Outdoor/survival reading materials?

B

bushpilot

Joined
Jan 12, 2002
Messages
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Let me begin by saying I really have enjoyed reading each of the posts over the past couple of weeks. Since this is my first post I'd like to reach out for some information. I wanted to see what you guys are reading (outdoor related) in your spare time. While I firmly believe that books alone cannot provide you with the skills necessary to survive, I do feel that they give us a resource and a guide so that we each don't have to recreate the wheel even if we could. I stay in the woods as much as I can, but I'm also at home or in a hotel room a good bit as well. So for now anybody got a couple of favorites? Talk to you all soon.
 
ANYTHING BY TOM BROWN

RON HOOD VIDEOS WWW.SURVIVAL.COM

WILDERNESS WAY MAGAZINE

BACK HOME MAGAZINE

ANY OLD BOOK ON WILDERNESS SKILLS HAS DRAWINGS WHICH ILLUSTRATE THE BASICS


THE MOST IMPORTANT IS DOING THEM.

SORRY FOR THE CAPS
 
My two suggestions are:
SAS Survival Handbook by J.L. Wiseman (ISBN: 0006531407)
FM 21-76 US Army Survival Manual (ISBN: 1566190223 or 0760723141)
*note, they just put out a newer 2000 edition to update the previous 1992 ed.

The Hood's Woods series of videos are great too.
 
Bush Craft, by Mors Konchanski, or literally "anything" he has written. I second Lofty Wisemen's SAS manuel.
 
For some true survival style entertainment, try "Last of the Breed," by Louis L'Amour.

Manuals are great, but sometimes a bit boring. A real good set to have is Ron Hood's videos, accompanied by Greg Davenport's books for carry into the field where vcr's are a tad scarce.

Mike
 
Yes, Lofty's SAS Survival Manual is an excellent choice.

I also second FM 21-76, as it has photos instead of drawings for plants and animals and such. That would have to be my only complaint about the SAS Survival Manual.

As a side note, have any of you seen the condensed version of the SAS manual on large plastic cards ringed together? Seems like a cool idea. Waterproof and whatnot.
 
All of the books mentioned above are good, as is the large Air Force manual (which is at work and I can't remember the # just now).

Anyway, I was at Barnes and Nobles last week and saw the book "wilderness Medicine" by Mosby.

This has to be the most complete single source of information I have ever seen.

Unfortunately, at $179 it was a little (way) too rich for my blood.
 
Aside from just about any book I come across, I read "The Backwoodsman" magazine religiously.
 
another book of non-fiction is "into the wild" by jon krakauer

it is an excellent story about mistakes, preparedness and ideals.

also backwoodsman magazine is great.
 
In addition to the excellent suggestions, search for an out of print book called 'Bushcraft' by Robert H. Graves. Mr. Graves is an Australian, his background seems to be (not confirmed)Aussie SAS. This is an excellent book on wilderness skills, it also has some intriging 'improvised man traps' that are worth learning about. I found this small paperback book 20 years ago and wouldn't part with my copy for love or ruples. I can't believe it hasn't been reprinted. Keep your eyes peeled for a used copy.

A few other older book I'd recommend to anyone include 'Survival Guns' by Mel Tappan. Mr. Tappan passed away years ago, the book is somewhat out of date. But the concepts and advice are still sound. The works of Bradford Algier/Ragnar/Nessmuk and W. Ben Hunt are worth hunting down in libraries. W. Ben Hunt wrote many books aimed at boys, boy scouts 60-80 years ago. Amazing amount of useful information, excellent illustrations.
 
You might want to read "The Complete Book of Outdoor Survival" by J. Wayne Fears (ISBN 0-87341-849-2). This book is comprehensive, well written and illustrated. The toll free number for the publisher is 800-258-0929.
 
I would reccomend almost any book by W.Ben Hunt (how to of Indian lore ). alot of the information is simply how to make things or prepare wild game the way the American Indian did. Aslo the Foxfire series of books are very good They arent strictly survival but alot of the topics covered are applicable. The Foxfire series were created in the late 60s-early 70s. They are a series of interveiws with older people who had various skills. Here is a short list of some of the topics that I specifically remember. Fire place building ,Shake shingles, basket weaving , how to use a divining rod , moonshining, drying vedgtables,butchering a hog and making soap from the lard, alot of basic frontier skills that have been erased by our moderen conveninces. These should be some of the first books any self proclamed survivalist should read . Save Ragner Benson for later.
 
"How to Sh!t in the Woods" An Environmentally Sound Approach to a Lost Art ... by Kathleen Meyer (Great outhouse literature.)

And because I enjoyed it so much, I want to second the motion that everyone read:
"Last of the Breed" by Louis L'Amour. (Its not a cowboy story.)
 
I can't believe nobody has mentioned "Outdoor Survival Skills" by Larry Dean Olsen. I take it with me on almost all outdoor excursions. I'll walk past a whole shelf full of Tom Brown to get to Larry Dean Olsen. I even saw it pondered on this forum once that perhaps Larry Dean Olsen was the "Indian" mentor of Tom Brown. I dunno, but he's good regardless.

Siempre paz,
cv
 
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