| Survivorman is a television program about | | | | with a eye towards using it in some way. |
| wilderness survival. It can be seen on the | | | | |
| Discovery Channel (and others?). It's all | | | | Can Survivorman Be Dangerous? |
| about one man against the elements, and the | | | | |
| man in this case is Les Stroud. He is put in | | | | A few reviewers point out that Survivorman |
| various environments to survive for seven | | | | may give viewers a false sense of confidence |
| days while filming himself. | | | | and even spread some bad ideas. In the desert |
| | | | episode, for example, Stroud does drink water |
| Having no camera crew may be the most novel | | | | straight from a stream. It's a good way to |
| idea in the show. You are sure the danger is | | | | get sick, and he could have used the gas tank |
| real - there won't be a cameraman slipping | | | | from the dirt bike to boil the water in. In |
| food or water to Les when the camera is off. | | | | the Canadian boreal forest episode he uses |
| Stroud is alone, and really does get into | | | | his one match the first night. Then, rather |
| trouble at times. His challenges are made | | | | than keep the fire going, he starts the |
| tougher by the fact that he has to lug around | | | | second night's fire without matches. This is |
| camera equipment, and then use it when he | | | | extremely hard to do for those without |
| might like to get straight to gathering food | | | | experience, and a better lesson might have |
| or building a shelter. | | | | been to keep that fire alive. |
| | | | |
| One creative feature of Survivorman is that | | | | Those are minor flaws, however, compared to |
| each show has a "theme." The episode in the | | | | the wealth of useful knowledge the show |
| Canadian arctic, for example, has Stroud left | | | | teaches. They may be in part due to the |
| with a broken-down snowmobile, which he | | | | nature of doing a television program. Stroud |
| cannibalizes for various useful items, | | | | wouldn't get to show us how to use a bow and |
| including the seat cushion, which he uses for | | | | drill to start a fire if he didn't need a |
| a insulating sleeping pad. In the Sonoran | | | | fire started. There are often times in |
| desert episode, Stroud is in the middle of a | | | | various episodes when he may have been better |
| desert wilderness with a broken dirt bike. He | | | | off doing something else, but the point of |
| uses wires from this to weave a blanket of | | | | the show is to show all the possibilities. It |
| grass. | | | | might be more efficient to keep gathering one |
| | | | type of food, for example, but then how do |
| This "scenario" aspect makes Survivorman more | | | | the viewers learn about the others? |
| realistic than if it was just a man in the | | | | |
| wilderness with nothing. It has the viewer | | | | This is a creative and informative show. Of |
| thinking about ALL the possibilities. If a | | | | course there are all the specific techniques |
| plane crash puts you in a survival situation, | | | | of survival that Stroud shows us. In addition |
| you'll be remembering the "Survivorman" using | | | | to that, though, is the inspiration the show |
| plane fuel to start a fire, and you'll be | | | | provides. Survivorman lets you know that you |
| looking at every part of that plane for | | | | can survive - and it gets you in the habit of |
| useful items. If your boat sinks, leaving you | | | | thinking about how to use everything around |
| on an isolated island trying to survive, | | | | you. |
| you'll think about how Stroud used plastic | | | | |
| containers from washed-up beach debris to | | | | Steve Gillman is a long-time advocate of |
| hold water, and you'll look at all the debris | | | | lightweight backpacking. |