Les Stroud

March 18, 2013

I am Les Stroud AKA Survivorman, a Filmmaker, Outdoor Adventurer, Singer-Songwriter, Performer. AMA!

Well folks - that was awesome - i am sure to do this again.....thank you all so very much for participating.....you can please follow me on twitter @reallesstroud and facebook: reallesstroud for constant updates........i DO have more Survivorman shows coming so long as i can finalize the deals with the networks within the next few weeks - I also have another new album coming out in the spring along with a new book with Harper Collins.....its' going to be a very busy summer indeed With lots of appearances too - I am playing in NY at the Ocean Ball April 8th and i have a few shows around Ontario this weekend.... you know i dont get too political but lets stop the captivity of all cetaceans (dolphins and whales) - lets abolish shark finning and preserve our ocean creatures. Again: this was great - thank you all very much - i suspect i will be back. Les

First of all, thanks for doing this AMA! My kids and I are huge fans of your show.

1. Do you have some sort of "panic button" for when something really bad happens that you can't get out of?
   
2. How much pre-work do you and/or your support crew do scoping locations? For instance, in the 10 Days Norway you happened upon a hunting lodge right when you needed it most. It still makes for great television, don't get me wrong. Do you have awareness of a general direction to head for safety?
3. Any plans for more "Survivorman 10 days"?
4. You're going into the woods for an afternoon hike alone with plans to return in a few hours. You only have your clothes on your back and maybe a bottle of water... What's in your pockets?

What is your professional opinion on Bear Grylls?

Do you feel the same way about other Survival shows currently on air. I'm thinking of people like Cody Lundin and the like

So should you drink your own piss or not?

So, I should stop?

now i kinda want to know les's opinion of bear's music ...

If you had to live the rest of your life with one indigenous people, which group would you choose?

Is there anything you have ever done that your producers wouldn't or couldn't put on the air?

What are the top 5 things people should always carry?

Actually, let's break this down into just one thing. Les, if you could only carry one thing with you into a potential survival situation, what would it be?

To all those multi-tool fans out there that are commenting against this saying "Duh, a multi-tool", read Les' comment to this. Owned. Les Stroud himself commented on something I wrote...hhhhnnnnnnnnnnggggghhh

What is one experience that did not make the final cut of survivor man that you wish you could of shared with everyone.

I really enjoyed your "Off The Grid" series. Do you still live at that location? Do you still strive to live off the grid?

He's divorced since 2008. Awkward..

Have you ever thought "I'm going to die in here" during any of your adventures?

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Hi Les! My Husband and I are huge fans!

When it comes to survival, if you had the option between iodine tablets or the life straw, which would you prefer to have on you?

What is the biggest survival myth?

After having spent time with cultures all across the world (I'm thinking of Beyond Survival here, but the training you must do with local survival experts works too), is there anything that you find to be common anywhere you go?

What is your favorite brand of hot sauce?

Hey Les, huge fan of your work. You are a true badass. I have two questions:

1) During the run of Survivorman, did you have a plan in place in the unfortunate event that you did not survive? Would you have wanted that episode to air?

2) Whatever happened to your other show, Surviving Urban Disasters? I thought that show had the potential to be even more helpful than Survivorman since it dealt with much more common situations.

Are you a fan of any other survival shows on television?

Mr. Stroud - Big fan of both your shows and your music.

My question is:

If you could return to any Survivorman location to just backpack/hike (in the proper season, of course), which locale would you choose and why?

Also, when are you coming to Colorado to put on a show? I think you'd get great attendance here!

How long do you wait in search of clean water or a means of sterilizing it before you decide it is better to drink contaminated drinking water than no water at all?

Are there any locations you'd like to do for Survivorman, but are just not feasible to survive in with an additional pack of camera gear that triples your journey?

Hi Les,

This AMA is a great real cake(birth)day gift for me so thanks for being here.

• You have often said that in the wilds, when you sleep without food, you have exceptionally vivid dreams. What are these dreams about?

• Did the Arctic Char (Survivorman S3) taste as good as it looked?

• Would you recommend survivalist schools such as Outward Bound or any of Tom Brown Jr's trainings?

• I turn 34 today, I have a career, my own place, grad school, car, etc. but can I drop everything and start an unpaid internship with you?

Thanks again.

Les, you are the man!

Which area/region did you dread the most?

Also, in your lost in the ocean episode, did the production team think it would be hilarious to give you a faulty inflatable boat tent thingy?

Hi Les, has there ever been a time while filming Survivorman where you were genuinely scared for your life? Edit: Other than the obvious Jaguar stalking you.

Thanks for this - my kid and I both love your shows! Do you have an update on the idea of potentially doing a show where you hunt for sasquatch/bigfoot? Thanks!!!

Have you ever been in a situation where luck played a bigger part in survival than skill?

Do the cameras help you stay sane when you're alone in the wild, and how much harder do they make it to travel/stay alive?

When urinating/deficaiting do you use it to startigically "mark your territory" for protection around your camp/setup for the night/rest out in the wild?

What park is your favourite place to camp in Ontario?

Are you ever actually terrified of the outcome of possible situations you come accross? Do you have any advice for people looking to hike the Pacific Crest Trail? Thanks for doing this, your show is my favorite. :) Edit: Also, do you have a favorite place to travel? Why that place?

What animal do you have the most respect for? What I mean is if you came across any animal which one would you see and just back away from?

Are you still going to do the Bigfoot show you talked about with Joe Rogan?

Thank you very much for doing this Les! I wish your survivor man show was on more in the US...

I have a few questions if you'd be so kind to answer!!

• Have you ever seriously thought you were in danger or maybe pressed your survival skills too far in any situation? If so, what was the situation and what did you do to get out of it?

• Does being alone in the woods/outdoors for a week make you feel lonely or do you feel complete serenity being detached from the craziness of the world?

• What is your favorite beer?

:)

Why and how did you get into the survival world?

Where did you start researching your skills?

You've mentioned survival competitions before. How do these work, and how does someone "win?"

What was the most challenging part of your living "off the grid," experience with your family?

Thanks for doing this. You are my favorite Canadian - followed by Rush.

Edited: content and clarity.

How long being alone in the wilderness before the psychology of your aloneness becomes a factor? What exactly are the signs of psychological distress in the wilderness and now do you overcome them?

Thanks for doing this!

I've been a sheltered city dweller for my whole life. I'm interested in getting in touch with nature and maybe doing some backpacking and see where things go.

Any recommendations for a beginner?

Are you keenly aware of survival and safety even in the comfort of your own home? Do you keep a "go bag" for emergencies?

Do you know of a good (prefer natural, non-toxic) mosquito repellent? Yeah!! I could wrap myself head to toe; in fine netting… but ends up more a nuisance and difficult at the best of times when hiking around CANADA and taking photographs with my camera.

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[No question]

Hi Les, thanks so much for doing the AMA, and thanks for putting so much personal effort into making your show. I've just started working my way through the 3 seasons and am loving it.

1. I've noticed that you stay overwhelmingly positive throughout the ordeal. Is this something that you consciously strive for (to avoid wasting energy on futile emotions or thought trains), or are you a naturally calm dude? or a bit of both...? What strategies do you employ to maintain your cool when you are out there and things are bleak, uncomfortable, etc?

2. What's your mantra/adage/thing that sums up life or your purpose for being out there? I always liked "Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional"

3. Honestly, how do you possibly get any sleep in a shelter that could be surrounded by scorpions, cobras, king brown snakes, etc? I would be making a round of the shelter every 5 minutes.

4. What's the most stunning hike that you could recommend to do before we die?

5. I'm doing a 100km charity walk with 3 friends in June. Any advice?

Keep up the great work Les.

Wow, Les! Thanks for doing this. Love the show!

1. How many expeditions do you do in a year?

2. Are there any that don't make it on air?

3. Do you have pre-expedition rituals? Like meals or anything?

4. Which was your favorite?

5. Finally...and most importantly...you say everything you eat in the wild is "mmm...oh man...that's good.' Really, Les? Is it really?

Also, my favorite part of the AMA's are the picture. Can you provide us a picture?

Thanks! <3

Big fan of all your shows. Thanks for doing this.

1) Are there more shows in the works? Season 4 seems to have abruptly ended after two locations.

2) You’ve done shows in (by my count) 24 different locations for Survivorman and 10 more locations for Beyond Survival (an excellent series, by the way, that didn’t reach us in the US as far as I know). Are there any regions of the world that you haven’t survived in that you’d like to visit? Any locations you’d like to do but couldn’t for political reasons?

3) What is your favorite type of climate to survive in (desert/forest/jungle/arctic)?

4) Any interesting examples of situations you filmed but couldn’t include in the shows?

Thanks!

Hi Les,

In all of your moments surviving in the wild, have you ever thought to yourself 'I could stay out here and be perfectly happy'?

I love everything you do, Les!

1. How long did it take you to master the harmonica?
2. Where was your favorite/least favorite place to survive?

How many times have you gotten any sort of bacterial infection, that causes big problems for you outside of filming?

Thank you, Les, for the AMA!

1. Have you ever seriously hurt yourself on an outing and had to stop filming and get back to a hospital?
2. Do you have any way of getting in touch with your crew on a day-to-day basis?

Thank you, Les, for the AMA!

1. Have you ever seriously hurt yourself on an outing and had to stop filming and get back to a hospital?
2. Do you have any way of getting in touch with your crew on a day-to-day basis?

What is your favorite biome to survive in?

I love watching survivor man. Just the experience of going out into the wild, surviving and having the expertise and artistic knowledge to make a great show, that's just awesome.

I'm hiking a section of the Appalachian trail by myself soon over my spring break from college. I plan on taking my Sony NEX-5N, GoPro HD 1, tripod and a few spare batteries to make a small movie about it. Do you have any advice on getting the right shot?

And what would be the few essentials for any extended outdoors trip that you think everybody should have on them?

Thank you so much for doing this AMA! To quote Hank Hill from King of the Hill, you are the greatest American Hero ever born, in Canada.

For the questions,

How different would your expeditions go if you didn't actually have to film yourself?

It always seems as though you have to do a lot more sitting and camping because of how difficult it is for you to actually move around.

Would you, under more "normal" circumstances still be spending as much time in one location or would you cover more ground in an effort to get...un-lost?

Also, how do you feel about the Maple Leafs performance this year? Think they're going to make it into the playoffs?

Love your music and your realistic approach to survival in the wild. Has any progress been made with Discovery network on getting your Survivorman Bigfoot show greenlit?

I'm sure, like everyone else, you enjoy taking some time off once and a while. When you do, do you prefer to just stay home and relax or go somewhere? If you prefer to go on vacation, where is your favorite vacation spot?

In one episode of Survivorman you find a state highway and you hitchhike your way to safety. Was it with a random person or a crew member?

Is there a place that you would not even attempt to survive in,due to its potential danger? If not,what's the most dangerous place that you have encountered?

How did you find groups that would let you be apart of their group in the show beyond survival?

Carbon steel or stainless steel? What do you think is better in a survival knife?

Alright survivor man, be real.. How often do you masturbate in the woods?

What's your favorite hunting/survival knife?

What's your opinion of Dual Survival? Have you ever meet Cody Lundin?

What's the most difficult place you've had to survive in, and I was curious to know if there's any psychological stress for you, being in a remote area by yourself for that long.

And I just wanted to say I watched your show much more than Man vs. Wild.

Les, I've been a fan for years and first want to say thank you for your wonderful contribution to TV. Sometimes there was nothing better than coming home from high school and messing around until the new Survivorman episode came on.

But I always wondered, what would Les be doing if he was never given this opportunity by the Discovery Channel? (please say touring with a band please say touring with a band)

Huuuuuuge fan. ♥ When the world goes to shit and you have a choice of where to go while everyone else kills each other for twinkies, where would you choose to rough it? With or without family. Double answer if each would be different.
Edit: And your reasoning behind your choices. Thanks!

What's the worst parasite you've ever picked up?

If you could choose anyone, who would you pick as your personal mentor?

p.s. You're an inspiration.

Les, I'm a big fan. You're the original and give the most real world, functional advice about survival compared to every other, sensationalist, "survival" shock value TV host.

While in the wild, how do you keep your camera equipment charged, especially in the cold? Do you have film stock and battery drops? I wouldn't think any less of your survival in these situations if you did..I'm just curious. The fact that you film, star, score and edit is amazing to me. Keep doing what you're doing brother. Thanks

Hey Les!! You're my favorite fellow Canadian! :-) . Simple question from me, I'm just curious what your day to day diet looks like? And do you do most of the meal creating when you're at home? I've seen you nonchalantly eat all sorts of things and it got me thinking.

Hey Les! You're a huge idol of mine and I was wondering, How has meeting and working with various cultures all over the world effected you as a person? Is there any interesting stories about these people?

Have you ever seriously feared for your life during an episode of Survivorman, if so which episode was it ?

First off, Mr. Stroud, I want to say that I absolutely loved you on Joe Rogan's podcast. One of my favorite episodes ever.

1. You always make everything you eat taste good. I chalk it up to being because you're hungry so anything is "good." However, what is the must surprisingly good tasting food that you've come across in your years in the wild?

2. That is all. Thank you for your time.

What are your thoughts on hammock camping?

Have you ever been in a submarine?

What scavenged food have you been most pleasantly surprised by?

Conversely, what scavenged food was just atrociously bad, and not worth the calories?

Have you ever ran into any kids in the woods smoking pot?

Do you think you could beat Mantracker? That would be an awesome crossover special!

Hi Les. The only thing I want to say is "Thank you." Thank you for everything you have done to make my nights a tiny bit better. In 2008, I was in a car wreck that paralyzed me. When I got out of the hospital, every night trying to go to sleep was the worst time I have ever, and will ever have in my life. It was complete hell, and I never want to experience it again. Filled with tears every night, contemplating suicide, and just wishing it would go away, and maybe the next morning, I might be able to wiggle a toe, twist my ankle, anything to keep my hopes up. But it never came. I was browsing the internet one night when I came upon your episodes of Survivorman. I will never forget watching that first episode. It felt like you were suffering with me. You were in hell while I was in hell. I could relate to you. I felt like I was out there with you, struggling though this condition as you was struggling with surviving. I would even not eat dinner, and bring myself a small snack or two, and try to ration the snack down throughout a couple of episodes like you were rationing your food. I wanted to be like you. The willpower you had was everything I wanted to get me through this.

I just want to say thank you. You kept me sane through months and months of nights filled with tears and terrible thoughts. When I walk again one day, I'm going to pay that favor you did for me back. I'm going to travel to see you just to say thank you for what you did for me...

How many times have you sacrificed your harmonica to survive? And, do you buy them in bulk?

Do you do speaking engagements at universities?

1. what was the most difficult episode of survivor man you have ever recorded?
2. which episode was the most fun making?
3. musically, who are your biggest influences?

Those shots of you walking away from the camera, do you actually backtrack to go and pick those back up? That seems like a lot of work for one fleeting shot.

What location was your least favorite to work in? Your most favorite?

What was your "closest call", so to speak, while you were doing Survivorman?

Thanks for doing the AMA, I've always loved your show. You're awesome!

If you had to pick a partner to go out with you to do the same type of show as Survivorman, who would it be and why?

Are there any courses or instructors (possibly yourself included?) that you would recommend for bushcraft, wilderness survival, general outdoors knowledge in Canada, specifically central Ontario?

I'm keen on honing my outdoors skill set and of course, value your opinion on the matter greatly. Having recently picked up your Survive! book (as well as some other publications, American Frontiersman magazine specifically) really rekindled my passion for the outdoors!

What's the easiest method to start a fire without dedicated fire starting tools or practice?

What's the easiest method with a little bit of practice and no tools?

Hi Les! Love all of your shows. In fact, watching Survivorman has inspired a bet. My boyfriend thinks that I would never be able to start a fire without matches and the standard fire starting products. I (like always) want to prove him wrong. What's the easiest method for starting a fire that even a beginner could do?

Where did you learn your survival skills? What inspired you to test your limits in this way?

What is your favorite pair of shoes?

What is your favorite gun?

What do you eat when you get back from filming an episode? I'd imagine it'd be a tricky process fasting like that then easing yourself back into a regular diet that often.

Les-

Thanks for doing the AMA. What is your favorite trail or backpacker meal? It doesn't have to be just stuff you foraged for on the trail but just something you could easily pack and prepare on a normal weekend or overnight backpacking trip?

This'll probably get buried, but oh well...

What would you say is the one most important survival skill EVERYONE should know, no matter what type of environment/situation you find yourself surviving in?

Thank you for being such an awesome person and inspiration to so many people.

Are you concerned that the stress on your body will cause you long term damage?

When you were on the Joe Rogan podcast you mentioned two experiences you have had in the wilderness on the North American West Coast where you had either seen or heard some sort of unknown bi-pedal ape-like hominid, and that there may be more to the Bigfoot, Sasquatch myths than most people think. Correct me if I am wrong, but I seem to remember that you also mentioned on the podcast that you were interested in exploring this further and that doing a survivor man/ Bigfoot show would be something you would be interested in. Is that still the case?

If you could make one survival thing in the world lighter, smaller, cheaper, what would it be?

If you could make any one thing lighter, smaller, cheaper, what would that be?

edit: How can we find out more about your other projects?

Hi Les, thanks for doing an AMA!

I got a chance to hear your interview on Joe Rogans podcast. You mentioned your multiple "bigfoot" encounters and the potential for a show to be made on Discovery where you go out in these areas where there have been "encounters" and just seeing what the fuck happens.

Any word on the future of this show? As a bigfoot skeptic I was quite compelled by your accounts and honestly I trust you more than these fuckin people on that horrible finding bigfoot show (or whatever it's called.)

Thanks again!

You're show is one of my favorites. I will watch it any time I catch it on. I absolutely love it even though I've only gone camping a few times. It's one thing I wish I could start doing more often.

Is there any good way to ease into camping without all the luxuries everyone tries to bring with them?

I've always wanted to try to go camping with the bare essentials. I really think it would be an eye opener to how unimportant many things we worry about in our lives are.

Hi Les, big fan here. Thank you so much for never 'selling out' and putting on a fake show like Bear or the numerous other copycats. I have a few questions..

1. What do you think about the 'average' person who would be incredibly helpless in survival situations. Do you think humanity in general would be in big trouble if power grids went down or nuclear war occured? And if the shit really did hit the fan, where would you go?

2. What is your opinion on global warming and/or the destruction of the natural environment by man?

3. Would you consider doing a series or episode about surviving being hunted by men or being put in a situation where you would encounter hostile humans?

Thanks Les.

Did you always play music as a kid? What would you rather do, make music or be Survivorman?

Leatherman or Gerber? (or other?) Which model?

Where was your favorite location that you filmed for an episode of Survivorman?

just wanted to say i saw you play the harmonica with blues traveler a few years ago at floydfest. fun festival, but highlight of my weekend for sure.

Have you ever considered bringing a fan along for one of your episodes?

Will you please bring a concert to East Tennessee or southern Appalachia? I was fortunate enough to meet you at smoky mountain knife works

If you only could share one thing with us regarding survival, what would be the number one thing you always need to know?

Hey Les I am a huge fan! I only have a couple questions. I was on a survival trip this past weekend, 25 miles 2 days total in a heavily wooded area. I noticed after around 18 miles that I had no strength or energy left and was really questioning my ability to finish the trek and get back to civilization and if not for sheer will alone I may not have. What exercises do you do to stop yourself from getting into these kind of situations? Also that night it was around 28 degrees outside. I had built a shelter and pretty much buried it in leafs but notices it was not holding any heat and even the wind was getting through a bit. In a dead wooded area such as that what tricks do you have for reflecting the heat into the shelter and getting the shelter to actually hold some of that heat in?

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Les, are there any places you simply will not go for a survival show? Realistic places I mean...clearly, the moon would be right out. But is there any places that people have suggested that you've said "ahhhhhhhhhh.........no" to?

1) How many cameras do you normally shoot with?

2) How big of a pain is it to set up the shots showing yourself approaching/departing an area (since you have to make the trip twice)?

3) Do you edit everything together according to a rough script outlining your ideas or do you just kind of wait to see what footage you come back with and improvise the cuts?

4) What's something you really wanted to get on camera but missed it for whatever reason?

5) What program do you use for editing?

1. What kind of music do you listen to lately?
2. Biggest scare while out filming survivor man?

What is the animal that you hate encountering the most?

1) Can you recommend a good survival training camp in the Kawartha's (or within 100K)?

2) If you were lost in northern Ontario and had nothing with you at all, and you had to choose one of these: Harmonica or Knife. Which would you choose?

3) If you had to be lost with one other person. Who would that be?

4) Name a book we should all read.

In a survival situation..would you rather fight 100 duck sized horses or 1 horse sized duck?

What was the most dangerous part of earth you trekked on?

Hey there Les!

Just wondering if you will be doing more Survivorman episodes in the future. I understand if you're not as excited about it as you were when it all started but it would be greatly appreciated! By the way, if you sweat, you die. :)

Hi Les Stroud! Thanks for the AMA, I am a huge fan of your show and I love what you represent and stand for. I wanted to ask you about your new show you have coming up that has to do with the Bigfoot hunting.

I listened to what you said about your experiences with Bigfoot encounters on the Joe Rogan Podcast and I honestly believe you're opinion of the Bigfoot theory (especially the Alaska primate story) considering your word as a survivalist in the wild has so much weight. Plus I agree that Bigfoot shows today are pretty lame and chase after anything that moves in the dark.

My question is, Why do you think you will be much more successful in finding evidence of Bigfoot or a small primate like group in the vast wild? Considering that you are only ONE person and you are looking for something we know little about.

What is the best way that a person can become knowledgeable enough in survival skills to go into the wilderness alone for a few days and feel moderately prepared?

Les, how was the experience being on Rogan's podcast? MORE SURVIVORMAN PLEASE!!! (are you listening networks???)

Thank you for doing this. I just wanted to say thanks for making such a great show and inspiring me to go outside more. I love watching your shows and then trying some of the tips/tricks used in an episode. My girlfriend and I love spending an evening together watching your shows, thank you.

What would you recommend to anyone wanting to get into bushcraft?

Hey Les, thanks for doing an AMA! My family and I love your show and music, and generally just think you are awesome.

For a question - what do you feel about the emerging combination of man and technology? Do you see the world running itself into the ground with it, or is it something that you feel will eventually help us in the end?

What would be your ideal setting/concept for a new survivorman / beyond survival be?

AH LES STROUD I LOVE YOU SO MUCH.

Ok, now that I have freaked out sufficiently I do have a real question:

How far do you really travel during surviorman? I would imagine it's probably 1/4 of the distance you could actually travel because of all the set up and take down of camera equipment.

Also, you are great at harmonica and thank you for that.

This interview was transcribed from an "ask me anything" question and answer session with Les Stroud conducted on Reddit on 2013-03-18. The Reddit AMA can be found here.