Best wilderness survival show

[LostInAnomie]

Poll question: Best wilderness survival show

Possibly, the most esoteric poll ever!

[GoddessOfGuinness]

1. American Idol

[pokerfan]

4. Man vs. Wild

But they both have their flaws as far as survival education goes. I have some outdoor skills being a former boy scout and retired mountaineer. I've slept in snow caves and I've made fire from scratch. (It's a major pain in the butt. I hope that I could again, in a pinch.)

I really think it was irresponsible for Les to demonstrate eating wild mushrooms in Canada. For one thing, they continue little in terms of nutrients or calories and, oh yeah, they can kill you! I only know how to find the magic kind and that's the last thing you need in a survivor situation.

Les has fire making skills, yet I've seen him drinking out of the most putrid looking puddles of water. But he knows he'll be rescued after a seven days so what's a little unwelcome guest in the GI tract? I will grant that if you have no other alternatives, I'll drink the putrid water. Dehydration will kill you before the "visitor" will.

I like Bear's show a little more. But....

Eating the maggots feeding on rotting flesh... I like how he points out that the meat is not safe but then goes on to claim the maggots are? They are picking up the same parasites currently feasting on the carcass. Go find some grubs under a rock and eat those instead. Or the root of pine saplings or cattail roots or ...

There is a lot of good info on these shows but a lot of gratuitous BS as well. But I think it's good to learn to think outside the box and get into "survivor mode."

Food is important but it's never the first priority. I was taught the rule of threes: Inadequate shelter can kill you in three hours (heat stroke, hypothermia. Lack of water can kill you in three days. Lack of food can kill you in three weeks.

Sure, lack of food will weaken you before the three weeks are up, but it's not worth it at the expense of picking up some parasite that's that's gonna dehydrate you even by liquifying the contents of your bowels.

There's another show I like called "I Shouldn't be Alive" that recounts actual tales of survival and points out what they did right and what they did wrong.

For further reading, the U.S. Army Survival Manual, No. 21-76, is available on line:
http://www.basegear.com/fm2176.html

Your tax dollars at work. Might as well read it.

[LostInAnomie]

8. My problem with Man vs Wild is that he takes too many risks.

There isn't an episode where he doesn't climb something that most normal people shouldn't even think about, climb down into some crevice/cavern, or jump off of something very tall.

[pokerfan]

9. I agree

I was going to touch on that but my fingers were already tired.

The 50mph glissade down the glacier was reckless. I'm sure that for the purpose of the show, the route was well scouted. I did a glissade down Mt. Baker in Washington once but the route had a nice runout and I had an ice ax for self arrest if needed. I did like the solo glacier technique. I've never fallen completely into a crevasse but I have stuck my foot into more than few.

These shows are 90% entertainment.

[Reverend_Smitty]

2. After watching 3 hours of Survivorman...

I am firmly convinced that that man in nuts! At least Man vs Wild has a camera crew with him

[LostInAnomie]

3. I agree

I like both shows, but Survivorman definitely puts himself at more risk. Also his goal is to simply survive for 7 days. Man vs Wild's goal is to find civilization. That means he has to spend more time in the rough.

[bridgit]

5. other = Marlin Perkins, Wild Kingdom...

http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/W/htmlW/wildkingdom/wildkingdom.htm

[wildhorses]

10. ahhhh- for the good ole days

:hi:

[bridgit]

13. yes ma'am...

:hi:

[VenusRising]

6. It's kind of a toss up for me as I haven't seen Man vs Wild

but I watched his clip on the page and THAT dude is crazy. He peed on a shirt and put it on his head. I know it's for survival and all, but I didn't need to see him pee. See for yourself if you want.

http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/manvswild/manvswild.html

I voted for Survivorman because I have seen the show more, and I have learned a lot of tips about being in nature from the guy.

[LostInAnomie]

7. You think the peeing on his shirt was bad...

... you should have seen when him in Africa. To get water he squeezed the moisture out of an elephant turd directly into his mouth. :puke:

[pokerfan]

12. Another example of the shock value of the show

I will agree that faced with eminite dehydration, it's what you got to do. But ealize that it's also a great way to pick up a "visitor" that is going to kill you just as well, albeit a little more slowly. Hopefully you get rescued first.

[VenusRising]

14. That's TMI!!

:puke:

[pokerfan]

11. Just be careful applying that knowledge

when it concerns what is going into your body. In a real survival situation the last thing you need is dysentery.

The more interesting question is: Would the staunchest vegetarian here balk at eating a bunny if it meant their life?

I'm not a big meat eater so my vote doesn't count. I would knock the cute little bunny over the head without the smallest regret.

Hell, would you eat the dead flesh of a human? See the story about the soccer team whose plane crashed in the Andes mountains back in the seventies. I would be extremely unhappy about having to do so and it would probably haunt me until the end of my days, but if they ae already dead...

[blitzen]

15. "I Shouldn't be Alive" n/t

[Zookeeper]

16. DU General Discussion. n/t