Ray Mears vs Bear Grylls

xflyer · 20-03-2012 07:14PM

Grylls was in the Territorial Army (Part time) SAS, not the regular SAS. There is quite a difference. He never rose above the rank of Trooper and the word is that he was asked to leave for some reason or another.

Of course there's the question of the stage managed survival stunts. Of course it's all TV and just entertainment. But quite often he does dangerous things which would be highly inappropriate in a real survival situation. He would be last person I would want be alongside in a real situation if that's really how he behaves.

But like I said it's all TV and TV is always manipulated. There is no such thing as reality TV. I remember watching a piece being filmed by for some program or other. The whole set up was stage managed from the start. Then they disappeared and reappeared wearing different clothes and filmed the follow up. When it appeared it was cut to look as if the whole situation took place over several days. Harmless of course but that's the way TV works. So it is with Grylls.

Mears is the real thing, Grylls is an entertainer.

dfx- · 20-03-2012 07:42PM

Paparazzo wrote: »

Out of the 2 I'm going with Bear Grylls.
Ray Mears always seems to have exactly what he needs. For instance, he's stranded in the desert and he makes a hat out of tin foil to protect him from the sun. Because there's an abundance of tin foil in the desert. His shows aren't about survival, they're more like a camping trip with the scouts.

Yep, Bear Grylls for me too for that sort of reason. Mears will spend more time weaving friend baskets from his favourite flowers and local grasses than climb the cliff-face or the tree and see where water/food/safety might be from a height.

Mears would drive me to jump off the cliff face myself, Grylls would probably make me fall off it. I'll choose the latter.:cool:

Ellis Dee · 20-03-2012 07:57PM

Does anyone remember Steve Irwin? The Australian fellow who said "crikey" a lot and mauled snakes, lizards and crocodiles all day. He was killed by a huge sting ray, which pierced him with its 12-inch poisoned barb. I used to like his programmes.

There's this poem about him on the Internet:

"A bright and brash Australian
the hunter was his name
and all the slimy reptiles
brought him wealth and fame
to some he was a looker
to girls he was a dish
he knew everything about reptiles
but fuck all about fish"

Chuck Stone · 20-03-2012 08:02PM

Ray Mears.

He'd probably even tuck you in at night and tell you a nice story about a plump English boy eating cream cakes from Auntie Harriet's pantry table.

Owen_S · 20-03-2012 08:10PM

Ray Mears or Bear Grylls?

I think Les Stroud wins that one.

KeithAFC · 20-03-2012 08:12PM

CasaBonita wrote: »

Ray Mears all the way. I'd hate to be stuck in the wild with Bear Grylls - he's not the real deal.

Sorry but this guy was trained by the SAS. People need to put aside his shows because it is entertainment. A lot of what he actually does do on his show CAN save your life.

brimal · 20-03-2012 08:13PM

Ray Mears all the way.

wandatowell · 20-03-2012 08:19PM

TBH I'd much rather stay in an urban environment so I i get lost I can just slap on the phones GPS

fcuk that gettin lost in the woods sh1t

44leto · 20-03-2012 08:22PM

My mate was in the Irish ranger wing for 4 years, he done all those courses, part of one of the courses he was more or less dumped on the one blaskets for a week with a radio for emergencies. He said once you know how you can get comfortable and its fairly easy, but he did say he ate a seagull.

I think he was telling the truth, he is not one for spoofing, he is one of those guys who doesn't have to, he has done a lot.

mattjack · 20-03-2012 08:37PM

44leto wrote: »

My mate was in the Irish ranger wing for 4 years, he done all those courses, part of one of the courses he was more or less dumped on the one blaskets for a week with a radio for emergencies. He said once you know how you can get comfortable and its fairly easy, but he did say he ate a seagull.

I think he was telling the truth, he is not one for spoofing, he is one of those guys who doesn't have to, he has done a lot.

My brother was in the rangers too, ate the seagull as well,

though he did say it took him ages to fly up and catch one.

pawrick · 20-03-2012 09:47PM

I ate a wild pigeon once, I know it's no seagull but that's all I have

murphm45 · 20-03-2012 10:01PM

Deleted User wrote: »

Is it true that Bear was born in Ireland? He said on one of his episodes that he grew up in Ireland. Galway maybe?

I didn't think he was born here but his grandparent on his mother's side were from Down. allegedly he spent a lot of time there when he was younger though.

xflyer wrote: »

Grylls was in the Territorial Army (Part time) SAS, not the regular SAS. There is quite a difference. He never rose above the rank of Trooper and the word is that he was asked to leave for some reason or another.

He broke his back in a parachuting accident about a year after he got in and left himself because they wouldn't let him return to "proper" duty. i'm also fairly sure the TA SAS isn't any form of a picnic!

smokedeels · 20-03-2012 10:16PM

I want both of them to get lost in the wild together with Mantracker pursuing them. Lethal force is authorised.

Sindri · 20-03-2012 10:22PM

smokedeels wrote: »

I want both of them to get lost in the wild together with Mantracker pursuing them. Lethal force is authorised.

Is this some homosexual fantasy you have?

Aodan83 · 20-03-2012 10:22PM

KeithAFC wrote: »

Sorry but this guy was trained by the SAS. People need to put aside his shows because it is entertainment. A lot of what he actually does do on his show CAN save your life.

Doesn't Ray Mears train the SAS though?

KeithAFC · 20-03-2012 10:26PM

Aodan83 wrote: »

Doesn't Ray Mears train the SAS though?

Not sure but even if he does, it doesn't mean he knows more than Bear Grylls or is some sort of better expert at survival. Bear Grylls show is about entertainment and some survival tips. Really doesn't bother me if he does sleep in big tents with others or hotels.

stoneill · 20-03-2012 10:33PM

Bear Grylls - although entertaining at times does go for the shock factor - eating live snakes and squeezing elephant dung.
Would the skills needed for surviving Patagonia or the Gobi desert be needed by me any time soon? Probably not.

Ray Mears - methodical, precise and plans ahead for outdoors and wilderness living.
How to build a shelter - light a fire - get your bearings, will I need them?
Yes, I've been on a few camping woodcraft weekends and practiced these skills.
Ray Mears also involves survival stories from around the world and will also show how native and local people survive using basic skills that can be employed anywhere.

Bear Grylls - a bit of a toss pot really.

44leto · 20-03-2012 10:40PM

stoneill wrote: »

Bear Grylls - although entertaining at times does go for the shock factor - eating live snakes and squeezing elephant dung.
Would the skills needed for surviving Patagonia or the Gobi desert be needed by me any time soon? Probably not.

Ray Mears - methodical, precise and plans ahead for outdoors and wilderness living.
How to build a shelter - light a fire - get your bearings, will I need them?
Yes, I've been on a few camping woodcraft weekends and practiced these skills.
Ray Mears also involves survival stories from around the world and will also show how native and local people survive using basic skills that can be employed anywhere.

Bear Grylls - a bit of a toss pot really.

Ray Mears is actually an expert on traditional methods people use to lite fires in the present and in the past. I remember him saying that in one of his programmes.

Nodin · 20-03-2012 10:47PM

Just remember lads, its really a choice between a nice fire and tea with Ray, or a hosepipe up the hole with Grylls. Up to youse....I won't judge.

KeithAFC · 20-03-2012 11:46PM

stoneill wrote: »

Bear Grylls - although entertaining at times does go for the shock factor - eating live snakes and squeezing elephant dung.
Would the skills needed for surviving Patagonia or the Gobi desert be needed by me any time soon? Probably not.

Ray Mears - methodical, precise and plans ahead for outdoors and wilderness living.
How to build a shelter - light a fire - get your bearings, will I need them?
Yes, I've been on a few camping woodcraft weekends and practiced these skills.
Ray Mears also involves survival stories from around the world and will also show how native and local people survive using basic skills that can be employed anywhere.

Bear Grylls - a bit of a toss pot really.

What is wrong with showing people how to catch a snake and how to prepare it to eat? It makes perfect sense.

Bear Grylls is basically showing people survival tips. Ray Mears might prepare for outdoors and wilderness living but that is the whole point. Many people who get lost in such situations don't plan it.

smokedeels · 21-03-2012 12:05AM

Sindri wrote: »

Is this some homosexual fantasy you have?

What is homosexual about hunting the deadliest game in the Canadian wilderness?

Seaneh · 21-03-2012 12:14AM

Deleted User wrote: »

Is it true that Bear was born in Ireland? He said on one of his episodes that he grew up in Ireland. Galway maybe?

Somewhere up north, his auld wan was an MP for Antrim and his dad was a UK government official.

Seaneh · 21-03-2012 12:25AM

They are two entirely different shows.

Mears is a bush-craft expert, he tells people how to make pine needle tea at their camp fire with their billy cans, how to tell good from bad mushrooms, how to use your clothes and netting to leech toxins from yams in a river, these are all great if you happen to be going out for a few days, with equpitment and are planning on living off the land a little, great for adult boyscouts.

Grylls's show is about worst case scenerio stuff.
You're plane crashes off the coast of central america, you are the only sourviver and all you have are the clothes you are wearing, no knife, tools, nothing.
If you were actually lost in the middle of a desert/thundra/whatever and had no tools or food, Grylls's techniques would give you a few extra days to either be found or get to a town/river/road and have a better chance of getting home.

Two totally different situations.

Both are excellent at what they do.

Grylls sleeping in hotels is besides the point, the stuff he teaches is legitimate. If you were ever in those situations, the stuff he teaches would help you.

Capt'n Midnight · 21-03-2012 12:55AM

Squ wrote: »

Grylls cameraman wins everytime.

http://i.imgur.com/avlj5.jpg

Capt'n Midnight · 21-03-2012 12:57AM

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/2980464/Bear-Grylls-admits-television-rival-Ray-Mears-is-much-tougher-than-him.html

Grylls was speaking for the first time about his public bashing by Mears, 44, who dismissed him as a "boy scout" and a "showman".

The 34-year-old said: "He’s so rude about me in the press, it’s outrageous," but admitted that Mears was "brilliant" and "much tougher".

dave3004 · 21-03-2012 01:12AM

Picture this. You are stuck deep in the amazon jungle with one other survivor from your horrific plane crash. This man tells you he is an expert survivalist.

He is however obese and out of shape……Do you

A) Listen to him and stick by him or

Go it alone without the fat b@stard

I would choose B and I would choose Bear Grylls.

Doc Ruby · 21-03-2012 01:13AM

suicide_circus wrote: »

Ray seems much more practical and sage-like, his lovely calm voice gives confidence and you learn from him. Bear is all about shock value, shakey camera work and piss drinking.

I like the way he isn't afraid to do the small stuff either, he has an excellent series on herbs and wild food in the English countryside, much of which is applicable to Ireland.

44leto wrote: »

My mate was in the Irish ranger wing for 4 years, he done all those courses, part of one of the courses he was more or less dumped on the one blaskets for a week with a radio for emergencies. He said once you know how you can get comfortable and its fairly easy, but he did say he ate a seagull.

I think he was telling the truth, he is not one for spoofing, he is one of those guys who doesn't have to, he has done a lot.

Oh you can eat seagulls, crows too. About all that's worth eating are the breast muscles, but put a few of those in a pot and you can have a nice stew.

I dunno, I have a lot of respect for both of them, they are both men of distinction, but as far as learning anything useful goes Bear is aiming for entertainment, Ray is going for education, so draw your own conclusions.

By the way if anyone is seriously thinking of trying any of this stuff swing by the S&SS forum in my sig there first.

Capt'n Midnight · 21-03-2012 01:28AM

The sheep episode in Ireland is on discovery now

kieranfitz · 21-03-2012 03:00AM

KeithAFC wrote: »

Sorry but this guy was trained by the SAS. People need to put aside his shows because it is entertainment. A lot of what he actually does do on his show CAN save your life.

And Ray Nears trains the SAS

pawrick wrote: »

I ate a wild pigeon once, I know it's no seagull but that's all I have

Wild pigeon is lovely though.

murphm45 wrote: »

He broke his back in a parachuting accident about a year after he got in and left himself because they wouldn't let him return to "proper" duty. i'm also fairly sure the TA SAS isn't any form of a picnic!

Yeah, during some secret squirrel mission that he can't talk about, which is odd since 23 SAS(R) are green roll only.

KeithAFC wrote: »

What is wrong with showing people how to catch a snake and how to prepare it to eat? It makes perfect sense.

Bear Grylls is basically showing people survival tips. Ray Mears might prepare for outdoors and wilderness living but that is the whole point. Many people who get lost in such situations don't plan it.

I vaguely remember Mears covering snake catching a good while back. It's definitely in one of his books. Teddy is there for shock value and can do what he does because he has a support team to pull him out. In reality if you were in the **** taking the "what would bear do?" option would more likely get you killed.

Few people bringing up Ray Mears weight too, in fairness lads he's pushing 50. Don't see too many people that ages with 6 packs

Jesus Wept · 21-03-2012 03:11AM

Bear's cool.

Ray Mears vs Bear Grylls

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