The Survival Handbook

by Colin Towell

Overview

Take on the toughest challenges that nature can throw at you with the ultimate visual guide to camping, wilderness, and outdoor survival skills.

Written by Colin Towell, an ex-SAS Combat Survival Instructor, The Survival Handbook is bursting with survival tips, manual skills, camping essentials, and advice on how to improvise, survive, and get found – on land or at sea.

Combining proven, no-nonsense military survival skills with ingenious bushcraft techniques, specially commissioned illustrations, and accessible step-by-step instructions show you how to survive in the wild. Learn how to plan your expedition, how to make a fire, and how to build a shelter and everything you need to know about wild food and natural dangers. 

Revel in inspirational real-life survival stories and be prepared for every outdoor situation. From survival basics, such as finding water and catching fish, to extreme survival situations including being adrift at sea or lost in the jungle, The Survival Handbook will steer you through life’s toughest adventures in the world’s harshest climates.

Whether you are preparing for a camping trip or going further afield, The Survival Handbook is a perfect guide to the great outdoors in a handy size to pack.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780744021813
Publisher:	DK
Publication date:	03/24/2020
Series:	DK Children's For Beginners
Edition description:	Reissue
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	154,204
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Colin Towell joined the Royal Navy in 1977 and later qualified as a Combat Survival Instructor with 22 Regiment SAS. He has taught survival skills to the UK and USA Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force, has served as the Royal Navy’s Chief Survival Instructor, and was Chief Instructor at the US Navy SERE School for three years. He is the author of Essential Survival Skills and The Survival Handbook.

Table of Contents

Introduction 8

1 Before You Go

Introduction: Prepare Yourself 16

Getting into Shape 18

Mental Preparation 20

Planning Your Journey 22

Emergency Plan of Action 24

Introduction: Know Your Environment 26

Temperate Environments 28

Tropical Environments 30

Mountain Environments 32

Desert Environments 34

Cold Environments 36

Marine Environments 38

Introduction: Get the Right Gear 40

Choosing Your Gear 42

Choosing a Backpack 44

Dressing for the Outdoors 46

Extreme Survival-In the Wilderness 50

Sleeping Systems 52

Eating on the Trail 56

Camping Stoves 58

Your Survival Kit 60

2 On the Trail

Introduction: Find Your Way 64

Maps and Map Reading 66

Get Your Bearings 68

Route Finding 72

Navigating without a Compass 74

Natural Navigation 76

How Weather Works 78

Weather Phenomena 80

Understanding Local Weather 82

Introduction: Make a Move 84

Traveling on Foot 86

Crossing Rivers 88

Scrambling and Climbing 90

Extreme Survival-In the Mountains 92

Moving over Snow 94

Using Pack Animals 98

Four-Wheel Driving 100

Kayaking and Canoeing 104

Building a Raft 106

Swimming 108

3 Camp Craft

Introduction: Camp Essentials 112

Organizing Your Site 114

Staying Clean 116

Making Fire 118

The Elements of Fire 120

Char Cloth and Fire Can 122

Types of Fires 124

Making Sparks and Flames 126

Extreme Survival-In the Desert 128

Fire by Friction 130

Introduction: Manual Skills 134

Man-Made Cordage 136

Natural Cordage 138

Tying Knots 142

Using Cutting Tools 146

4 Taking Shelter

Introduction: Taking Shelter

Hollows and Caves

Use-Anywhere Shelters

Forest Shelters

Tropical Shelters

Extreme Survival-In the Jungle

Desert Shelters

Shoreline Shelters

Snow Shelters

5 Water and Food 5

Introduction: Find and Treat Water 184

The Importance of Water 186

Finding Water: Temperate Climates 188

Finding Water: Hot Climates 192

Finding Water: Cold Climates 194

Finding Water: At Sea 196

Carrying and Storing Water 198

Treating Water 200

Introduction: Find and Prepare Food 202

Wild Cooking 204

Edible Plants 206

Catching Fish 208

Preparing Fish 212

Extreme Survival-Adrift at Sea 214

Trapping Animals 216

Preparing Small Mammals 220

Preparing Large Mammals 222

Preparing Other Animals 224

Catching Birds 226

Preparing Birds 228

6 In an Emergency

Introduction: In an Emergency 232

Assessing Your Situation 234

Attracting Rescuers 236

Wild Animals 242

Extreme Survival-In Cold Conditions 244

Environmental Hazards 246

Surviving at Sea 250

7 First Aid 7

Introduction: First Aid 258

First-Aid Essentials 260

Flesh Wounds 262

Bites and Stings 266

Poisonous Plants and Intestinal Parasites 268

Bones, Joints, and Muscles 270

Treating Exposure 272

Treating Shock 274

Breathing Difficulties 275

Unresponsive Casualty 276

Moving a Casualty 278

Appendix

Wild Food

Temperate Plants 280

Desert Plants 282

Tropical Plants 284

Plants in Cold Climates 286

Coastal Plants 288

Mammals 290

Birds 292

Amphibians and Reptiles 294

Fish 296

Invertebrates 298

Natural Dangers

Wild Animals 300

Insects and Arachnids 302

Poisonous Plants 304

Resources 306

Glossary 308

Index 312

About the Author 319

Acknowledgments 319