An old survival instructor once told a group of us, "Never put yourself willingly into a survival situation". That truly makes sense and I have always remembered that statement. Learn the skills, practice the science and do so in a controlled situation.

While it is wise to learn primitive fire making, living off the land skills, shelter building and so on, you should practice those skills in a controlled environment. Take camping gear and practice survival skills safely. Never count completely on surviving with minimums, some of the best would fail in certain conditions. In Desert Storm an entire small SAS team died of hypothermia in Iraq. Strong, fit and well trained soldiers. No one is immune to weather and/or circumstances.

I really hate to see Les Stroud getting negative press over this persons lack of respect for the wilderness. I believe Les has always stressed safety, training and experience as a critical element of his survival portrayal on the Survivorman series.

On the other hand Bear Grylls makes taking risks seem "normal" for surviving the wilderness and it amazes me more people have not been hurt or killed trying to emulate his antics. Maybe they spend night in a local resort just like Bear does!

Sorry to hear about Mr. Code. He was doing something he loved, perhaps not the right way but he was trying and probably gave it his best shot. Keep in mind, not everyone can afford a bunch of the somewhat expensive survival training, which may drive him or her into risks while trying their self-learned skills. Just practice in a safer area, with more backup equipment and preferably not alone!