Survival on T.V.

Preface: I've been knocking around the woods most of my life. I have been actively learning survival & bushcraft for more than 20 years. I've been teaching survival for more than 10 years.
Although I don't claim to be an expert, I definitely think I am more than qualified to give my opinion on any survival matter.

NOTE: this post pertains only to the survival shows that promote survival. This does not pertain to the shows where people vote one another off the tribe to win money.

Although I don't spend alot of time in front of the television, I have watched most of the shows that are on t.v.. I really can't say for sure if I've watched every episode of every show, but I have watched alot of them. Albeit I've watched quite a bit either from getting the series at my local library or caught some on the online movie websites.

The thing I get constantly from students, friends, family or people I strike up conversations with is how ridiculous some of the shows are or how ridiculous some of the people are or how lame the ideas are.
I will digress..........

The most common discussion I get involved in is in regards to Bear Grylls. In fact about 80% of discussions start & end with him. Comments include: "he is a phony..he was staying in a hotel & claiming he was staying in the bush." First of all, none of us know exactly what was going on. I am only aware of one instance where this happened & I read (somewhere) that in that instance he missed his wife & kids & wanted to go call & talk to them & ended up staying in a hotel. If there are other times, I don't know & personally I don't care. The fact is not everything you see on t.v. is real, actual or fact. (but i'll address that a little later) Too, I suspect the executives or channel powers-that-be advised not to advertise he wasn't staying in a hotel. That would be misleading & affect rating in a negative way.

"Can you really drink your own urine?"  This is controversial in that many people say yes you can & many say no you can't. Personally, I wouldn't. Although urine IS water, it is also waste & contains bacteria. I've heard people say "well he didn't get sick on the show". Fact is there is alot of behind the scenes footage none of us will ever see. I'm not saying the network or BG would deliberately be dishonest about the affects of drinking urine, just that we didn't hear directly if he felt sick, got sick or had any undesirable effects from gulping down his own urine
.
Other comments regard his eating habits on the show. Again, I see a ratings driven menu. Although it's worth pointing out I wouldn't eat alot of what he eats in the manner in which he eats it, I would eat alot of what he eats, cooked! Eating bugs, etc. raw can contain harmful bacteria that can (and have given Bear) vomiting & diarrhea.

"he has a full film crew & the other guy goes out on his own" yep....he does. & look at the crazy camera angles & post production results. The camera work is amazing!

The last kind of comments discuss his adventure stuff. Mostly his climbing. Personally, I wouldn't attempt most of the climbing or descending he does on the show. It's way too dangerous & I'm not that experienced of a climber! BUT, he has a crew that contains a rope & climbing expert on hand to tackle just such stuff. The value in what he does is that he is showing how to climb & descend as safely as he can show if anyone had decided to self rescue.
Truth be told, I think Bear is a very skilled man. I think he is a skilled climber & is very knowledgeable & skilled in his survival skills. Sure, maybe not as much as some. BUT it's important to remember he was owned by the network to do the things they wanted him to do & they knew what would hold the ratings. I will get into that later.


The show with two guys from opposite ends of the survival spectrum. One guy has a military background & is really gung ho! The second guy is a primitive skills & minimalist guy.
From the onset there was drama between the two. One of the central issues they had was the primitive skills guy traveled with out any footwear. In all geography, terrain & weather he was barefoot (or in the snow he wore nothing more than thick wool socks on his feet). The military guy thought it was absurd! They also had two different points of view on bush travel. One was gung-ho & go at it, while the other was slower, more methodical. One was a risk taker & the other, not so much.
Personally I would not recommend anyone walking around in the bush barefoot. But then I don't live in the desert. Too, Cody Lundin has been barefoot-ing it for many years. He put his feet to the test & apparently he proved it can be done with minimal damage & pain.
 I've heard alot of talk from people siding with one or the other about who's better or smarter or whatever. I think they both are well adept in their geographic areas. They are both skilled & talented in what they do for their areas. I can find flaws in some of the things they both did, but I won't go into that because I don't think it's relevant to this post. Whats obvious is they both have alot of experience in the bush & have obvious skills in what they teach.

So the last is the Canadian who goes out alone with a couple cameras & goes out with very little gear (other than his camera stuff). I haven't heard much complaining or criticism about Les. Personally I think he's a talented guy. I like his shows & his point of view on his situations but I must admit it is a little slow moving for me.

So here's my two cents worth on the realities of the 3 shows discussed.
First of all, they are mapped out, written, areas are chosen by the network folks & they all have to do what the network says they want them to do. A person has to weed through the ridiculous drama & bullshit. They have to gather the viable information that is worth picking up to be used in real bush ventures. All the rest of the drama should be viewed as entertainment- period!

All of the men participating in the above mentioned survival shows are talented guys with tidbits of real skills (to be learned) scattered thru-out each episode in each show.

Happy tube time!

My favorite cutting tools

Ben Orford Woodlander!

Woodlander & Council Tool 3/4 Axe

Clockwise from Top: Council 3/4 axe, Ben Orford Woodlander, Mora 511 modified, Bushcraft NW Celilo, Skookum Bush Tool

This is my all time favorite! The finest made knife I've ever owned!

Woodlander! Perfect in every way!!!!


The feather sticks, netting needle, gauge & rabbit stick were all carved with the Woodlander!
All of the knives in the pictures are WELL worth the money.
I am a firm believer in buying the best you can afford. I had to save for quite a spell to get the Woodlander. It was a big investment, but has paid off for me nicely. The knife is hand-made by Ben. His wife Lois hand stitches the sheaths. Truly a work of art!

The Survival Kit

There is so much talk about a survival kit. It seems everyone has their opinion on the ideal kit. There are mini kits, medium kits & large kits. There are kits that fit in Altoids tins, dry bags & everything imaginable. There are kits sold at Wal-Mart,REI, Cabela's & nearly all outdoor stores. There are military survival kits & civilian survival kits.
All of them claiming to contain everything you need to stay alive thru the worst situations.
The problem is it is impossible to predict what the situation will be, where it will be, for how long, what you will require to sustain your life, weather, geography, terrain, season, etc., etc.

For many years now I have recommended a few key items that everyone should take. These few key items are vital to survival. They are light in weight & reasonably inexpensive. From those key items you add other items that are pertinent to the weather, geography, terrain, season, etc., etc. Again, it is impossible to predict exactly what you will need as the variables are too vast.
However, the key items I suggest will give you instant shelter, fire in the worst conditions, a means to boil purify water (assuming there is a water source) & signal for ground rescue. I will discuss additional items you could add later.
*Please note: these items are only good to you if you practice with them. The real problem is you could have the best survival kit items money can buy, but if you lack the knowledge to use them when you really need them, then they are of no use to you. Practice with your kit & get to a point where setting up the shelter & getting a fire started in various weather conditions is second nature. That will literally put the odds in your favor when placed in a life or death situation (where you have some control).

Kit components:

All Weather Sportsman's Blanket- This is a vital item, in that it serves as a blanket to shield you from the wind "instant shelter", by simply wrapping it around you. The foil reflective side should go towards your body (the foil side reflects up to 80% of your body heat). The outer side is a tarp material that will shed rain, again "instant shelter". For a more permanent shelter use the length of para-cord to string up the sportsman's blanket between two trees to create a lean-to or other configuration.

Para-cord- 7 inner strand. For winter conditions don't use white. The uses are nearly endless. 50 feet should be adequate.

Stainless Steel Water Bottle- get a good quality bottle as this will be placed in the fire (or coals) to boil water in. I use Klean Kanteen brand. My water bottle fits inside my Snow Peak titanium mug. Always carry plenty of water. I also like the military canteen & canteen cup combination. I actually prefer this to a stainless bottle. The cup is so much more robust & suited to use in a fire.

Aquamira Survival Straw- for drinking directly at a water source. This allows me to stay hydrated & keeps my water supply in my bottle full for those times when I don't come across a water supply as often. Personally, I don't like chemical water treatments.

Bandanna- the color is of personal choice but bright colors are wise. The uses are nearly endless. I use mine mostly for a prefilter & a pot holder.

Whistle- get a pea less variety as the pea can fall out & get lost, freeze or rot. I carry ACR brand or Fox 40. This allows you to signal to ground rescue w/out having to scream. Screaming is not a good way to signal.

Wool Stocking Cap- Keeping your head covered will help maintain body heat. Fleece will work too for those that prefer fleece over wool.

Wool Socks- Carry an extra pair. They can double as gloves. This allows to keep feet dry & warm while drying wet ones.

Matches- I carry mine in an water tight Exotac match case. Alternate matches so half are tip up & half are tip down. This will allow more matches to fit in the case. Matches are instant flame, unlike a ferrocerium rod.
*As I stated before practice in all weather conditions to become proficient at striking & keeping a match lit!

Ferrocerium Rod- Mine is always along in my knife sheath. I use this 99% of the time to get fires going. I enjoy starting fires this way. It does take knowledge & skill with using tinder (natural & man made). I personally recommend "Firesteel" brand. I also have a Doan's magnesium fire tool. This is instant tinder & spark source. They are far better than the others....hands down!

Fatwood- this is resin saturated pine wood. In different areas it has different names. I buy mine from the local hardware store. Carry a couple pieces. Fatwood burns furiously & will get a fire going in the wettest of conditions. It can be ignited by your match or by the ferro rod (with some preparation)

Again, these items are the static or foundation items. They should always be in the kit. They will fit in a small ruck sack or fanny pack. The kit should always be on you when wandering, no matter what.


Some additional items I add to mine:

Compass & map of area I'll be wandering, small first-aid kit (with Moleskin, antibiotic ointment, ibuprofen, knuckle band aids, finger tip band aids, standard band aids, jock tape (cloth) & Benadryl), Leatherman Wave, candle, Cliff bars, jerky, dried blueberries, signal mirror, 5 fishhooks, 5 pre-made snares (brass wire), mini roll of duct tape, small sharpening stone (Fallkniven DC3), gator-aid type drink powder, wool shirt-jack.

To be honest, I could survive indefinitely with these few items.

I have never put any stock in the mini/Altoids tin survival kits. I believe when you need them most, the items will be to small & products inferior to a real life survival situation. I have snapped too many "survival saws", broke too many razor blades, etc. Having said that, most of the above items can be purchased to fit into a survival tin. However, the extra weight of the above items is really minimal & I would trust in all the items & will bet my life on them- period.

Post Script:
I acknowledge my philosophy goes against some peoples hardcore beliefs. I'm fine with that. I also recognise that the reader may think they know more than me. That too I'm fine with. It is because of this that it is always best to trust in your own philosophies & mindset. Go with whatever YOU think is best. After all, survival is 80% mental. If you feel comfortable carrying not much more than an Altoids tin survival kit- go with it. Oh....& happy travels!