Man vs Wild /Real or Real Fake?

Even if he did get help with his shows. I have no doubt that he could do everything he teaches and then some. I am still highly entertained by Man vs Wild.

Originally posted by reloaded689



i think I'm fairly knowledgeable when it comes to being out in the wild i do it a lot and the one thing you learn is that being wet in a cold climate is bad which is why he shows you what to do if you get wet,

But he didn't show you that in this episode, he got wet twice and managed to dry out without an explanation. A normal person following that would think that might be the way to go, it is not generally the rule to get wet when you can avoid it, especially on a glacier

rule one of survival is to keep moving which is why i like bear better les sits around two much even wondering around lost is better then siting still waiting for a rescue that may not come can lead to degradation of the muscles and even depression when waiting for long periods of time moving keeps muscles healthy and the mind focused i believe that les even said at one point that he had to choose to stay or to go and choose to go and since the beginning of time the easiest way to find human habitation is to follow a water way down stream and some times that means geting in the water

Actually depending on the situation rule number one would be stay were people last saw you. If you become lost and people know your proposed route you don't deviate, you set up directional markers and signals. We train our Scouts to stay put when they become lost and find ways to signal their location. Let the search team find you rather than the other way around.

Now if you are totally isolated and have to find civilization then following water is the way to go. But even then you follow the shore unless it's absolutely imperative you get wet.

Hey guys, I am close to beta launch on my Survival (for the laymen) site. If anyone thinks they have what it takes to write for such a site just U2U me.

reply to post by Nygdan


survivor man is an awesome show and quite educational.. he's the real deal, carries his own camera equipment, no contact with his crew for ~ 7 days... amazing.

I like man vs. wild, but it seems a bit scripted..

I am no expert at survival, but like always, I got an opinion.

I think these shows might actually be dangerous. If you are lost and people know it. STAY PUT! Don't go around looking to break a leg as one previous poster said. If you have water build a shelter and fire, and tough it out. You can last days without food, even weeks.

The bit about trapping animals and food sources is good, but any book on the local plant/animal life could probably teach that.

I found some of the shelter building stuff informative. I liked the burning the fire to heat a rock up you are going to sleep on, and the long fire so it keeps burning all night, instead of one big pile of wood.

On one of the shows the guy did not check for ants where he was sleeping, a month later the other show seemed to really emphasis this, it was like he watched Survivor man staying up all night picking off bugs on the other show

All of his shows have been been re-edited with a disclaimer to say: that he is helped by staff in emergency situations.....and some things are set up to show what you would do if you were in that situation.

He is the real deal, as I know someone who served w/ him (British Special Forces).

I think most of the posters here have done a good job to show that what “Man vs. Wild” teaches is not good survival advice in any way, shape, or form. I think that the defenders of this show are outraged due to Bears supposed background of being in the SAS, as they take it personally as a slam against SAS training. In the shows defense, supposedly, a lot of it has been taken out of context by the discovery channel, and the original narration was removed. Either way, the type of survival that is taught to the military is quick, dirty, get out from behind enemy lines, and deal with the medical consequences later because what the enemy is going to do to you is a lot worse. This type of survival is not valid for the normal civilian who is trapped out in a hostile environment, or who wants to last for an extended period in the wild with little support. I found this BearWiki listing the problems and errors in all the “Man vs Wild” episodes:

Bad Advice and Inaccuracies
Below, you'll find an (incomplete) listing of potentially dangerous or known dangerous, or otherwise ill-advised or incorrect things that Bear has done or advised people who are lost to do. This includes both things he gives specifically as advice and things that he does which could be perceived as advice, but not things he does specifically to demonstrate a skill (such as jumping into a frozen lake or quicksand).

The biggest and most quickly fatal flaw I have seen so far in “Man vs. Wild” is the drinking and eating of substances with obviously high levels of bacteria. Besides being possibly outright fatal, such as the case in drinking water with high levels of E-Coli in it, it can also cause you to vomit or have diarrhea, both of which can cause you to dehydrate at a much faster rate then not having eaten/drunk anything to begin with.

Less Stroud on the other hand, teaches valid survival techniques which are usable by the layman. Many of the things he teaches can be found in survival manuals, a lot of what you see in the show you will find in this book:

Outd oor Survival Skills by Larry Dean Olsen.

An absolutely awesome book, I might add, which I have owned a copy of long before SurvivorMan was even a show. Flint-knapping, fire bundles, and the Peyote Pitfall trap are a few of the things you will find in this book which are used by Less in his show. You will also find this book listed as one of several sources materials on Less’s website. Less also intentionally does little to no hunting, which he claims is a skill that the average Joe may not have, and can expend a lot of energy doing, with no results.

If you want to learn how to survive in the wild I would recommend “Survivorman” over “Man vs. Wild” every single time. If you need to escape from behind enemy lines, and don’t care if you get killed or sick along the way, because the other choice is being killed or tortured by the enemy, then maybe Bears methods are a bit more sound.

defcon5,

While I do agree, I also think that Bear does have one or two gems that I know can help anyone in a survival situation. The bulk of what he does is quite theatrical but even with my limited mentality I know which tips are actually useful and which may be fatal or worse.

I do see a superior show in Survivorman but I also think they are both beneficial if you are paying attention.

reply to post by jbondo


I don’t necessarily agree, you have to really already know something about survival to pick through much of what he says. Go to that site above and start looking through the vast amount of poor advice, made up statistics, and faked stunts, then try and tell me he is running a good survival show.

A prime example:
"What I do know is that that if a bear is in your camp, you must abandon it."
Running from a bear is the worst possible advice you can give to someone who crosses paths with one, it almost always provokes a chase/pray instinct in the bear who would otherwise run in fear from you.

To make matters worse, they actually set up this chance for him to give out his bad advice by dressing one of the producers in a bear suit, because they could not find a tame bear in time.
Bear Suit
I mean how pathetic can you get?
Actually getting caught setting up the chance to show how ignorant of a subject you are, while trying to come off as the expert. Every camper/hiker knows you don’t run from a bear.

Originally posted by defcon5
then try and tell me he is running a good survival show.

OK, hold the boat! I didn't say it was a good survival show. I said there were some good tips that could be weeded out of it.

Maybe since I've been studying this subject for awhile now for my website I am more capable of picking out what's good and what's bad. Hopefully people will come to my site and see what is acceptable.

I'll admit, there was a time when I did think Bear had a good show and I even think I said as much long ago in this thread but upon getting down to the heart of survival in my research I did realize that most of what he portrays is not something I'd want to see anyone doing.

Maybe I should say that I can weed out the good tips from all the drama. Once my site is up people wont have to worry about the difference between a good and bad tip.

I can tell you one thing though, if a bear comes into a camp at night and comes into your tent he is likely in a hunt/scavenge mode. If he engages you it's likely that it's to drag you off and you can't take the chance that he won't want to feed on you before stashing you away. In this situation fighting for your life is recommended as apposed to a daytime attack which can often be stopped by playing dead. A daytime attack usually occurs because you're in the bears personal space or the bear is protecting young. I only recommend the tent action if the bear physically starts to drag you out, if he's just sniffing I would stay still.

My apologies to anyone that misinterpreted my last post as it probably could have been worded differently.

If you want to learn how to survive in the wild I would recommend “Survivorman” over “Man vs. Wild” every single time.

I agree with you. Though Bear may be eye candy, I certainly would take advice from Survivorman over Bear, based on what I see on both shows.

Thanks for pointing out some of the "truths" about the show

[edit on 17-10-2007 by greeneyedleo]

i have seen quite a bit of "man vs wild" and i never thought it was supposed to be realistic to the bone -- the man is simply trying to show you tricks/skills for certain situations. i agree that some of the things he shows are not for just anyone -- some of the stunts require certain physical qualities that not everybody has. and i must have watched a different show cause one of the things stuck in my head from this show is "stay dry" -- sometimes though you need to make a choice between staying dry and continuing to move and reach a safer place. people really need a reality check with their own reality -- taking everything shown on tv (especially a show) for "reality?!!!! i think people who do that need a wake up call.
"man vs wild" -- is both entertaining and useful. anything one learns from anywhere/anyone one needs to re-evaluate and apply to their own body & mind. the show develops common sense (or informed intuition) for survival, which if you are ever in a situation like this is what you need most.
hats off to all people who dare. for real (not on the couch in front of the tv).

reply to post by zhenja


I don't know how you took "stay dry' out of Man vs. Wild when everytime there is water invovled he goes into it. As a survival skill that is plainly just stupid almost every time. Like the time he scales DOWN a waterfall only to have an upset stomach and scale UP the waterfall again to get some tree rolaids. Just a stupid thing to do no matter how you cut it. But it makes for good TV so who cares about actual survival skills the average person could try or use.

Les mentioned using cattails for tinder and I'll be dammed if that was not some of the best tinder I have ever used. His advice is stuff the average person can use.

Originally posted by jbondo
I can tell you one thing though, if a bear comes into a camp at night and comes into your tent he is likely in a hunt/scavenge mode. If he engages you it's likely that it's to drag you off and you can't take the chance that he won't want to feed on you before stashing you away. In this situation fighting for your life is recommended as apposed to a daytime attack which can often be stopped by playing dead. A daytime attack usually occurs because you're in the bears personal space or the bear is protecting young. I only recommend the tent action if the bear physically starts to drag you out, if he's just sniffing I would stay still.

It sounds like some of this advice you got from “Grizzly Man”, which is a somewhat slanted movie. I have to assume that is where you got this info from as the scenario you mention fits that incident closely. The truth is that Mr Treadwell was doing so many things wrong that he more then likely provoked the attack, the movie does not portray an accurate account of what was actually occurring out in that park.

To begin with, it depends on the type of bear it is and the exact situation. First, you should never have a bear in your camp, because you should not have any food scent in the area around your campsite. You should eat and prepare your meals a distance from where you plan to sleep, food should be in a bear container or hung from a tree, and you should wash the scent off both you and your clothing before going to bed. Your campsite should also never be on a bear trail, which is one of the major mistakes “Grizzly Man” made, besides feeding the bears to begin with. A bear trail being one that they frequently use to get to a food or water source. Grizzly Man was not only camping on those trails, but he was having to camouflage his campsites because the National Park Service had already threatened to ban him from their parks for not following their safety guidelines in relation to bears.

Additionally, as I stated above, your reaction has to be based on the type of bear. Generally with either type, you want to stand your ground, not look them in the face, and make as much sound as you can to frighten them off. Even if you are charged, you want to stand your ground, as most charges are bluffs anyway. If you bolt from this situation you are putting yourself at an even greater risk as now, to the bear, you have shown yourself to be pray or a challenger who they scared off. Either of these things can provoke further and more serious attacks, and there is absolutely no way your going to outrun a bear.

Now for the bear specific part:
The Black Bear:


The Brown Bear or Grizzly:

If you are attacked by a Grizzly Bear(sometimes called a Brown Bear), you should lay still in the fetal position, and attempt to cover your vital parts as much as possible. If the bear presses the attack, then you have to start to fight it by hitting it in the head, nose, eyes, with anything you have to fight it with. In truth, a Grizzly can kill a human outright with a swing of its paws, and when they attack they are normally going to go for the head as they see that as your threat zone.

In contrast, Black Bears are substantially smaller bears, which are much more afraid of humans, and more prone to run off if you stand up to them. The Black Bears most frequently seen side is its rear-end, as it runs away from any human it encounters. However, if a Black Bear challenges you, you are actually in more trouble then you are with a Grizzly Bear. When they decide to have a confrontation, you have to do anything you can to attempt to scare them, try and make yourself look bigger then they are, walk slowly backwards or on an angle away from them, but be ready to have to fight them if they charge you. If you attempt to “play dead” with a Black Bear, you soon wont be playing, you’ll be dead. Black Bears have no issue with eating things they perceive to be dead already. Also tree climbing which can sometimes work with a Grizzly, will not work on a Black Bear as they are better climbers then most humans are. If you decided to go up a tree, the bear would most likely already be waiting at the top by the time you got up there.

If the bear actually comes into your tent, then I agree that laying still is most likely your best bet unless he starts to drag you.
Anyway, I hope that helps some.

The way I see it, if you want to watch a guy that is 100% surviving in the wild by himself with little to no supplies with 100% realism you watch Survivorman. If you want to watch a guy that is 75% surviving in the wild and about the same percentage or realism, but you want to have things explained to you more thoroughly and in depth you watch Man vs. Wild. Either way, they are excellent shows and anyone could learn a substantial amount about survival with next to nothing. Personally, I like Man vs. Wild better, but that's just me.

totally agree with the above assessment of the shows. "man vs wild" is simply going through possible scenarios - what might happen in a given environment, what should one watch out for.
i also like "man vs wild" better for the simple fact that he goes through the situations and just gives you the advice, more like a textbook and i don't get to watch him go through every little step. and i'll admit i like bear grylls charisma

reply to post by pavil


he always says it for one, then if he needs to get wet (staying dry is essentials only for colder climates by the way) he dries his clothes (again, if needed, being wet in a warm climate is not a big deal).

reply to post by zhenja



He doesn't always show you how he gets dry clothes again. If you think getting wet is only a concern in cold weather climes, try walking in a jungle after jungle rot has set in on your feet then get back to me.

Hypothermia doesn't need freezing air or water temperatures to do it's damage, that you seem to think otherwise could make for a very bad survival decision on your part. In one espisode he gets wet just before sunset in an snowy region with no fire or shelter set up. That is just stupid and would get a normal person killed if they didn't have a crew and warm cabin to hop into for the night.

You say " if he has to get wet" and that's my beef, most of the time he doesn't "have" to. I have seen him get wet too often in situations where hypothermia is a great risk and they don't show you the dangers of it enough. I know I for one would not want to be naked in freezing temps while trying to dry my clothes in a fire like he does in one episode. Try and dry wet clothes in a fire and tell me how long that takes. He is too cavalier in his getting wet for my tastes. I understand he does some things for instructional purposes but many are just poor choices, like when him swims across a lake rather than taking the shoreline. Just a stupid thing even if you are a good swimmer.

reply to post by pavil


i still think that everything is taken very literary by the viewers. yeah, maybe in one of the episodes he got wet and he did not show you how he got dry -- i always took the show as simply going through different scenarios and showing you how to figure things out in the wild -- you stop, you think, you assess your own situation and your own capabilities and then you go from there. again, regarding staying dry -- you yourself admit that there are situations that it is not vital that one gets/stays dry. bear grylls most of the times says how important is to be dry, so if he skipped it and did not show you how he got dry in that particular episode -- thank god i did not have to hear that again, he is simply trying to concentrate on different issues. in school, when smth was important the teacher will repeat the important note a few times but then he/she will stop doing that, if the students didn't get it... plus most of you guys badgering the show are talking in "ifs" -- exactly, what the show is about "ifs" "if this happened. if that happened" plus there isn't always one solution to a problem, sometimes there are more, depending AGAIN on a particular situation.
also, if you guys don't like the show, who is making you watch it?! everybody is a critic! like everybody watching "simple life" and saying how paris hilton is stupid -- the people who watch the show are stupid, she is living her life and enjoying it (that was a bit out of the subject, simply wanted to illustrate, that if there is no demand there won't be supply).

reply to post by zhenja


I like the show but some of the "stunts" he pulls will get the average person in a heap of trouble should they think that is the right thing to do cause "Bear did it". I never said it is not important to stay dry as you imply, read again. It is always in your interest to stay dry, if you are wet come evening time in the desert, you could be in for a very bad night as the temperature plummets. The example I gave was even in a wet clime (jungle) it is important to not get wet (jungle rot on the feet).