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What I dont like about Man vs. Wild - shelters

Hey thanks for posting the pictures for me, I didn't realize you couldnt use html. Everyone is saying using leaves, but dry leaves tend to seperate and fall off easily. I suppose if I wove evergreens in the walls and then piled leaves on that it might work maybe....

Also I dont think that was poison ivy, but there is some around my house as I have gotten it several times.
 
Hard to tell , but that 3rd pic down looks like the smooth light colored vines
that hold the leaves of three may be working thier way up that big tree.

Phil
 
runningboar said:
By your rational you should never practice anything because you won't try nearly as hard because it is just practice not the real thing. I totally disagree, I practice firebuilding in the grill, setting up tarp shelters in the backyard, friction fire in the garage with a bic in my pocket, shooting at the range, kayaking in a pond.....well anyway, the list is endless. If you don't practice in the backyard you probably won't succeed when you really need to. Chris
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Practicing to be Rambo in your backyard doesnt make you a survivalist. Running around your backyard "building shelters" does not necessarily prepare you for the wilds, or what may be in them. What if your backyard has no trees, and only grass? I guess you can practice building shelters on sod, but when you're in the wilds and there are trees and rocks and cliffs, what are you gonna do then? This also has nothing to do with shooting at a range, practicing with a firearm. I dont think you can compare the two. Running around your backyard "pretending" , and becomming proficient with a firearm are two totally different things. How does kayaking in a pond prepare you for building shelters? Or building a fire, on your grill? I also dont think Bear has any tarps that he carries around with him to build shelters with on the show.
 
Dude I have thought about it and totally agree, I was mistaken, Bear definitely does not have tarps. In order to truly be like bear you have to skydive into a survival situation with a full crew and equipment and then drink poop and pee and jump off of stuff. As I said, I was mistaken, I will see my way out of this conversation and go run around playing Rambo in my backyard. Chris
 
:confused: whatever happend to practice makes perfect or should i have just left this alone ?:D i mean i can read & re-read all of my old american survival guide mags and all my outdoor books and if i don't try them how can i suceed if my life depended on it..i am trying/practicing the snare right now and i have not caught squat yet...but i will keep practicing or i can give up and go into my back yard with 550 cord and try to snare my pooch.:D just kidding!
 
runningboar said:
Dude I have thought about it and totally agree, I was mistaken, Bear definitely does not have tarps. In order to truly be like bear you have to skydive into a survival situation with a full crew and equipment and then drink poop and pee and jump off of stuff. As I said, I was mistaken, I will see my out of this conversation and go run around playing Rambo in my backyard. Chris
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Well I guess you can practice eating your shit and drinking your piss if you want....LOL.:D
 
hotrod are you serious? if you never practiced how to make a fire, shelter and other survival, how the hell are you supposed to know what to do in a real survival situation.
 
btuner said:
hotrod are you serious? if you never practiced how to make a fire, shelter and other survival, how the hell are you supposed to know what to do in a real survival situation.
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What Im serious about is the heightened stress factor. If you are in your backyard, its not going to be the same type of EMERGENCY situation as in the wilds, or if your lost. Because if you are a stones throw from your house, how hard are you going to attempt to build a shelter? Im not saying that you shouldnt prepare for some type of emergency if in the wilds, but unless the vegetation in the wilderness that you are planning to be lost in is the same as your backyard, what is the point?
 
hotrodKelley said:
Well I guess you can practice eating your shit and drinking your piss if you want....LOL.:D
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I thought that was the most important part of surviving Idiot vs. Wild style. Wasn't even aware that one had to make a shelter or fire so long as one eats shit, drinks urine, and rapels with vines a lot.
 
well i live in florida and every set of woods are the same around... and i would probably actually build a much better shelter if i was just fooling around in the woods with actual time on my hands learning each step and what really works and what doesnt work instead of just trying to wing it when i really needed it
 
btuner said:
well i live in florida and every set of woods are the same around... and i would probably actually build a much better shelter if i was just fooling around in the woods with actual time on my hands learning each step and what really works and what doesnt work instead of just trying to wing it when i really needed it
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Well I'm from Florida. You live in Tampa. Where are the woods there? I guess you could run up to Citrus County and run around on the Wildlife Management Area. I guess you could go south and run around the Myakka State Park. Where the hell could you get lost there anyway? Again, Im not saying that you shouldnt have a plan, and I never said anything about winging it. I just said, and I'll say it again, that you will act a little differently if you're lost and more determined to build shelter if need be, as opposed to if youre in your back yard
 
Now, keep in mind that this is my personal opinion, and as such you are entitled to agree or disagree as you see fit.

That said, I can see merit in practicing things in your backyard. As Hotrod points out, you won't be doing these tests under the stress of an "emergency" situation in the wilds, or if you are lost. I disagree with the rhetorical question at the end, asking 'What's the point?'.

As I understood it, the point of practice was to learn and perfect a technique. Granted teaching styles vary, but honestly, how many of you learn most effectively in high-stress, life or death format? How many like contingencies?

Granted, your backyard may not be the same flora and fauna as the area you could one day potentially be "surviving" in. There's a pretty good chance that it is though, as most accidents happen within about 11 miles of the home. Typically considered most people's "backyard". I digress though, this is another topic on statistics.

My point is that there is a reason that people go to school, there is a reason there is job training, there is a reason the BSA motto is "Be Prepared". This isn't about replicating actual survival shelter building in a backyard, it's about learning the physics of it, and the basics of it. That's my understanding at least.

Does it keep out the wind? Hop in and see; If you're feeling ambitious, use a leafblower. Does it shed water? Bucket of water/sprinkler system. Does it keep you insulated and trap dead air/heat? Use your imagination.

I guess what I'm getting at is, some things have their merit. Will it prepare you mentally for survival? That's up to you. Will it help lay a foundation for basic shelter building? I think it just might. I won't discouraging anyone from practicing a technique, even in an unorthodox manner, there's no telling how much they'll learn from it. Not to mention that we can't all take excursions into the woods to "practice". Work with what you have at hand, and the rest is in your head. That is survival.

Just my two cents. Gautier
 
Gautier said:
Now, keep in mind that this is my personal opinion, and as such you are entitled to agree or disagree as you see fit.

That said, I can see merit in practicing things in your backyard. As Hotrod points out, you won't be doing these tests under the stress of an "emergency" situation in the wilds, or if you are lost. I disagree with the rhetorical question at the end, asking 'What's the point?'.

As I understood it, the point of practice was to learn and perfect a technique. Granted teaching styles vary, but honestly, how many of you learn most effectively in high-stress, life or death format? How many like contingencies?

Granted, your backyard may not be the same flora and fauna as the area you could one day potentially be "surviving" in. There's a pretty good chance that it is though, as most accidents happen within about 11 miles of the home. Typically considered most people's "backyard". I digress though, this is another topic on statistics.

My point is that there is a reason that people go to school, there is a reason there is job training, there is a reason the BSA motto is "Be Prepared". This isn't about replicating actual survival shelter building in a backyard, it's about learning the physics of it, and the basics of it. That's my understanding at least.

Does it keep out the wind? Hop in and see; If you're feeling ambitious, use a leafblower. Does it shed water? Bucket of water/sprinkler system. Does it keep you insulated and trap dead air/heat? Use your imagination.

I guess what I'm getting at is, some things have their merit. Will it prepare you mentally for survival? That's up to you. Will it help lay a foundation for basic shelter building? I think it just might. I won't discouraging anyone from practicing a technique, even in an unorthodox manner, there's no telling how much they'll learn from it. Not to mention that we can't all take excursions into the woods to "practice". Work with what you have at hand, and the rest is in your head. That is survival.

Just my two cents. Gautier
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Well said:thumbup:
 
andrew7978 said:
Hey thanks for posting the pictures for me, I didn't realize you couldnt use html. Everyone is saying using leaves, but dry leaves tend to seperate and fall off easily. I suppose if I wove evergreens in the walls and then piled leaves on that it might work maybe....

Also I dont think that was poison ivy, but there is some around my house as I have gotten it several times.
Click to expand...

The way I would do it, make up some sort of frame work then put some boughs on it. Add a thick layer of leaves and then another layer of boughs to keep the leaves in place. For bedding just a KNEE high pile of leaves or soft boughs should do you.
 
I see what is probably Virginia Creeper (5 leaves) and what could be Poision Ivy.

This again thread surfaces the constant issue if where to practice when pracactice involves cutting down lots of "stuff" to make a nice, thickly-walled "brush" shelter.

My best solution in my area is to find overgrown lots with "for sale" signs and to try and get permission to harvest brush ("no trees") from those lots. So far, I'm batting about 33% on approvals.
 
Of course you should practice. To suggest otherwise is ridiculous. If you can't do it when you are in your backyard or carcamping then obviously you won't be able to do it in an emergency situation.

It would be like telling an NBA player, don't bother shooting free throws in practice, its nothing like the pressure you'll feel in a game.
 
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