Rating: Summary: Great book! Review: Outstanding, well written book. Lots of useful information that you can actually use. I recommend it to anybody that spends any time in the wilderness.
Rating: Summary: Clear and Concise Review: Thie Wilderness Survival book put out by Davenport is a great book. The SAS Survival Guide is more exhaustive, but this concise book has all the essentials for survival, plus I trust the author, since he trained people to survive for a living. I have alot of respect for SERE instructors and all they do to help train our military for the worst case scenarios.I would recommend this book as a first book on wilderness survival, to anyone in the military, boy scouts, or anyone who is a member of one of those militias who own property in Montana.
Rating: Summary: excellent for its size Review: Thie Wilderness Survival book put out by Davenport is a great book. The SAS Survival Guide is more exhaustive, but this concise book has all the essentials for survival, plus I trust the author, since he trained people to survive for a living. I have alot of respect for SERE instructors and all they do to help train our military for the worst case scenarios. I would recommend this book as a first book on wilderness survival, to anyone in the military, boy scouts, or anyone who is a member of one of those militias who own property in Montana.
Rating: Summary: My Two Cents Review: This book provides alot of useful information, however I believe the author assumes a bit much as to what,if any, materials you would have on hand if your were lost. Alot of the information provided in the book on how to construct animal snares, shelters, etc requires that you have rope, and a tool to cut notches/wood. I think it would have been good to provide some info on how to make rope and tools for example. The other problem I had with this book is that some of the survival tips mentioned had many steps involved in the directions given, unless you had this book with you out in the woods or a photographic memory, your never going to remember half of the steps, especially if your lost, hurt, hungry.
Rating: Summary: Great book! Review: This is a no nonsense book on adapting and surviving in the wilderness. A former Air Force SERE instructor, Davenport breaks survival down to its basic essentials (personal protection, sustenance, signaling, travel, and health), teaching the reader to evaluate his/her situation, prioritize needs, and take life-saving action. Many survival books are just a catalog of exotic skills, poorly illustrated, and giving the reader no clear idea of how or when to employ them. I liked this book because it follows the KISS approach--surviving is 90% common sense. The other 10 is the ability to apply basic skills, which the book clearly details. If I were going to carry one survival manual with me into the bush, it would be this one.
Rating: Summary: like a textbook, materials not included Review: This is aninformative read on how to survive while apart from all of our societal comforts. The diagrams, while somewhat crude, are helpful in identifying exactly what Davenport is talking about in his descriptions. My largest qualm is that what he writes nearly necessitates being prepared for the unforseen via many of the materials needed for your wilderness survival experience. That being the case, make sure you back a flameless lighter, a lightweight and weather ready sleeping bag (or bivy tent), and some flares instead - it's a lot easier that way. A lot of help is provided in food identification and fuel, but if you've any measure of great sense while lost then you just die to your fears and eat the bugs, right? In any case, it's a quasi-interesting read that reminds you to "be prepared" for the unexpected.
Rating: Summary: the "how to" is important Review: While I agree with a previous post that Larry Dean Olson's book is a good read, realize that it is a primitive living book not a survival book. And yes, there are many books with similar information to what you'll find in this text... however, there is a distinct difference between them and Davenport's book. His book is the most COMPLETE document on wilderness SURVIVAL I have seen and his step by step guidance set it up as the most user friendly book available. An excellent book and well worth the money spent. If you are interested in wilderness living, check out Mr. Davenport's second book "Wilderness Living." I just started it.
Rating: Summary: A tired rehash of Air Force survival skills Review: While I liked the general layout of Mr. Davenport's book, In general it looked like a tired rehash of the U.S. Air Force survival manual to me. To be sure Mr. Davenport added some personal bits of information related to his experience but all in all I don't think that these added much to the information. It is a very workman like piece but I prefer the works by Thomas Elpel and the McPhearson's as they carry the detail and skills of people who really do know the wilderness. This is proably a good book for someone who has to choose a book with basic skills although the actual AF manual would be less expensive and more instructional.
Rating: Summary: Good Basics but lacks detail Review: While the author does go into detail about numerous topics and informs the reader about what is necessary to survive. What I think the books lacks is the detail necessary on all of the major topics. An example would be that he describes how to build a leanto for shelter, but doesn't go into detail on how to tie the structural members together. He just tells you that you need to tie them together. What if you don't have a shoelace to use? What other alternates are there? This book would be great for a teenager who goes camping and may need to build a fire, but it's not enough for the serious camper.
Rating: Summary: Finally a book that focuses on wilderness survival Review: Wilderness survival and wilderness living are not the same thing!!! Like the previous reviewers - I have read most of the survival books on the market and I agree that this is hands down the best one out there. It covers all aspects of survival: 1. personal protection (clothing, shelter, fire) 2. signaling 3. sustenance (water and food) 4. travel (using a map and compass) 5. health (psychological stress, traumatic and environmental injuries) I agree with a previous post -- its navigation chapter is the best I have seen and has really helped me master this skill. In addition, Greg Davenport's medical experience is apparent - his health section is by far the best I have seen in a book related to wilderness survival... In a time when most survival books are actually about living in the wilderness ... it is good to find a book that focused on teaching the skills needed for those who play and work in the wilderness... I look forward to reading Mr. Davenport's newest book -- Wilderness Living -- which does focus on wilderness living skills.
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