Ray Mears Goes Walkabout - Your Views

[fred gordon]

A bit off topic but to do with the show.
Something dawned on me tonight when watching the show,
Tell me if im wrong it was just an observation.
How much does it cost to go on one of Rays courses, when he seems to gain bushcraft knowledge from the various indigenous people for free.
Also his kit always seems to be the most ridiculously priced kit you can get.
Even more so if it has RM on it, Ray mears, bushcrafter of merchant banker?

That's what being a consultant is all about. You ask the client what he is looking for, he spends time and money telling you. Then you go off, think about it and come back and tell him what he wanted to hear! As far as the gear is concerned the consultant will tell you that it is always worth buying quality. Then sell it to you at a expensive price. Not that I have anything against consultants personally but that is a bit of an industry view I'm afraid.

 

[Martyn]

...but i'd like to read peoples opinions on the TV program...

Rubbish, frankly.

It's neither one thing, nor t'oher.

It definitely is a bushcraft program though. His study of the indigenous peoples has no focus on their gods or religion, no interest in their ceremonies, no particular interest in their economic struggles or their rights as an indigenous people. It's all about how they survive in the hostile Australian outback. Where they find water, where they look for food, what they hunt. OK there is some small diversion into the culture, but it's always from a "survival" perspective and he always reflects back to that. It is a bushcraft program, it's just a boring one that doesnt have much bushcraft in it.

The highlight of last nights show, was the nude blonde girl, which while interesting of itself, is a pretty crappy endorsement of any TV program.

But then I suppose there are only so many ways you can light a fire or cook a fish.

Which is probably why this forum has more words dedicated to which tarp to get, or which rucksack is best, than bushcrafting skills.

 

[madelinew]

Well *I'M* enjoying the programme but then Ray has yet to come to his senses and realise that one day he is destined to be with me.......

Sorry does that almost put me into stalker territory?

 

[crazydave]

Well *I'M* enjoying the programme but then Ray has yet to come to his senses and realise that one day he is destined to be with me.......

Sorry does that almost put me into stalker territory?

could be, if you get anywhere though try and get us a discount

 

[Bernie Garland]

Well i thought last nights prog was rubbish,I think he's done about all he can regarding bushcraft and would like to see him make programmes,Like Out of Town by Jack Hargreaves,Showing all are dying traditions,i think he'd excell at it.

Bernie

 

[Martyn]

Well *I'M* enjoying the programme but then Ray has yet to come to his senses and realise that one day he is destined to be with me.......

Sorry does that almost put me into stalker territory?

Depends what you look like?

 

[spamel]

Well i thought last nights prog was rubbish,I think he's done about all he can regarding bushcraft and would like to see him make programmes,Like Out of Town by Jack Hargreaves,Showing all are dying traditions,i think he'd excell at it.

Bernie

Could be a good one. Anything, so long as he doesn't repeat the drivel from last night, which incidentally is repeated tonight if anybody missed it and doesn't want to take our word for it when we say it was absolutely websters!

So, marks so far out of 10:

Episode 1 - a generous 7
Episode 2 - a well deserved 8.5
Episode 3 - a rotten 4
Episode 4 - Who knows what he will finish on. A high would be nice, but I doubt he'll beat the BTM episode.

All the above is my personal opinion of course. Disagree if you wish, but be sure to know that if you do, you are wrong!

 

[madelinew]

Well I used to do a tiny bit of modeling but kids and a sedentary lifestyle have put paid to that in a BIGGGGG way. And the last time I voluntarily stood in front of a camera was 22 years ago. I aspired to be Kate Moss once but Dawn French is more my role model now. As OH fancies the pants off Dawn, I'm OK. But I shall need to get rid of OH before getting my claws into Ray so perhaps it's safer for OH for me not to watch programmes involving Ray talking about the more poisonous plants available.

Incidentally, my friend and I spent our recent camping holiday sat round the fire arguing about who'd win in a fight - Bear or Ray. Eventually I agreed with her that Bear would win on sheer brute force and ignorance but Ray would maintain the moral high ground.

Isn't it good to see that we have our priorities right? Mind you, the male population on this topic is raving about the blonde woman from last night's programme......

I love the programme despite the dodgy camera work and the fact it steers away from a lot of what he has done in the past. Someone mentioned the ideal programme involving him with Ewan MacGregor and Bear Grylls. No to Bear but how about Bruce Parry? It's been a while since anyone's got high on tribal substances on telly.

 

[spamel]

Well, got to disagree with you on the fight outcome. Ray knows Judo! Bear won't have any hand to hand fighting skills despite what you may have seen on the telly. the SAS may do unarmed combat, but they won't use it hardly ever, and Bear was in the TA SAS unit so there is very little chance he'd have been taught much of it in three years let alone be an expert at it. So, unless Bear used his army of butlers, Ray wins!

 

[Martyn]

Well I used to do a tiny bit of modeling but kids and a sedentary lifestyle have put paid to that in a BIGGGGG way. And the last time I voluntarily stood in front of a camera was 22 years ago. I aspired to be Kate Moss once but Dawn French is more my role model now. As OH fancies the pants off Dawn, I'm OK. But I shall need to get rid of OH before getting my claws into Ray so perhaps it's safer for OH for me not to watch programmes involving Ray talking about the more poisonous plants available.

I was only kidding.

Mind you, the male population on this topic is raving about the blonde woman from last night's programme......

Hmmmmm, perhaps I wasn't kidding so much. I wouldn't be calling 999 in too much of a hurry if she was following me round.

 

[madelinew]

Woo hoo - go Ra-ay - go Ra-ay. Will have to challenge my friend on this one when I see her tomorrow.

 

[Bernie Garland]

Well, got to disagree with you on the fight outcome. Ray knows Judo! Bear won't have any hand to hand fighting skills despite what you may have seen on the telly. the SAS may do unarmed combat, but they won't use it hardly ever, and Bear was in the TA SAS unit so there is very little chance he'd have been taught much of it in three years let alone be an expert at it. So, unless Bear used his army of butlers, Ray wins!

AH but could Ray catch Bear in a motorised para glider ?

Bernie

 

[crazydave]

I dont think the subject is exhausted but if anythingt I reckon the bushcraft mantel has restricted his subject matter as he cant seem to stay away from survival stories. its just the kiwi term for survival skills after all. I think tv has a lot to answer for when you look at castaway for example they had lofty running them around eating rats and then they get given everything ready set up. similar that awfull thing channel 4 do with the teams of kids on the islands. maybe instead of being the star he should step back and produce someone else for a while on a more detailed format, heck even decent documentaries on the native skills without the ubiquitous I can do that would suffice. what happened to the supposed follow on documentaries about people trying skills out?

 

[spamel]

Watch one of Rays old World of Survival episodes to see him prancing about in Mongolia in a small pait of pants and a dodgy open fronted top, doing the eagle dance. the reason for the open fronted top is that a woman supposedly competed once and beat all of the blokes, so since then they wear open fronted tops to make sure there isn't a female trying to sneak in. No comments about Rays' moobs please!

Anyway, he won his fight, suffered a few cracked ribs mind but still he soldiered on.

 

[spamel]

AH but could Ray catch Bear in a motorised para glider ?

Bernie

Ray shoots. Not much in it to upgrade from a rifle to an anti-aircraft weapon! From what i hear though, it would be best to just wait for the landing and then take advantage of a tangled Bear in the canopy!

 

[spamel]

I dont think the subject is exhausted but if anythingt I reckon the bushcraft mantel has restricted his subject matter as he cant seem to stay away from survival stories. its just the kiwi term for survival skills after all. I think tv has a lot to answer for when you look at castaway for example they had lofty running them around eating rats and then they get given everything ready set up. similar that awfull thing channel 4 do with the teams of kids on the islands. maybe instead of being the star he should step back and produce someone else for a while on a more detailed format, heck even decent documentaries on the native skills without the ubiquitous I can do that would suffice. what happened to the supposed follow on documentaries about people trying skills out?

Lofty did a survival series called Survival Team a number of years back. It was really good. Why couldn't Ray do a similar series, or an up to date version of the series for the licence payers today? It wouldn't take much setting up to get hold of a small scottish island and throw a bunch of people on it to live off the land, sea and air. Fish, birds and mammals would be the food source, driftwood for shelter and fire building, signal fires, maybe make one of Loftys' infamous rafts and they could even get Peter Duncan in for a giggle.

 

[madelinew]

Hahaha - problem I'm up against here with my friend is that Bear is a local lad. That always ups the ante I'm afraid.

I have these wonderful images of Ray and Bear hunting each other through the jungle

 

[spamel]

Let's not forget that Rays' tracking skills are from him as a child all the way through his adult life. he has been taught by aborigines, bushmen in Africa and countless other indiginous peoples that use tracking to find food and live. Bear doesn't have these skills, and even if he does it will be basic like tracking a horse walking along a sand track! Ray wins again!

 

[Martyn]

I'd like to see him doing a camp-craft and wild food series in the UK. Stick him in an old series III, dragging a trailer round. Different spot for each episode. Could have him looking at camp-craft skills, old poachers stuff, local forraging knowledge etc, all from the comfort of a howling moon trailer tent.

Oh and my money would be on Bear, plonker that he is, he's obviously a lot fitter than Ray.

 

[madelinew]

I'd like to see him doing a camp-craft and wild food series in the UK. Stick him in an old series III, dragging a trailer round. Different spot for each episode. Could have him looking at camp-craft skills, old poachers stuff, local forraging knowledge etc, all from the comfort of a howling moon trailer tent.

You're in danger of invoking the Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall default here.....

Careful!