By being prepared, you do away with the nagging sense in the back of your head of ‘What would I do if?’ It just frees you up. I want people to have that liberated, swaggering feeling outside.
— Steven Rinella
Steven Rinella (@MeatEater, @StevenRinella) is the host of the Netflix Originals series MeatEater and The MeatEater Podcast. He’s also the author of seven books dealing with wildlife, conservation, hunting, fishing, and wild foods, including his newest, The MeatEater Guide to Wilderness Skills and Survival.
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The transcript of this episode can be found here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.
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What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…
Want to hear Steven’s round one episode? Listen to this conversation in which we discuss how Steven got me to overcome my lifetime aversion to hunting, why the conservation-minded non-hunting crowd should care about the decline in hunting and fishing license sales in the United States, the politics of reintroducing predator species to popular hunting grounds, close encounters of the grizzly kind, and much more.
SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE
- Connect with Steven Rinella:
Website | Facebook | Instagram: @MeatEater / @StevenRinella
- The MeatEater Guide to Wilderness Skills and Survival by Steven Rinella (December 2020)
- MeatEater | Netflix
- The MeatEater Podcast
- Steven Rinella on Hunting (and Why You Should Care), Reconnecting with Nature, Favorite Trips, and More | The Tim Ferriss Show #470
- Extreme Cold and the Perplexing Case of Paradoxical Undressing | Digital Dying
- The Differences Between Mammoths & Elephants | Sciencing
- Wilderness Survival Rules of 3: Air, Shelter, Water, & Food | Backcountry Chronicles
- NRS Pick-of-Life Ice Awls | Amazon
- Coming into the Country by John McPhee
- Annals of the Former World by John McPhee
- The Geology of Mount Everest | LiveAbout
- GPS Map Apps for Hunters and Off-Road Enthusiasts | onX
- inReach Satellite Communication | Garmin
- Hiking Trail Maps, Hunting Units, 4×4 Offroad App | Gaia GPS
- Google Earth
- DEET Is the Most Effective Bug Spray. But Is It Safe? | Time
- Ten Years Ago, Kim Family Endured Wilderness Tragedy | The News-Review
- Garmin Earthmate GPS Navigation App
- Is a Bowie Knife a Good Survival Knife: Everything You Need to Know. | Rogue Survival
- Outdoor Research Backcountry Organizer | Amazon
- Dyneema
- How to Make a Fire with Cotton Balls and Vaseline | The Oregonian
- How Volcanic Ash Can Bring Down an Airplane | The Verge
- There’s No Place As Beautiful As The Frank Church Wilderness In Idaho | Only In Your State
- Mad Max | Prime Video
- The Road by Cormac McCarthy
- How To Start A Fire With A Bow Drill: The Art of Fire | Penguin Books UK
- Synergy Series Organizer Bags | FHF Gear
- Leatherman Wave Plus Multitool | Amazon
- Benchmade Bugout 535 EDC Manual Open Folding Knife | Amazon
- Splinter Tweezers | Amazon
- Rambo: First Blood | Prime Video
- Confiscated Items at Ketchikan Airport | Steven Rinella, Instagram
- Nalgene Water Bottles | Amazon
- MSR Dromedary Bag Water Reservoir, 6-Liter | Amazon
- Water Purification Tablets (20 Pack) Chlorine Dioxide | Aquamira
- Steripen | Katadyn
- Water Pump Filters | Katadyn
- Swiss Safe Emergency Mylar Thermal Blankets (4-Pack) | Amazon
- F-150 Truck | Ford
- Truck Bed Tool Boxes & Organizers and Cargo Van Storage System | Decked
- 10 Reasons to Add Glow Sticks to Your Survival Kit | Backdoor Survival
- US GI Military Original Issue E-Tool | Amazon
- 10 Best Alcohol Stoves for Ultralight Backpacking | Greenbelly
- Ghillie Suits | Amazon
- A Love Affair with Freeze-Dried Food | Steven Rinella, Outside Online
- OFD Foods (Formerly Oregon Freeze Dry)
- Freeze Dried Food | Mountain House
- Backpacking Food, Meals for Adventuring | Heather’s Choice
- Peak Refuel
- Dehydrated Vs. Freeze Dried Food: What’s Best? | Off the Grid News
- Long-Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) | Military Wiki
- An Introduction to the Maillard Reaction: The Science of Browning, Aroma, and Flavor | Serious Eats
- A Space-Age Food Product Cultivated by the Incas | The New York Times
- Children of Llullaillaco | Wikipedia
- Museum of High Altitude Archaeology | Salta, Argentina
- The Ring | Prime Video
- Crampons | Wikipedia
- The Macushi: The Guyana Tribe in Search of a Lost Identity | BBC News
SHOW NOTES
- Survival fantasy versus survival reality and common misperceptions. [06:07]
- What is paradoxical undressing, and is it as risque as it sounds? [08:42]
- What are some of the ways you can buy yourself a margin of safety when you’re facing the wilderness and its elements? [15:20]
- Practical uses for onX, inReach, and other GPS systems when you need to navigate your way into and out of the middle of nowhere, make emergency contact with the outside world, or just meander around a new neighborhood without accidentally trespassing on someone’s property. [17:21]
- Essentials on which Steven relies–in a variety of circumstances–that less seasoned adventurers might forget (or just not know) to pack. [30:06]
- What is Steven’s preferred multi-tool? [44:35]
- Recommendations for securing water in different types of terrain. [50:24]
- Items people should always have in their cars — whether they’re going camping, visiting relatives a few hours away, or just commuting to the other side of town. [1:00:46]
- Why you should be prepared to source your own water — even if you live in a major metropolitan area where finding it isn’t something you’re used to thinking about. [1:08:19]
- Not just for astronauts and infantry: Steven explains the good, the bad, and the ugly behind the space-age miracle of freeze dried food. [1:11:31]
- Something you can try at home: an incidental steak-searing trick requiring only a common household freezer. [1:19:38]
- What the Inca knew about keeping potatoes and human sacrifices intact with their own version of freeze drying circa 1490. [1:20:20]
- What does Steven hope and feel the psychological benefits will be for readers of The MeatEater Guide to Wilderness Skills and Survival? [1:24:10]
- Even if Steven were otherwise rational to a cyborg level of efficiency, what seemingly non-rational practice would he still bring with him into the wilderness (even at the risk of being ridiculed by others)? [1:27:32]
- In a life so far filled with adventures aplenty, what still remains on Steven’s bucket list? [1:30:55]
- Parting thoughts. [1:32:47]
PEOPLE MENTIONED
The Tim Ferriss Show is one of the most popular podcasts in the world with more than 900 million downloads. It has been selected for "Best of Apple Podcasts" three times, it is often the #1 interview podcast across all of Apple Podcasts, and it's been ranked #1 out of 400,000+ podcasts on many occasions. To listen to any of the past episodes for free, check out this page.
Well, that clearly blew folks socks clean off, judging by the number of comments………
I actually thoroughly enjoyed it, and would love to hear a great deal more of this kind of thing.
Particularly liked the bit about using candles or alcohol burners, due to them not producing CO. Never occurred to me, despite this being my kind of thing.
Many thanks for the entertainment.
Cant wait to listen to this… But, couldn’t find the best channel to recommend a guest. I would absolutely love to har Dan Inosanto interviewed. A martial arts legend and historical guru; this man has so much to share, and I would love to hear you pull some info out of him.
Know your busy always, but I appreciate your time. Give him a google, he’s worth it.
I’ve been to several of his seminars and he brings up Guns, Germs and Steel often; seems like your kind of guy.
Happy holidays.
Hi Tim,
How do you think, what are some of the best Bachelor of Science degrees to start your own company in the 4-hour way in the future?
I would love for Lyme Disease education to be a part of these outdoor conversions. My best friend just died from it, [Moderator: Facebook link removed due to policy but with compassion.], and I know that Tim has battled with it too.
Thanks for making great content Tim!
Hi Tim,
Thanks for continually offering content that gives people the knowledge tools to tackle everything life throws at them.
This podcast reminded me of a potential interview that others may find useful.
Tim Larkin from Target Focus Training could be a very helpful interview. Many of the people who listen to your blog aren’t sitting in a comfy office somewhere. We are traveling (except for right now with COVID), and are going to be in potentially dangerous situations.
For 8 years I worked in the very violent Zulu townships of South Africa. When I got my hands on some DVDs from Target Focus Training, it changed my life. Learning the simple, yet deadly method of self-defense was like learning how to swim. I no longer wondered what I would do if I fell into a violent situation, I knew exactly what to do. The one time that someone did attack, he was incapacitated in less than 5 seconds. Knowing how to use our body as a weapon equips every world traveler with the knowledge they need to survive and thrive in a crazy world. That confidence changes everything.
Keep up the great work!
Kyle