Need help What Who makes the best SURVIVAL book

[Bigd6943]

So I need to get a good survival book the time is near. I'm going to boarders or barns. I'm looking for a book that helps with survival in the Woods and Urban survival.

What to do?
What kit or kits to have at the ready?
Who to and what to kill?
what to eat?
Traps, fire, shelters?

Pictures would be helpful.

Thanks
Donovan

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[Boats]

I hardly think one book covers all of that in great detail, but two I enjoy are these:

The SAS Survival Guide by John "Lofty" Wiseman because it has a lot crammed into it along with illustrations and some color plate plant guides.

When All H.E.L.L. (Stupid censoring software), Breaks Loose by Cody Lundin. A serious yet funny read on SHTF, bug out bags, dealing with Grandma's corpse, how to prepare rat fricassee, with an urban emphasis by a survival school instructor who is most famous for not using much gear at all. Dude should have his own TV show. Book is full of illustrations along with some color photos.

Neither book is going to have much on guns, only to mention in passing that generally having one beats not having one.

 

[MuddyWatters]

This one's not bad, When All **** Breaks Loose: Stuff You Need To Survive When Disaster Strikes.

http://www.amazon.com/When-All-****...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267466397&sr=8-1

 

[MuddyWatters]

Wow. It won't allow me to type H.E. Double hockey sticks!

 

[The Cheese]

+1 on the SAS manual. Lots of good stuff in there.

If you are looking for woods stuff, Tom Brown's "Field" Guides are not bad. A little preachy at times, but not bad. But they are not a true field guide, as in I wouldn't take one of these books into the woods as the ones I have are printed on cheap paper and would fall apart rather quickly. But they have lots of good info.

Really though, you will want several different manuals and books. Helps with the over all perspective. Might want to also consider getting some wild foods and foraging books as well. lots to eat out there, just gotta know where to look.

 

[Sun195]

I agree - the "When all H#ll Breaks Loose" book is a good bet. I find the illustrations/humor to get a little tiresome, but it has a lot of good, solid information.

One book isn't going to cover it all, and reading a book isn't going to make you a survival expert. However, it's a place to start. Just thinking about this stuff probably puts you ahead of 95% of your fellow citizen when disaster strikes.

 

[Wheeler44]

I recommend a book called "Deep Survival" by Laurence Gonzales..It's subtitled; Who lives, Who dies, and Why.....

As the others have mentioned, there ain't a book out there that'll take ya from zero to survivin' in one readin'......That'll take an encyclopedia ......

This book is a very good place to start and also to revisit while thinking about such things....

In it, the author explains in detail the physical process that we go through when different stressors present themselves and the physiological and psychological solutions to the subtitles questions...

W44

 

[nixuser]

check out these sites
http://survivalblog.com/
http://ferfal.blogspot.com/2008/10/thoughts-on-urban-survival-2005.html
<broken link removed>

 

[SSG]

It seems most of these books all have a 'head for the hills, live off the land' type of bent...

Seems we can do better then that...maybe head for a beach somewhere...watch it all go down on the big screen vs living off of bugs like Bear Grylls.

 

[JesterTac]

"Surviving the Economic Collapse" by "Ferfal" (his blog was mentioned a few posts before).

http://ferfal.blogspot.com/

A very good book for planning food stores and other survivalist related topics is "Dare to Prepare" by Holly Deyo.

http://www.standeyo-cart.com/

If you want to head for the hills you will need much more than books. You will need prior planning, resources and extensive skill. Books like Cody Lundeen's, might be a good place to start. 99% of the time, an individual with this as a plan will end up a refugee in very short order--instead of a survivor.

http://www.alpharubicon.com/prepinfo/themainmessage.htm

 

[nixuser]

this site might help
<broken link removed>
and this one
http://survivalblog.com/

 

[Oohrah]

No clue if they are in print, but a So. Oregon man no longer with us, by the name of Mel Tappan had two books entitled "Survival Guns" and "Survival" He wrote monthly articles in Guns and Ammo magazine back in the 70 and early 80s. If you need to have a how to book and plan on living off the land, don't!
You will never make it. Chances are food including plants will be limited, and a great deal of energy consumed. Grouping with like minded, with some supplies and various talents would be a consideration. Not too many are survival trained with the exception of a few special force/ recon service type.
Also if you do not live in a low density population. there is the dangers of travel to where there is some type of food availability of plant or animals in a abundance.

 

[FriendOfEvanWilliams]

+1 on the SAS manual. Lots of good stuff in there.

If you are looking for woods stuff, Tom Brown's "Field" Guides are not bad. A little preachy at times, but not bad. But they are not a true field guide, as in I wouldn't take one of these books into the woods as the ones I have are printed on cheap paper and would fall apart rather quickly. But they have lots of good info.

Really though, you will want several different manuals and books. Helps with the over all perspective. Might want to also consider getting some wild foods and foraging books as well. lots to eat out there, just gotta know where to look.

+1 Tom Brown

 

[Just Jim]

How to Survive the End of the world as we know it by James Wesley Rawles. Buy extra copies for your friends at Christmas time.

jj

 

[Gov't Mule]

This one's not bad, When All **** Breaks Loose: Stuff You Need To Survive When Disaster Strikes.

http://www.amazon.com/When-All-****...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267466397&sr=8-1

+2. Also recommended and written by Cody Lundin is '98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping Your *** Alive.'

There is nothing about "bugging out" in these books, it's all about bugging in. I would much rather take my chances with neighbors I know and trust than a bunch of armed, scared, and unprepared yahoos in the woods.

 

[aflineman]

There is no one book. Check a few out from the library, try out what they say in them; find out what works for you. Browse through the ones at the bookstore to see what is NOT a rehash of the rest, and also what you might think will work for you. The biggest thing is getting out and doing what is written in the books and see if they will apply for you.

 

[Oohrah]

That term of BUG OUT, as a Marine, flat turns my blood cold and put an atitude in my head. I recall hearing it being a part of terminology that someone in the Army used for retreating in the Korean era. A word slip instead of using the common newer term of bug out, the old Retreat by someone to a Marine named Chesty Puller who had a saggy battleline told the the questioning Army officer "Retreat ****, my men are attacking from a different direction" Bug outs or retreats are far more dangerous than having a plan to stand your ground. Once you retreat into unknown territory without a plan, or know the terrain you travel, or a clue to what you face, your chance of a good outcome in unfamiliar territory are not good at all.

 

[SSG]

Retreat by it's very definition means that either in attacking/or defending, a tactical movement to relinquish the assault/defense, is the right thing to do...to survive..

No point in standing point in your driveway...when Nuclear/bio fallout is on it's way...or sticking around to take on legions of chaingun mounted Humvees on thier way to imprison a populace under newly imposed martial law...

 

[simpleguy]

I just love the header.......it starts out like, "what's the best handgun to get".

My answer is, it's just like anything in life, pick a few of the well recommended books, check out Doug Ritter's Equipped to Survive website, he has a good list of reading materials, then when you are done reading, play around with some of the ideas.

As an example, my BOB was "done" once.........seriously, that's like a lady that has all the shoes she'll ever need, or the guy that has all the guns he wants. It's a work in progress. Some stuff I found out sucked, some stuff, though nice, too expensive to want to trash, it's all very personal, but rewarding.

 

[EZLivin]

"Surviving the Economic Collapse" by "Ferfal" (his blog was mentioned a few posts before).

Excellent book on urban survival. Best one I have read. A lot of the info is available on his blog, but consider purchasing the book so you have the hard copy.