Tag: survival library

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Phillosoph

Survival Library: Chapter 8, John Wayne

Trivia: I share my birthday with John Wayne. Some years, a TV channel will schedule a day of his films. Good, unpretentious entertainment! That is me sorted for the day!
I once watched something where a character declares “I try not to have high expectations. I am, therefore, seldom disappointed. Occasionally, however, I am pleasantly surprised!”
John Wayne Bushcraft cover
That is not a bad philosophy, and I was reminded of this when I began to read “The Official John Wayne Handy Book of Bushcraft”.
This could be really bad, have hidden pearls, or just be a bit of a giggle.
Firstly, I will answer a question I usually save until the end of these reviews. This book should NOT be used as a primary survival guide. Some fields are omitted, others lack adequate detail.
Some of the content was useful. There is a section on dealing with a riptide, which is not a topic I have seen in many manuals,
Each section is only a few pages long, so I expect much of this content was originally an article in “The Official John Wayne Collector's Edition” magazine.
Many of the sections only deal with a single topic or subject, such as a single type of knot or a particular type of campfire. That works well for certain topics and is a presentation style I may experiment with.
In other places, the treatment of the topic is rather brief, and in a few places additional illustrations would have been useful. The latter is odd, since in general the book is quite well illustrated, both with drawings supporting the text and photos from Wayne’s films.

Tools

The book starts with a section on how to make a variety of tools using primitive means. No mention is made of the risk of silicosis from stone knapping. Improvise a nose and mouth covering when making stone tools. Eye protection, if you have it, is also prudent unless you are a big Rooster Cogburn fan.
Several places in the text you are told to hit the back of an axe or knife blade with a stick or stone. Do not use a stone! The technique is called “batoning” for a good reason.
If you made yourself a stone knife as suggested at the start of the book, hitting it with another stone will waste hours of your careful work!
The section on making a whistle was disappointing. Acorn cups may be quite hard to find in certain seasons and regions.
The section on making a bow shows the first finger hooked over the top of the arrow, which must result in considerable friction.
Correctly, the book advises that hunting with a sling requires a vast quantity of practice. Incorrectly, it says the weapon is also called a “slingshot”. [Wikipedia also gets this wrong!] Sling and slingshot are quite different weapons using quite different principles.

Knots

The chapter on knots deals with one knot per section.
In some of these sections more information on the application of such knots might have been useful.
For example, the Alpine Butterfly knot is covered, but no mention of the quick and handy way this may be tied.
The section on the half hitch actually shows two half hitches in the illustration.

Food and Water

The chapter on food and water mentions water tapping from trees, which some survival manuals neglect.
Distilling water using sun, a bottle and a soda can
The edibility test is described in detail, but no mention is made of prioritising the test for foods that are most abundant in the area.
There are sections on line and rod fishing and fish trapping, but no mention of night/trot lines. The latter section could have used some illustrations of various fish traps.
There is a section on “knife hunting” with a caution on how dangerous it will be and the high likelihood of injury.
Use the knife to cut a stick and make a spear. If in terrain where there are no sticks, you are unlikely to get close enough to use a knife, anyway.

Fire

The chapter on fire I thought was quite good. Some fire‑lighting techniques not often covered, with some useful illustrations.
Some discussion of various types of campfire. Uses for charcoal, and emphasis on properly extinguishing your fire.
Wet rocks in a fire may explode into fragments, not “shrapnel”, which is a different thing.
Using a bottle of water to light a fire
I would still recommend reading the fire discussions in Kephart and Northern Bushcraft, however.
There is a section on using a Mylar space blanket as a reflector for your fire. This is a legitimate application, but perhaps some mention should have been made that a higher priority use for such an item is waterproofing your shelter roof or wrapping yourself.

Shelter

The chapter on shelters was much less satisfactory. It starts with a description on how to cut down a tree because it may be where you want to make a camp! Camp somewhere else, yahoo!
You are told to hang a hammock using a figure eight knot, but no real explanation nor illustration.
Building a raised bed suggests using logs for the short side. Two long logs with shorter sticks between them seems far more practical.
There is a description on how to make a five foot diameter teepee. Not sure what for. I could not lay down in such a space, let alone someone John Wayne’s height!
One of the illustrations incorporates ideas such as using natural windbreaks such as rocks, but seems to show the bed laid perpendicular to the fire.
There is a lot about this chapter I feel could be improved.
One error that really has me scratching my head is that in several sections the authors describe shelters made with “poncho liners” when they clearly mean ponchos.
You would think a retired Green Beret and a SERE course graduate would know the difference.
You would think that the editorial staff of the magazine might have picked this error up.
You would think some of the readers of the magazine might have written in about this obvious error the first time it appeared.
To confuse a liner with a more external layer is itself a really bizarre mistake for native English speakers to make!
“Make a map” could have mentioned that birch bark or similar and charcoal could be used to make a portable map.
The section on tying a tourniquet talks about an overhand knot, but clearly shows either a reef/square knot or a pair of overhands.
Another objectionable section is the recommendation to shoot any snakes on sight!
You should not kill anything unless you have a legitimate reason. This saves ammunition, if nothing else.
As a later section notes, most snakes will not bother you if you leave them alone. If there is a danger of stepping on a snake, carry and use a walking staff.
At the end of the book is an advert for a survival training school where both authors work. The various points raised above do not really form a recommendation.
After finishing this book, I started browsing “The Official John Wayne Handy Book for Men”. This begins with some bushcraft information. I found this description of making a bow and arrows better written. Some of the other articles on the same topics are also superior.
It mucks up the illustration of how to identify the North Star, however.
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Phillosoph

Survival Library: Chapter 7, The Pocket Outdoor Survival Guide

Today’s review is for “The Pocket Outdoor Survival Guide” by J.Wayne Fears.
I had not planned for this to be the next review. I got looking at a copy and burned right through it.
One of the merits of this book is that it is highly digestible. I read through it in a single (admittedly extended) lunch break.
This book is written specifically for outdoorsmen who might become lost in the woods. The premise is that such individuals are most likely to be found within 72 hours of the search being initiated.

Preparation

The first few chapters, logically enough, deal with preparations before your trip to ensure that a search is conducted should you not return by an expected time.
Give an itinerary to a responsible individual [or better still, several!].
A similar account of your intentions might be placed in a plastic bag and left under the windscreen wiper of the vehicle you used to reach the woods. Give it a label such as “For Attention after 24th April…”
A list of useful advice to include is given, including giving the make and sole pattern of the footwear you are wearing, which will be useful to trackers.
Although not suggested in the book, this idea might be extended by including a photograph of your actual boot soles. (Putting a worn sock in for the tracker dogs may be going too far, however!)
There is a brief summary of how a search and rescue may be conducted. I found the version of this in “Desert Survival” better.
Later in the book, how to deal with a member of your group going missing is covered, which is a subject many books do not cover.

Survival Kit

The section on survival kit does show some originality and fresh thought. He advises that one prepares for three unexpected extra days to any trip.
Fears’ personal, “two pound” kit is given as:
◦ (Coghlan’s) Tube tent
◦ Strike-anywhere kitchen matches in waterproof match safe
◦ Flashlight
◦ Fire starters [hexamine fuel blocks?]
◦ Signal mirror [Star Flash]
◦ Police whistle [actually a Fox 40 is suggested in the text]
◦ MPI Emergency Space bag
◦ Parachute cord – 50'
◦ Aluminum foil – 36" x 36"
◦ Insect repellent [sachet]
◦ Water purification tablets
◦ Pocket Survival Guide [Fears’ book]
◦ First Aid Kit
◦ Gallon Ziplock bag.
These items are in addition to a belt knife, map and compass, GPS, water canteen, personal medication and cell phone/two-way radio.
How this kit is carried is not made clear, other than it is packed inside the gallon zip-lock bag, which may also be used as a water carrier. [I suggest you reinforce the seams with duct tape]
The bulk of the kit would suggest that it is in some form of daypack. Some emergency items are best carried on one’s person should the daypack and survivor part company. A lot of my basic kit is in my trouser pockets or on my trouser belt.
Coghlans Tube Tent emergency shelter
The somewhat misnamed “tube tent” is an item not often included in survival kit lists. It seems to be a reasonably priced and useful item.
There are variants that have silver Mylar lining, and/or doors at the end. The silver-lined versions should probably be turned silver-side out in desert conditions.
Since the plastic is impermeable, condensation in these tube tents may be an issue if there is not a flow of air. However, one would want to partially block the ends to reduce draughts on the sleeper(s).
Leaves or similar could be piled underneath for more padding and insulation when sleeping.
Drip-wicks added to the suspension cord are recommended.
Fears echoes my own view that an emergency is no time to rely on gadgets or primitive skills to provide you with fire.
Fears suggests replacing the matches often since they “have a short shelf life”. This is not a concern that I have seen in other books.
My kitchen drawer has matches that must be more than fifteen years old and that still light. Perhaps out in the damp woods it is different, but a match safe that is genuinely waterproof should have some influence.
As regular readers know, I prefer a butane lighter or two and some candles for no-nonsense fire lighting.
While the Star Flash mirror is recommended in the book, other items will serve just as well without the high price tag.
Water purification tablets and insect repellent are sound additions, although oddly he only packs a single sachet of insect repellent alongside a whole bottle of purification tablets.
A small bottle of insect repellent would last several nights, and be very welcome should your stay be extended. Some insect repellents may be used for fire-lighting, remember.
The space bag is like a Mylar space blanket, but a closed bag. These used to be fairly common, but nowadays it is hard to find anything except the foil blanket.
A space blanket or two is a good substitution, and a blanket is somewhat easier to vent.
Heavier foil lined bags with a green or orange outer are on sale. These resemble an All-Weather blanket I have carried one of the latter in my daysack for decades. The blanket configuration is probably more versatile. It can be made into a cloak against the rain, for example.
Fears’ suggestions for a personal pocket first aid kit are much more practical than those in some other publications. I would suggest adding some aspirin and alcohol wipes. Aspirin may be used to reduce inflammation, reduce a fever and reduce the symptoms of colds or flu. Used alcohol wipes may be used for tinder.
In accordance with the book’s basic premise, there is no attempt to teach the reader navigation.
Wandering around can greatly hinder the efforts of a search party.
Fears notes that topics such as navigation and first aid are better learnt on a course or by deeper study than can be provided by a book such as this.

STOP

STOP, as in “Sit, Think, Observe and Plan” is advocated for readers who become lost or encounter a similar emergency.
While other books have different translations of this acronym, it remains sound advice.
As I was once told, “Don’t just do something, sit there!”
This section works well with the later section on dealing with fear and panic.
There is also some lip-service paid to “will to live” and “positive attitude”, but no real practical advice on this topic.

Signalling

The section on signalling has some good advice, such as avoid noisy areas such as waterfalls if you intend to use your whistle. If static, I would see what objects around the camp may be used as improvised drums.
Instructions on how to use the signal mirror reproduce those on the back of the Star Flash (which neglects to mention that you should move your forward hand as you move the mirror to aim it in a new direction!)
There is also an illustration of someone lying on their back and using a mirror, with no explanation of why this is being done. See here and here for information on the use of heliographs. Using a Heligraph
Fears notes that a CD/DVD may be used as a reflector and already has a sighting hole. I am sceptical as to whether a sighting hole is really needed in a heliograph.
Most of us have some CDs or DVDs that have stopped working or that we do not want (remember AOL?). These can be cut to a pocket-size and shape by placing them in a freezer or warm water for ten minutes before cutting. Cover the back with some duct tape, since they may be fragile.
Glue a pair of CDs label to label for a more robust item that is mirrored on both sides.
The book also claims the “X” is the universal ground to air signal for help. Most other sources give the meaning of this symbol as “unable to proceed”, “unable to move” or “require medical assistance”.
“V” is more commonly used for “require assistance”, and easier to construct on the ground than “SOS”.

Too Brief in Places

While the book is easily digestible, some of the sections could have been greatly improved by one or two more lines.
For example, there is a section on removing ticks, but no mention of saving them in a plastic bag for later identification and testing to assist in prevention of any long term consequences of bites.
A photo caption describes using “your knife to get into the dry wood found in the center of a damp log”, but there is no explanation that what is being shown is a stick being used to baton the blade into the log.
The section “When There Is No Repellent” could have used some mention of materials such as pine oil that may be used as improvised insect repellents.
Similarly, the sections on fire, sleeping and shelter could have used some additional passages.
While a rock overhang can provide shelter, heating from fires underneath have been known to cause rockfalls.
The section on snow shelters could have used some mention of some of the improvised digging devices a survivor might use: vehicle hubcaps, plank of wood split from a log, digging stick, snowshoes, frying pan, billies etc.

Water

The chapter on water I had the most issue with.
Carrying plenty of water purification tablets is sound advice, although it is odd the same kit that packs a whole bottle of tablets has only a sachet of insect repellent to last the whole unplanned stay!
We have the flawed advice about boiling water for ten minutes, complete with the old chestnut complaining that boiled water has a flat taste. That is not going to be one of my major concerns if stuck in the woods for a couple of days!
Halazone and iodine are no longer recommended for water purification in the field since they do not affect certain organisms.
It is also claimed that water filtration devices make water safe to drink. They don’t! Viruses are too small for these devices to filter out, so chemical or thermal treatment of the water is still needed.
It would also have been appropriate to describe the Indian/Seepage well in this section.

Food — Not a Necessity

The book does not attempt to teach trapping, fishing or identifying edible plants, since Fears points out a few days without food is not likely to be fatal.
The plant edibility test is reproduced, but lacks the stipulation that this should only be used on plants that are abundant in this area.
It is worth bearing in mind that “most people found within 72 hours” requires the outdoorsman to be overdue or authorities to receive some other notification before a search is launched. If your plan was to be in the woods a week or more, you could be roughing it for some time before anyone starts looking for you. Some of the stories in the book used for illustration have the survivor being in the woods for much longer than 72 hours before being found.
Tending a trot-line and building some traps may be a good way to occupy yourself while you are waiting. Animals often shy away from human activity and recent disruptions to their environment, so it may be some time before your traps get anything. Better to make them before you get hungry!
And if you are stuck in the woods, it is worth learning which trees have edible inner bark or can be harvested for sap.
The Pocket Outdoor Survival Guide is a quick read, and has some useful content.
Its chief strength is that it makes a survivor aware of their obligations in a rescue operation. These may be summarized as “Stay Put”, “Make Yourself Comfortable” and “Make Yourself Visible”.
It is, however, overly brief in certain sections, and in some places out of date.
You will need a lot of the knowledge in the books previously reviewed for this series to make best use of the content within.
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Phillosoph

Survival Library: Chapter 6, Northern Bushcraft

The taiga or boreal forest is the Earth’s largest land biome.
Many of my readers probably live in this area, so some recommendations for survival in these regions is warranted.
With this in mind, the next book reviewed for the Survival Library is “Northern Bushcraft” by Mors L. Kochanski.
Note that this book may also be encountered simply entitled “Bushcraft”.
Some copies include a section of colour photographs at the end of the volume.
Northern Bushcraft Cover
I was actually surprised to reach the end of the book and discover Kochanski was a Canadian. The early chapters seemed to have a Scandinavian vibe.
In my previous review I commented that many survival manuals are “much of a muchness”. Many seem to be clones of FM 21-76 with a few embellishments by the author.
Northern Bushcraft is another book that takes a different approach. It does not cover as many topics as a typical survival manual, but those it does cover, it covers in greater depth than is usual.
Logically enough, the book begins with firecraft.
Most survival manuals mention the friction fire drill. Some even suggest that you cannot be a “proper” survivalist unless you can light a fire with this device.
Kochanski goes into much greater detail regarding this device. He discusses how different components require different properties and which woods are most suitable for their construction. There are numerous other useful tips and advice on this subject.
If you have struggled with friction firelighting, or just want to get better, this chapter is well worth a read.
Various other fire-related topics are covered. Particular emphasis is given to ensuring a fire is really extinguished and will not ignite long after you have left the area.
“Stone Rimmed Fire Places. A common, though unnecessary practice, is to ring open fires with stones. This practice is based on the claim that the stones confine a fire and make it safer, yet many forest fires are in fact traced to such fireplaces. There are, however, justifiable uses of stones in a fire: to store warmth in a closed shelter: to support pots when no other means arc available: and to produce steam for a steam bath or a steam cooking pit. Rocks used without good reason arc needlessly defaced and, unless they are scattered after use. leave a permanent marker of the campfire. A stone fireplace also requires more effort to cool, and the stones that are not moved aside can harbour hot spots that may start a forest fire.” 
An interesting tip on cutting fish along the backbone rather than the belly for grilling.
The following chapters are on Axecraft, Knifecraft and Sawcraft, and each treats its subject in considerable depth.
Bearing in mind he also packed a full-sized axe or a hatchet, Kochanski recommends a small fixed blade knife. “One of the best methods in preventing the loss of a knife while carrying it is to use a deep sheath and wear it around the neck to be constantly aware of the knife’s presence. When the knife is not in use the sheath is tucked in the shirt.” Kochanski was to become a fan of Moras.
The chapter on “Bindcraft” mainly deals with constructing cordage from natural materials.
The Sheltercraft chapter returns to some of the ideas introduced in the first chapter.
Sleeping outside at minus 40 (Centigrade or Fahrenheit, minus 40 is where the two meet!) requires an understanding of both fire and shelter construction!
As a change of pace, the next chapters discuss the various uses that many of the common trees and shrubs in the northern forests may be put to.
The final two chapters discuss the moose and the varying (aka snowshoe) hare. The trap designed to prevent the hare biting through snare lines is not one I have seen in most other books. It has the merits of being both simple and ingenious.
The colour section is nice enough, although I have some reservations about the text where it mentions medical uses by indigenous populations. These things are often romanticised. If tinder fungus really is a remedy for cancer, I think we might have heard more about it!
In my previous review, I noted that “Desert Survival” contained many ideas that were useful even if you were not prone to venture into dry sandy places.
“Northern Bushcraft” is similar, in that it includes many skills and topics of information that have more general applications.
“Northern Bushcraft” is a recommended addition to your survival library.
Several copies of the older edition of the book are available on Internet Archive.
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Phillosoph

Survival Library: Chapter 5, Desert Survival (Lehman)

“Desert Survival” by Charles A. Lehman was one of the first books I thought of including when I began the “Survival Library” series of blog posts.
Not surprisingly, this book concentrates on survival in a desert environment!
There is, however, plenty of sound advice relevant to other environments, so you can only be commended if you are flicking through a copy sitting in a hut near one of the poles.
Desert Survival Lehman Cover

Two Priorities

Lehman gives the survivor two priorities:
The first is “looking after your body”.
Secondary to this is “getting rescued”.
The primary threats to your body in the desert are identified as hyperthermia, dehydration and hypothermia. Some of these are, of course, concerns in other environments.
Chapters on shelter, clothing, fire-lighting and medical emergencies, among others, all relate to looking after your body.
Advice on getting rescued includes a useful account of how a search and rescue (SAR) operation will conduct a search, and steps a survivor may take to help (or unintentionally hinder) an effort.
This is information not included in most survival manuals, so the book is worth reading for this section alone.

Survival Kits

Another very good section is the advice given on putting together your own survival kit.
His advice is similar to what I have been repeating on this blog for decades: Avoid gimmicks and gizmos, don’t put all your eggs in the same basket, and have some vital items on your person, not in a pack or jacket you might put down “just for a moment”.
The survival kit/outfit suggestions are more practical than many I have encountered. I would recommend the addition of some space blankets and a compass to the personal items. To the suggested vehicle kit I would also include some duct tape, since it is more effective for certain tasks than electrical tape.
To my mind, the section on shelter was a little brief, and I feel some mention of double canopy shelters would have been appropriate for a book about surviving deserts.
Sun, wind and rain can kill you quicker than thirst.
Like many authors, he recommends the use of woollen clothing, with little consideration given to just how high a price tag often comes with such an outfit these days. Some discussion of alternatives might have been given.
While I no longer have enough hair to really justify carrying a comb, apparently I can use one to remove cholla cactus!

Pilot Outfitting

Advice given for pilots includes:
“Diversity of environmental problems complicates the "What to Wear" problem for pilots and passengers in light aircraft. Fortunately, there are some ways to cope with it. One of the easiest answers is to wear a flying suit like military pilots do. The utter utility of multi-pocketed coveralls is hard to beat.
With a good quality flight suit as an outer layer, even a business suit becomes an acceptable survival garment for moderate temperatures. If you fly over really cold areas, carry a set of the quilted type of insulated underwear. They weigh very little and offer super protection.
In really hot weather the suit will protect you from the sun and scorching rocks or sand. Try to find one that has side zippers, as well as the one in front. They allow you to ventilate the suit better.
With a flying suit, insulated underwear, and a good hat, you are nearly prepared for a survival situation, but you will need boots. This is the only clothing item that's really a weight problem. If pounds are critical in your aircraft, I would recommend wearing boots instead of shoes when you fly. That way the additional weight is insignificant. There are sturdy boots available that are dressy enough to wear with a business suit.”
To echo another desert survival manual (Air Ministry Pamphlet 225): “always fly in the boots in which you intend walking home.”
The medical section is clear and simple, grouping likely problems under eleven headings, distinguished by means of treatment. This would be a good section to photocopy and carry with a first aid kit.
A minor criticism is that the illustration of pressure points (aka “digital pressure”) seems to omit many of the points on the limbs. Add a copy of a better diagram, such as in “SAS Survival Handbook” or FM 4-25.11/FM 21-11.
Some of these medical sections are very brief, so the would-be survivor should have done some background reading about each topic.
The chapter on playing “What If?” nicely rounds off the book.
This book would not be my sole read for survival, even if my particular priority was desert survival. It is never wise to trust a single source on any subject.
The book is very much orientated towards North America, so some additional background reading would be advised if heading to sandy places elsewhere in the world.
I would recommend adding this book to your survival library, since it nicely supplements the titles suggested in Chapter One.
Many survival manuals can be “much of a muchness”, which makes them rather a chore to review, if nothing else.
Desert Survival is highly readable, and the different approach of this manual is refreshing, which probably helps you retain more of the information.
A very nice feature of this book is that it crams in a lot of useful information into just 81 pages. That is very welcome, given so many manuals run to hundreds of pages and can be heavy going.
This book is available to borrow at Internet Archive. Please support Internet Archive!
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Phillosoph

Survival Library: Chapter 4, No Need to Die

The other day, I went looking for an old survival book.
The search engine provided me with hundreds of titles just within the bushcraft/wilderness field alone.
Back in the 1980s, the choice seemed much more limited. Of course, with my memory I may be forgetting quite a few titles from then!
Eddie MacGee Rucksack Packing Suggestions
The main work in the field was what was then FM21-76 and related publications.
There were a few books from other official sources, such as the Air Ministry pamphlets: “Arctic Survival”, “Desert Survival”, “Jungle Survival” and “Sea Survival”. Those are still well worth a read, incidentally.
“Combat Survival and Evasion” was apparently compiled from the course notes of some gentlemen in Hereford. It is an interesting, if a little eccentric, read which I may discuss in a later blog.
I owned copies of “Can You Survive” by Robert DePugh, “Jack Knife Cookery” by James Austin Wilder and “The Art of Survival” by Cord Christian Troebst. Not strictly survival manuals, but all interesting and all containing some useful information.
“The SAS Survival Handbook” by John “Lofty” Wiseman was the new kid on the block, and had already established itself as one of the go-to books on the subject.
The “Survival Handbook”/“The Book of Survival” by Anthony Greenback was a little older, but did not seem to get as much attention as some other works. A shame, since it remains an excellent book.
Admittedly, my memory often fails me these days, but the only other manual I can recall from that time is “No Need to Die” by Eddie McGee. This was actually the book I had been searching for, although naturally I could not recall the author nor title until I found it.
Back in those days, this had been one of the few survival books my local library had.
No Need to Die Cover
Personally, I tend to think of this book as more of a discourse than a guide. Some topics are covered in great detail, while other fields, less so.
For example, there is some discussion of direction finding using plants and other means, but very little instruction in navigation as a broader topic.
On the other hand, there are large sections on tracking, trapping and fishing. These are very good, and it will be a very rare reader that does not learn something new.
There is a certain, very British eccentricity to the book. It is written in an informal, chatty style. There are numerous cartoons and sketches by the author, some of which detail ideas only touched on in the main text.
Reading it once again after several decades, one of the sections I now find interesting me is that on the use of fishing skiffs and fishing with gourds/balloons/condoms/plastic bags.
Fishing SkiffFishing SkiffBalloon Fishing
Pine bark as insect repellent is worth knowing too. (Some other tree barks, such as birch and cedar may also be suitable, as might other parts of the pine tree)
“The Tepee Fire: This method is probably the most common one used all over the world. Simple to light, providing there are plenty of dry materials available. However, no matter how simple or practical it may be, this method will not work on snow or very wet ground. All fires, no matter which type, should always be built on some form of a platform. [My emphasis] Because this method has no controlled fire surrounds it quickly consumes the fuels. More forest fires are started by this method than any other. Often the lazy campers just kick the fire out and move out leaving the fire to smoulder and relight.”
I would not suggest “No Need to Die” as a sole or first book someone should read on survival. See Survival Library Chapter One for my recommendations in this regard.
“No Need to Die” is certainly a book worth reading once you have a grounding in the basics. You are bound to learn a few things.
McGee was later to write “Eddie McGee's Complete Book Of Survival”. I hope to find time to read and review this in the near future.
One story from “No Need to Die” sticks with me (p.178):
“I remember once on a long desert walk in the Oman, while serving with the Sultan’s forces, making my way across to a known water well. I knew that the arabs guarded their water hole tenaciously but when I arrived at the well I did not expect to find that each arab, in fact, carried his own water collection skin, so having found the water well and removed the stone covering I was dumbfounded to find the water over twenty feet down and the hole about two feet in diameter. I had no bucket, only my water bottle and no means of lowering it down by rope and it was certainly too dangerous for me to climb down, so I sat a little and thought. I removed my survival bag from my belt, took off my vest, fastened my fishing line to it and lowered this to the water. In a couple of minutes I had not only filled my container, I’d also stepped back and had a good strip wash and removed some of the grime and salt from my body. Later I made a cup of tea, went to sleep, had a good rest and moved off the next morning feeling on top of the world and re-supplied with water.”
As luck would have it, the same day I read the above passage, I came across a forum where some members were glibly challenging if anyone’s life had ever been saved by a survival fishing kit?
Right here was an example of how a component of a fishing kit (and a vest!) had potentially saved someone’s life, even though they were in a desert and probably miles from the nearest stream.
With my current situation, lifestyle and location, the chances of myself needing to fish or trap to feed myself are remote. Thus, I had been tardy getting around adding any fishing or trapping components to my skin-level EDC.
Reading the above story, I vowed to add some fishing line to my EDC pouch. A couple of packets of hooks on nylon couldn’t hurt either. Better to have them and never use them…
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Phillosoph

Survival Library: Chapter 3, Practical Outdoor Survival

In “chapter one” of the Survival Library, I recommended a number of books on the subject. Many of these are available in free on-line editions.
In the subsequent chapters, other books are to be examined.
One of the things I will be looking at is if these additional titles offer supplementary information to that in the books from chapter one, or handle common topics in a more easily digestible form.
For chapter two, I looked at “Bushcraft 101” by Dave Canterbury.
For chapter three, I read “Practical Outdoor Survival” by Len McDougal.
I will admit, chapter three has been a long time coming. There are a number of reasons for this:
For one thing, Practical Outdoor Survival is in many respects similar to Bushcraft 101.
Both are mainly written for North American outdoorsmen. Both are essentially “what to do if lost in the woods” books, although other environments such as deserts are dealt with.
I wanted to make a fair review of Practical Outdoor Survival without recent impressions from Bushcraft 101 clouding my recollections.
A second delay was that I acquired two copies of Practical Outdoor Survival, one from 1992 and another from 2008. I wanted to read both editions to give a more comprehensive review.
I will start by saying I do think Practical Outdoor Survival is worth a read. In fact, it nicely complements Bushcraft 101.
The 2008 edition naturally includes updated information. For example, we now know that iodine is not 100% effective against waterborne pathogens.
Information on some new products that have become available since 1992 is also included.
We also see an evolution in techniques: In the 1992 version, Len McDougal was carrying his “survival gear” in an LBE massing around 15 pounds. In the 2008 version it has been realized that a backpack is a better way to carry camping gear. Details of the contents of a “day and a half” pack are given.
I will note that often the initiation of an emergency situation is finding yourself unable to access your LBE and/or rucksack. Then you must get by with what is in your trouser pockets, on your belt and in your coat or jacket.

Shelter

The shelter section has some interesting ideas.
Using leaf litter to “thatch” your shelter is a good trick.
Another interesting technique is to use a fire to melt a shelter into deep snow rather than trying to dig one in subzero conditions.
In the 1992 edition is the idea of digging a “den” or “bunk niche” into the side of a leeward earth bank (p.62). For some reason this technique was dropped from the 2008.

Clothing

Sometimes your hands need protection from things other than the cold and rain. McDougal makes the wise recommendation of adding a set of leather work gloves to your outdoor kit.
McDougal also points out that faces also need protection from dust, sand, wind and cold.
Your outdoor kit should already include keffiyeh, scarves, neck gaiters and/or headovers.
One of the woolly hats in your kit should be a ski-mask or the type of balaclava that covers the nose and mouth.

Hunting and Fishing

The sections on hunting and fishing are very good. Adding a “frog gig” to your outdoor gear is a good idea, since such multi-tined spear heads can also be used to fish.
A fishing float improvised from a foam ear plug is interesting.
Unless you are issued them for free, using an ear plug is actually a relatively expensive option. Any small piece of scrap foam, bottle cork or polystyrene could probably be used. Trim corners off kip mat? Use that foam!
Ideally you want a float some distance above the hook, with room to add some shot to weigh the bait down.
Cut a thin slit halfway through the foam, place the line of snood/trace/leader through the slit. Wrap the piece of foam in a few centimetres of bright coloured electrical tape.
I differ with the author on a couple of points:
Carrying multi-vitamins seems redundant. Problems from vitamin deficiencies take months or even years to develop, so you are unlikely to carry enough tablets to make a significant difference. You can avoid “rabbit starvation” by eating your greens!
As an aside, consequences of hypervitaminosis can be very rapid. You are unlikely to get this from most over-the-counter vitamin supplements. Liver from polar bears or bearded seals is toxic because of high concentrations of vitamin A. Since 100% positive identification (seal of approval?) may be problematic, best avoid the liver of any seal.
Carrying glucose tablets for hypoglycemia detracts from the potential of other sugar-containing foods and drinks that are an equally effective or better treatment.
I don't see the point in carrying a glass heliograph that weighs several ounces when there are cheaper, lighter and larger plastic mirrors available.

Rimfire .22 for Survival

The section on a survival rimfire rifle in the 2008 version is very good, but I disagree with the comment that “first guns should not be semiautomatic”. No justification for this statement is given.
Money is tight for many of us, and the first survival rimfire may be the only one for many years to come!
A semiautomatic means less body motions to alert sharp-eyed game.
Semiautos are also better suited to emergency defensive fire with a .22. Less fumble factor under stress! Defence will rely on rapid, accurate fire.
Openly carrying a firearm may not be prudent in certain locations. A takedown design that can be stowed in a pack has merit, if it has adequate accuracy.
A small game rifle/shooter/ammo combination needs to be capable of reliably taking squirrel‑sized targets.
I also recommend that at least half of your .22 ammo be solids.
In a genuine emergency hunting situation, your .22 rifle may have to be used against targets larger than this chambering is generally recommended for.
Penetration and headshots are a priority.
Hollowpoint rounds for 22s are designed for very small game and will lack sufficient penetration for larger targets.
Hypervelocity loadings such as CCI Stingers or Remington Yellow Jackets and Vipers also need to be carefully considered.
Some authors have noted that the performance improvements these loadings show on paper do not result in a similar;y sized increase in performance in the field.
Tissue damage (aka “loss of meat”) may be greater but shot placement still needs to be effectively the same as a lethal hit for a standard high-velocity .22LR.
Are a few extra yards of range worth what may be a 65% increase in price?
Many hypervelocity loadings are also only found in hollowpoint configuration.

Compass

A comment worth digesting is that “basic orienteering with map and compass can be learned in a matter of minutes”.
The Phillosoph crash course in compass:
1: To find the bearing/heading of a landmark: Point the reference mark of your compass at the landmark. Turn the bezel until the “N” (0 degrees) has the magnetic tip of the needle pointing towards it. The value on the bezel next to the reference mark is the bearing.
Compasses that do not have rotating bezels and reference marks on the body or baseplate are considerably less useful!
2: To find the direction of a desired heading/bearing: Turn the bezel until the desired bearing is next to the reference mark. Move your body until the point of the needle points to “N” on the bezel. The reference mark will be pointing in the desired heading. Pick out one or more landmarks in that direction and walk toward them.
Bonus Lesson: The difference between a bearing and its back-bearing is always 180 degrees.
Method using Arithmetic: If the value of the bearing is less than 180, add 180 to it to get the back bearing. If the value of the bearing is greater than 180, subtract 180 to get the back bearing.
Non-Maths Method: Take a non-ferrous straight edge such as the edge of a map or page. Place the straight edge next to the value of the bearing on the bezel. Make sure the straight edge also passes over the pivot point of the compass needle or card. Where the straight edge crosses the bezel again is the value of the back bearing.
A variant of this technique uses the corner of a page or map to add or subtract 90 degrees from a heading. This may be useful when “boxing” an obstacle.
How to use a map and compass together is another set of lessons. You may like to read my blog on magnetic declination. A number of field manuals explaining how to use a map with a compass are available on-line for free. These include:
FM 3-25.26
RP0505- Land Navigation (USMC)
How To Find Your Way (GTA 05-021-013)
FM21-25 (1944)
I cannot really say which version of Practical Outdoor Survival is better. 2008 is more up-to-date, but 1992 seems to have a few extra ideas and I prefer how some sections are written.
If possible, get both, and read them alongside Bushcraft 101.
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Phillosoph

Survival Library: Chapter 2, Bushcraft 101

Continuing my suggestions for a survival library.
Today I will look at a title that is relatively new to me. Some other reviewers consider it a “must have”.
The book is “Bushcraft 101” by Dave Canterbury.
Cover of Bushcraft 101
I quite liked this book.
The early section on safe and effective ways to use your knife and other tools is particularly good, and possibly worth the price alone.
It is a good book for rending topics down to a simply grasped form.
An interesting aide memoire Canterbury uses is “the Five Cs”: Cutting, Cover, Combustion, Containers and Cordage. Personally, I would advise adding “Consumables” and “Compass” to that list.
Another useful aide memoire is the “Four Ws”, used for selecting a good campsite: Wood, Water, Wind and Widowmakers.
To the advice given in the book, I will remind the reader that water sources often come with biting insects, so a camp should not be too near. Under the same category, one should consider watercourses. If you camp in a dried river bed or runoff, a storm miles away may result in your camp literally being washed away.
A third handy memory aid is “LURD”, used to determine the direction viewed by star movement. I recommend memorizing it as “LURD:NESW”. If a star is moving upward, you are looking east, and so on.
Determine direction of facking by star movement
The section on maps and compass is much more straight forward than in some publications:
“The most important reason to carry a compass is so that we can walk a straight line over distance.”
• Here I will insert a useful tip not given in this book. To walk in a straight line, align three objects. Tree trunks in a forest are ideal.
As you reach the first object, align the next two objects with a fourth, and keep repeating this process as necessary.
While applying a calculation to compensated for difference between magnetic and grid north is mentioned in Bushcraft 101, the actual method (LARS) is not detailed.
Perhaps it was felt that in a survival situation the difference is not significant, only a general orientation of the map being adequate. A similar approach is taken in the SAS Survival Handbook.
In some parts of the world, or for more general navigation, magnetic declination may be significant.
I would recommend regarding the navigation section of Bushcraft 101 as a useful primer and follow it with some more detailed reading on the topic.
The above brings me to one of the shortcomings of Bushcraft 101.
The book is very much written for a North American audience, and mainly geared for travel or emergencies in woodland.
If you frequent the prairies or deserts, you may wish the book had mentioned some tent poles to rig the suggested tarp. Similarly, some of the advice given may not be so valid for other parts of the world.
That said, my impressions of this book are very positive.
Once you have the suggested titles by Kephart, Greenbank and Wiseman (and my own books, of course!), Bushcraft 101 is worth considering as a useful addition. 

 

Categories
Phillosoph

Build Your Survival Library: Chapter One

My girlfriend was telling me how her sister in Brazil had managed to acquire a piece of land. Living on her own land is something that my girlfriend has often said that she would like to do.
“You will have to teach me survival”, she added.
I admit I was a little surprised by that request. She is an incredibly practical person.
When she was a little girl, she would escape her toxic home environment and live on the beach, catching fish. I suspect there is quite a bit she could teach me.
However, she is a very wise lady, and part of wisdom is knowing what you do not know!
What should I put on her reading list, I pondered?

Camping and Woodcraft (Kephart)

My first thought was “Camping and Woodcraft” by Horace Kephart. Photo of Hoeace Kephart
Regular readers of this blog will not be surprised to know this is one of my favourite books. I prize my old 1927 reprint of the 1921 edition. Around 884 pages, yet fits in an M65 jacket pocket.
This book is definitely something I will save, come the apocalypse.
It is rightly called a classic and a title that every outdoorsman should read.
The book is out of copyright, so I have a number of alternate editions in PDF, found for free on-line.
Camping and Woodcraft may have been written over a century ago (1906/1916), but is still a wealth of useful knowledge. It is no bad thing to know how things may be done without Gore-tex and GPS.
Kephart often mentions Nessmuk. Nessmuk's book “Woodcraft and Camping” is worth a read.

The Survival Handbook (Greenbank)

Cover of The Survival Handbook, Greenbank
The first book I actually sent my girlfriend was “The Survival Handbook” by Anthony Greenbank. This may also be encountered with the alternate title of “The Book of Survival”.
Greenbank's book seldom appears in recommendations for survival libraries. It seems to be relatively unknown.
It is an excellent book and is a must-have in my opinion.
The Survival Handbook is a great book since it includes many possible emergency situations that other manuals neglect.
Packed with useful information and easy to read and navigate. Even readers “not into survival” will find something of worth within its pages.
This book was first published back in 1967, long before the “survival craze” when many manuals were produced. Consequently, there are a few minor points that need updating.
For example: current advice is to remove ticks by gently pulling them with tweezers, rather than the older approaches in this and many other books. Fisherman's Knot
I would also stress that you should not join different ropes with a reef knot, even with a couple of half-hitches added. Always use the fisherman's knot, as is later recommended by Greenbank. A fisherman's knot is a pair of overhands, so is probably easier to learn and remember than a reinforced reef.
Scorpion claws are not poisonous. Claw size is generally inversely proportional to potency of sting.
I am also dubious as to whether any coat worthy of the name would make a good signalling kite. It seems more prudent to keep your coat on and use your shirt for a use where a garment may be potentially lost.
Of course, no book is perfect and remains perpetuatlly up to date. This is why we should read more than one book on any topic. The more angles you look at something from, the better you will know it.
These very minor points aside, I would wholeheartedly recommend a copy of Greenbanks's Survival Handbook for any survival library.
Usefully, the Survival Handbook is a standard sized paperback, so there is no reason that one could not put it in a ziploc bag and carry it with you in a rucksack pocket.

The SAS Survival Handbook (Wiseman)

Cover of The SAS Survival Handbook, Wiseman
For a more “conventional” bushcraft/survival manual, Greenbank's book is nicely complimented by “The SAS Survival Handbook” by John “Lofty” Wiseman. Also available with the alternate title of “The SAS Survival Guide” or “SAS Survival Guide”.
A revised edition was published in 2009.
Probably the only thing wrong with this book is the title. Even way back in 1986 when this book was published, it was already a cliché that nearly every other survival-orientated item was claimed to be either SAS, Special Forces or Green Beret. I will stress that John Wiseman is a verified genuine former member of the SAS, however.
The SAS Survival Handbook is an excellent choice for any survival library. It is easy to read, yet very detailed. Copies may be found at very reasonable prices.
The original book was nearly a foot square (228 x 238 x 22mm). I remember looking at my copy and wishing for an edited-down smaller version more suited to carrying in the field. Someone else obviously felt the same, because a few years later a Collins Gem edition was released. Amazingly, this was pocket-sized yet preserved all of the original content!Collins Gem edition of SA Survival Guide, Wiseman
My Gem edition has spent several decades in a ziploc bag in a side pocket of my rucksack. It has travelled from Hong Kong to Brazil and up to Iceland. If nothing else, it has served as an educational way to spend my time while waiting for a bus.
Both sizes of SAS Survival Guide include a coloured section illustrating various edible plants. Other Collins Gem titles may also be of interest, such as “Food for Free”.
The SAS Survival Guide/Handbook is another “must-have” for any survival library. In fact, get the large version for your bookshelf and the Gem for your pack.
Between Kephart, Greenbank and Wiseman you now have a pretty sound foundation for your survival library. It does not hurt that your survival library happens to be relatively compact and lightweight.
If you brought the Gem edition of the SAS Guide, all three books should fit in your bug-out bag.
If you buy the titles recommended above, you have acquired a lot of useful information for a relatively modest outlay.
I suggest that at least some of your library is hardcopy, for when the power is out.
How about some free books to supplement these?

US Field Manuals

Many readers will be familiar with “FM 21-76”, the US military survival manual.Cover of FM 21-76
On-line copies are freely available from a number of sites, there being no copyright on US field manuals. Many on-line copies lack the appendixes, such as the extensive illustrated appendix of edible plants, for example.
FM 21-76-1 was a related publication about SERE.
The current version of FM 21-76 has been redesignated FM 3-05.70.
Many of the sites you can download FM21-76/FM 3-05.70 from will have other field manuals on topics of interests such as navigation, hygiene and first aid.
If you want a printed copy of a field manual, these are available from a number of publishers. Price, cover and sometimes title will vary.
While these survival manuals are now described as “all services”, they were originally written as advice for downed aircrews, and this should be remembered when reading certain sections.
US field manuals tend to be clearly written but are not necessarily concise: FM 3-05.70 is 676 pages long.
There is also sometimes a tendency in field manuals for information to become institutionalized. New content may get in, but older, possibly no longer accurate content is slow to be removed.
I cannot do better than the advice Robert DePugh gives: FM 21-76 should be carefully read at home, and then left behind with other items not worth taking along.Air Force Handbook 10-644
Also worth a look are the Air Force manuals AFM 64-3, AFR 64-4 or AFM 64-5. Latest version is AFH 10-644 (also found here). These are a little harder to locate on-line.
The military manuals are not as “easily digestible” as Kephart, Greenbanks or Wiseman. They are, however, “information dense” and provide excellent background and context for the other books, at a price that cannot be beat, free!
The exception to the above statement is AFM 64-5 (1952). This is a compact and very readable work. It has several gems of information that are not often seen in many other works.
If I have one quibble about 64-5, it is that many of the illustrations are remote from the relevant text. Better and additional illustrations of some of the plants described would have been welcome.
As for any older text, some of the advice or information given may be out-of-date. For example, in the section that recommends any part of a seal, including the liver, may be used, no mention is made that the liver of the bearded seal (like that of the polar bear) is toxic.
If any publisher wishes for a new survival title, an updated version of 64-5 would be worth considering.
I would highly recommend that AFM 64-5 is the first military survival manual you consider reading.
The above recommendations will have given you a pretty comprehensive survival/bushcraft library.
In later blogs, I will review other titles, including those that are more specialized in their field.
You will also need some books on self-defence. For these, scroll down and follow the links.
I am very short of money at the moment, so you custom or donations will be very much appreciated!