New Gear! New show!

Super stoked about some upgraded gear purchases! Mostly just gloating I guess.

I noticed the Merrel thread... are there any other brands of hiking books that you guys suggest. The ones I have are the cheapest you can get, and I'd like to prepare a little more efficiently for the coming season.

Also, I haven't watched tv in years, however, my roommate has netflix! So.... I recently discovered "Dual Survival". I really really like this show. What do you guys think about it? I think Canterbury and Lundin have a pretty sweet dynamic going on.

All too often they are absurd, ridiculous and unrealistic. Someday I'll tell you what I really think.....

New gear is usually exciting. I hope it works well for you. Shoes/boots are pretty personal, based on how well a brand fits your own foot. The high-end stuff is usually decently made, but fit is all-important!

As for the survival show you like, I don't watch that stuff. It is mainly for armchair adventurers. Even when they are well done, they are very remote from real life situations, and most of them are far from well done. Bear grylls, for example, is just plain silly.

I recently discovered Oboz boots. I have the Beartooth and it is an amazing boot. I highly recommend you look at them if you can.

Concerning Dual Survival, I think it is the best of the survival shows because you get to see two completely different approaches to survival, and you can see how combining the two gives one the most options.

Take what you can get from those shows because they all have something to teach us. I used to poo-poo Bear Grylls to no end, but decided to sit down and watch all of Man vs Wild on Netflix. The man may do some incredibly dumb things from time to time, but there is no doubt that the man knows his stuff when it comes down to it.

No he doesn't. If he knew his stuff he would avoid most of the idiotic situations he places himself in.

Just ask Lundin what the best boots are. Or, at least you could ask him what he uses.

Bear is a great example of do the opposite and be safe.

"Reality" survival shows are absolutely ridiculous. Somewhere on youtube there is a set of videos showing a pan of the locations Bear's been in - usually there's a road within line of site. There may be some amusement in the show in how completely fictional it is and extreme his behavior gets, but too many people have had searchers out looking for them after trying to emulate him. (I don't care if it's only been one or two cases, that is entirely TOO MANY.)

Plus most of these "survival" ideas are definitely contrary to Leave No Trace ethics, so aren't suitable for designated wilderness or other fragile environments.

I don't watch those shows, and have only seen a very few brief clips from any of them, but I think if you weed out the BS there is something to be learned from them.

It was hearing about one of the "Dual Surviver" episodes (I still haven't seen it) that put me on to making my "Baker's Tent" out of SOL Emergency blankets. From what I've heard of that episode, I can say that the concept they presented in it works as good as they contend it does.

I had never heard of it before that was aired, and probably would have never made the tent had it not. I know there are lots of places where you can't have campfires, but we can here, and that tent design is simply amazing in cold weather.

The thing that bothers me about these shows most is that I believe there could be a show about camping/hiking/backpacking/bushcraft that could be informative, interesting, educational, and entertaining. I would watch hour long shows that followed people like the members here to some of their favorite spots, highlighted them using some of their favorite gear, and related some of their stories and experiences. I suppose that being a member of this forum is about as close to that as we can get.

I think it's good to try and be open and looking for good ideas and new and different ways of doing things, no matter the source. You can learn something from anyone. But I honestly can't sit for long and watch the made up drama posing as reality on TV these days. I'll have to depend on the kindness of others to sift through that for me.

I have thought about that every time I've seen a bit of one of them. Somebody's ripping branches off of trees, or tearing up something, or killing something without regard to hunting seasons or restrictions, and I can't help but think that it should have been easier to be prepared for, or avoid, the situation they are proposing to address.

To be fair though, I really have not watched even one entire episode of any of them, so I may be too critical. They may have more to offer than I expect.

Honest answer? Priority one is that it fits your purpose/ proposed use. The ones that fit you comfortably are the ones you choose from. THEN look at durability. They are no good to you if they tear up your feet no matter how long they last. Just to name a few good brands of hiking boots; Merrel, Keen, and Vasque. I listed these just because they have fit my wife and I. If they are not comfortable for ME, they are not on my list.

I have to admit that I have not seen the new show. I have recently seen a few episodes of that Bear Grylls dude. THAT show is geared for entertainment.



He intentionally places himself in those positions for entertainment. Its kind of hilarious actually; I think he gets paid bonuses for each outlandish thing he does. Take the man made flash flood. They stuff him in a tent in a wash with a camera, zip it up, and then unload something like 75 thousand gallons of water on him and watch what happens. He didn't have to be in the tent to show what happens during a flash flood, but it made for "good" TV. My other fave is him walking across a glacier in ski boots. Talk about slippery. It's entertainment pure and simple.

He does give out some useful information, but he also gives out some bogus info too. Take the dropped into Baja episode. He's looking for water (and I'm pretty sure I've been where they dropped him) and says something to the effect that the reason he can't find enough is because he is at 5000 ft elevation. In one part he was right, that he needed to look further down stream. But he could not have been more wrong about the elevation. The elevation in those areas actually gives him a better chance of finding water down stream. I really think it is to make a fast paced TV product.

Absolutely. And there is the show where he shows you how to cross a frozen lake safely. No mention of the fact that it is FAR safer not to do that. So when he falls through, then he shows you how to get out. Give me a break. Stay off the ice and stay alive.

Wow! Thanks for all the responses! I've been looking at Vasque brand pretty seriously. I want to buy a decent pair of boots, but I do not want to fall prey to overpriced hype.

As for the shows.... I agree about Bear, and I think Survivor Man is more "realistic"? However, Dual Survival is by far the most fun to watch. Both of those cats have made a living off their survival schools. Also... ofcourse its "geared for tv".... it's a tv show scalliwags! Anywho, if you haven't watched it, Dual Survival is entertaining. Netflix the whole first season.