What are some good survival books?

Discuss being prepared for contingencies and emergencies. Oh yeah, and the coming Zombie Apocalypse, of course!
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campinginaz
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What are some good survival books?

#1

Post by campinginaz »

I was wondering if you guys had any book recommendations? While it's convenient to surf the web, sometimes it's good to have a good old fashioned paper book.

I bought this with some leftover gift card money I haven't read it yet but it had good reviews.



I saw this online, do any of you have it?
https://survivaldiyprojects.com/book/?g ... RvEALw_wcB


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Re: What are some good survival books?

#2

Post by Lobo2087 »

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campinginaz
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Re: What are some good survival books?

#3

Post by campinginaz »

Lobo2087 wrote: June 18th, 2023, 8:05 am the lost ways https://a.co/d/8xlQ4lL
I just read the description, looks like.a good one for sure. Thank you for sharing!
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Re: What are some good survival books?

#4

Post by hairygreek »

I found some good sites online about the Argentina financial collapse and Bosnian war being in a besieged city.
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Re: What are some good survival books?

#5

Post by SupportTheSecond »

This is a library of what ever you can imagine and they're free to download and keep:

http://www.survivorlibrary.com/library-download.html
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Re: What are some good survival books?

#6

Post by brandyspaw »

For desert survival books the old "Basic Essentials of Desert Survival" by David Ganci is very good. Its kind of dated and likely out of print since its from the nineties but worthwhile.
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campinginaz
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Re: What are some good survival books?

#7

Post by campinginaz »

brandyspaw wrote: June 20th, 2023, 2:14 pm For desert survival books the old "Basic Essentials of Desert Survival" by David Ganci is very good. Its kind of dated and likely out of print since its from the nineties but worthwhile.
I'll have to take a look! Thank you for the suggestion!
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Re: What are some good survival books?

#8

Post by 62Grains »

If youre looking for informational books, I would suggest the Encyclopedia of Country Living, SAS, Where there is no Doctor, Where there is no Dentist, and the Foxfire series. I have one other one that I really like, but the name of it eludes me right this second.
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Re: What are some good survival books?

#9

Post by kenpoprofessor »

https://ia800802.us.archive.org/9/items ... Lehman.pdf

Here's something I found a little while back cuz it was free.

Have a great, gun carryin', Kenpo day

Clyde
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campinginaz
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Re: What are some good survival books?

#10

Post by campinginaz »

kenpoprofessor wrote: December 5th, 2023, 1:26 pm https://ia800802.us.archive.org/9/items ... Lehman.pdf

Here's something I found a little while back cuz it was free.

Have a great, gun carryin', Kenpo day

Clyde
Thank you! I'll check it out, can't argue with free!
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Re: What are some good survival books?

#11

Post by guardyan_angyl »

Had this in hard copy back in the day when it pertained to me. It would be a lot to print out but it’s a free copy of the USAF SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape) manual.

https://static.e-publishing.af.mil/prod ... 10-644.pdf
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Re: What are some good survival books?

#12

Post by Limper »

guardyan_angyl wrote: December 5th, 2023, 4:05 pm Had this in hard copy back in the day when it pertained to me. It would be a lot to print out but it’s a free copy of the USAF SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape) manual.

https://static.e-publishing.af.mil/prod ... 10-644.pdf
Thanks Guardyan for the SERE manual.

P.S. I still have vivid memories of my SERE training at Fairchild, AFB in Apr 85. I chanced upon one of my former instructors (huge evil prison guard #1 and "Advanced Beatings" instructor) over twenty years later and got an involuntary adrenaline surge when I recognized him. It was much nicer to chat with him while drinking some beer as opposed to the last time I saw him.

Former USAF cryptolinguist, 1983-2004
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campinginaz
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Re: What are some good survival books?

#13

Post by campinginaz »

guardyan_angyl wrote: December 5th, 2023, 4:05 pm Had this in hard copy back in the day when it pertained to me. It would be a lot to print out but it’s a free copy of the USAF SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape) manual.

https://static.e-publishing.af.mil/prod ... 10-644.pdf
Thank you! Should be a great read!
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Re: What are some good survival books?

#14

Post by Miker12 »

Right on, but the Boy Scout’s handbook from the 1940s or 1950s, not the current book unless you need guidance in being politically correct

Let me take a contrarian viewpoint. Anyone can call themselves an expert. In court we had a definition of expert: A guy from out of town with a Cross pen. From 25 years in court I can guarantee you I can find experts who will qualify to testify as such in court who will support the theory the moon is made of blue cheese.

For example, the author of one of the books on this list espouses taking nine Cliff Bars as emergency rations for the three-day march to your bug-out location. Three Cliff bars equals 750 calories. While you might not have fallen over in a calorie deprived coma on 2250 calories after three days, I assure you that you will be stumbling around in a fog and will be experiencing significant fatigue. The food folks in the government say that 2,000 calories per day is the average calorie count for the average adult performing normal activities. If you are bugging out to your hidey-hole, I submit you are not performing “normal activities.” MREs average between 3,600 and 4,000 calories per day and are very heavy on protein. There is the calorie count you need per day if you are bugging out. You don’t want to keel over in a coma 15 miles from your bug-out location and die because you just can’t muster the strength to go on.

Before you purchase a book on survival, make sure it covers where you will be likely bugging out. A book heavy on surviving in the Amazon jungle or the frozen tundra of Alaska is not much help if you are bugging out in the southwest portion of the U.S.

Another is solar distillation from a hole in the ground or from leaves on trees with a plastic bag. Look very closely at how much water they say you will generate per day. Most of the time, if they are honest it will be a little more than a pint. For, again, normal activity folks who claim to know say we need close to a gallon of water. Oops again. If you are down three and a half quarts, you are going to be running on empty. It is an utter waste of time to expend the energy necessary to harvest a pint of fluid when you are dangerously close to dehydration. That is another book you should not spend your hard earned money on. Please read with discernment. Ask yourself, “Does that seem reasonable or likely?”

Another expert champions using a shopping cart to haul your goodies to your hidey-hole 150 miles away in three days in the event the end of the world occurs. I defy you to march 50 miles a day three days in a row let along pushing a shopping cart. Many decades ago, Leathrneck Magazine ran an article about a Marine battalion that had covered 100 miles at Camp Pendleton in three days. That was an infantry battalion, not a headquarters battalion. They had meals ready at the food stops and porta-potties located at strategic locations. they only made 35 miles a day and it made headlines. AND nobody was shooting at them. I don’t care that 20 years ago when you were 20 years old in the Army Rangers you were able to march 75 miles a day and still come out on top after a fire fight. That was twenty years ago and you didn’t weigh 230 lbs.

Read, analyze, reject advice that seems unreal. I maintain if you can average 15 miles a day dodging fires, hostile folks, clogged roads while searching for a place to relieve yourself that is somewhat sheltered so that you won’t be caught with your pants down, you are doing great. Most assuredly, you probably won’t be able to follow I-17 directly to your bug-out location but will have to detour through towns off the highway, dodging folks who are very interested in what you have in your bag and will insist on inspecting it. They may even shoot at you just for crossing “their territory.” I can absolutely guarantee that you will not cover 50 miles a day pushing a grocery cart a la The Road.

with all that being reprinted from another comment: https://urbansurvivalsite.com/best-survival-books/
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Re: What are some good survival books?

#15

Post by iammaxwell »

Some good suggestions here.
Steven Rinella's Wilderness Skills and Survival is a pretty good read.
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