Survivorman (the series)

[phxbigdog]

I liked the snare thing...though I would like a good book on trap and snare making...all said and done, he made the snaring look pretty easy!

Paladin Press has a few books on snares. I have some of Rangar Benson's books but I've never tried any of the traps. I know I sound like some kind of groupie but you should check out Hoods Woods DVD, Survival Basics 1 & 2. On one of my other post you can find the link. Ron Hood goes through how to make snares out of 25 gauge wire, and makes a figure 4 deadfall. They even trap a marmot with the figure 4. Then his wife Karen cooks it. It's only 15 bucks so to me the better value is in the DVD. At least I think so.

The thing on Survivorman that I want to try next time I go a'bush stomping is that char cloth thing. I saw something years ago on PBS about the Voyagers (French-Canadan merchent shippers that travel by canoe) . These modern day guys were reanacting their passages. Anyway one of the things they used was char cloth. These guys used what looked like a kiwi can (boot polish can), punched a hole on top, put in pieices of flannel, and set it on the coals of a fire. Thats how they made there char cloth. I want to give it a try next time I'm out.

GROUND . That is why you get sick when visiting other countries and the natives do not.

That not just in other countries. If you ever travel to Phoenix, AZ there is this sickness call "Valley Fever". You get it from spores that grow wild out in the desert. If you were born there ( like I was) your immune, if not you wind up with a high fever and breathing problems.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

Reptiles and wild animals in general can be a big infectious problem.

How do you deal with cleaning them assuming your hands/knife becomes contaminated. You can always boil purify the knife blade but how much purified water would you need to flush over your hands before you had a reasonable chance of it being successful. Are small cuts/scrapes on the hand a severe problem as well or is it just ingestion you need to be concerned about?

-Cliff

 

[Burncycle]

His most recent episode showed a little more detail in some of the things he was doing, so that's good

 

[rhino]

I thought the part about how lean rabbit meat is and the "rabbit starvation" thing were interesting. I don't know if I could eat everything like he did. I know people say that if you're hungry enough you'll eat anything, but since people do starve to death, maybe not everyone gets past all of their squeamisness.

I wondered why he didn't fill the open spaces of the plane wreck with snow to block the wind and insulate.

 

[mewolf1]

I thought the part about how lean rabbit meat is and the "rabbit starvation" thing were interesting. I don't know if I could eat everything like he did. I know people say that if you're hungry enough you'll eat anything, but since people do starve to death, maybe not everyone gets past all of their squeamisness.

I wondered why he didn't fill the open spaces of the plane wreck with snow to block the wind and insulate.

I tend to be pretty critical of things I see on TV, but when I saw this being advertized I couldn't wait to watch it. Then it finally aired. I thought , finally something worth watching! After the first 5 min. my disappointment started.

1: He shoulda made a nice thick bed of pine boughs to sleep on IN the fusalge.

2: Leave the door on and prop it open as a reflector.

3: Bury the fusalage with snow. It is a great insulator.

4:He had more than enough materials to make emergency snowshoes. This makes travel much easier in deep snow conditions.

5:He mentions that the ice can be 1-3ft. thick, yet he wastes his energy chopping on the lake. This energy would have been better spent puttin up wood. From personal experience you aren't gonna get through that much ice with an ax.

6: he never went onto the lake to make any kind of signal tracks. Duh


I give him credit tho for thinking of the series. I wish I woulda thought of it first

 

[LSkylizard]

How do you deal with cleaning them assuming your hands/knife becomes contaminated...how much purified water would you need to flush over your hands before you had a reasonable chance of it being successful...

You generally cooked the food to eliminate pathogens...to the best of your ability. You try to keep your hands and fingers out of your mouth because you will not likely "sterilize" your hands. If you happen to have soap you use it. You can use sand and other techniques to decrease the bacteria/pathogen loads.

Are small cuts/scrapes on the hand a severe problem as well or is it just ingestion you need to be concerned about?...

Your wounds can get infected and can be a real problem. You try to irrigate them with water...as clean as possible. Bleeding is also a good mechanism to help washout the wound in small cut situations. Generally, in my experience, small cuts and scrapes are not "a severe problem". They just happen and can be inconvenient but often do not pose a significant problem.

 

[Burncycle]

Leave the door on and prop it open as a reflector.

Yes! lol, I thought "If he's going to take the door off, that's a good no-fuss fire reflector!"

He never makes fire reflectors

 

[mewolf1]

Yes! lol, I thought "If he's going to take the door off, that's a good no-fuss fire reflector!"

He never makes fire reflectors

I think he had one when he was in the Georgia swamp and it was a bit chilly by the looks of it.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

You generally cooked the food to eliminate pathogens...

Various techniques to catch game will prooduce a lot of blood, so just handling it can cause contamination and plus cleaning it induces more. Most will do this before they cook the animal.

While most will recommend not eating it raw for health reasons there is little mention of general contamination from handling, plus many people will eat with their hands in such situations, or do something that is just the same such as handle something extensively and then eat with that.

So assume you have blood on your hands from cleaning or handling the animal, how much water would you need to flush over them before they would be reasonably free of pathogens.

-Cliff

 

[LSkylizard]

...So assume you have blood on your hands from cleaning or handling the animal, how much water would you need to flush over them before they would be reasonably free of pathogens...

You do your best. You use what water you can spare. If you happen to have soap, all the better. Unfortunately, hands in the field will never be "free of pathogens". It is often a matter of the bacterial load. Most pathogens require a critical mass to get past the stomach and infect you. There are some that penetrate your skin, etc... But that gets somewhat exotic and then the specific pathogens becomes a laundry list. Try to clean or at least rinse your hands the best you can. Some will use sand as an abrasive to remove ground in dirt. In the end, soap is always a good item to have on planned outing. It is a "pseudo" necessity that one can live without... especially in unexpected/unplanned outings. You will of course need to handle/touch your food...but it doesn't have to be finger licking good! And, even if it is, resist the urge to lick

On a similar note, the hospital has been trialing some hand wash analyzer. Basically you rub on a creamy "dirt/bacteria" simulator. Then you wash your hands as good as you can. Finally put your hands under special light to see how well you do...glowing spots means you failed. In general it is the technique over the duration that achieves success. Most, however, achieve success by innefficient and prolonged washing technique.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

You do your best. You use what water you can spare.

Except in extreme cases, usually you can obtain water readily, the only problem is purification of large amounts, especially if you are depending on chemicals or disposable filters usually when being able to make fire is a minimal. Especially in a situation were no rescuse is obvious so you have to plan for the worst. The problem in most situations is one person, for example your hands are contaminated so you use one to hold a pot which contains waters and wash the other one, however you have now contaminated the pot. If there is water in abundance nearby then you could first stage just rinse there are concerns like guardia only for ingestion or are these a problem on scrapes / cuts as well?

-Cliff

 

[phxbigdog]

how much purified water would you need to flush over your hands before you had a reasonable chance of it being successful.

-Cliff

Howdy.
I guess it would depend. If you know about native plants, like jasmine, you could use the leaves as a soap. I dont know the name in english, but in the desert there is a weed that has small white flowers that you can use the same way. Remember the white ash from a burned piece of wood is basically lye. Bodysoap is just animal fat and lye. When you wash your hands your not killing germs your really just pushing them off you. So wash then rinse with clean (boiled & cooled) water and you should be just fine.

 

[LSkylizard]

...guardia only for ingestion or are these a problem on scrapes / cuts as well?...

I think you are talking about Giardia and this is not a pathogen you really concern yourself with when dealing with small cuts...however, it is a fecal pathogen and thus other fecal pathogens may be an issue with wounds.

 

[phxbigdog]

After the first 5 min. my disappointment started.

1: He shoulda made a nice thick bed of pine boughs to sleep on IN the fusalge.

2: Leave the door on and prop it open as a reflector.

3: Bury the fusalage with snow. It is a great insulator.

6: he never went onto the lake to make any kind of signal tracks.

I think your right about some of the things. I think he didnt make a pine bed because at the start of the show he simulated having a broken arm and it would have been to much work to cut down a live tree or bury the wreakage in the snow. I don't know what the hell was up to with trying to get through the ice! He didn't build a reflector was the first thing I thought too, but in a crash whether car or plane you wouldn't want to build you fire to close to the wreakage. In case of fuel leakes. All the more reason for a reflector. But he never explained that. I think he didnt make signal tracks because well what kind of show would it be if he got rescued after a few hours. Man alone. Thats the plot of the show. Not what you would really do in an emergency. Still I think its a good show. And won't miss the next one!

 

[mewolf1]

I think your right about some of the things. I think he didnt make a pine bed because at the start of the show he simulated having a broken arm and it would have been to much work to cut down a live tree or bury the wreakage in the snow. I don't know what the hell was up to with trying to get through the ice! He didn't build a reflector was the first thing I thought too, but in a crash whether car or plane you wouldn't want to build you fire to close to the wreakage. In case of fuel leakes. All the more reason for a reflector. But he never explained that. I think he didnt make signal tracks because well what kind of show would it be if he got rescued after a few hours. Man alone. Thats the plot of the show. Not what you would really do in an emergency. Still I think its a good show. And won't miss the next one!

I agree that it wouldn't be much of a show if he got rescued right away, not to mention it is not a show to educate the public. It has been post before the concern that some idjit will walk out and try to copy him. "If it were me..."
might have been a better way to start my post. It sure does beat all the other crap on TV

 

[Cliff Stamp]

I think you are talking about Giardia and this is not a pathogen you really concern yourself with when dealing with small cuts...however, it is a fecal pathogen and thus other fecal pathogens may be an issue with wounds.

Yes, that is what I meant, it is often associated with drinking contaminated water due to either human or animal waste. In regards to the last sentance, it is due to the fecal matter bacteria in general?

-Cliff

 

[Don'tkillbill]

Les Stroud (Survivorman) had a great documentary out you all may wish to see (Shoeshoes and solitude) he and his wife live primative for a year in the Northern Canadian woods. Actually they went from primative to a make shift cabin with a tin stove but a must see.

I love the series although there are flaws they are often real life. He will cut his finger or forget to get firewood and start a fire etc... Great show and he has a way to show failure instead of some egomanic that knows it all.

Seen the one were he is adrift in a storm in a boat?

 

[LSkylizard]

How do you deal with cleaning them assuming your hands/knife becomes contaminated...

Hey Cliff,
Just to add further answers, I think the desert survival episode in Utah showed some posible options. He kept arms length away for the most part until the rodent was thoroughly cooked. He used a dead fall to kill the ground squirrel.

I would love to hear further comments on that desert episode.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

How he handled the animal indicates many of the main problems with the show, it isn't what you can do once, it is what you can do over and over without harm. For example with the flake cutting, that should have been attached to a small stick to make a knife rather than hold it in hand to avoid contamination. Once contaminated any possible source should be eliminated so avoid accidental cross contamination leading back to you. He notes none of this, whereas for example if you talk to someone like Davenport they will because they consider worse case senarios whereas Stroud always goes by best. The shows are filled with case after case of activity which could get you killed over and over and just horrible decisisons. That being said he does make shelters very efficiently, though he often makes poor choices about what to use and when to use them, and he is simply excellent at primitive fire starting. It is interesting recreation to watch, but not a tool for learning. There was a long thread on this in the survival forum recently which pointed out many of the simply horrible actions he has illustrated. One of the more idiotic was eating a mushroom that he hoped would not be poison, all done with a smile on his face.

-Cliff

 

[LSkylizard]

How he handled the animal indicates many of the main problems with the show...

I by no means have the experience to claim to be a survival expert. I have experience as a boy scout growing up and Army enlisted infantry training followed by officer basic ten or so years later. Based on that limited experience, I would agree he has best case scenario situations and always seems to have the option to reverse his decisions (i.e. play a broken arm until it is too hard). However, I did mention the point to you simply as one possibility to your question on how to avoid getting blood/gore on your hands. I do not have the experience to say it was the best option. It is simply an option. I definately appreciate the additional options others present here in this forum.

I would say that one of the worst things he did was drink directly from a puddle ringed with what he described as rat dung.do/feces....that is frightening!:thumbdn:

I would love to hear further comments on that desert episode.