SAS Survival Handbook, Revised Edition: For Any Climate, in Any Situation Reviews

• Survive- anywhere

  
  By AFXUBDDWXBUZE on 2009-06-18
  No need for a long review here. This book was written by a professional soldier who was in the SAS, or the Special Air Service. For those not in the know, that's an elite unit of the British Army trained to carry out operations in ALL parts of the world. Eventually, the author became a survival instructor to the SAS, so you can be sure that this guy knows his stuff.
  
  The book covers all you'd ever want to know about the essentials of surviving in climates such as: the polar region, mountains, seashores, islands, tropical regions, or even at sea. Here's few of the many topics the book covers:
  
  -food, what you can and can't eat
  -animal tracking with numerous pics
  -color pics of edible plants
  -pictures of traps and how to trap things
  -how to handle animals you've killed for food
  -how to make a camp and various shelters
  -knot tying pics
  -first aid
  -color pics of medicinal plants
  -picures of dangerous/poisonous critters
  -things to have in a survival kit
  
  A very handy resource for anybody who enjoys outdoor/wilderness activities, it's just a darn good thing to have around in case of emergencies- or even just to look at the pictures! Also recommend Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff if you have a shoulder problem that is interfering with your outdoor activities.
  
  
  
  

• Best survival guide

  
  By AOMKUI325W2TJ on 2009-09-16
  I own and love this book. It is a super comprehensive guide to surviving all sorts of extreme emergencies in a variety of geographic zones and climates. Plane crashes, car crashes, getting lost in the wilderness, tsunamis, earthquakes, terrorist attacks - you name it, book covers it!
  
  The author is an authority on survival, being the former survival instructor or the British SAS special forces troops, which operate around the world, from arctic to desert zones, and from big cities to remote jungles. Tone is very down-to-earth, and straight to the point. The book is easy to read and understand and does not assume or need any prior knowledge of military and survival techniques (which is the author's background). I am a former search-and-rescue team member and trained wilderness first-aid responder, and I find the information in this book first rate.
  
  The content is very densely concentrated, so reading it once will not make you an expert. To make the best of this book, you need to practice some of the survival techniques. The best way is probably to go camping and backpacking, but you can try a lot of them in your own backyard.
  
  The book overemphasizes outdoors survival (what plants to eat, how to fish and catch animals), which is due to the author's background as a special forces soldier. For more on urban disaster preparedness, read Cody Lundin's book "When All Hell Breaks Loose". Unlike Cody Lundin and many American survival books, the SAS Guide is refreshingly free of political statements and sticks strictly to the topic of survival :) The SAS Guide is about surviving a relatively localized and temporary emergency (measured in days, not years), and assumes you will eventually be helped, rescued or return to civilization. If you are interested in long-term survival of a total global catastrophe (aka "survivalism"), this is not the best guide.
  
  It is such a great book that I am planning to buy more copies, to keep in my car, take when traveling, and give to friends. Highly recommended!
  
  

• This is the book to beat!!!

  
  By AIXJZJKNSQKD0 on 2009-08-22
  First, someone left a 3 star review because of illustrations. That is SO reckless that I almost feel it's got to be someone who supports the competition. The illustrations are great with great written details.
  
  Now, I won't go into the obvious about the book because others have touched on the excellent details on survival within the book. You WILL enjoy reading this book and you WILL learn survival techniques and you WILL create yourself a survival kit as a result if you don't already have one.
  
  However, here is one thing I actually was VERY impressed with about this book. The QUALITY of the book. The book is SOLID. The spine of the book is VERY strong and the pages are not cheap recycled type of rough paper. They are quality semi gloss type of thick pages that will likely last a WHILE under normal use.
  
  I bought two, one for myself and one for my son. I think I'll make this a holiday/birthday gift for friends and family for a while. I want EVERYONE I care about to have this book in their life.
  
  I got mine... did you get yours? Run, don't walk.
  
  
  
  

• Best book of Survival, but...

  
  By A26G6M5G8THVE6 on 2009-10-27
  This book is really amazing, the best in his category, but I'm really disapointed with this revision edition. The book is the same than the older version. If you had the older one don't buy this one, it's the same. I can't find significative changes in this revision.
  
  

• great starter book

  
  By A2P1LEHJEJJG0W on 2009-07-21
  More than i expected, i havent seen the other books in this category to compare, but this one seems like a good buy imo. I've only read the first 4 chapters & have leared quite a few new things already. i've only camped a little when i was younger so im no expert. From skimming the pages it has decent pics on plants to avoid, eat, etc, definately not as good as a dedicated herb book, but decent enough to give u an idea what to look out for. I noticed it had a chapter on telling directions etc by the stars/moon, didnt read it yet, but random thngs like that made it a great buy for me personally.
  
  
• Great content, but take your time to read it in parts
  By AM0JRXKFKD8FD on 2010-01-20
  I bought this book about 6 months ago.. When I got it on my hands, I started reading it but I found it to be tiring to just read it as a ordinary book. Basically it went to a drawer and stayed there for quite a while. Sometime later I picked it up again when I tought I would need to learn how to make knots, and then I found it pretty good. After that I started to work on the traps chapter, and so on. Now, I almost went through the entire book and learned a lot.
  
  Basically I understood that if you want to read it, go for it. You will probably get tired quickly. If you want to learn from it, go peacefully and practicing everything you read (if possible, of course.. I dont think you will practice on how to skin an animal in your TV room).
  
  I dont know if such difficulty was due to the language (english is not my mother language) or what, but I just can't agree with some reviews saying it is confusing or anything like that. Maybe I tried to read this book the wrong way for this kind of book. It is pretty well organized and written, and the pictures and drawings can really help. I'm no expert, but I dont think anyone can make it much better than this when teaching someone to make a more complicated knot (the only better place I found on knots is a website with animated images to show how to make the knots, but that is not possible in a book, so far).
  
  I cant give less than 4 stars to this book. As said, I'm no expert, but definitively, it can help you a lot in a tough situation. Enjoy!
  
  
• Everything you need
  By ACO6YR16C8BQ9 on 2009-04-15
  This book is exactly what it says it is. Traps, edible plants, triage, search and rescue, auto prep, etc... it's all there. The book is more of an encyclopedia than something to sit and read. A good book to take with you camping or on a road trip.
  
  
• Good book, glossy pics would be nice
  By A27NFLZK81M96 on 2010-02-23
  Needs glossy pictures of some things like plants, traps, and shelters. A sketch doesn't quite cut it when you're learnign about something completely new like making a snare/trap... I'd like to see some photographs of how they end up looking.
  
  
• Can You Survive?
  By A1DFMM0SFLWRYV on 2010-03-05
  Hey!
  
  This is the book to read if you want to know how to survive high-risk, difficult situations. Chances may be good you never have to use the information in here, but it certainly can't hurt, and in the current economy, the information may come in handy in a non-survival situation.
  
  I've read a lot of Survival Handbooks, and I like the variety of information in them, but this one is the one that I really had to have. The information goes a little deeper, and it all is laid out in a attention grabbing way. This one also hase the broadest range of subjects, attempting to cover more survival situations than most books. And it does a pretty decent job of covering them, too. However, John "Lofty" Wiseman hasn't been in the SAS for a very long time, so the modern methods they use aren't going to be in here. But it is a great reference to use on survival methods, and I intend to learn the skills they mention.
  
  Hope that helps all you potential customers, and happy reading!
  
  Luv ya,
  Tashi :)
  
  
• It's good to go
  By A2PE6E3IJBKUUX on 2010-02-23
  The book was bigger than I thought from other reviews, but it's still a good piece of gear.
  
  
• Great info, good read
  By A2FNCVWWNAV0SB on 2010-02-18
  This book has a ton of great info, a lot of which I personally learned in the Army. There is so much that I didn't know or was no too familiar with also. If you do a lot of camping or backpacking, this book would come in handy. Just make sure you actually try and practice what you read. You don't want your first time to be the time that your life depends on your skill.
  
  
• Great Book
  By A4AHOOFPXERLE on 2010-02-18
  This is everything it appears to be, well written and informative. Lot's of scenarios and real life solutions.
  
  
• great book.
  By A3DQUPXMIAPP9T on 2010-02-05
  ive read several pages. im using as a reference book and highlighting things important. i was shocked that he thought of the idea that even a condom was a good tool to carry/hold water. in an emergency situation, its good to know these little things. but the book shows pictures also of things like poisonous plants or weeds and what to avoid ingesting in the woods. just so much information in this book. im keeping it in my emergency bag(for the future..lol)but i need to store it inside a ziplock bag. well worth the price paid for this book!! enjoyable reading
  
  
• a great handbook to begin any survivalist/outdoorsman's library
  By A1A3ASYHGXJXEG on 2010-01-30
  this handbook is well written and organized. the descriptions and diagrams are complete and helpful. the topics covered are broad-ranging. this book is in my bug-out bag.
  
  
• SAS Survival Handbook, Revised Edition: For Any Climate, in Any Situation
  By A33QTBXE9MNTDD on 2010-01-30
  Great reference book full of very useful information. Teaches you things you my not have known and can save your life if put in a critical thinking survival situation.
  
  
• great book
  By A3H8HYHX0M9PNC on 2010-01-22
  this book is very good, i like to be outdoors a lot and thought that this book would be good to always have with me, it is small and compact. there are a lot of pictures and drawings to make things as simple as possible.
  
  
• It really has everything!
  By A3IE03BTSOFWCD on 2009-12-31
  Like my title says, this book really does have everything. It has everything from what to do when a shark attacks to what bugs and plants you can eat to how to build animal traps and shelters. The only thing I would have changed is the pictures - for things like what plants to eat, it would have been nice to have actual photos instead of drawings. Some of the entries are a little brief, but that is quite understandable considering how much they crammed into a single book. A very fun book, even for the person not so adventure-inclined. Highly recommend!
  
  
• Great survival manual!
  By A3GYYAOS7113R7 on 2009-12-22
  I like this book. The illustrations are top notch, but it would be nice if they had full color photos for some cases. It contains a good base of survival information, but one would probably benefit by seeking out other manuals to compliment this one depending on where or what you are specifically doing. Regardless! You won't be disappointed in this book!!!
  
  
• Good book
  By A2X8C2QHL29G9S on 2009-12-07
  This is a very thorough book. I bought it for my husband, who is using it for a survival club he started. Contains lots of interesting stuff worth knowing.
  
  
• Conclusive and clear
  By AXKDON9F80KEV on 2009-11-30
  Well done guide, covers a ton of material well, right down to when to cook the cat and dog!
  
  
• Excellent survival guide
  By A9G572YITGSII on 2009-10-19
  I haven't finished it yet, but it looks to be a perfect companion to camping and hiking.
  
  
• New and improved
  By A2D6LYIOPQLTEW on 2009-09-13
  I bought the original years ago and know how good it was so when I saw that "Lofty" wrote a revised version I had to have one. He didn't let me down. Now alot of the book deals with the "Shot down behind enemy lines" type of survival. The basics are here and we all need to know them.
  
  
• Survival Handbook
  By AL81K8LYARR2N on 2009-08-19
  This book is an essential. We have visited several jungles and plan to visit more and this book greatly reduces our risks. Even though we pack very light, we both carry a copy.
  
  
• Uh-May-Zing!
  By A2LTUVTBVPBDDE on 2009-04-07
  The moment I pulled this book out of the box, I couldn't put it down. Every page has valuable information- this book is all killer, no filler, with the foundation being one's will to live instead of a bunch of pricey survival items. I still can't believe all the information it has at the bargain amazon price! It shows you how to build an igloo and other forms of shelter, deliver a baby, skin your next meal- EVERYTHING. Needless to say, there's a reason why the previous editions of this book has sold over a million copies.
  
  
• Complete
  By A3SWBPF4F5HD4E on 2009-05-22
  "Complete" is the word that describes this. If you are wondering if it coveres a certain topic then be sure that it does as it covers everything. Some of the more surprising oddities I've learned:
  
  - What to do if you are in a car that plunges into a river when people need saving in the back seat
  - What parts of polar bears are poisonous to eat
  - What order you should eat your pets in :)
  
  Seriously though, This is a great book and the answer is certainly "yes"! whatever you want to know from food preservation, poisons, camping and first aid etc to details of the dangers of different terrains, and tying knots is there.
  
  Handy tips even if you get caught in a nuclear holocaust or want to reduce the chance of being hit by lightning or avoid an avalanch.
  
  It will take a step that many books won't take in describing your options. Like other survival books it may say something like "Doing this should not be attempted as you are unlikly to survive" but will then usually follow on with "but if you absolutely have to, here are some things to increase your chances...". No you shouldn't jump out of the window of a burning building before the fire dept have arrived but it's nice to know there are some tips about attempting it if the other option is to just burn to death waiting.
  
  Hard Core Survival
  
  

• SAS Urban Survival Handbook
• When All Hell Breaks Loose: Stuff You Need To Survive When Disaster Strikes
• How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It: Tactics, Techniques, and Technologies for Uncertain Times
• The SAS Guide to Tracking, New and Revised
• The Ultimate Guide to U.S. Army Survival Skills, Tactics, and Techniques