Catching Up with Cody Lundin: Survival Tips and His New Show
- Tawanda Jazz
- Aug 1
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 2
I had the chance to catch up with Cody Lundin, survival expert, star of the show Dual Survival, and all-around awesome guy. He answered a few questions from our readers, as well as gave us information on his new self-produced show, The Survival Show with Cody Lundin, now in its second season.
Q & A
1. Infectious disease experts, the World Health Organization, and a large percentage of the scientific community stress that there will be another deadly pandemic, most likely within the next 25 years. As an immunocompromised person, I now just wear a mask indoors as a rule, but what can we do to prepare ourselves for when the next pandemic hits?
This is a very, very large question that nobody could possibly answer with any certainty. Pathogens don’t care how much survival gear that you have buried in your backyard, how tough you think you are, or how much training a person has in self-reliant skills. With these and many other variables, they are very difficult to prepare for. Becoming more self-reliant always has benefits, so the more self-reliant a person can become, whatever that means for them, the better. This includes staying as healthy as possible so the body has as greater resistance to pathogens.
2. There's lots of information out there about how to survive natural disasters, pandemics, civil unrest and other occurrences, but most of the material assumes that the people trying to survive are homeowners. How can people who live in apartments, vans or RVs increase their self-reliance and preparedness?
Where someone lives does not change what the body needs to survive. We all basically have the same requirements that are needed to keep a body alive, and we all know what they are. One of the main issues is convincing people to have some extra supplies on hand of things that keep the body alive, food, water, first-aid, and more. While an RV owner may have less space for stored supplies, they have the ability to move their house which might be what is required to live through an emergency. Everyone’s situation is different, which is one reason that I’m not a fan of the one-size-fits-all survival kit.
3. When first getting into survival and self-sufficiency, many people want to hone certain skills. Some learn bowhunting, some work on growing their own food, others walk long distances with a pack to increase endurance. What survival skills do you think that self-reliance-minded people should be learning and practicing on a regular basis?
They should learn what it takes for their physical bodies to survive and have that extra gear on hand (it’s the stuff we use every day), what the greatest threats to them are for wherever they live, to keep things simple, and if possible, to have a network of like-minded people as allies.
The Survival Show with Cody Lundin
In the past, Cody Lundin has appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America, NBC Dateline, USA Today, BBC, The Donny and Marie Show, CNN, The New York Times, and many others. He co-hosted and co-produced the hit TV show Dual Survival for four seasons.
Now, Lundin has his own survival show.
The Survival Show with Cody Lundin is the only parody/variety survival show, and the only survival show created, produced, and hosted by a real survival instructor. “I’ve wanted to create a survival show that gives viewers accurate information for years,” said Lundin, “while still holding a viewer’s attention. As teachers, that’s a challenge that we all face.” The show’s format – packed with skits, imagery, and humor – is designed to hold a viewer’s attention while imparting skills that could save lives. “I’ve taught survival skills for more than 30 years at my Aboriginal Living Skills School, and sometimes people need to be entertained to learn. My show does just that, without the TV network nonsense,” he said.
Lundin stated that the majority of survival shows on television are hosted by people who are not real survival instructors, and produced by executives who have no experience in outdoor survival skills or teaching experience. “The focus of survival training is your safety. An instructor’s field experience is critical, so this is a very dangerous combination for the viewer,” he said. “Getting bad information from a TV survival show could literally kill you or a loved one – and it has,” he added.
Set inside a 1970 Streamline travel trailer with green shag carpet, it’s clear from the start that The Survival Show with Cody Lundin is not your everyday survival show. “Viewers finally have a solid choice in survival programming that puts the viewer’s safety first. I’ve left the 'pee drinking' to the networks,” said Lundin.
