Book on survival skills, bushcraft and backpacking

stockman242

stockman242

Joined
Jan 14, 2008
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I've been lurking in this part of the woods for quite a while, and posted in some picture threads.
Now I'm lookin' for good books on survival skills, bushcraft and backpacking, especially with good illustrations, since a picture says more than a thousand words.
I tried the google search already, but didnt find much.
I'm sure some of you know what books give a good overview on the topics.

Thanks a lot
Peter
 
I think I have a few recomendations!

Don't mind the Spanish books.
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-RB
 
I hope bear can be convinced to post one or two of those suggestions, was thinking about starting a thread like this myself. I need some recreational reading to get a break from very dry reading for school, like OECD testing codes.

Ack, didn't see bear's pic load last time...
 
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My favorite one is Primitive Living, Self Sufficiency and Survival Skills, by Thomas J. Elpel.

It's slightly narrow in scope, being that it focuses mainly on primitive skills rather than more modern aspects of the outdoors, but it's been the most useful book I've read so far.
 
I did this search/query a little while ago, here are a few i decided to start off with:

Bushcraft - Mors Kochanski
98.6 Degrees - Cody Lundin
Ultimate Guide to Wilderness Living - John and Geri McPherson
SAS Survival Handbook - John Wiseman


and a few others on the wishlist right now:

Bushcraft - Richard Graves (available online I believe)
Camping and Woodcraft - Horace Kephart
How to survive anywhere - Christopher Nyerges
Outdoor Survival Skills - Larry Dean Olsen
Roon Hood videos
How to stay alive in the woods - Bradford Angier (ah! Tony reminded me of this one with his pic)
 
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Thanks a lot guys, the way these responses came within 20minutes, I think I'll stick around. :D
Great forum. :thumbup:

I'll start hunting for some of them. I already have Map&Compass, clad its a good one - thought so myself.

peter
 
I also recommend Lundin's 98.6 Degrees. The book is based on the "typical survival situation", as opposed to primitive living, so you won't find much in the way of info on finding food, building shelters, tracking, etc. However, you will find a wealth of info on survival kits and the survival mentality. IMHO, it's a great book.

All the best,

- Mike
 
Big +1 for Mors Kochanski's "Bushcraft"

I've got a few books on the subject, and this is my favorite. It's not so much "hardcore survival" as it is full of very practical and handy information on how to properly and efficiently set up camp/fires, use your knife, axe and saw, and uses for common plants/trees of the northern forest. Not to mention plenty of other stuff.

I've found that I apply more knowledge I've learned out of this book than the rest of them. Which isnt to say I wouldnt recommend any other ones, this would just be my first pick.
 
To begin with, I highly recommend; Bushcraft, Outdoor Skills And Wilderness Survival, by Mors Kochanski. The book has lots of great illustrations and covers the basics pretty well. I have used portions of this book in my own classes in the past.
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I have a ton of books on backpacking, too. Most have material that is usually worth gleaning (take nothing as "gospel" until it works for you). However, we mostly use ultra-light equipment these days in which many of the backpacking books don't address very well...or at all. We have backpacked many of the major trails around the globe, over the decades, and seriously need to write our own book on the topic. :) I can recommend (for fair and balanced news); Beyond Backpacking, Guide To Lightweight Hiking, by Ray Jardine. I know Ray and have used many of his methods (mixed with mine) throughout the years and they work just dandy for "thru-hiking" or long-distance backpacking. If you backpack with family, kids, and dogs, there are many good backpacking books out there that deal specifically with this in mind.
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I will add one more to the pile here (trying not to duplicate what others have listed).
How To Survive Anywhere, A guide for Urban, Suburban, Rural, and Wilderness Environments, by Christopher Nyerges. I like this little book for a number of reasons that most other books on the subject leave out.
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stockman242 said:
I've been lurking in this part of the woods for quite a while, and posted in some picture threads.
Now I'm lookin' for good books on survival skills, bushcraft and backpacking, especially with good illustrations, since a picture says more than a thousand words.
I tried the google search already, but didnt find much.
I'm sure some of you know what books give a good overview on the topics.

Thanks a lot
Peter
Click to expand...

Illustrations are powerful, videos can be even more so.
Chris Janowsky (no longer living) of the World Survival Institute,
had some good videos. Have yet to see Ron Hood vids except
what is on youtube.

Beware of the bush-craft traps; try to build them yourself.
Figure-4 needs detailed trigger. Spring poles can freeze in place,
if real cold weather moves in.

Many survival situations result from successive bad decisions.
Any drama or story that exercises your mind, will help.
With all it flaws, I love The Edge. Find the flaws or even
the believable mistakes that the characters make.

Since you live near some big mountains, realize that survival above
timberline can be very different than survival at lower altitudes.
You may need to learn both.

Good luck.
 
For the SAS Survival Guide (Pocket Book Size):

ISBN-13:978-0-06-084982-5
ISBN-10:0-06-08492-7
$7.95

I have the full sized version. It was a lot of effort for me to find the smaller pocket sized version. Hope this is helpful.
 
Dannyboy-Beyond Backpacking changed my life! Good one. I didn't want to be the one to post it since there are lots of light haters here.

-RB
 
All the books mentioned above are good some are great add Larry dean Olsen's "Outdoor Survival Skills" and you'd have a great library.
 
Thanks a lot, now I'll get me a hot toddy and start reading. :thumbup:
The Backpacker's Field Manual, and How to stay alive in the woods should get here shortly.

Peter
 
bearthedog said:
Dannyboy-Beyond Backpacking changed my life! Good one. I didn't want to be the one to post it since there are lots of light haters here.

-RB
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Excellent, bearthedog! Yes, other than on some backpacking forums, "ultra-light" is not widely understood on many other types of outdoor forums - especially on some of the survival type forums where excessive emphasis is put on equipment, rather than on "skill." My group travels far and fast, and most of us are not youngsters anymore so, ultra-light is the safest, most comfortable and efficient means of travel. Like Ray, we use the same basic equipment around the planet and, will only make slight changes when the environment demands such (cold!). :)
 
Dannyboy Leather said:
Excellent, bearthedog! Yes, other than on some backpacking forums, "ultra-light" is not widely understood on many other types of outdoor forums - especially on some of the survival type forums where excessive emphasis is put on equipment, rather than on "skill." My group travels far and fast, and most of us are not youngsters anymore so, ultra-light is the safest, most comfortable and efficient means of travel. Like Ray, we use the same basic equipment around the planet and, will only make slight changes when the environment demands such (cold!). :)
Click to expand...

100% correct. It is great for those with knee and back problems. I am just as active in the SUL Backpacking community so I keep that stuff over on Backpackinglight and whiteblaze.

-RB
 
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