Seeking to expand my knowledge

E

EpO

Joined
Aug 22, 2005
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I'm by no means an expert in survival or in most wilderness skills. I've been camping, hunting, and fishing since I was very young and all of my knowledge comes from those experiences so I'm not totally ignorant on how to do some things. But I start fires with matches, bring my water, and always have a tent. As of late I decided to expand my knowledge and to be more prepared for the what if's. I know one of the best ways to learn is by doing, but I'd like to start with reading so I'm not starting something completely blind. So I'm looking for recommendations for what you have found to be the best
book(s) for things like, trapping/snaring, making shelter, making fire, etc... I've been out to Amazon and looking at their stuff, but I'd feel better hearing from you guys. Sorry for the long post, thanks for the help.
 
Start with the basics first. Cody Lundin has a great book called "98.6 the art of keeping your ass alive". It deals with kits and what you'll need for regulating your body temperature to avoid hypothermia and hyperthermia (exposure).
 
The SAS survival guide by John Wiseman is an indispensible source of valuable information regarding basic survival skills. It is an appropriate book for beginners. The information is correct and reliable, for the most part.

Also, read my post in this thread:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=373234

Spend time learning the skills. Do not simply read a "survival" manual and assume that you know how to build a trap or a shelter. Go outdoors and build the traps, build the shelters; do this again and again, experimenting with different materials. I cannot stress enough how important it is to memorize each process; only advance to the next concept when the first is ingrained in your mind. When you have sufficient experience with the basics, then move on to more focused principles.

Remember that nobody has ever mastered survival. It is a constant learning experience. Expect many failures.

And don't forget to take a knife.

TheSurvivalist
 
TheSurvivalist said:
Spend time learning the skills. Do not simply read a "survival" manual and assume that you know how to build a trap or a shelter. Go outdoors and build the traps, build the shelters; do this again and again, experimenting with different materials. I cannot stress enough how important it is to memorize each process; only advance to the next concept when the first is ingrained in your mind. When you have sufficient experience with the basics, then move on to more focused principles.
Click to expand...

The Fire Bow is a classic example. I must have read about twenty different articles on it before I tried. The first attempt was pathetic, back to the books, back outside for more samples of wood. Once learned though its a bit like a bike, you just 'know' if its going to work. The books tend to say, do this and blah blah blah. The simplest part of the Fire Bow (Or so I thought) was the bearing (Handhold) this was the most time consuming to perfect.
I have the SAS book, I think I will get Cody's though as the SAS is a little too broad.
 
tom brown's books cover the topics you mention, and quite well. there are other great books out there as well. i'd read as many different authors as you can, as they all have something to offer. some have different ways of doing the same thing, both of which work.
 
I would start with “The Complete Book of Outdoor Survival” by J. Wayne Fears a very good practical overview.

BTW, I would not recommend the Fears pocket guide, unless you are looking for very basic information.


Cody Lundin’s “98.6 Degrees - The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive!” is an excellent unconventional survival book that focuses on the most common perils of short term survival situations.


For info on survival kit building I would suggest “Build the Perfect Survival Kit” by John D. McCann.


These 3 are a pretty good start.


For broader scope reference I would suggest “Camping & Wilderness Survival” by Paul Tawrell


Along with the SAS guide and the U.S. Army and Air Force manuals (some of which are available on line).


You also should check out Doug Ritter’s excellent survival book reviews:

http://equippedtosurvive.com/books.htm




- Frank
 
I'll second the recommendation for Cody Lundin's book. Don't purchase the gear recommended by Cody right away. I did that, but then after reading recommendations from others I found myself buying other - better - gear.

In addition to the books listed, there is a lot of great information at http://www.equipped.org . Also check out their forum.
 
I would try john mcperson's wilderness living & survival or thomas elpels primitve living,self-sufficiency, and survival skills both are great books but video is really the best, you get to see how it works rather than just reading about it some of the ones I like are put out by Ron hood and his wife.
 
Thanks for all the help. I'm definately going to practice, but I wanted to start building a foundation. Thanks again, I can't wait to get started.

EpO
 
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