People are most probably saying ''Fella they are completely different people and have different methods'' and that the point guys.Are you the risk taker with minimal equipment who likes to keep on the move or are you the slow thoughtful foraging person who seemingly has a lot of time spare.
I think I fall just in between the two but slightly leaning towards bear grylls, but by no means am I implying I have anywhere near as much skill as these guys do.
HideandSeek
If i could be half of either i would be happy
ray mears (although very good at his skill) is not a survival practitioner, he studies bushcraft. an area of land that you are entering with everything you will need to cope and willingly get into. bear is not a bushcraft practitioner he studies survival. an area of land that you are in with the minimals that your are willingly trying to get out of. i trie and call what i do as bushcraft/survival. through out the year i have a massive pack with loads of items to learn how to master. then i test my self by going out with a bear pack as i did recently to proove to my self that i have both crafts as in check as i can make them. i would strongly advise that bushcraft be the most important skill to learn coz when u go out with bushcraft in your mind and a bear pack on your back, thats when these two wonderful arts come together.
although shtf anyone with an empty pack save a knife fire steel n mug is a mug. its a practice nothing more. bushcraft is a way of life.
Got the belly of mears, would love to have the knowledge both of them have.
I'm more like Bear that's for certain. I don't think I've got the patience that Ray seems to show!
Ray Mears teaches a tree-hugging form of bushcraft that I abhor, along with insisting on cleaning up all traces of fires, etc., before you move on. That's insane policy in a true survival situation, unless you're being hunted and want to minimise sign.
Bear Grylls, on the other hand, seems to teach needless risk-taking... well, it makes for good viewing on TV.
So... I'm not a great fan of either because of their faults!
I think I lean more towards the Bear camp with this one!
Although I'd like to have the skills of both!
They are completely different people with different skills,... Bear is someone who teaches you how to get out of a situation and survive,.. and Ray teaches you how to go into an area and survive,... so either of them would suit me.
Although if we put the question into which program would I watch, then it would be Ray Mears, he is more down to earth, where as Bear is too much of a showman,..all this crunching bugs for the camera when they can simply be swallowed
"well fed" Ray couldn't feed himself in fekin Tesco's, and Bear's too pretty, gimme BUSH TUCKER MAN any day
i tend to lean to the Ray Mears school of thought, i cannot abide Bear Grylls he takes far too many chances!he's a broken leg or a broken neck waiting to happen.