To be blunt, Im not a fan of Cody Lundin. I never read his books so I cant speak to them or the knowledge of his they contain. I can only speak towards my knowledge of him in the media such as news and television.

While The key to survival shows is showing unprepared experts (oxymoron) in survival situations to show just how "anyone" can survive with nothing, I Find the overall message Cody exudes with what he says in Dual Survival and his image to be harmful.

This goes above his barefoot and lack clothing image. In my opinion he comes off as "Having nothing to start with is better" on the show. Everything he states about himself feels very arrogant and condescending.

While I originally thought Dave was going to look like the extremist now it seems like Cody is. I believe it was suppose to come off as a balancing act between two opposite extremists in the same field but now it just feels like Dave is the normal preparist and Cody is the Wacky Extremist.

We Have already seen People attempt to Copycat previous Survivalist shows and more often then not sadly perish, Would it be crazy to say we may start seeing people attempt to copy cat Cody and venture off with even less on them removing shoes and long/warm clothing as well?

I'd be pretty surprised if Cody has convinced the lemmings to march en masse, and barefoot, off a cliff. Dual Survival is "Big Time Wrestling" and he's been very clear about that in interviews. I have read his books, and one of my best friends trained with him for several months in the Arizona desert. I can promise you he really knows his sh!t.

I also lean more towards Dave philosophy than Cody's but Cody has made it very clear , repeatedly, that he doesn't expect others to do what he does. He said that he trained himself for years to go barefoot and it is not something others should simply follow. So, IMHO, he has done his part.

What I saw in Dual survival is that it was Dave who saved the day repeatedly. While I am even less courageou than Cody, but he showed reluctance several times, when it was necessary to climb down a liff or such high risk situation. It was Dave who assured him and convinced him to go ahead. THAT IS what I noticed in Dual survival.

In addition, I noticed Cody's passive gatherer attitude when it comes to food, which I prefer ( I have a soft heart and couldn't kill a chiken ) but still I didn't like Cody ... err.. going too far eating bugs & worms ..etc. even if substitutes maybe available. He was so undescrimiating that sometimes he does tasteless stuff. One time he sucked water out of his wet socks although better water was available with Dave !! I didn't like that.

I do respect both gentlemen. And sorta understand each one's philosophy. I think

I'd love to go on one of Cody's courses. His books are great and he clearly has a lot of wisdom to share. I appreciate his cautious approach and his improvising, make the most of what you've got available in the smartest way possible attitude. Especially as a Scout Leader and mom, I do have a hard time with "Do as I say, not as I do" though. His message can get quickly lost when he delivers it in a Nova Scotia sea-side winter wearing shorts and wool socks.

Like any TV production, the survivalist shows need to attract and hold an audience. They are therefor e trying to entertain, not instruct. The situations are obviously contrived, and highly unrealistic.

I think it would be interesting if reality TV tried to do a reasonably realistic series about a volunteer search and rescue group. I hesitate to even consider that, because they would probably foul it up royally.

I thought Cody Lundin's books were well done. On his website, he talks about the "Dual Survival" show and that viewers should beware:

http://www.codylundin.com/survive_tv.html

It's just a TV show. Entertaining and bringing back viewers is goal #1,2,3. I personally don't have a problem with Cody's personality (and I liked his When All Hell Breaks Loose book), but many/most TV shows with more than one cast member need an unlikable character. People like to dislike people on TV or like to see some friction on-screen. Actually, I'm sure there are plenty of people who dislike Dave and like Cody. At times, I get annoyed by Dave's disparaging attitude toward Cody.

Cody is an expert on aboriginal culture and primitive living. It's not surprising that his approach seems "extreme" but that's probably because his paradigm of "normal" out in the bush is not the same as ours. It may not come out in the show, but to me, Cody is more about living in the bush while Dave is more about surviving the bush and getting back to civilization.

I'm slowly building a little website that is a directory of survival schools. During this process, it quickly became clear that there are two distinct "schools of thought".

One focuses on primitive skills, oriented somewhat more towards the art and enjoyment of mastering those skills. They tend to pay less attention to what one should carry other than perhaps a knife.

The other is more oriented towards modern techniques and equipment.

Natuarally there is much overlap and either type of school will better equip you to survive.

wow. all of you have really provided some well thought out conclusions on Cody. I'm not saying that snarky or sarcastic. Seriously, they are all very well put.

I like Cody. I've read his books many times. I have bought and given away at least a dozen of his 98.6* book to first time prepper/ want to become EDC types. There is great humor in his books that is not seen in his on-screen personality. I have met Cody as well, when we were both in our local REI. (He lives in N. Arizona, me Phoenix area). I admit it was years ago and I geeked over him, showed him my EDC that was based quite a lot on his book and he couldn't have been nicer, more humble or pleasant. Yes he was barefoot.

I find his written works impressive, and I find the show mostly enjoyable. For myself, good footwear is one of the foundations of being appropriately equipped to survive. I'm a lot more likely to be ready for the environment in that and other ways than the character he plays in Dual Survival is.