Any person who has spent any amount of time in what I call “serious wilderness” will be acutely aware of the fact that you are completely isolated. And I mean, completely isolated.
I have driven on roads in Africa that are so isolated that if you have an accident or a breakdown, it could take hours or even days before someone comes by. You have no mobile signal and cannot call anyone. You are completely on your own.
Now, how does this relate to Bear Grylls? Bear is an interesting, highly capable guy who presents a thoroughly enjoyable show. As we contemplate wilderness survival scenarios, some of what Bear Grylls teaches us could be of value.
But there is one very important thing that Bear seems to miss completely. And that is that a single stupid mistake could cost you your life in a truly isolated wilderness.
When looking at animals, you quickly realize that they are “risk averse.” And for good reason. The stupid ones who take silly risks have mostly died out long ago during evolution.
I have quite a few animals on my farm. I can tell you that the animals that usually stick their heads into holes or small gaps, like to jump over fences or venture too close to snakes, are the animals that don’t survive long. Jumpers typically break something or tear muscles, and where I live, that gets you eaten. I don’t have veterinarians close by, and the cost of getting a vet out to my place almost exceeds the value of the animal.
Related: What Livestock My Grandparents Raised During the Great Depression
So, let’s get back to Bear Grylls. The man is an excellent showman and also an excellent survivalist. But here are some examples of things he does that could get you killed.
Lack of Emphasis on Preparation
Bear’s idea is to set off into the wilderness with only a cameraman and a backup team and then make it look like he is unprepared.
I would suggest you take a lot of stuff when you set off into the wilderness for a long period, maybe even permanently. Knives, ropes, cords, tarps, axe, gun, flint-and-steel, the whole nine yards.
One evening spent wet and shivering could set you up for pneumonia and death. Don’t be that guy.
Risk-Taking Behavior
Bear is reckless. And he has to be because otherwise, most people would not watch the show. In a post-SHTF world, living on the edge, acting in the moment, and just doing all these “extreme adventure” types of behavior will get you injured and lead to death.
Survival depends on being able to take risks when absolutely no other option is available. Seeing that you are surviving and not fleeing the Mad Max Army, I suggest you plan every step, think about every route, and never do stupid things just for fun.
Jumping Into Unknown Water
I have met personally a guy who dove into shallow water and is spending the rest of his life in a wheelchair due to a severe spinal injury. I know a lady who lost a son who jumped off a cliff and never surfaced again; the suspicion is that he may have snagged onto vegetation and then got carried off by underwater currents.
So unless the mafia is coming after you and the hitman has you in the sights of his Glock, you don’t jump into water you are unfamiliar with, regarding depth, currents, etc.
Demonstrating Unsafe Climbing Techniques
Bear thinks he is Tazan or Alex Honnold. You should not make the same mistake. Also, climbers know this; it’s much easier going up than coming down.
So the warning here is that if you think you can make it to the top, only to realize that you cannot, the chances of coming down safely are not in your favor.
Ask anyone who is involved in rock climbing. In many instances, you cannot come down the same slope you went up. You have been warned.
Consuming Potentially Toxic Plants
I’m not saying you shouldn’t pick an apple and eat it, but trying out a berry or root that you’re only half sure about can be dangerous. There are far more toxic plants than edible ones, so unless you’re 100% certain, it’s better not to take the risk.
You can’t go wrong with a rabbit you’ve trapped, but misidentifying a berry could have serious consequences. If you want to be confident in what you’re foraging, The Forager’s Guide to Wild Foods is an invaluable resource. It can help ensure that what you’re eating is truly safe.
Building Shelters in Precarious Locations
Sleeping on the edge of a cliff, in a ravine, high up on rocks, or high up in a tree could seem like a good idea. But avoid as far as possible. You don’t have baboon-like dexterity and tree-climbing skills.
The odds of falling to your death are greater than being caught by a Lion or getting washed away in a flash flood. Once again, there are circumstances under which you will need to sleep up in a tree, but they will be rare.
Keep in mind that Bear is a trained soldier who is in peak physical and mental condition. Unless you have the same physical skill set, I suggest you take it easy. Real easy.
Handling Wildlife Without Caution
One mistake with the wrong animal, and you will be a corpse. It’s as simple as that. Steve Irwin learned an expensive lesson.
I have regular rabies shots after I tried to intervene in a fight between a dog I owned and a fox. The fox bit me, which made me realize that anything can bite you at any time, including animals that carry rabies.
Just avoid animals, snakes, bugs, whatever. It’s not worth the risk.
Drinking His Urine
I am not saying you should never drink your urine. I am saying that it should be an absolute last resort.
The issue with toxins building up in your body is that it diminishes your mental capacity and can lead to hallucinations. If drinking your own urine can keep you alive another day, then consider it, but try to avoid it at all costs.
The last thing you want to do is wander around in the wilderness, poisoned, delusional, and with impaired decision-making abilities.
You will notice, and this ties in with my initial comments, that almost everything I mention springs forth from risk-taking behavior. Now, animals take risks, but only ever as a lost resort.
One rule, for example, you see animals live by is that you only fight as an absolute last resort and then try to ensure it’s not a fair fight. This is because fighting for fun can lead to deadly injuries.
The same principle should apply to all risk-taking behavior. You need to be able to take risks, but in the wild, it’s not the daring and reckless who survive but the prudent and wise. Those who know to avoid risks unless it’s a last resort.
If you’re serious about thriving in the wild for the long haul, Nicole Apelian’s Wilderness Long-Term Survival Guide is an essential resource. In 2015, Nicole participated in the History Channel’s TV show Alone, where she survived 57 days on Vancouver Island with little more than a knife and her extensive knowledge of the land.
Dr. Apelian was truly alone—no crew, no gear beyond what fit in her backpack—surviving by foraging wild plants that served as both food and medicine. Her guide is packed with the same practical advice and in-depth knowledge that helped her thrive in one of the most challenging environments. This isn’t just about survival—it’s about ensuring you live to tell the tale.
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Stop living on social media and fake survival movies, go out and do some weekend camping to learn the basic skills needed.
We don’t have real men anymore in the general population that we had decades ago. Yes the past few years it has been, give females more self esteem at the expense of shelving little boys to men to the background in life. Then we wonder why guys tend to be more feminized, wearing nose rings, ear rings, tattoos and like to be butt pirates.
The remaining straight men are in Red States, certain military branches of the armed services and the construction related trades. America has been under threat of loosing real masculinity, not the Hollywood version of what a male and female is to be.
We need to go back to the basics of the Western way of life and the Constitution, truth, justice and the American way.
God bless America.
What Lisa said.
All true!
Matthew 24
II Timothy 3.
Coming to pass…
Yes, ditto!! What SHE said!! America, and the world, is becoming so anti patriarchal, to its continued demise. Men and women fulfilling their traditional roles built this country. Proving that men and women can perform in non traditional roles will be part of its undoing. Beta males and butch females are NOT the way forward!
Forecast Of Future Events
Certainly! To provide a forecast of future events using astrology, I’ll need some information. The most crucial details for an astrological forecast include:
Date of Birth: This is needed for your natal (birth) chart, which serves as a foundation for predictions.
Time of Birth: The exact time of birth is crucial for determining the positions of the planets in the houses of your birth chart.
Place of Birth: The location of birth is used to calculate the positions of celestial bodies accurately.
Once you provide this information, I can generate insights into different areas of your life, including career, relationships, health, and more. Keep in mind that astrology is a belief system, and interpretations can vary. Additionally, it’s important to approach astrology with an open mind, considering it as a tool for guidance rather than absolute prediction.
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illustrated so well
when your are alone and in back country or wild away from any services say 1-5 days out , anything you do or risk can cause EOl consequence .
not to mention that Your smell or scent to the wild is as much as a mile away .
and that means Food to the wild , Prey to the animals , or victim of mistakes
Slow , well thought out , planned , and no hurry .
Simple cuts , bruses , breaks cause this effect .
soo many examples in history books , real ones before WOKE , or DEI lunicy
must research , and Plan well , Educate Your self , dont rely on social disqrace to educate you on survival .
anyone who has trained will tell you . be confiden, be cauteous , be aware of your suroundings , learn to use your senses like the animals in the wild do , to survive
Dont Take chance s
Plan, Prepare, think thru , think it out , spend the time in preparation .
lean to read the signs in the wild , nature as where you are .
sudden rain, sudden snow , sudden heat spell
Food , Water , Cover , Protection from enviornment your in .
Survival is to know your enviornment and Preditors who will eat you
snakes, spiders, scorpians, teranchalas , wolves, foxes, coyotes, bears, mtn lions,
DON’T DRINK THE URINE, USE IT IN A SOLAR STILL TO EXTRACT THE WATER. DRINK THAT
I watched Bear a couple of times and agree with the author of this article. I saw him squeeze water out of an elephant turd and drink it, and in another episode, he was walking along a stream and came to a jamb up of a bunch of brush and instead of climbing out and going around the blockage, he dives under it and swims to the other side, without knowing if he could, “supposedly”. That was enough for me, I’ve never watched him again.
He drank the elephant poop water by holding it up and squeezing the water into his mouth.
I saw the show once. What an idiot, he’s going to get someone killed… is the thought I had. Everyone else already said what needed to be said. It’s tv! Tell-lie-vision. Stop watching entertainment and go learn something…. Ya, that’s not going to happen for the mush brain folks. I say it almost daily and get ignored almost daily. Separate the shaft from the wheat.
Best thing to do is NOT get yourself in a situation like being lost in the wilderness. It’s like why would anyone jump out of a perfectly good airplane with a big piece of silk on your back hoping you won’t break a leg when you hit the ground. And it happens more than you might believe. Yes I understand the military has to do such things but do YOU? Yes you should have the skills mentioned here and in the books mentioned but you don’t have to get “lost” to practice them. The backyard is just fine. Unless you WANT to be lost , injured. And poisoned that is. Why would you risk your health and life to “practice ” being a “survivor?” The guy who got himself trapped between 2 boulders and had to cut his own arm off with a rusty knife comes to mind. At the very least if you are going to try to kill yourself go WITH someone or more than someONE in case you DO something stupid trying to be Superman. Can’t tell you how many Supermen I’ve had to rescue during my LE and Emergency Services career. All because they were trying to PROVE they were men. In my area we have a WELL POSTED waterfall that kills at least 2 people a year because ” I know what I’m doing “. So they ignore the signs and fall 100ft to their deaths in order to prove “they know better”. One year we had 4 due. 2 at the same time. So the authorities closed the place PERIOD. The 4th one ignored the new signs and fell to his death too. Because they just HAD to prove THEY were right and THEY were Superman. Yes go have fun in the woods and wilderness but go WITH someone and practice your craft safely. Without 2 friends with you who will carry your lifeless body out of the woods? Some jurisdictions now even CHARGE people with the cost of the rescue and it’s NOT cheap. Does your family have several thousand bucks for that? Do you have it IF YOU SURVIVE because they’ll come after YOU too.
End of rant!!!
Don’t forget that his show is just another Hollywood production. Never take advise from Hollywood or mainstream media/social media. I agree with everything in this article, however there has been new profound scientific research, not (the science) about urine therapy and there are amazing and miraculous results from people doing this properly.
Both Dr. Brain Ardis and Dr. Edward Group have extensive information on this topic and people have been healing major damages post vax. I tend to believe that God designed the body to heal itself and that this is one of the potential avenues. People are repairing altered DNA post vax with urine therapy.
The Grylls show started an episode in the Big Bend area of the Chihuahuan desert, dropping off into the backcountry of countless small dead end arroyos and rocky hills. Almost impossible to navigate, no springs, seeps, or standing water, no shade, few useful plants. They stopped the episode because he couldn’t find water, yet this an area used for smuggling on foot for generations. Young men wade the river then carry fifty pound loads of dope 100 miles to the highway beyond the checkpoint. They can do it because they are familiar with the area and know where the few water holding Tinajas are. So if you are planning to bug out to the wilds pick an area and get to know its resources ahead of time.
I’m glad I do not watch ANY television or stream crap like Bear.
who is bear grylls?
I have to admit that I have watched this idiot more than once. BUT only to see what stupidity he pumps out. My own personal experience in the outdoors started when I could keep up with my dad on hikes into the Olympic National Park. It was his backyard as a kid before it was a National Park. I learned about getting a fire going in the rain forest at an early age as a Boy Scout and I spent almost 50 years teaching those skills to scouts and leaders. Ditto on practice in your backyard or at a friends farm. I have space here on my property for family and friends to come out and camp out in all 4 seasons here in N. Idaho. It’s fun to snow cave up on Mt. Rainier but get the practice before you go and know how your equipment is going to work in that environment.
I thoroughly agree with the person who wrote that one needs to plan where you’re bugging out to and fully familiarize yourself with the area, especially drinking water. As a kid, ’60s – 70’s, I used to go bush with my friends for a week or two, enjoying nature, making friends with the goannas inspecting our campsite, swimming and drinking from the river or creek.
Most of that is still possible except that there are very few places where one can still drink the water from the creeks or rivers. At least in Australia. One needs to check this out by finding the source and confirming that the creek or river does not flow through any farm land or town between you and the source.
That is just for the water. What edible wildlife lives there? Any natural shelter? What else do you need to bring? If on foot and lightweight camping one can carry food for a week; maybe two if doing it intelligently, disciplined and you train for it beforehand (to shrink your stomach). If you need to carry water filters, they will take up room that food could occupy. Also, everything you take you need to carry, and that pack (rucksack) will get heavier with every kilometer you walk (make sure your pack has a belt that places the weight onto your hips).
Just those few points above demonstrates the planning and preparation needed. I’ve been doing it most of my life and it is second nature now. For someone starting out it can be a real education. Unfortunately a lot of the knowledge I learnt is no longer taught. Just finding decent lightweight gear can be a chore. If just starting out I recommend a bushwalking, scouting or similar group to get a good grounding on the basics, to get a foundation down, and build your prepping skills on top of that.
One of the biggest mistakes of the Bear Grylls show is the use of all that Chinese made junk with his name on it.
Royalties, Nick, royalties. Plus, (probably) Licensing fees?
If you want to watch television for entertainment that’s one thing. It’s NOT the best place to go for real survival learning, tho I confess that in my opinion, Les Stroud, aka Survivorman, gave more realistic tips and tricks. And put himself in more realistic scenarios, often scrounging items from found objects. I have enjoyed both over the years, but feel that enjoying and learning are not often the same thing. On occasion, perhaps, but not typically.
I watched it when Bear wasn’t dragging “celebrities” along, where he got even more outrageous with his antics. A few episodes of that was enuff to make me give it up completely.