This 90 minute special follows Les Stroud and his family as they attempt to live off the grid in a rundown house in the Canadian wilderness. Les and his family must adapt to the sudden change in lifestyle while trying to utilize solar/wind power, rain harvesting and many more self reliant living techniques.
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Watched part of your program but had to turn it off. Been living "the rice dream" for 23 years and was appalled at how easy you made it look. We lived in a 25 ft. travel trailer for 8 years before we got a house. Most of what you did is UNTHINKABLE unless you have an unlimited budget. for the first four years we spent money on developing the access road, digging water line (for gravity feed), digging a pond (irrigation water as well as summer respite), generators, 4 wheel drive vehicle etc. etc. It was the helicopter and state of the art solar that did me in.
I agree with Charm – about as far from Thoreau as it's possible to get!!!!!
Why all the hate? Your putting him down because he's made good with his career? Instead of living in a penthouse suite, he's actually trying to live off the grid. You should be ecstatic. He is a spokesman for this lifestyle and is able to reach the mainstream populous to make them aware. Everyone should be thankful to Les and his family.
Fake no!!!! reality TV, yes!!! This programme is an outrage, its like James Bond surviving after an incident with Goldfinger, just in an African desert!!. Possible yes but in reality no!!
I recently watched an episode on survival in the Kalahari and pondered for about two seconds before I came to the conclusion that this was true modern day reality TV with a sad message sent to ignorant viewers globally on survival.
Who was triumphant in the race to the pole, Amundsen or Scott? and why?
Scott, the loser, was a great explorer but typical to his upbringing, a pompous British wannabe aristocrat, with grandeur thoughts of setting and sating the British population’s appetite that they ruled the world from north to south, east to west and hopefully, futuristically from the lowest to the highest points. Sad but true!!
Amundsen, the winner, on the other hand captivated the world by embracing the local population, learning from them, understanding their customs and traditions and local survival techniques!! Now that is real survival, learn from those who experience these climates and conditions on a daily basis and not from those who merely seek fame and glory with one hour on prime time television.
Our planet stretches far and wide with extremely diverse cultures and understandings of survival, these people in these places have lived for centuries without cameras, intervention from outsiders and survived!!! Let’s tell their stories of true survival on their terrain and learn from them but not how live off their land the way we know how. This will end in disaster for any ignorant adventure seeker.
Your techniques are reality from the western world but why not teach people how to really survive in unique situations they may find themselves in from all corners of the globe, this is true value~!
In conclusion, I am a South African who served in the SADF from 1986 – 1988 and survived the Kalahari and Kuiseb, not from my military training or yours, but from the local populations’ knowledge. The Bushmen of the Kalahari are of the greatest survivors on the planet living in extreme conditions for centuries. Who are we to tell others how to survive on their turf if all that is needed is a bit of insight into their own survival? I am a surviving amputee from my military service who now online challenges you to once again survive the Kalahari, this time with me Les, true survival the Bushman and Kalahari way. If you dare, contact me, its quite sad that all your websites do not allow me to post this challenge or criticism. Its quite ironic don’t you think? my mail larryloxton@hotmail.com, cell +38 097 707 0934.
Larry what are you up about? Before any episode, Les crearly mentions and thanks the contribution of local survival experts and guides from who he consults information about native survival customs. To keep it real, when he was in the outback in Australia for example he consulted local aborigene survival experts, when he was in the Canadian Arctic he consulted a local Inuit guide. All of this makes the experience more authentic because he utilized native survival techniques which have been utilized locally since centuries. Les is awesome and his programme is a success, there's hardly any defects even detractors can find about his programme. He produces, films, and even composes the music for his episodes. Go out in the Kalahari and try surviving with 25 kgs of camera equipment whilst you fim all of it from various angles. If you do, post it on YouTube so I can watch and learn from you.
I liked the show. Its more of an Urban way of doing it, but it had its strong points. Showing the difficulties was the best part, that's the way it is. Les wasn't afraid to say when he didn't know something and went to the right resources.
Couldn't get the living arrangements, jumping from a tent, trailer then building another small cabin? Why didn't they start off with the cabin at first?
Sure did show how expensive getting off the grid really is though, enough to scare some off. But us with the will, will find a way. Good luck to all you Pioneers out there.