority.

Bear might be nuts, but that's part of why I like him. I have to give him credit for putting himself in horrible situations just to show the viewer what to do if they ended up in the same predicament. For instance, like the time he jumped in the frozen water. You might say that was really stupid and he did it for no reason, but I think him doing that to show what to do next was educational. And yes, trying to jump on a wild horse was kind of ridiculous, BUT... I bet if he was able to get on it, you would think that it was pretty damn cool.

People really like ragging on these 2 guys and their shows, it seems, or at least take them way too seriously. I think these shows are 90% entertainment and 10% educational, and that's just fine with me. If somebody doesn't have the common sense to know that some of the things they do are really extreme, then I hate to say it, but they probably don't have enough sense to survive if they are ever so unlucky to be in one of these situations anyway.

Like someone else said, with all of the pure garbage that's on TV, I am really happy to have 2 shows like this that are entertaining, show off various locations in the world (great scenery), and may help me pick up a little worst-case-scenario knowledge here and there.
 
bulgron said:
Let me see if I've got this straight; there's people out there who allow themselves to be dropped off on the top of a mountain without:

- A couple of ways to make a fire.
- Emergency shelter. (Siltarps cost ~$60, and an 8' x 6' section weighs all of 7 oz
- Some high energy snacks (cliffbars, etc)
- No compass or GPS
- No maps.
- No ropes.
- At least a neck knife or a small fixed blade.
- A first aid kit
- A tin in which to boil water.

Yes, there really are people who go out with no preps.

As to the Bear, his kind of survival really strikes me two ways
First is military type: if I had to evade the enemy I might consider jumping off a cliff into a river
And second: I just think he uses the show as an excuse to travel the world and have fun.
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