Les Stroud is much better than Bear Grills.

[Hash Zeppelin]

This is to the folks who might actually listen to bear grills. I fear for their saftey.

I am a real backpacker and survivalist, and if you try to survive like Bear Grills you will die. More than likley like this. You will get sick from eating whatever crazy shit bear eats, and then be dehydrated from diarea. Then you will be weak, and slip while trying one of his many stunts, and break your leg, or neck, etc. Then when you black out, and you will get eaten by scavenging predators, while you are still alive.

Listen To les Stroud he knows his shit. (haha, listen more to les. get it? more, less. ahhh whateva)

Les Stroud, "Survivor man" is much more realistic. Bear grills has a camera crew, and sleeps in hotels. He also has pre built props.

Les Stroud is a hardcore survivalist. He goes out for 7 days alone with 80 lb's of camera gear, and no real backpacking gear, other than a rain shell, and the backpack. When I go out I only carry 40 to 45 lbs, and all of it is backpacking gear.

He statred a fire my polishing a metal can with chocolate, and focusing the light reflection on dry grass. When I go out I have 3 sources of easy to access fire.

He finds water in the desert full of sand and drinks it, because if he doesnt he will die. I carry a carbon water filter so I can refill my bottle in a river along the way, so I dont have to carry to much water weight.

This guy is tough. All of his survival information is for everyone. Not just beginers. It is solid sound info, that will get you out of a jam. Not risky stunts that will get you injured or killed. Most of his advice is based on science and common sense.

His show really is a valuble source of first hand survival knowledge, and if Les Stroud was on these forums I would give him some plus reps.
__________________

 

[Seismic]

Agreed, bear aint got shit on stroud

 

[weedster]

fuck les bear all the way

 

[DIRT DIGGLER]

I'm with ya hash.

 

[Polsevogn]

Les is the best... By far. Doing legitimately challenging stuff in a real way while being very amusing and likable.

Grylls is freaking retarded. He makes a jackass of himself doing ridiculous things without necessity or the skill to do them properly.

 

[spyvsspy]

Ahhhhhhh yes, I have been a part of many Bear Grylls versus Les Stroud conversations, I have taken and taught many Wilderness EMT courses on survival in the Rocky mountains, and here are my two cents,.
I like Bear for the shear entertainment value of watching some crazy Brit doing things that are completely unnecessary, i.e. jump in below freezing water, jump in quicksand to show you how to get out, etc...
For that he makes me laugh, and gets some of my respect, and don't get me wrong, I think he's a bad mutha trucka...
BUT, he has people with him...... have you ever camped alone on a pitch-black night in the middle of nowhere, let alone somewhere Les goes, like Africa?? The night can be a creepy bitch when there's nobody there to talk to.....
On day 7 Les looks physically and mentally frazzled, while Bear usually just has some dried up mud or goat crap all over him, but he still looks mentally sharp, which would be rare, if not impossible in a "true" solo survival situation.
And I agree, some city slicker who has been watching Bear scale vines and thought they know it all would die within the first day they were out in the wild trying to mimic what Bear does with ease..........
My thoughts, Bear and Man v. Dub is entertaining for the shock, risk and "is he gonna eat that?" value, but if you really want to actually survive 2 days, Les is a safer way to go..

 

[Kizzattack]

Anyone interested in Bear Grylls should check out this website: http://www.daughtersoftiresias.org/bearwiki/Evidence#Rocky_Mountains_.28Pilot.29

They've gone through and checked out everything he has ever faked in the show, and display the evidence that they have supporting their claim.

Les Stroud does what he says. As has been previously mentioned, he looks terrible on the seventh day. Bear is freshly shaven, fairly clean and mentally he seems normal. Watching Survivorman also made me realise how difficult it can be to find food. Bear finds food wherever he goes.

 

[LolaGal]

I watch both shows. I like Bear better, but Les probably knows better methods.

For ages, I thought Les was surely gay. Did anybody see that Alaska show he did with his family? They went off the grid, etc. But then they used a helicopter to fly his cabin in to the building site.... I thought that was a little over the top!

The funniest thing I ever saw Les do was build a fall trap out of rocks and sticks. He bashed his fingers over and over, finally got the trap set, and then he realized he had forgotten to put the bait under the stick... Instead of resetting it, he just threw the bait under the rock...

And the time Les set his hollow log shelter on fire when he was inside...lol Classic.

I seriously don't think either one of them is too survival savvy...lol

Once Les was in Alaska and had a net he found. Instead of using the net to catch the salmon jumping right and left, he put out a drag line and thought the fish would swim into it and get caught....hahahaha.... Les had to eat a rotten fish left by an eagle...

They are both pretty entertaining, but I doubt I would use any of their tricks to survive long...

By the way, I heard Les was sick of surviving and was quitting the show. Anybody else hear that?

 

[Hash Zeppelin]

It takes a toll on you, and he came pretty close to death a couple times. he is just really tough and doesnt really let you know on the show.

The one thing I saw les do wrong was when he made a sling weapon for bird hunting he only put one rocki in it. You have to use several rocks so you get a shot gun like spread, and brake the birds wings. then you kill it with yiur hands or foot.

 

[theHIGHlander]

if crunch came to the crunch Bear would just eat les..Bear knows his shit and is a very tuff guy (am not saying les isint because he is) and yes alot of it is for TV,,, just being in the SAS gives Bear the edge over les......i would love to see les getting chesed/survive for a week in the Welsh vallys in a pair of boots and WW2 POW clothes...if cought seeeya your no getting in the SAS .......

any1 seen the program about Bear and is mate flying over Everest in there home made giro coppter things (if not torrent is ya friend)

keep it green
highlander

 

[LolaGal]

Tune in tomorrow when Bear eats Les! lol

 

[ddrew]

Les all the way
I keep waiting for the day when Bear really fucks up and pulls a Steve Irwin.

 

[Hash Zeppelin]

les and bear are both good guys. If you sent them out in the woods together, to survive, permanently, they would start a civilization. Some how they would even manage to find woman. With in 3 months their would be a star bucks.

 

[LiLWaynE]

i say les wins because he rolls solo, where as bear has a film crew with him

all in all they are both pansies because they talk to survivalists who know the area before they actually make the pilgrimage throughout whatever terrain they are scouring....

the best episode out of both of their shows was the episode with LES where he is in the raft in the ocean and the boating crew that was logging his GPS coordinates as a safeguard actually loses him... i believe his walkie talkie also stopped working... so for a while in the show, les actually believes he is in serious trouble... (who knows though, they coulda made all that shit up)

there are pro's and con's to each of their shows though, but i say les wins...

 

[Hash Zeppelin]

thats not pansy, that is called being sane and being humble.

 

[B.C.]

les and bear are both good guys. If you sent them out in the woods together, to survive, permanently, they would start a civilization.

I bet Arjan could make S1 copies of both of em! lol BC

 

[theHIGHlander]

 

[funkervogt]

I watch Bear's show, I don't watch Les'. This is because Bear's show is more *entertaining* in the traditional sense, where Les' is more like a survival lessons-learned.

That being said, I would never take Bear's bullshit seriously. I understand that the show is entertainment, and they clearly fudge things along the way. Les is a survivor in a more pure sense and has street cred, but his show is still a bit boring, if not informational.

I once read that 'driven amateurs' in a survival situation are more likely to survive than 'experts' because 'experts' are more likely to take risks. This risky behavior leads to an arm or leg being broke, and consequently dehydration or starvation. Amateurs are more likely to act more cautiously, and so are more likely to get rescued.

 

[funkervogt]

Thought this was a pretty cool description of Survivorman (from wikipedia):

Part of the tension of Survivorman is in watching Stroud deal with the aftermath of unsuccessful or inappropriate survival techniques and decisions. The reasons for these errors can include time limitations, being unfamiliar with a technique, or misjudging weather conditions, all frequently encountered by people in survival situations. Stroud allows these predicaments to occur for the benefit of the TV audience, rather than simply sitting and waiting to be rescued. While acknowledging the errors and the negative effect on his emotional state that they can create, Stroud remains calm throughout, providing a model of behaviour vital to successful survival.

In addition to the physical challenges posed by each survival situation, Stroud confronts the psychological effects of isolation, physical injury, and exhaustion. Stroud also narrates to the camera, commenting on his physical and psychological state, providing survival tips and making jokes, effectively employing the future television audience as a companion. Stroud also often dismantles available equipment (e.g. bike, snowmobile, airplane) and puts it to another practical use.

 

[Hash Zeppelin]

^this is the opposite of pansy to me. I would just set up camp in a safe place for a week and survive, waiting to be rescued. After 7 days I might try to hike out. depending on my situation. I know I can do seven days because I have backpacked trough the wilderness for 14 days. And you can not carry all your food, if you wanna eat things other than M.R.E. type meals. You really cant carry all your water. So you fish. I wont kill a dear while backpacking for 2 reasons. The rifle is way to heavy. The other reason is I would be forced to waste most of the animal, which is not cool in my book.