Outdoor Survival Handbook

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Ray Mears - My idol! - Rated
This book was a very enjoyable read. For those interested in the wilderness or hands-on outdoor pastimes, it keeps you flicking forward to see what other goodies it contains for you to get stuck into, or even fantasise about. It contains many interesting activities on how to survive in or simply enjoy the wilderness, suitable even for a first-timer. It breaks tasks down into easy to follow step by step instructions, along with the more detailed paragraphs along side.
There are well-drawn black and white illistrations, which for the most part are more than adequate to help you understand. It is, however, hard to get to grips with some of the plants, and to remember their uses due to the lack of colour. They all seem to merge into one multi-use supernatural plant, and you cant remember which plant is used for what. This isn't too much of a problem, as it isn't a heavy book and can easily fit in your backpack, available for quick referance.
It lists many common British plants and what they can be used for. These include roasting dandelion roots for a makeshift coffee to what mushroom makes a good plaster.
For the average city-person, there are still many interesting endevours within this book that can be practiced while on a strole through the woods.
It is mainly writen on how to make use of your suroundings and become more self-reliant. If you are a camper, I thoroughly recommend this book to enrich your interest/knowledge of the local countryside. You can also use this book to experiment traditional methods, without having to camp. There are such activities as:
Pottering, cooking, fishing, weaving, navigation, woodworking, cordage-making and tonnes more
Very informative and well writen.

*Writen by my son*

Good introduction to outdoor survival - Rated
I liked the way the book was organised, into seasons highlighting the essentials e.g. fire, shelter etc.
The writing style is clear and easy to read, demonstrating Ray's obvious knowledge and love of nature.
As mentioned elsewhere, the illustrations are fairly basic, but I think sufficient to get the practical concepts across.
Blatantly promotes his own Woodlore equipment & bushcraft/survival courses!

Overall I would recommend the book as an introduction to outdoor survival.

Another great book by Ray - Rated
Having read most of the survival books on the market ranging from Lofty Wiseman's to Tom Brown I can say that this is very informative. It is although, after reading it aimed, more for the person who is interested in Bush craft and the primitive skills for more prolonged survival situations than those wanting skills for a short term survival situation with the possibilty of a quick rescue.

If you are interested in merely learning survival techniques for short term survival situations then you are probably better looking at Lofty's SAS Survival handbook. However, if you are looking at learning/becoming more in-tune with nature then this is certainly a book to read. The break down into different months of what resources are available I found very useful and the sections on wildlife observation and tracking were also useful.

Although not an exhaustive manuel on survival techniques it is certainly a book to set you on the path to be coming a good bushman.

Essential Outdoor Companion. - Rated
Revealing an absolute wealth of knowledge and experience Ray Mears provides clear step-by-step instructions in how to master an abundance of survival methods which can be approached by novices and pros alike.

Ray Mears shows how to construct shelters from the elements suitable for virtually any time of the year and a variety of locations and environments. He approaches how to light a good fire in all types of weathers with the materials readily available in the wild, how to track & identify animals and other essential everyday skills needed to survive in the great outdoors.

Ray also shows how to orienteer and map-read, and the correct way to use a compass. He also demonstrates how to make a variety of tools and equipment from naturally available materials eg., ropes, pots etc..

This is an essential volume for anyone interested in the outdoor life, not just for survival purposes. A basic knowledge would do none of us any harm and this book meets this need and those who require much more. An excellent purchase.

Ray Mears Outdoor Survival Handbook - Rated
I read this book and thought it was excelent. I study bushcraft and find the book extremely useful. It explains all of the basic skills and some more advanced techniques. It gives step by step instrutions which are very easy to follow accumpanied by good drawings.
The book is dividided into 4 sections corrosponding to each season of the year.
It is different to his other book Bushcraft as it explains in detail all the skills mentioned. Bushcraft is a much better book for someone who is wanting to know if they like outdoor survival or not. The outdoor survival handbook is more for someone who is actually learning the skills rather than just reading about them.
The only bad part about this book is that some of the drawings are a bit unclear and actual photographs would have been a lot better.

Overall this is a briliant book. Better for the someone learning outdoor survival. Bushcraft would be a much better choice for someone who is interested in outdoor survival or someone who is learning it.