There is a lot more to Bear than meets the eye. He was once in the British Special Forces. He does know how to handle himself in most any situation that he can get himself into. I don't think that it's himself that he is worried about. I think it's us and I think that he is trying (the best way he knows how)to convey a lot of that knowledge and information so that one day we might be so fortunate as to be able to use it to maybe save ourselves or some body else...sabre11004...

I think his show is entertaining to watch , But so is Porn! Porn is also more stimulating, LOL. Sorry but fact is most reality shows are so overdone it is a joke. Do you really think he is at risk? Some perhaps but not much! Enough is enough.

Nope. He worries about himself being entertaining enough to stay on TV--and that's all. He looks for stupid things to do so that he can figure out some way to pull some idiotic technique out. And then he claims that it's important.

What's important in the wilderness is staying warm, not getting lost, and not taking (or faking) stupid risks.

How often does he violate those simple rules? Every show. And that does way more educational damage than showing someone how to rope and ride a supposedly wild mustang (it was tame, but they didn't tell you that!) Would you like to get severely injured in the wilderness? Then try to jump on a wild horse!

HOw about crossing a frozen lake because you are too lazy to go around it? Or jump into a waterfall because you can't be bothered to find a trail down? Make a loop snare to catch a rabbit (that doesn't work) when the food he gets doesn't even begin to compensate for the energy he wasted trying to get it.

All these are his "suggestions" on how to survive. Give me a break. I can't think of a better way to get killed.

He's an attention seeking moron

I think there is an important point missing here....

It's a man on tv. It is a television show, where a guy entertains you by being out in the woods and pits himself against the wild. It's not reality, it's not footage taken by survivors of a gruesome plane crash, it's a television show. Sometimes he sleeps in a hotel room, sometimes when he does something stupid or contrived, it is in fact stupid or contrived.

Get over it, calm down, and if you don't enjoy it, don't tune in. I watched it for a season or two with my hiking buddies, and we loved it. We never jumped out of an airplane in the Alps and made a snow shelter - we never ate elephant poop for the moisture - and we never climbed into jungle caverns and swam in their cold subterranean streams. Instead, we hiked on the AT, explored parks near us, and learned real skills. Plus, who doesn't get butterflies watching a guy chuck a lizard tail/snake head/insect in their mouth and grimace as they say "it's good protein" I mean, come on, that's like two steps above fart humor, it's not survival wisdom, don't evaluate it as such.

Bear Grills is a joke...Les Stroud's shows are much better. The new "Dual Survival" show was originally supposed to have both Les and Bear, but neither would commit to doing a show together, so they got these guys:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCOtKv2M9mU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvKLOMgtM1Q

Cody Lundin is the real deal, but it looks like they are acting just the same.

BF

Most of our objections to Bear are not objections to this - *we* know this, and *you* know this.

My objection to it is that neophytes often do *not* know this, and will then end up in our stomping grounds trying to do retarded things like climbing down into a glacier crevasse unroped, building a platform 10 feet off the ground to sleep on "because of bears" or other such lunacy. At least if they were only walking around naked in a lake trying to hit fish with a club it would be amusing and probably not dangerous.

It's not that I don't realize it's just entertainment, it's that when the show attempts to present it as otherwise, people take it as real advice.

To me it's akin to having a cooking show where the chef is a rampant slob who never washes his hands, and smears raw chicken over all the ingredients as he's working, with the show presenting this as if nothing is wrong with it - because he ate it and didn't get sick.

all valid valid points...regardless of your opinion of the show, the guy does some clever and interesting things with small - medium sized knives that are practial to any one of us....

and that was the point of the thread....

I will point out that SOG knives has a really good fathers day sale...and imho they make some pretty stellar bomb proff stuff

Point taken. I hadn't thought of it that way. I'll have to present the "Raw chicken smear attack" next time Bear Grylls comes up in conversation and see what happens...

I think it is a confidence factor. Like, hahah my knife is bigger than yours. Cause your absolutely right. Some of the knives I have seen on the trail (and otherwise) are over kill. Though I do have to say, the one Rambo has from first blood is pretty sweet!

phat: Wow I laughed audibly at your reply! So true!

I never thought it would happen but I have recently been bitten by the knife collecting bug. I just purchased a Becker BK2. It will probably never meet my backpack. This 1/4" slab of steel is much more likely to end up as an anchor for my kayak. But it is a fun little tool and this weekend it will see its maiden car camping voyage. I plan to use it for everything from chopping vegetables to cutting firewood. I know, an axe is better for the firewood but not nearly as fun!!!

I like to carry an Opinel. Folding. Locking mechanism. Very lightweight. Very inexpensive (usually around $10). If something happens to it, no big whoop. For as often as I need a knife, this usually does the trick. They also sell a pocket saw version, which is really the only other type blade I'd like to have handy.

I used to lug around a Super Leatherman, but that is a full LB+, and the serrated blade was so sharp that I was constantly worried I'd cut a finger off when I was farting around with it on the trail.

Wow, TR, you bought a BK2. I have a cold steel SRK that I bought at the PX in Kuwait. I strapped it on my flak vest. I used it a lot to break up ice in the cooler and occasionally cut open an MRE. But, mostly I used scissors to cut open the MRE's. Anyways, my last BP trip, I didn't use a single blade. But that was only because no one got hurt, so I didn't need to use my scissors for first aid, which is unusual.

I don't buy knives - used the same swiss army for the last ten years, but I got the BK2 for a month-long trip off trail in AK this summer and it was the allstar of the trip. 1/4" is what it is - and 16oz without the sheath. But it holds an edge through skinning game, chopping wood, and then some.

I won't ever be taking it on a short or light trip as you said, but it sure is a fun knife. For me, someone who has never had a desire to own long/big knives for machismo, this knife is heavy and sturdy, you couldn't break it if you tried, yet not too long or big, I could still do reasonable whittling with it.

Best BK2 moment was when I snapped our full size ax (I didn't carry it in) blade, not the handle, and for the last 10 days we used the butt of the axe with the BK2 as the workhorse. Also, if you're not worried about the finish, it makes a reasonably effective hammer when you're setting up a more permanent camp.

Didn't mean to gush, but I love my BK2 (for what it does, it is no opinel/swiss army classic meant for long-mile days)

i only have 4 knives, an gerber suspension, essee knives rc-5(backpacking) and essee rc-6(car/backup), and a benchmade 9100sbk autostryker. looking to get a benchmade hk-14536; hk-instigator for my boot
and i also have a Sog Fusion Tactical Tomahawk Knife from target.com

the gerber and benchmade rotates on my pocket depending on where i go and the rc-5 is strapped on the side of my pack in a Rat kit from essee knives

Can any of you BK2 owners talk about the history of that knife? I was surprised to see there is also a Camillus Becker BK2, and it has quite a different blade. Both government contractors (Camillus now defunct?), but I found it odd that both Ka-Bar and Camillus had Becker BK2s.

I'm no expert but as far as I know, Ethan Becker designed only one BK2. He founded Becker Knife and Tool in 1980 to make his knives. He sold the BK2 design to Camillus which made them until they went belly up in '07. Ka-Bar took over from there. Becker is an interesting guy. He is an accomplished chef and his grandmother wrote The Joy of Cooking. He edited the 1997 version of that book.

Here is a picture of a Camillus BK2 which looks exactly like my Ka-Bar made example except the tang on mine is slightly exposed at the end. The sheath is slightly different but the blade looks the same. The only variation on the design I have seen was a Camillus with a partially serrated blade.

I used my BK2 last weekend for car camping. It did everything from chopping firewood to slicing cheese to opening packages. Now........if it only weighed a pound less LOL. At least I have a boat anchor too.

It's interesting to see the name of this knife so often misspelled. It's called the "Campanion" by the manufacturer. Maybe to market it as a camping tool and not a weapon. But many spell it with an "o" as the second letter.

Here is a vid of Becker himself talking about the BK2.

I'm loving mine too!!!!

Carry: Gerber LST - general use knife including spreading the peanut butter; and Leatherman Micra (with the pliers) for it's tools for trail repairs.

Can't even watch Bear Grylls.

I'm disappointed I can't find a big bargain on the BK2. You folks have me hooked, and now I want one for the next car camping excursion.

Those TV "survival" shows are some of the worst programs on TV. All of them. The one with the ex-special forces and his journalist wife has the personality of a wet sandwich bag. I had hopes for the newer one with the minimalist barefoot outdoor school instructor and the ex-military guy, but even that is terrible. I watch some crap TV, but I haven't dropped to this level quite yet.

I've had the same Gerber LST since 1986... I've tried to lose it more times than I can remember, but can't seem to do so! It's in my pocket as I type this.

However, in the last few years, the CRKT Wrangler has begun to replace the LST on BP trips... I like it's design slightly better and the steel quality is higher than the Gerber. Go figure.

I seem to have collected a drawer full of knives and multitools (exaggerating... probably about 10 total).

That said, I seem to use my Gerber LST (0.6 oz) and my swiss army waiter (0.9oz, 2.5" blade, can/bottle opener) most often. I prefer the locking blade and the weight on the LST, but i usually bring canned meat instead of the foil pack baggies since it is far cheaper... i have a few of the p-51 can openers, but i prefer not having another loose item in my bag.

I keep a P51 attached to the tiny Victorinox Classic in my medical kit.

The LST or CRKT Wrangler see everyday use, especially for cleaning highcountry trout.

A friend just posted this link on my facebook wall. I thought I'd share it here.

[url="http://www.explosm.net/comics/2229/"]
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Cyanide & Happiness @ [url="http://www.explosm.net/"]Explosm.net[/url]

In case that embed doesn't work: http://www.explosm.net/comics/2229/

I like my little gerber evo jr.. 2.5 inch blade and only 2oz. It spreads and cuts the cheese.

I just use a common knife which I found on a road-side vender, no brand, no name, but easy to use and durable, that's enough~

I like the durability of my fixed blade but theres a fine line between usefulness and a waste of space. I use a Becker BK11. Sure its almost 7 inches, which is a bit large but with the skeltonized handle, high carbon 1095 Cro-Van steel, and a lightweight some kinda fancy hard plastic sheath it does me real good. I actually cut down a small tree with it in my yard, took me an hour though.

http://www.lifeviewoutdoors.com/knives-a...ker-necker.html