Dual Survival "The Hippie and the Military Man"

There is a new show on Discovery Channel. It is called Dual Survival. Yes, it is yet, another survival show on TV but this one is unlike any other!

Two very different guys are supposed to try to survive together in various situations. Both are survival experts, but their approach is completely different. One is a barefoot hippie, who hasn't worn shoes or long pants in over 20 years, and the other is a tough military man who believes Mother Nature is his enemy. This is the recipe for this truly interesting and often comical show.

Cody Lundin (the hippie) is a minimalist and primitive skills expert. He repeatedly reminds viewers that he lives what he preaches and voices his concerns about what the modern way of life does to the environment. With his braided hair, a bandana, trademark shorts and barefoot, he almost looks like a Native American at first glance. He is soft-spoken and, because he is barefoot, does everything at a slightly slower pace. Speaking about his lack of footwear he says, "It forces me to slow down a bit and be in contact with the soil". He often grazes for food, collecting berries, grubs and anything that is edible. But make no mistake. This guy is no sissy. According to his bio on Discovery Channel's website, he is quite accomplished in his field and has even sold some best-selling books.

Dave Canterbury is a clean cut military man with a get-it-done attitude. He is tough, he is impatient and he is intense. A former Army sniper and SRT instructor, he is the one that actively hunts for meat and he is good at it. Dave turns a rope into a net, then turns the net into a backpack and shows off his military training. He is serious about his gear and cannot understand Cody's "hippie attitude".

Both men have a wealth of knowledge and they complement each other well.

However, watching the two of them can be quite hilarious. Cody Lundin's way of doing things often frustrates Dave Canterbury. Why won't he wear shoes? And why won't he wear long pants in the snow? He thinks it is "bush hippie crap".

On one episode Cody had draped a clear plastic tarp over the front of their shelter really close to the fire, Dave thought it was stupid. Cody explained to him how he had basically created a greenhouse type structure that would capture the heat from the fire keeping them extra warm. It was a smart move and after he finally went inside to lie down, a complaining Dave had to admit that it was the warmest winter shelter he had ever slept in.

Cody sometimes gets frustrated, too. After Dave had repeatedly left him behind to build a shelter, make fire and boil water, while he went out to hunt and set traps, Cody once made a remark about not wanting to be "the wife" in the situation. He wanted to bring home some meat as well. Unlike Dave's high energy approach, he used his patience and caught a large eel by making a fishing lure out of a sock.

Dual Survival is aimed at teaching survival and life skills and it is educational. Featuring Lundin as a minimalist and primitive skills expert and army-trained Canterbury taking different approaches to the same problems creates an interesting and informative show.

The thing that makes this TV show special, however, is the entertainment you get from watching Cody and Dave clash.

Sources:

Discovery Channel Dual Survival

http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/dual-survival/bios/