Backcountry Forum
Backpacking & Hiking Gear

Backcountry Forum
Our long-time Sponsor - the leading source for ultralite/lightweight outdoor gear
 
 
 

Amazon.com
Backpacking Forums
---- Our Gear Store ----
The Lightweight Gear Store
 
 WINTER CAMPING 

Shelters
Bivy Bags
Sleeping Bags
Sleeping Pads
Snow Sports
Winter Kitchen

 SNOWSPORTS 

Snowshoes
Avalanche Gear
Skins
Hats, Gloves, & Gaiters
Accessories

 ULTRA-LIGHT 

Ultralight Backpacks
Ultralight Bivy Sacks
Ultralight Shelters
Ultralight Tarps
Ultralight Tents
Ultralight Raingear
Ultralight Stoves & Cookware
Ultralight Down Sleeping Bags
Ultralight Synthetic Sleep Bags
Ultralight Apparel


the Titanium Page
WM Extremelite Sleeping Bags

 CAMPING & HIKING 

Backpacks
Tents
Sleeping Bags
Hydration
Kitchen
Accessories

 CLIMBING 

Ropes & Cordage
Protection & Hardware
Carabiners & Quickdraws
Climbing Packs & Bags
Big Wall
Rescue & Industrial

 MEN'S APPAREL 

Jackets
Shirts
Baselayer
Headwear
Gloves
Accessories

 WOMEN'S APPAREL 

Jackets
Shirts
Baselayer
Headwear
Gloves
Accessories

 FOOTWEAR 

Men's Footwear
Women's Footwear

 CLEARANCE 

Backpacks
Mens Apparel
Womens Apparel
Climbing
Footwear
Accessories

 BRANDS 

Black Diamond
Granite Gear
La Sportiva
Osprey
Smartwool

 WAYS TO SHOP 

Sale
Clearance
Top Brands
All Brands

 Backpacking Equipment 

Shelters
BackPacks
Sleeping Bags
Water Treatment
Kitchen
Hydration
Climbing


 Backcountry Gear Clearance

Page 1 of 2 1 2 >
Topic Options
Rate This Topic
#111241 - 02/14/09 01:03 AM Man, I'm just disgusted...
phat Offline
Moderator

Registered: 06/24/07
Posts: 4107
Loc: Alberta, Canada

I knew I should turn the channel. I knew it...

But I left Bear Grylls on the TV while doing something on the omputer... his "Yukon" episode...

I knew it would be bad... but it was worse than I thought imaginable. I am at a loss for words.. What a gigantic pile of
steaming bovine scatlogy...

Now excuse my while I go shoot my TV..

_________________________
Any fool can be uncomfortable...
My 3 season gear list
Winter list.
Browse my pictures


Top
#111244 - 02/14/09 01:20 AM Re: Man, I'm just disgusted... [Re: phat]
bigfoot2 Offline
member

Registered: 09/17/06
Posts: 1432
Loc: Eugene , Oregon
Wait...that's the one where he gets totally naked for no good reason but for the sake of the female viewers and eats putrid salmon in bear country, right? Oh..you mean that's in EVERY episode??? sick

BF cool


Edited by bigfoot2 (02/14/09 01:21 AM)
_________________________
Hammockers aren't stuck up, they're just above it all.

Top
#111245 - 02/14/09 01:26 AM Re: Man, I'm just disgusted... [Re: bigfoot2]
sarbar Offline
member

Registered: 07/15/05
Posts: 1453
Loc: WA
His getting nekked is the only reason I sit down and watch it with the guys. grin
_________________________
Freezer Bag Cooking, Trail Cooking, Recipes, Gear and Beyond:
www.trailcooking.com

Top
#111256 - 02/14/09 10:32 AM Re: Man, I'm just disgusted... [Re: phat]
MattnID Offline
member

Registered: 06/02/07
Posts: 317
Loc: Idaho
lol, I saw that it was on next but I didn't bother watching it. Sounds like it might have been another interesting one, haha.
_________________________
In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.-Aristotle

Top
#111265 - 02/14/09 12:41 PM Re: Man, I'm just disgusted... [Re: MattnID]
phat Offline
Moderator

Registered: 06/24/07
Posts: 4107
Loc: Alberta, Canada

You're making me relive it. it was so painful I started watching it rather than just leaving it on as noise and the more I watched the more disgusted I was. everything so obviously staged... Climbing across a glacier with no equipement. and descending into a crevasse to get off it rather than go to the edge... just "finding" a canoe.. making the most ridiculous shelter I have ever seen (a treehouse platform) supposedly with no help and spruce roots for ties - and this supposedly because of bears.. and then going into an abandoned mine with only a torch. and having it go out.. dear god... the only thing it was missing was the guy in the bear suit..

Not to mention he started by parachuting in, then took the paracord off the parachute but *LEFT THE PARACHUTE* and then proceeded to screw around making bough shelters, etc..

I *know* it's TV. and it's B.S... but man every newb on the planet watches this junk... grrr...

_________________________
Any fool can be uncomfortable...
My 3 season gear list
Winter list.
Browse my pictures


Top
#111266 - 02/14/09 12:42 PM Re: Man, I'm just disgusted... [Re: phat]
phat Offline
Moderator

Registered: 06/24/07
Posts: 4107
Loc: Alberta, Canada
Oh god, and I forgot.. chasing fish in a lake by trying to club them with a 6 foot section of spruce..... unbelievable..
_________________________
Any fool can be uncomfortable...
My 3 season gear list
Winter list.
Browse my pictures


Top
#111283 - 02/14/09 02:47 PM Re: Man, I'm just disgusted... [Re: phat]
Jimshaw Offline
member

Registered: 10/22/03
Posts: 3983
Loc: Bend, Oregon
Phat

lets face, most people think its the real McCoy.
This is the reason we get such strange posts from Newbs.
There IS a new "wilderness creedo" which is a combination of fantasy about man-eating wild animals that you protect yourself from with a Bowie knife, and people toting guns to protect themselves from other campers. The concept that a smaller pack is inherantly better, that being unprepaired is being more prepaired, that disposable camping gear is cool. These campers are not going off trail on solo adventures in rugged country - they are a sort of gentrified modern camper, unlike the hairy chested no fear millions of hippy backpackers who didn't carry cell phones or personal locaters. The new camper worries about his or her safety and about whether the other campers will be impressed by their tiny pack. The new disposable camping mode is a lot like homeless camping.

These guys are quite a separate strain from the real trail runners. They think anybody can do this because it looks so easy. Do you think anybody would turn on a real survival training film that didn't include the occasional grizzly walking into camp?

Of course you have to lower yourself into a crevace with no ropes or other gear to escape a glacier, only an idiot would just walk off it. You think the guy in the lake naked with a stick trying to club a fish is ridiculous because you know how fish react when large animals splash in the water say 20 feet away. You aren't gonna get close to a fish using that technique - you know and I know it, but some person who has not had the oppportunity to learn for himself is gonna get severly hypothermic trying this - why? Because the film crew isn't there with a warm trailer to jump in, nor to provide you with a dead fish to hit.

No the scary part is that people accept this as "all the survival traiining they've had" and would revert to it in a bad situation if they remembered. "Lets see how did he get down into the crevace - woops.

Not to pick on anybody, but for instance we've had people trying to buy the ultimate sleeping bag who actually do not have idea how to use one. You can't have the same knowledge with no experience as you do after say 50 or 100 trips, obviously and I don't want to put anyone down just becasue they are a newb, not at all. But it does amaze me just how little knowledge our newbs have. I mean I was a cub scout and a boy scout then became a climber and a solo wolderness camper, but it was a continuum. I didn't start at the ropes, I started learning to hike, then to camp, how to build a fire, and we practiced this stuff. I take so much for granted. Anyway I think we don't help our newbs nearly as much as we should because we concentrate way too much on gear and not on Technique. I wrote a post last year on how to melt snow. Maybe its in a FAQ somewhere, otherwise how do newbs learn how to melt snow? Anybody that doesn't think melting snow is an art should take a dry pan and some snow and a stove and try it.
Jim
_________________________
These are my own opinions based on wisdom earned through many wrong decisions. Your mileage may vary.

Top
#111284 - 02/14/09 03:10 PM Re: Man, I'm just disgusted... [Re: Jimshaw]
phat Offline
Moderator

Registered: 06/24/07
Posts: 4107
Loc: Alberta, Canada
Originally Posted By Jimshaw

and we practiced this stuff. I take so much for granted.

Yeah, I know. I take a lot for granted too. but I grew up around it so it's hard not to.
Quote:

Anyway I think we don't help our newbs nearly as much as we should because we concentrate way too much on gear and not on Technique. I wrote a post last year on how to melt snow. Maybe its in a FAQ somewhere, otherwise how do newbs learn how to melt snow? Anybody that doesn't think melting snow is an art should take a dry pan and some snow and a stove and try it.
Jim


I'll agree with you to a large extent Jim, but the gear talk
is inevitable because it's what people spend money on. Notwithstaning that there have been a few real gems here for newbs, and they do come around from time to time. How to melt snow was good. Daisy's "how to pack a pack" was wonderful.

Makes me wonder if we shouldn't have a "Backcountry Techniques - The How To not the What With" topic section to just sticky up a bunch of these good ones and encourage further such discussion.

_________________________
Any fool can be uncomfortable...
My 3 season gear list
Winter list.
Browse my pictures


Top
#111330 - 02/15/09 03:26 PM Re: Man, I'm just disgusted... [Re: phat]
Yak Offline
newbie

Registered: 01/25/09
Posts: 11
Loc: Pa
I don't watch him.

Top
#111352 - 02/16/09 10:02 AM Re: Man, I'm just disgusted... [Re: phat]
packin.law.man Offline
member

Registered: 01/06/09
Posts: 20
Loc: Kansas City, Mo
I agree that this stupid show is just utterly rediculus and has gotten so much worse each and every episode. The whole thing (each and every episode) from start to end is probably writtin by some hollywood screenwriter..

I much rather prefer to watch Les Stroud. At least he more realistic and does not have a whole "support crew" that follows him.
_________________________
"Pain is just weakness leaving your body!"

Top
#111354 - 02/16/09 10:51 AM Re: Man, I'm just disgusted... [Re: packin.law.man]
froldt Offline
member

Registered: 01/13/08
Posts: 67
Loc: Ireland
Originally Posted By packin.law.man
I much rather prefer to watch Les Stroud. At least he more realistic and does not have a whole "support crew" that follows him.


I agree with you on this one... I watch the show and find myself trying to figure out how to carry all of the camera gear around and how to get those shots crazy
_________________________
www.Adventure-Some.com
More adventure in your life today.

Top
#111357 - 02/16/09 10:59 AM Re: Man, I'm just disgusted... [Re: phat]
froldt Offline
member

Registered: 01/13/08
Posts: 67
Loc: Ireland
Originally Posted By phat
I'll agree with you to a large extent Jim, but the gear talk is inevitable because it's what people spend money on. Notwithstaning that there have been a few real gems here for newbs, and they do come around from time to time. How to melt snow was good. Daisy's "how to pack a pack" was wonderful.

Makes me wonder if we shouldn't have a "Backcountry Techniques - The How To not the What With" topic section to just sticky up a bunch of these good ones and encourage further such discussion.


I'm always interested in learning more/better techniques, and would love such a section!
I'll also be looking up the two threads that you mentioned...
_________________________
www.Adventure-Some.com
More adventure in your life today.

Top
#111368 - 02/16/09 05:39 PM Re: Man, I'm just disgusted... [Re: phat]
dla Offline
member

Registered: 09/06/04
Posts: 275
Loc: Hillsboro, Oregon, USA
[quote=phat]
Yeah, I know. I take a lot for granted too. but I grew up around it so it's hard not to.
[quote]

There's a whole generation of kids who've grown up playing video games. To them, the games are "reality". I offer as proof the YouTube videos of some kid playing a video game. To that kid, playing the game is reality. In summary, there's a lot of people who are a little confused about "reality".

Bear produces entertainment for the video game crowd. It may get them killed, but oh well.

Top
#111371 - 02/16/09 08:35 PM Re: Man, I'm just disgusted... [Re: dla]
MattnID Offline
member

Registered: 06/02/07
Posts: 317
Loc: Idaho
Well the kids playing video games have to go outside to get killed by sliding down a glacier or chasing a bear around to see what they can eat out of its poop. laugh
_________________________
In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.-Aristotle

Top
#111377 - 02/16/09 10:10 PM Re: Man, I'm just disgusted... [Re: packin.law.man]
Waffle Offline
newbie

Registered: 02/10/09
Posts: 11
Loc: North Idaho
No matter how staged the show is I'm still jealous of his job.
_________________________
http://darren.thiesen.us

Top
#111386 - 02/17/09 01:08 AM Re: Man, I'm just disgusted... [Re: Waffle]
kevonionia Offline
member

Registered: 04/17/06
Posts: 1322
Loc: Dallas, TX
Apparently Bear's son is following in his footsteps. wink wink

phat, I know I'm a little late, but you can still get your wife to get you a belated Valentine's Day present.

Whenever you question his survival capabilities, just remember that he and some Everest buddies not only climbed the highest peak, they then "circumnavigated the United Kingdom on jet skis."

But there's more. This from a fan's blog:

"In June 2005, Bear broke a world record by hosting a dinner party at a table suspended below a hot air balloon at 24,500 feet. He rappelled from the balloon's basket to the table, where in full naval uniform he ate a three-course meal before saluting the queen and skydiving to earth. His goal was to support the work of two charities: the Prince's Trust and the Duke of Edinburgh's Award."

(I KNEW there was a reason we fought the Revolutionary War!)

This may come off as a bit crass, but at least it's not crap:

Edward, then Teddy, then Bear (so can we call him Teddy Bear?) Grylls, was raised the son of a wine importer who became a Tory MP in England. Bear went to Eaton and got a degree at London University.

From another fluff site: "He is Christian, and in many interviews has expressed his devout faith. The only alcoholic beverage he will consume is whiskey." (Wonder if he's limiting himself to Macallans?)

His dad, Sir Michael Grylls, served as an MP and was caught up in the "cash-for-questions" scandal in the late '90s. He passed away in 2001.

I caught a glimpse of a literal marathon of "Man vs. Wild" episodes on the Discovery Channel after phat's post. They truly are FOS. Everything he encounters is depicted as the most horrific natural danger in classic Grylls' over-the-top fashion -- to the point of being almost, almost amusing.

Reality TV: We have choices. Will it be those megalomaniacs on the endlessly tedious "The Housewives of Orange County," with its plasticine/saline cleavage every 90 seconds or so, or Teddy "Bear" overstating his predicament standing beside a babbling brook (described by him as a "raging, swollen stream") before he heads off to bed down in the lodge for the night?


_________________________
- kevon

(avatar: raptor, Lake Dillon)


Top
#111390 - 02/17/09 06:48 AM Re: Man, I'm just disgusted... [Re: kevonionia]
Glenn Offline
member

Registered: 03/08/06
Posts: 2617
Loc: Ohio
I've concluded that "reality entertainment" is neither, and choose not to watch. I find more productive things to do with my time - watch paint dry, count the number of bricks in a wall, try to figure out how that stuff got in my ear, etc.

My wife liked "The Apprentice," and finally persuaded (I hesitate to say, "nagged") me to watch the opening episode one year. It took me about five minutes to realize I wouldn't hire any of those bozos, and went downstairs to fond..er, sort gear.

She also tried to persuade me that HGTV was real, too. smirk

Top
#111391 - 02/17/09 08:44 AM Rant, rant, rant ad infinitum [Re: kevonionia]
Pika Online   content
member

Registered: 12/08/05
Posts: 1814
Loc: Rural Southeast Arizona
Quote:
Reality TV: We have choices. Will it be those megalomaniacs on the endlessly tedious "The Housewives of Orange County," with its plasticine/saline cleavage every 90 seconds or so, or Teddy "Bear" overstating his predicament standing beside a babbling brook (described by him as a "raging, swollen stream") before he heads off to bed down in the lodge for the night?

Begin rant- TV sets come with an off switch. I grew up without TV and never developed a taste for it; I developed a passion for reading instead. Every time I watch TV I am again reminded why my old, second-hand, 14" television set (it is color though) resides in the closet. With the incessant commercials, the hype associated with TV sports, the pitiful efforts at news reporting, the inane sitcoms and pathetic "reality" TV, there is virtually nothing on television worth watching. The last time my TV was out of the closet was for the inauguration. It has again been banished to the closet until the next time something worth watching happens. - End Rant sick


Edited by Pika (02/17/09 03:36 PM)
_________________________
May I walk in beauty.

Top
#111402 - 02/17/09 12:21 PM Re: Rant, rant, rant ad infinitum [Re: Pika]
billstephenson Offline
Moderator

Registered: 02/07/07
Posts: 3917
Loc: Ozark Mountains in SW Missouri
Quote:
Begin rant- TV sets come with an off switch.


I watch cable news with my wife in the morning, and the "Daily Show" when I come in from programming or telling Washington how to run the country, and that's usually about it.

I've never sat through an entire episode of Bear Grylls. Actually, I've probably seen less than 15 minutes total of this guy. My daughter's fiance told me about him eating something out of bear poop a few days ago. I'll be tucking that survival tip away in case I ever need it. The bear poop we saw the last time we spent a few nights in the wilderness had Persimmon seeds in it we could have eaten. In fact, I did eat some of the Persimmons that were hanging on a tree near there. If I'd only known....

But we should really give Bear his due credit. He is an entertainer. He's successful at it too. It could very well be that he'd joke about his on camera stunts with you while drinking a beer with you, and that he'd buy the beer too.

While we were in Mexico a few weeks ago I watched no TV at all, only checked my email once, and never surfed the web, but I did I read three books. "Into the Wild", "Cat's Cradle", and "Marley and Me". The first two were very entertaining. The latter was really a waste of time, but I was out of stuff to read.

I read a story somewhere about a kid who watched his first TV show. Afterward his dad asked him what he thought of it. He said something like, "It was okay, but with the radio the pictures are still better." That's exactly how I feel when I'm reading a good book.

I'll go out on a limb and make a prediction... Soon, very soon, there will be a movie made about "A Couple of City Slicker Dumbbells that Follow in the Footsteps of a Popular TV Survivalist and the Crazy Antics that Ensue on Their Wacky Wilderness Adventure". BTW, the "Bear Poop Scene" is hilarious...

I'd write the script and become rich and famous but I have to go install a sump pump in the basement, feed the Donkeys, then tell Washington how to run the country today.

Bill

_________________________
--

"You want to go where?"



Top
#111405 - 02/17/09 12:30 PM Re: Man, I'm just disgusted... [Re: phat]
aimless Online   content
Moderator

Registered: 02/05/03
Posts: 3292
Loc: Portland, OR
I agree that the best way to handle this stuff is not to watch it. Fewer people watching means less money to subsidize it, since advertisers count viewers very carefully before buying ad time.

I also agree that it is very annoying that such piffle is sold to the public as The Genuine Article, but what can you do besides not watch it? Who needs the aggravation?

Top
#111411 - 02/17/09 01:52 PM Re: Man, I'm just disgusted... [Re: aimless]
MattnID Offline
member

Registered: 06/02/07
Posts: 317
Loc: Idaho
I dunno. While a lot of it is kind of crazy and inpractical, every episode I've happened to see the beginning of, they make a point of telling the viewer this stuff is sometimes set up just to present the situation and nobody should do what he's doing, especially without expert advice or supervision. I wouldn't say the show is trying to sell it as "genuine" at all.

If some "brilliant" person goes out and decides to do this stuff for the hell of it then it is nobody's fault but their own if they get hurt or worse. I don't mind watching because I know it isn't all that real and they tell me that at the beginning. Like any TV show, it is there for mainly entertainment purposes and gaining a profit. Even good ol' Les Stroud has to keep his show entertaining. It isn't as though Les goes out there without an idea of the area and what he should be aware of, camera crew or not.
_________________________
In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.-Aristotle

Top
#111418 - 02/17/09 02:27 PM Re: Man, I'm just disgusted... [Re: Yak]
searscr Offline
member

Registered: 08/13/08
Posts: 16
Loc: Arizona
I do not have a TV.

Top
#111419 - 02/17/09 02:32 PM Re: Man, I'm just disgusted... [Re: kevonionia]
sabre11004 Offline
member

Registered: 05/05/07
Posts: 513
Loc: Tennessee
I can tell you now that story is a bunch of crap. That boy could not have moved one foot without interior alarms going off and summonsing the police department and I assure that he would have not spent the night inside that store. They would have some police officers into that store with dogs looking for a burglar as soon as they got to the store. I was employed by the big box store for fourteen years in management and loss prevention and that story just would not happen. And oh yeah did I mention that most Wal-mart stores are open 24 hours...Just my two (2) cents...sabre11004...

The first step that you take will be one of those that get yo there !!!!!! eek
_________________________
The first step that you take will be one of those that get you there 1!!!!!

Top
#111454 - 02/18/09 12:54 PM Re: Man, I'm just disgusted... [Re: sabre11004]
finallyME Offline
member

Registered: 09/24/07
Posts: 2710
Loc: Utah
Sabre....it was a joke. wink
_________________________
I've taken a vow of poverty. To annoy me, send money.

Top
#111590 - 02/20/09 04:03 PM Re: Man, I'm just disgusted... [Re: phat]
GipsiChick Offline
newbie

Registered: 01/28/09
Posts: 8
Loc: USA
Originally Posted By phat

but man every newb on the planet watches this junk... grrr...



Except me.... I've never heard of him.

Top
Page 1 of 2 1 2 >

Shout Box

Highest Quality Lightweight Down Sleeping Bags
 
Western Mountaineering Sleeping Bags
 
Lite Gear Talk - Featured Topics
Backcountry Discussion - Featured Topics
Make Your Own Gear - Featured Topics
Featured Photos
Spiderco Chaparral Pocketknife
David & Goliath
Also Testing
Trip Report with Photos
Seven Devils, Idaho
Oat Hill Mine Trail 2012
Dark Canyon - Utah
Who's Online
0 registered (), 160 Guests and 0 Spiders online.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Newest Members
Noodles, McCrary, DanyBacky, Rashy Willia, WanderBison
13240 Registered Users
Forum Links
Disclaimer
Policies
Site Links
Backpacking.net
Lightweight Gear Store
Backpacking Book Store
Lightweight Zone
Hiking Essentials

Our long-time Sponsor, BackcountryGear.com - The leading source for ultralite/lightweight outdoor gear:

Backcountry Forum
 

Affiliate Disclaimer: This forum is an affiliate of BackcountryGear.com, Amazon.com, R.E.I. and others. The product links herein are linked to their sites. If you follow these links to make a purchase, we may get a small commission. This is our only source of support for these forums. Thanks.!
 
 

Since 1996 - the Original Backcountry Forum
Copyright © The Lightweight Backpacker & BackcountryForum