Survival

Survival

2011, Nature  -    -  Playlist 30 Comments
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Ratings: 7.38/10 from 21 users.

SurvivalHis name is Michel Blomgren and his greatest interest is survival in the wilderness and primitive, but comfortable, outdoor life.

He has earlier shared his outdoor experiences and experiments through photographs and stories.

This engagement has now resulted in the making of a short movie series about survival with a documentary touch.

Episode 1 - Five Points Survival. I illustrate a person who get lost and at the same time go through my 5 points. The episode deals with immobilizing fear, our need for warmth & water, spruce roots as string, fire with fire steel, tinder, feather sticks & fire wood, spruce bows as a bed and smoke signal.

Episode 2 - Starvation. If it's something I maintain to that one can do without in a typical survival situation (shorter than a couple of weeks), it's food. In this episode I get out in nature to starve for one day while I also present my gear in (too much) detail. I also brought a blood glucose meter to measure my blood sugar level. It's revealed that spruce needle tea contains some amount of sugar (although small).

Episode 3 - Quest For The Stone. A short episode about fire making with a carbon steel knife, quartz and charred cloth. The episode also demonstrates how to boil water or cook food without a pot. The speech is now in English (or Swenglish rather).

Episode 4 - In The Cold of The Night. No shelter, no sleeping bag, no food, just a multitool, a traditional fire making kit, and some spare clothing... in other words: an ordinary weekend after work.

Episode 5 - Survival and Abseiling. Me and Johan Forsberg from Nordic Bushcraft starve in the forest during a weekend while attempting to move cross the terrain and abseil/rappel down mountain cliffs. It was rainy and Johan didn't bring a sleeping bag or a proper shelter. We brought very little food, but I still enjoyed the comfort of a bivybag, a sleeping bag, and a sleeping mat which made the night comfortable.

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Guest
Guest
9 years ago

Well done Ed, a truly fantastic achievement, if you’d been
permitted to shoot large game, you’d have gone the full term….I spent quite a few years in Vancouver and well remember going up to the Dew line…..breathtaking country.

I doubt if you’ll ever read this, but did it prompt thoughts of how people manage to survive in solitary confinement and the emotional effects
of loneliness? It did me....stay well.

Cheers….Geoff.

Jason Loewenstein
Jason Loewenstein
12 years ago

I really enjoyed these, thank you very much.

Elderkin
Elderkin
12 years ago

In Canada I have always drank water from any Brook/ Lake. I did'nt realize in Europe there was so much contamination.

Joeri Rouwen
Joeri Rouwen
12 years ago

First of all.. Great video's man! watched them after each other in one big breath. A shame we don't have nature of that kind here in Holland.

Second is more a reply to princesspatricia, I have to go with Neil on this one, Mankind created God and not vice verse. Its in the nature of human that he/she wants answers on certain things and mostly they cant give them themselves, so its easier to create some great force AS answer to all that questions. That has been done in all great times (remember that we use to worship different gods for different needs? What was the turning point to go on believe in one?) from the Aztecs to the Roman empire from the Indians to the Old Greeks and don't forget the Egyptians. All great empires that thought there where more Gods, well they created more gods just to satisfy their need for answers to their questions. The bible and all other religious books are not just more than a fairy tail, made up to ,again, give people answers to difficult questions in life that they can not explain. Nowadays we cant just deny the science that is given to us.

I will make three points:
1. The Earth was made by God in seven days?

The universe and all that's in it is created by a big bang and a fusion of different atoms and protons all going back billions of years.
It will take millions and millions of years to create a planet

2. The big Armageddon is comming! And it is happening because the disbelieve and sinning of people!

WRONG, it happens to earth EVERY some-billion year, they caused extinction to the dinosaurs and other species (maybe they had sin too). No, It is a recurring event caused by a track of meteors that are passing through our milky way.

3. When you die you will walk through a with bright light surrounding tunnel to heaven.

The white light you see is just an image that is send out, projected if you prefer, by our brain, triggered by the all natural process named death..

Science explains everything, believing in a god does not. I can go on resetting people all day, but is on to you whether you go on seeking your own answers and your own truth or you go on follow the lie like billions of people do.

And now I am sorry for your lack of awareness

Neil_deGrasse_Tyson
Neil_deGrasse_Tyson
12 years ago

princesspatricia, Im sorry about your close-mindedness and ignorance. GOD was created by man. GOD doesn't hold any answers. We have all the answers we're ever going to get.

princesspatricia
princesspatricia
12 years ago

What an amazing series of short films! Thought they were absolutely fantastic. The only downfall is the characters unawareness that everything of nature and being comes and was created by GOD. I truly do not understand how he could have been surrounded by all that life and beauty, not even once realizing the grace that was with him. Wonderful films....... Sorry about your Atheism and lack of awareness

ameriturds
ameriturds
13 years ago

Thanx for a great series! Mr Savage must have misunderstood the episodes (although subtitled..). This isn't a hardcore suvivalist series, but rather a pretty informal basic introduction. Also this is set in subarctic terrain, so good luck with the "machette" (it's "Machete" btw)! Big ups to Michel!

memory
memory
13 years ago

wow mr savage, huge post for nothing.
first, i believe this was made for total begginers (i guess that's why it explains everything so detailed) so they wouldn't freak out if they got lost - so the theory of not using man made fibres is a bit drastic. amatures who will maybe watch this episodes probably use those man made fibres, and "a real survival junky" would already be way ahead with the knowledge that was given here and supposed to recognize that these movies were not made for him.
i think it is very educational for an average man. teaches him not to panic and basics: how to start fire without burning the whole forrest, to drink purified water and to stay dry and warm as much as possible (and YES Eff - if you're going in the woods and you do not know your enviroment you should bring gps, or at least a map...what the hell are you doing in the woods without anything?!).
and for "real survival junkies" feel free to do your own doc mr savage. a "better" one.

thanks for the effort Michel. good job :)

helen
helen
13 years ago

Thanks for the info and the clips. I am aware it is firstly for Swedish peple and it's a 'first aid survival'. I agree there are many more ways to learn how to survive in the wilderness, but I like this one too. As about not being in English, we have to forgive the world for not being of English speakers 100%. We are humbled by other smart nations.

mr savage
mr savage
13 years ago

thanks to VLATKO for making this site one of the best on the net!

mr savage
mr savage
13 years ago

this guy sounds like he swallowed a millitary survival guide and its given him verbal dioreaha!
but seriously, top 5 important items for a kit list are:
1- machette
2- striker/mag glass/lighter/tinder etc
3- basha and cords
4- hide tool
5- metal pot
the most important thing is a prior knowledge of your envirnment and of the food sources available and the possible weather conditions you may face.
a real survival junky would not be seen dead wearing man made fibres! wool,leather,cotton,feathers,silk and felt are more suitable/practical than the stuff they sell in amature camping stores, just try drying man made fibres on a fire when its below zero one sides frozen stiff and the other halfs on fire! . also the stuations in these docs are our natural environment and we VERY succesfuly have been living in it for thousands of years. if you don't have the skills/knowledge to survive, equiptment won't save you. just about the only thing this guy has right is the idea that 'will to survive' is of key importance. i think if it came down to it you might just about survive using his methods/kit, but theres a lot more that can go wrong and it encourages an unhealthy mentalty in relying on technology and/or a rescue team. over all i give these docs a fair 2/5. i can respect what the guys trying to do and the scenery is beautiful, but i'd class this more as light entertainment than a true survival doc.
thanks to vladko for making this site one of the best on the net, zed.

Eff
Eff
13 years ago

SURVIVAL 101
Bring along a Swedish-English dictionary. I will remember to always bring along a GPS locater and a stainless steel pot... the next time I decide to get lost in the woods.

Hey Man! Where's the ZIPPO lighter. Screw the flint and steel crap...get serious this is Survival camping isn't it? Spruce Tea anyone? (and where's the closest McDonalds?)

Form the C
Form the C
13 years ago

Really meditative doc actually. Very cute survival interested guy.

Funkar alldeles utmärkt!;)

kain
kain
13 years ago

steve - its advisable in such situations to wash your feet in cold water before you try and sleep, they almost feel like there burning as they warm up lol.
i do understand what your saying still :)

grate docs, very likeable film maker, very straight forward docu's

thanks for the upload

Steve
Steve
14 years ago

Nice vids. Learned some useful stuff. Likeable film maker.

I disagree with his five points in his first video--that was certainly verified in his last video: perhaps the MOST important bit of survival gear is a good sleeping bag (certainly more important than first aid kit)! You CANNOT last long if you can't sleep, and you cannot sleep if you can't keep warm. FYI, there's actually a "circuit" in your brain that signals to warm your feet before you fall asleep--and if your feet do not warm up, you cannot fall asleep.

Grow
Grow
14 years ago

Episode 4. Interesting wording at the end. Totally agree with that, humanity within the modern city seems to act as if there is evolving but in reality the city life is blind, it is not in harmony with nature and will eventually collapse if harmony is not restored.

Great vids, well presented. Simple straight to the point and easy to understand. If the video quality was better these videos would be more appealing but for a one man job, very good indeed.

Great Effort! Thanks!

swede
swede
14 years ago

Lol, it's swedish, subtitled though.

needitinEnglish
needitinEnglish
14 years ago

You might want to note, that this is NOT in English.
Or, see if there's a version with subtitles.
THX