Ray Mears: Extreme Survival

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Ratings: 8.44/10 from 41 users.

Ray Mears: Extreme SurvivalIf you like Survivorman (Les Stroud) you'll like Extreme Survival. It's a survival television series hosted by Ray Mears, where he demonstrates his wilderness skills and shares amazing tales of survival from some of the world's most menacing environments.

His journeys have take him to the farthest corners of the earth, encountering indigenous peoples who embody his philosophy and live in tune with their natural environment.

Jungles can be daunting places for the uninitiated. Ray explains the fundamental skills of jungle survival and recounts the harrowing tale of 10 men who escaped a WWII prisoner of war camp, crossing dense jungle without the benefits of survival training.

The arctic is a beautiful region of our planet, a area in which we must understand the mechanisms of staying warm. Ray demonstrates skills whilst visiting the Swedish Army Survival Instructors Course in Lapland.

The most important thing to take with you on any journey is a positive mental attitude. Ray tells of a family that were shipwrecked on the coast of Alaska in winter; ultimately their survival would depend upon their belief in each other, overcoming odds that the text books would have predicted as impossible.

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33 Comments / User Reviews

  1. Her_Lobo

    Why is it everybody keeps trying to compare Survivalists???? Ray Mears is Nothing like Les Stroud, Nor is he like Bear Grills My point is this.... Each has something to teach Ray is More of a teacher, Les is more of a Loner, and Bear.... He's just in it for recognition.... Otherwise he would have never taken Obama in tow...... What a waste of time.......

  2. jaim57

    The constant background electronic music is bizarre.

  3. henryhayford12

    Smoke a blunt and have a think about why we're all glued to our tv sets and computers.... ...just have a think.... not asking much.

  4. Kerry Red Atjecoutay

    Co-exsistance not survival... is an ancient practice from the Neo-lithic period, survival is what we have now, and is sensationalized for you entertainment.
    This has now become a subject of my interest and most in this field will teach you survival skills simply because it easyer then co-exsiting and you can return to your Factory Farmed Meat with an inflated ego and brag to your "unskilled" friends that you can survive NOW!...and at that point all that you have learnt is pointless LOL GO live in the real home of our ancestors and stop consuming useless sensationalized information because you and I know it, you don't really want to live out there LOL

    Avidly planing my escape if one could call it that.

  5. Mark Hutchinson

    ahhh what are you people on about your the tits both are the same just different extrem's ray is an all rounder bush craft and survival doing what it takes for prolonged stay in the out doors,,,bear is all about finding your self in life threatening situations and doing what it takes to get your self out and survive,,,some points are a bit crewed but its about showing you the tools needed or a rough guide for you if you have a brain (obviously some people here don't) to adapt and perfect so what if there not 100% realistic, he has been trained and does most things spot on.
    how can you say anything about ether man who might i add are keeping the knowledge that wee should all know and have lost alive its very easy to criticize when you have watched all the series and consider your self an arm chair survivor, lol

  6. shea toal

    bear grills camera man is the real hero he does all the **** bear does with a ******* camera and boom-pole and now u know and knowing is half the battle

  7. Benjamin W Wurst

    Bear does drink his own piss when he doesn't really need it. Thats fairly hard. I like them all though. For different reasons.

    1. random user1867

      Old post I know...but "Thats fairly hard." ??

      No, that's foolish and unnecessary. Urine is a toxic byproduct of metabolism - the only time it's "safe and sterile" (his words not mine) is when it's clear....but if it's clear it means you're already getting more than enough water for your body to function. Not only that, but one of the first symptoms of dehydration is that urine output ceases as your body reabsorbs all the water it can from the large intestine (ask your doctor). What's left over is what your body, even in its 'survival' state, needs to expel. Fortunately the TV audience doesn't know or care for actually learning anything about physiology.

      Despite the decision to market Mears' productions as 'survival', what he's showing is bushcraft plain and simple. I spend a lot of time in the bush for work and use a lot of what he says - it's common sense. It's not tricks you see on tv that will keep you comfortable, it's knowledge.

      For example: carrying a map and compass won't keep you from getting lost, knowing how to navigate will. Finding yourself on a map after you've gotten lost is like locking your hubs AFTER you get stuck. Knowing how to read terrain and guage distance and bearing will keep you from getting lost in the first place...but that takes effort rather than technology :)

  8. david lisle

    Not a bad show, but he's no Les Stroud the real survivorman, who doesn't bring along a giant crew, he films himself.
    Bear Grylls on the other hand is the most annoying faker and charlatan. Bear isn't a joke he's a jerk. How about the episode where he unsuccessfully tried to put a pathetic excuse for a willow lasso around a "wild horse", a wild horse complete with horseshoes belonging to a local trail ride business.
    I think Bear would be at risk of starving if his phone broke in his hotel room.

  9. Mantid

    ray mears= awesome
    les stroud(not american but canadian)=awesome
    bear grylls=awesome
    all the people i named are human just like you(fellow commenters)
    the ego takes hold and once again you are star suckers.

    1. tom_ter

      er, Canada *is* America. Just sayin'

    2. noface94

      American means from the United States of America.

    3. tom_ter

      Not always: The meaning of the word American in the English language varies according to the historical, geographical, and political context in which it is used. American is derived from America, a term given by Italian sailor Amerigo Vespucci and originally denoting all of the New World (also called the Americas). In some expressions it retains thisPan-American sense, but its usage has evolved over time and, for various historical reasons, the word came to denote people or things specifically from the United States of America.

      I prefer an expanded world view, befitting a true adventurer. Buy you can be whomever you choose.

    4. noface94

      Yeah all words change over time. Today it means what I said it means.

  10. williamkz

    And for those saying "Bear is a tit"- Don't forget he's former SAS, and thus served your country.... So no, I don't think he's a tit.

  11. williamkz

    Only thing this guy is missing is a microwave.

  12. magarac

    In a real survival situation:
    Bear would not do anything because there is no camera around!
    Les would simply starve to death if it took more than 4 weeks to rescue!
    Ray would do just fine!

  13. Andrew Dunbar

    ray teaches
    bear does
    ray goes and lives it
    bear turns up pulls some stunts and goes to his hotel
    also that american "survivorman " les stroud is it? hes very very good at teaching you how to starve for 5 days in the wild. guys a bluddy joke

  14. Andrew Dunbar

    ray teaches
    bear does
    ray goes and lives it
    bear turns up pulls some stunts and goes to his hotel
    also that american "survivorman " les stroud is it? hes very very good at teaching you how to starve for 5 days in the wild. guys a bluddy joke

  15. procurorul

    Bear Grylls the best !

  16. Pako

    Bear Grylls makes him look like housewife:))

  17. steve

    @Pirat,
    First of all this series, Extreme Survival,is about people who survived extreme situations,this series was not intended to teach you how to survive,although there are a few tips in it.

    Ray Mears has done a few series,some teaching you how to survive some about nature in general and others about indigenous peoples.

    He has written countless books on the subject and sometimes teaches army instructors how to survive in the wild,from the Arctic to the jungle and barren deserts.

    Eating sheep eyes and jumping in to a cold lake (bear grills)
    isnt learning or respecting bushcraft, its entertainment for dim wits

  18. Fazer

    Great videos. Enjoyed them all. When I hiked to Sahale Glacier in Washington state I carried and air horn, small can, something used at construction sites etc...This could be used to alert people to your location without yelling in case you get lost or hurt.

  19. Pirat

    saw a couple of episodes, does not impress much, it is informative and that's all. Loved the work Les Stroud does and I respect that, but I have no respect for Ray Mears, I mean, it's not like you see him starving to soon, all he is, is a terrible actor.

    just my 2 cents.

    1. Mantid

      well your two cents are wooden coins and arent worth anything.

  20. crabman

    Bear Grylls is a tit.

  21. Achems Razor

    Great doc. watched half, can't sit in one place long enough to watch all, watch the rest later.

  22. Canuck

    Oh c'mon, a lighter??? Hammock??? I always enjoy these survival shows but he doesn't hold a candle to Les or Bear! Still, good series.

  23. MIchael22541

    Great show mate, reminds me of bear giles.

  24. Steve

    @Vlatco,your the man vlatko,remember when I asked you for these?Ray is the reason I got interested in survival and nature.I remember my first experience in survival,I walked the ''Wicklow WAY'' took me six days, and survived of the land as long as we could,a sobering experience but never felt more free in all my life.

    your priorities change,instead of bills its finding a place to sleep or planning your route in such a way that you have enough water until the next stop.Or finding a good place to sleep,building a fire and so on.

    Fresh air in your lungs,A smell of fresh dew mixed with the sweat smell of pine while the sun sets in golden glory over the Wicklow mountains.

    Literately takes your breath away.If anybody is in to this kind of thing you need to come over to Ireland and give it a try.

  25. Reasons Voice

    Enjoyed the heck out of this series. Some good tips in here. Not as all encompassing as Les Stroud but the tid bits are great.

  26. alan

    i love the bit where he reveals his auger. i keep mne in a head net withmy ipod 9just in case) ;)
    Ep2 Sweden

  27. macca420

    he's no Les Stroud(way to rep Ontario!!),but still awesome and equally or if not more informative!