📖 Overview
The SAS Survival Handbook is a comprehensive guide to survival skills and techniques, written by former British Special Air Service soldier John "Lofty" Wiseman. The manual covers strategies for surviving in various environments including desert, tropical, cold, and urban settings.
The book provides instruction on essential skills like finding water, building shelters, making fires, and identifying edible plants. Sections on first aid, navigation, and disaster preparedness offer readers practical knowledge for emergencies. Technical illustrations and diagrams accompany the text throughout.
Wiseman draws from both his military experience and research to present survival methods that work in real situations. The information ranges from basic outdoor skills to advanced techniques for extreme circumstances.
This manual stands as a reflection of humanity's need to maintain core survival knowledge in an increasingly urbanized world. The text serves as both a practical guide and a reminder of our fundamental connection to nature and self-reliance.
👀 Reviews
Readers describe the SAS Survival Handbook as practical and comprehensive, with clear illustrations and detailed instructions. Many reviewers appreciate the logical organization and pocket-sized format.
Liked:
- Step-by-step instructions for survival techniques
- Quality diagrams and illustrations
- Coverage of both wilderness and urban survival
- Plant/animal identification guides
- First aid section
Disliked:
- Some information is UK-specific
- Text can be dense and small
- Too much content for beginners
- Some techniques require tools most people don't carry
- Urban survival section feels superficial
Ratings:
Amazon: 4.7/5 (17,800+ reviews)
Goodreads: 4.25/5 (8,900+ ratings)
Sample review: "Perfect balance of information density and readability. The illustrations alone make it worth buying." - Amazon reviewer
Critical review: "Good reference but overwhelming for novices. Start with something simpler." - Goodreads reviewer
📚 Similar books
Bushcraft 101 by Dave Canterbury
A field guide that covers essential wilderness skills including tool selection, fire starting, shelter building, and navigating without modern equipment.
When Technology Fails by Matthew Stein This manual provides instructions for self-reliance during disasters, covering essential skills from water purification to emergency medicine and sustainable living practices.
US Army Survival Manual FM 21-76 by Department of Defense The official military guide presents field-tested survival techniques for every climate and terrain, with detailed instructions for navigation, food procurement, and emergency medical care.
98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive by Cody Lundin This survival guide focuses on maintaining core body temperature through primitive skills and the understanding of human physiological needs in wilderness situations.
Primitive Technology: A Survivalist's Guide to Building Tools, Shelters, and More in the Wild by John Plant A comprehensive guide to creating tools and structures using only raw natural materials, based on the author's experiments and successful implementations in the wild.
When Technology Fails by Matthew Stein This manual provides instructions for self-reliance during disasters, covering essential skills from water purification to emergency medicine and sustainable living practices.
US Army Survival Manual FM 21-76 by Department of Defense The official military guide presents field-tested survival techniques for every climate and terrain, with detailed instructions for navigation, food procurement, and emergency medical care.
98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive by Cody Lundin This survival guide focuses on maintaining core body temperature through primitive skills and the understanding of human physiological needs in wilderness situations.
Primitive Technology: A Survivalist's Guide to Building Tools, Shelters, and More in the Wild by John Plant A comprehensive guide to creating tools and structures using only raw natural materials, based on the author's experiments and successful implementations in the wild.
🤔 Interesting facts
🌲 Author John 'Lofty' Wiseman served in the elite British Special Air Service (SAS) for 26 years and was their Chief Survival Instructor.
🔥 The book has sold over 1 million copies worldwide and has been translated into more than 10 languages since its first publication in 1986.
🏕️ Many military units around the world have used this handbook as a reference for their own survival training programs.
🌿 The techniques described in the book were tested extensively in various climates and terrains during SAS training exercises, ensuring their practical effectiveness.
🗺️ Though written primarily for wilderness survival, the book gained renewed popularity after 9/11 as readers sought information about urban survival and emergency preparedness.