US Army Survival Manual: FM 21-76 by Department of Defense
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Book Reviews of US Army Survival Manual: FM 21-76
Book Review: Good, Detailed Information
Summary: 4 Stars
Very good information. This book covers a wide range of subjects including the psychology of survival, unique and fascinating ways of obtaining food and water, shelter-building, fire-building, navigation and a lot more.
I will say that the book assumes the reader is encountering a "survival situation". By that, I mean a 'short-lived' situation in which survival is at stake. Those who buy this book with the intention of learning to live off the land in a more permanent way may be a little disappointed in some way. Indeed, this was the reason that I got the book but that's not to say that I regret buying it. Far from it! As I said, it has a lot of good information (it was made by the US Army after-all).
Inside this manual is the US Army's Illustrated Guide to Edible Wild Plants which is also published in an entire book on its own, so if you planned on getting the two like I did, just get FM 21-76 and save yourself some money.
My recommendation on learning survival skills is to acquire a variety of books. The extensive SAS Survival Handbook by John Wiseman and the more organic Primitive Wilderness Living
Book Review: Old, presented as New!
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm not sure why the publish date is listed as Jan. 1, 1992. The cover clearly shows the publish date as October, 1970.
I lost an old copy of this FM 21-76 manual which had a slightly different title, mentioning evasion techniques and hiding and survival in enemy territory. I think it would be useful to obtain that one, unless this is it with a different cover.
Without knowing whether this has the 'evasion' material, I'll give it a 4 star; otherwise, I'd give 5 stars, since I found the information quite authoritative and useful. I particularly liked the Ojibwa Indian bird catching techniques and the desert water still design.
I must also say that it seemed imperative to me that you have at least a knife to actually realize some of these survival techinques, unless you have materials and skills to manufacture one on the spot!
Book Review: Good except for Jungle/Desert Survival
Summary: 4 Stars
The U.S. Army field manual on Survival is a good basic guide, standard reading for our troops, and unlike some survival manuals, it is fairly well written and organized. I have yet to find a survival enthusiast who didn't have this book or Greg Davenport's Wilderness Survival in their personal library, and that tells you something. One of the bigger drawbacks to the book is its sketchy coverage of jungle and desert survival - for these areas you'll definitely want additional reading on these topics, as there's a lot more information to be had! If you're interested in those environments, Jeff Randall's Adventure Travel in the Third World book is excellent for jungle survival, while Mark Johnson's The Ultimate Desert Handbook is definitely the best desert survival book out there.Book Review: Excellent Reference
Summary: 4 Stars
The Army Survival Manual is simply an indispensable resource for anyone concerned with basic outdoorsmanship, disaster survival, zombie apocalypse, wilderness pioneering, or other insane venture.
The book has all the basics for land and water survival; there are tips on how to make a life jacket from your pants, what plants are safe to eat, how to kill and cook a snake, and many other tips. The information on water purification is especially useful.
For the price here on Amazon, there's no reason not to have this manual on hand. But it just in case, read it to keep the information fresh in your mind, and keep it handy in the event that all hell breaks loose--or you just want to spend a weekend hiking.
Book Review: Life-saving content, bad printing
Summary: 4 Stars
This is the official military survival guide used by all US forces so its got everything you're likely to need if you get stranded in the wilderness. I used it for a guide teaching Civil Air Patrol cadets. Some of the survival lessons are aimed at in-field military (duh) but the techniques are clearly presented. Unfortunately, the print quality isn't what you might expect and several parts of the book looked like they'd run just a bit short on ink (budget cuts?). Once you get past that, though, its everything you need in a reasonable sized guide. Put it in the backpack and go. You're now reasonably assured of a safe return.