Camping Safely

SAS Survival Guide Handbook Collins Gem

SAS Survival Guide Handbook Collins Gem

This is the definitive guide for all campers, hikers, and outdoor adventurers, including:

• First aid and wilderness medicine
• Building shelter and making fire
• Hunting and trapping
• Pocket survival kit
• Disaster preparedness

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars SAS Survival Guide
A great book for someone who likes the outdoors and survival techniques. Compact enough for pocket/backpack. Many useful diagrams including plants, animal tracks, how to skin an animal, fire building and cooking, knots and ropes, map reading, traps, weapons, first aid, etc. Alot(!) of information in a small book.

5 Stars Vital Survival Info in a Perfect Size
Some have said the text is too small, it’s not. It’s perfectly readable and clear. I’m including this book in my survival pouch (fanny pack) and bug-out bag (backpack). The information is well-organized and very helpful. It contains much of the common sense stuff you might forget as well as everything you could possibly think of to help you survive in the wilderness alone. The illustrations are very well done and help you to easily understand how to set traps, build shelters, identify edible plants, etc.

4 Stars Beware this is the smaller size version + Spelling mistakes
First off, I didn’t realize this was the smaller version of the book, but then I was glad because I can throw it in my bug-out bag to take in case of an emergency. Tons of great tips for living off the land, and great diagrams. Even as a fun read I’ve enjoyed it. I will be buying the larger version for my shelf as well.

The only bad thing about this book, is that I am halfway through and have counted over 20 spelling mistakes. Words are spelled wrong, letters are juxtaposed, or missing, or two words can be mashed together. This is a major blunder for a professional publishing house and an otherwise very slick production. I will be contacting them, as I haven’t seen this many errors in any other book I have ever read. That alone takes a star off.

2 Stars Okay, but not great
It is a very comprehensive book, not too much detail, but enough in some places.

My first problem with the book is the size.

At 4.5 x 3.2 x 0.9 inches, I’m guessing it is meant to be taken on a trip with you. It’s small. It is painful to read this at home. Seriously, it’s not big and the pictures and letters are small. Not very good. And at about 1″ thick, it is not anything that I would ever throw in my backpack.

There are parts of the book that would be great to take backpacking:

the edible plants section, snares, shelters, and a few others.

But the book is very broad in its topics. It will discuss the arctic and the tropics, plus everything in between.

Nice if the book was full size. But in something to take everywhere?? No. I’m not going to be in all those spots at once.

If it was compartmentalized, sure, I’d rip it apart and take what I need. But it’s not.

It’s a nice high level survival guide. General things on what to do in most areas. But really, it’s not that useful.

If it was full size, with more detail, I’d use it as a reference before heading out.

If it was better sectioned, more thorough, I’d take it apart and take it with me.

Overall, I don’t feel like this is a good purchase for me.

5 Stars Heads Up: This is the pocket (3×4 inch) version
This gem is as good as the other reviewers say. I won’t repeat their observations here. Please note, in case you missed it in the product description (like I did), that this is the “pocket” edition of the book. It measures about 3 by 4 inches, and the type is very, very small. The small size makes it handy to tuck in a backpack, but be aware that the type is truly tiny. There is a full size (4×8 inch) version of this same book, although it seems to be available only through third parties.

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