Every Man's Guide To Outdoor Survival

By Dale Martin

Reviewed by Russell Y. Anderson
On 5/25/2011

Horizon, 2011 Paperback:
128 pages
ISBN-10: 0-88290-977-0
ISBN-13: 978-0-88290-977-6 Price: $10.99

Reviewed by Russell Y Anderson for the Association for Mormon Letters

The purpose of this book seems to be to prepare anyone for economic collapse where we are forced to be self-sufficient. But that doesn't encompass the whole purpose of the book.

"It is not one of those 'grab a gun and head for the hills' survival books. There are probably enough of those around already. At any rate, that type of living is impractical because most of us have jobs, children, school, or responsibilities of some sort.

Nor is this one of those 'how to live on roots and berries for the next year' books. Again, for most of us, that is impractical.

Nor is it a 'prediction' book, telling you exactly what the future holds and all the things you need to do to avoid the impending disaster. I don't know for sure what's going to happen. Neither does anyone else" (p. 1)

Even though this book might have a survival theme, I found it very informative for general ideas that can be used for any camping trip. It has an excellent section discussing all the various techniques for building fires, even if you have matches or a lighter.

There are many excellent ideas about how to catch or trap fish. I assume most of these would not be allowed for sport fishing, so these would apply more for a survival scenario.

Several methods of getting pure water are described. These include a Solar Still, optimizing rain water collection, and methods for filtering and purifying water. Of course you quickly realize that some of these techniques require some advance preparation with the necessary containers or plastic tarps.

Probably the main focus of this book is to alert us to the necessary planning and preparation so that they will have the right tools and supplies that might be needed. A few items from each chapter combined into the appropriate bags or packs, can make this information very useful when it might be needed.

There is a detailed discussion about traps and snares, from small animals such as squirrels to larger livestock such as deer. But of course some of these systems require cables, clamps, cages, darts, slings, arrows, etc. that may not be easily available when needed, although the author does describe how to build some that can be constructed from raw materials.

Detailed lists of items to include in "Bug-out Bags" and Survival Packs help anyone make some serious preparations. This includes discussions of knives, fire starting materials, shelter items, lighting items, utensils & containers, first aid, etc.

There is also a good discussion about food storage and real shelf life, including which items should be stored and how to manage the storage. This section includes a discussion of water, emergency gear, around-the-house gear, outdoor gear, guns and ammunition, money and long term stockpiling.

There is also a discussion about the best types of survival locations, buddy planning (someone 100-150 miles away who wouldn't be affected by local catastrophes), and even the psychology of survival.

Even if you are not concerned about the possible collapse of our civilization, there are plenty of sections in this book that could be very useful for camping or food storage. The planning process and preparations could be a very useful exercise.

If you want a survival book, then this book will give you many of the basics. If you just want a book to get you started in camping and trapping, this will also work. Even if you are only concerned with food storage and being prepared, this has some good information for you.


Copyright 2011