Ray still just ahead in the UK, but Bear more popular worldwide

[Tiley]

When all is said and done, do we actually care? Statistics are notoriously unreliable at the best of times, only ever backing up the slant or spin that the presenter wishes to espouse.

People will always get into a lather about "the entertainer v. the real bushcrafter", subscribing to whichever school appeals. You may be inspired by one or the other of the personalities but all that actually matters is what you do when you get out into them thar woods...

 

[swagman]

Bear has a knife and a water bottle Ray who lives in harmony with nature allways has
about a car load of gear . pots pans a tent for every ocasion wood burning stoves and lots of ingrediants. I for one would love to see Ray chalenged.

 

[Tadpole]

Bear has a knife and a water bottle Ray who lives in harmony with nature allways has
about a car load of gear . pots pans a tent for every ocasion wood burning stoves and lots of ingrediants. I for one would love to see Ray chalenged.

You missed out a couple of bits of Bears kit. Namely a 4 star hotel, sixteen crew to build his 'hut', a catering van for his food, a plane to fly him in and someone from the local pet shop to supply the "wild food" he eats.
I'd love to see Bear take a trip with Ray to say the Venezuela Jungle, Two days walk from the middle of Nowhere

 

[Walks with dogs]

I don't worry about what other people like, enjoy or prefer when making my own choices.

 

[pango]

Apparently Bear Grylls has a friend who once used a frozen Hershey Bar as a dead-man snow anchor... as he told us whilst showing how to use what looked like a 1" dry cherry stick, buried in a snow cornice, for the purpose of allowing 2 men to abseil at the same time.

The man isn't just a fool, but a dangerous one at that!

 

[Adze]

The last chief scout was Peter Duncan, and there was a great surge of popularity as he came on the scene too, most youngsters now haven't a clue who he is; I had to think hard tbh. Old news.

Interesting thing about the chief scouts - whether this is cause and effect or just coincidence I've no idea but here's a brief run down of some salient details:

1st chief scout: Army / Public School
2nd chief scout: Army / Public School
3rd chief scout: Army / Public School / Titled / Politician
4th chief scout: Army / Unknown Schooling / Scottish Titled
5th chief scout: Navy / Public School
6th chief scout: Army / Public School
7th chief scout: Navy / Public School
8th chief scout: None & Not an Actor / Unknown schooling
9th chief scout: None & Actor/ Acting school
10th chief scout: Army & Navy & Special Forces & TV Presenter (but not actor)/ Lots of Public Schools / Son of politician AND he's a ninja according to thickipaedia.

Overcompensating for something a little perhaps?

 

[Tadpole]

10th chief scout: Army & Navy & Special Forces & TV Presenter (but not actor)/ Lots of Public Schools / Son of politician AND he's a ninja according to thickipaedia.

Overcompensating for something a little perhaps?

Who was the tenth? Bear is TA, not army nor navy.

 

[Adze]

In 2004, Grylls was awarded the honorary rank of Lieutenant Commander in the Royal Naval Reserve.[20]

Yeah... you're probably right Tadpole. Couldn't have someone from either the 'real' army or navy these days - nor someone with a hereditary title. It just wouldn't be PC you see

 

[Dozza]

They are different:
RM = bushcraft
BG = survival

I don't know much about it all but I'd say they are not necessarily the same thing.

BG is somewhat annoying with his e.g. "If you were desperate you could eat this bear s**t for the berry remains".
<< Eats bear s**t >>
But you are not desperate Bear; you are on the way to the hotel so why would you do that?!

For every story he also has a friend who has done the same thing only worse e.g. with a severed arm and no kit or whatever...

 

[John Fenna]

Apparently Bear Grylls has a friend who once used a frozen Hershey Bar as a dead-man snow anchor...

I have ab-ed off a frozen snack sided Snickers bar!
I have photos (somewhere) to prove it too...mind you I chose a slope that had a clean run out (above The White Lady ski run in the 'Gorms) and I was a lot lighter in those days......
I did not set up the Ab in a way that I could retrieve the Snickers bar...I just climbed back up......
Given the right snow conditions you can Ab off very little (even water...) - but I would not have bothered climbing back up for a Hershy Bar - they are total carp!

 

[EddBamber]

I heard of ray first he will always top barbeque grylls in my mind

 

[cbkernow]

the stats are totally flawed I'm afraid and prove very little in the old bear/ray debate.

Google trends tracks mentions of them in news/blogs/forums etc, including our forum posts on the subject (indeed this thread will eventually add to the stats - unless google crawling is turned off for the site).

So someone posting "Bare Grills ate my hamster" bumps his name just as much as "I want to marry Bare Grills".

It might prove that Bear is discussed more but not that he is more popular, loved or hated.

Does this prove Hitler(blue) is more popular than Bunnies(red)?






And yes, I know how to spell his name properly.

Its all rubbish anyway, I know whos the best, and thats all that matters to me.

on a seperate note, I only put bunnies 'cos they are cute and tasty, but its interesting to see the almost identical annual bump in searches for bunnies, not surprisingly, at easter!

 

[dean4442]

For every story he also has a friend who has done the same thing only worse e.g. with a severed arm and no kit or whatever...

Reminds me of a lad I know, I mentioned I was off to tenerife he told me he was going to elevenerife!
Colin

 

[nickliv]

The way I see it, Ray makes informative programmes showing you how you can use knowledge to get nature to work in your favour, Bear makes entertainment programmes showing you how to battle against it.

 

[Dozza]

Reminds me of a lad I know, I mentioned I was off to tenerife he told me he was going to elevenerife!
Colin

Hah! Excellent.
I bet he intended to sleep in a hollowed out camel when he go there...

Easy to see why BG is more 'popular' with the kids though - better telly for them than steady Ray.

 

[nickliv]

Following a Ray Mears lecture in Aberdeen, about a year ago, he was asked 'What do you think of Bear Grylls?'

His reply? - 'I try not to'

 

[DavidJT]

Google trends tracks mentions of them in news/blogs/forums etc, including our forum posts on the subject (indeed this thread will eventually add to the stats - unless google crawling is turned off for the site).

So someone posting "Bare Grills ate my hamster" bumps his name just as much as "I want to marry Bare Grills".

It might prove that Bear is discussed more but not that he is more popular, loved or hated.

Actually that's not quite right. Google trends compares how many google searches are being done for each term. So how many people typing "Ray Mears" into google, compared to the number typing in "Bear Grylls" so it is a rough indicator of public interest due to the massive number of people using google everyday. Doesn't prove who's really more popular, let alone who's better though, but then we all know that!

 

[Tengu]

Can I go back to sleep now?

No, No, not the hammock, do you think Im a flipping Naavi?

 

[firecrest]

I darent tell you what I just used google stats to compare bushcraft to, its not family friendly.

Lets just say Bushcraft is thirty one times a less popular outdoors activity than what some people have in mind. Especially in Milton Keynes apparantly.

 

[Bogman10]

Too much learning and brain using in Ray Mears. I prefer to turn off my brain, and watch Danger boy to see if he will live through another night ( In the Hotel ). Throw on some Bushtucker Man , Survivor man, and Good Old Ray, and this Canadian Boy is a happy one!
* And I always though Benny Hill was silly, Monty Python, and Blacks Books, on the other hand!