True Films 3.0 - Kevin Kelly

Survivorman
This reality series ceaselessly re-runs on the Discovery Channel, but is
also available on DVD for those who are tv-less. The seven documentaries
pit a dour Canadian survivalist against various extreme live-or-die
situations. For instance our hero finds himself in a life raft adrift at sea,
or stranded in the middle of the desert with a broken bike, or alive in a
crashed plane in the arctic. In this show the survivalist is all alone with
minimal gear (a competing survivor man has a film crew with him). This
survivorman carries a multi-tool, a snack or two, and some odds and
ends – and two complete sets of video cameras and tripods. With these
he’ll film himself as he barely survives for one week eating bugs, starting
fires with sticks, and finding his way to rescue. Backpacking the 55
pounds of camera gear and keeping the film going turns out to be almost
as hard as keeping the fire going. Despite his constant whining about
how hard everything is, the series is entertaining and slightly educational.
He never slows down enough for you to learn exactly how to roast a
snake, but you’ll pick up the survival principles he constantly harps on:
don’t panic, keep warm, get water and look for food last. Just knowing
that you really can start a fire by twirling sticks if you persevere for 20
minutes as he did might come in handy someday.
By Les Stroud
2007, 405 min.
Available from Amazon
Rent from Netflix
lesstroudonline.com
A quick make-shift shelter to keep
the warmth of the fire near. Even in
jungles, you need heat at night. A
snake can make a good meal. The
way to catch small game is to build
a fall-trap using stones and twigs
(below).
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