I bought this book for my brother for his birthday! He is a hunter and adventure seeker. He loved it!! He kept telling everyone what they needed to do if they caught themselves and any sort of sitation.

Survival is a skill, and one you need to work on, you can have all the books in the world but unless your actually go out and try these things it's nothing but a collection of paper.

that being said this is an excellent source of information that you can use to attempt trapping food (Please check that it's legal in your area and remember where you placed all your traps as well as make sure you take them down after you have proven they work.) making camps and fire, cooking and eating and so forth.

hopefully you will never NEED This book, but if you do i hope you made the right choice and bought it.

This is THE definitive guide to survival. There is nothing here to filter out, no political rhetoric, just straight fact and easy-to-understand instructions on how to survive in any wilderness situation. The extended sections on the Arctic were of particular interest to me because I happen to live in that zone. EVERYONE should keep a copy of this in their home, car, and camper!

A needed reference for any one who is into survival. Written for the solder in all of us.

As a civilian I found myself filtering a lot of the information and wondering how I would adapt if I ever encounter any of the scenarios. I did enjoy the information on the psychology of survival. It gave me food for thought in rounding out my emergency gear.

I would recommend, as another poster has, to download this book for free just by using google and inserting Fm 21-76, then print in out, although paying for printing could be more? Don't waste your money if you are ok with digital copies.

This book is very interesting. I started out planning to give it a quick look and ended up reading it almost cover to cover. It contains a lot of very useful information; however, it has a 1970's copyright date and some of the information seems to be outdated. For instance, with respect to snake bites, it still recommends cutting the bite to suck out the venom and applying a tourniquet. Most authorities now indicate that these practices are not only no longer recommended but are actually now considered to be the cause of most of the serious injuries (at least from the venomous snakes in my area).

With a simple update to insure that all information reflects current knowledge, I would feel comfortable giving this book 5 stars and recommending it to everyone. That said, it is still chock full of valuable and potentially life saving information and at the price, it is still a good investment.

This manual is very extensive. Its range of topics include survival medicine, to creating emergency shelter in the field, to foretelling weather and how to find direction. It includes full color images of poisonous snakes and edible as well as poisonous plants to avoid.

While I haven't been in situations that tested virtually most of these methods, as many are geared toward survival in extreme circumstances, I always take this with me when I hike. I have, however, needed the info on tying knots, have used the pictures to identify snakes, and I often peruse the descriptions of first aid to keep familiar with it.

---*** THE BOTTOM LINE ***---

If you are someone who regularly spends time outdoors, even if it's just a dayhike or camping close to other people, you should really have this book that could help in many situations.

This is by far the best book I have seen on this topic. It covers all necessary areas without being too wordy. Don't go camping without it!

As you can tell from the reviews, this book is a must for anyone who never have thought of what it takes to survive away from societal businesses.

How do you get water when water sources are polluted?

How long will you survive without water?

Prepare for accidents, because they will happen, more often than not.

And, more importantly, you may never know when you'll need to have this highly important manual to rely on.

Buy it, and read it, don't let it sit there without first becoming familiar to it's content. Don't wait until its absolutely necessary to use it first. It just may be a situation that you don't have time or much energy left to absorb the knowledge it contains.

Here is everything you need to know to survive in any outdoor situation. Although clearly written for soldiers, this book could save any civilian's life if these techniques are used.

This book covers many areas of outdoor's experience, with everything except the (POW survival) part coming into usefullness for the avid outdoor enthusiast. My only complaint would be the brief explanations and mediocre illustrations of some of the types of plants and traps/snares. Still, as a hunter and outdoor enthusiast, I will still surprised to read a few things I've never learned about or thought of using as a means of outdoors survival / trade.

This is the definitive guide for survival. I bought this book and I am going through all the chapters and it is taking quite a long time because the book is full of material including visual guides for building fires, traps, etc. Make sure you have this book in your backpack, truck, or car at all times. I believe you could save your life with the techniques if you learn them correctly. Make sure you read this and have the proper provisions. Also, be sure to share this with others. If you don't want to buy the paperback it is available as a free Army document, but I find I like the paper copy better.

The Army Survival manual is a great find. It provides detailed, understandable information on how to survive in many situations: in the desert, at sea, in an area where you don't wish to be detected (For civilians it's possibly useful for hostage/kidnapping situations, I suppose). It also has a lot of emotional support written into the text. This is clearly written directly for soldiers, but it could probably be reassuring if you were actually on your own.

I bought the book mainly as a reference that I could toss into our disaster-preparedness closet. I don't have any plans to use the information in the book, but I wanted a guidebook "just in case." This serves that purpose beautifully, but the "SAS Survival Guide" (the pocket-sized version of the "SAS Survival Handbook" is much better for this purpose. There isn't really much discussion of emotional issues in the SAS Guide, and there's no focus on evading enemy capture or things like that. But it's a much nicer book (the army guide seems like it's been Xeroxed a million times, and the print quality is questionable). The SAS Guide is a great size for tossing into a car glovebox, and it's easier to browse and search.

If you have the space and inclination, get both. They do both offer slightly different information. For example, the Army guide tells you how to get fresh water from sea water in cold climates by letting small amounts of sea water slowly freeze. (Fresh water will freeze out of the solution first, leaving a slushy saltwater glob that you can then remove from the ice--or something like that). The SAS Guide, on the other hand, tells you how to get fresh water at sea from a fresh-water gland along the spine of a fish. If you were really stranded, it would be great to have both. If you only get one, I would recommend the SAS guide though.

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

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!

This, like many other military manuals, is available online. Just type the FM number into your search box and a list of links to it will magically appear.

This book is very disappointing. Poorly written and with weak descriptions leaves the inexperienced outdoorsmen with a false sense of security. Just because there happens to be a section on a particular skill does not translate into the ability of the reader to follow the lousy instructions to complete said skill. If anyone wants to learn survival skills they would be well suited to take a course and view first-hand the execution of the skills by an experienced practitioner of them. Purchase another book and let this one pass.

I have read many survival books, and ive noticed that sometimes they get way too involved on one topic, but this awesome book gets to the point and its easy to flip thourgh and find what you need quickly. This book touches survival from many aspects, dessert, rain forest, tundra, wooded forest, artic and other conditions. A great read, and nice to have if your going camping or to just but in your car just in case.

I have used this book, and earlier versions, for over 45 years. I first used a copy my father got me (he was in the military) as a Boy Scout. When I attended Outward Bound (back when that was a "new" thing we used a copy. And then my own 30 year military career primarily in Army Special Forces. From the SF Q course, and in every other field/combat/survival/leadership course I attended (or lead) on down the totem pole, FM 21-76 (FM stands for Field Manual) was part of the course and listed as a reference material in the course. Anyway, an earlier reviewer did not like the book and complained as an example that it does not tell you which tree to use for the bark to make cordage...well, ANY survival book and any "survival instructor" with a modicum of compentency will tell you first and foremost keep your cool, assess your situation, assess all your equipment and clothing you have available (even the lint in your pockets can be useful), keep your wits and be optomistic, and use your common sense. In that light, no book can save you in a dire situation without you using your own common sense. However, this book, with common sense will make your survival possible and likely. Because of weather, varmits, and predators, there are no guarantees...no book can do that. But this book will help you increase your odds for survival and live to tell the tale as a "war story". The earlier reviewer complained that the book does not tell you specifically which tree to use the bark of for cordage. COMMON SENSE says the trees available in the interior of Alaska differ from the ones you find in a Peruvian jungle or in equitorial Africa. But the idea of using the inside of the bark, stripping it out, and then applying common sense to TIE THE STRIPS TOGETHER is true. The book makes the assumption, like all survival books (and good survival instructors) that you use the materials at hand. You don't need to go looking for a northern birch tree in a forest in Thailand! But the trees there will work too. The book also makes the assumption that you will have the COMMON SENSE to know to tie the strips together, or weave them together to make a thicker rope. No treatment is necessary, so the book does not discuss it. As the strips naturally dry out, they will shrink and grow stronger, but the reader does not need to worry about that so the book does not cover it. Common Sense. Overall, this is a good book. I suspect that anyone who thinks it is only good for starting a fire with its pages has an axe to grind and is really not that knowledgeable. The techniques in the book work. Period. Some do require common sense to implement, along with patience (try catching a fish with $500 tackle from a sporting goods store when it is for fun, much less the ways described in the book when you are hungry and searching for lunch). But the techniques and advice in the book work, and the lessons in the book will allow you to meet your needs of survival which are at a minimum shelter, water, food, warmth, set up rescue fires/ground-to-air signaling for rescue aircraft, and in the worst case, how to navigate and walk yourself out of anywhere. Buy the full military version. With some of the more trendy and popular travel destinations people junket to these days, where the "rules of civilization and law" are not always enforced, and some folks become kidnapped for fun or ransome, the chapters in the military version on evasion and resistance could be useful.
Best of luck to any reader.

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.

One of the main reasons I purchased this book was because the first review says it has color photos of the plants. My copy does not have color photos.

This book is, unfortunately, suited more for "arm-chair" survivalists than people really seeking a working knowledge of wilderness survival skills. Most of the skills "covered" may help the inexperienced person feel confident until they actually attempt them. Case in point: Cordage or natural string...yes they cover it, but so sparingly as to be ineffective. "The inner bark of trees make the best fibers to use." (page 7-4) That is all it says about using bark. There is nothing about what trees are best, or how to harvest or prepare the bark. The bulk of the "skills" in this manual are lacking in a manner similar to that illustrated above.
As a former soldier and a current survival instructor I can say with the utmost confidence that this book is good for starting fires and not much else. The lack of many details provides a challenge to anyone attempting to complete a skill from start to finish. Try it and you will see! Reviewers giving it high marks clearly have never been in a true survival situation. Thumbs down.

While I don't consider myself a survivalist by any stretch, this book is an excellent reference for folks who do any degree of practical camping. By "practical camping", I mean the type of camping that has more variables than where to park the camper.

I have never been in a survival situation, but I've camped enough times know (and see) that the stuff hits the fan often enough to be prepared. This book is a great tool for giving you a general idea of how to react to certain situations. However, this volume is not an end-all be-all outdoor guide, as some of the information was questionable. The parts about water purification, fire making, and primitive fishing were interesting and informative, but some of the first aid suggestions (particularly snake bites, which can be easy to get in the bush) were a bit unsound. For that, I would suggest a book geared directly towards first aid, which was my solution.

All in all, however, I was pleased with this manual. It gives some interesting perspectives on how to improvise when you're in a tight spot. This book would be handy for anyone who spends time outdoors, even camper-dwellers. :-)

Every survival book seems to cover different bases - nuclear, biological, chemical warfare, natural disasters or terrorism, wilderness living skills, etc.
It's enormously difficult for any book to be a complete guide, or it becomes too cumbersome and open-ended to be much use.
To say that some of the information in this book has been around a good long while, it's still mighty good as far as I am concerned.
I have the military version, covering evasion tactics, as well as wilderness living skills, first aid, communications, rescue, etc.
I like the illustrations - the pictures of how snares are set are the best I have seen. Snares are simple, but not to people who aren't used to using them.
I think the strength of this book is that it is straightforward. Yes, it will have weak points and other books will cover whole topics more thoroughly.
However, it is a good basic guide and could easily save your life.

As a US soldier this is the perfect book to hone up on your survival skills. As a civilian it may have some of the base facts, but some of the military "jargon" might confuse you. AS well as the enviroments depicted in the book. How many civilians are going to get lost in a hostile enviroment in the frist place. I highly recomend it for the military minded and experienced camper/hiker.

This book is awsome, and although some people dislike the military references (using you gun, hide from the enemy)i thought it was interesting and sometimes a bit humerous. I gave this book 5 stars because it is EXACTLY what a military survival book should be. Now, if it was written SPECIFICALY for civilians i would give a worse score becase of the military reference.

The thing i disliked about this book the most was the lack of information about surviving in what i consider a "normal" envirement. It has the desert, arctic, and tropical, but i want to know how to survive in the wilderness where i live (Northern MN). I was also disappointed with the plants. I know that they were having to cover the whole world pretty much but i would have liked it better to have a few more plant descriptions as only about 4 of the plants listed live were i live. I would also have liked to have a better description of how to prepare the plant (the most tastey way possible with little supplys so that you don't end up spitting it out cause it tastes like ****.

Overall: Great for the military, entertaining and very informative for civilians but doesn't cover living/surviving in the Deciduous and Coniferous forests very well. I wouldn't recomend this to someone who wants information about edible plants as it has very little. For that i would recomend the Peterson Field Guide To Edible Plants (i own it, its very good, but i have trouble making any of the food taste good).

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.

The information in a survival manual that makes it good or bad depends entirely on whether you've read the right one when the need hits. I went through the US Army Survival Training in 1963. The skills learned since then by the military are incorporated into this book. It isn't the be-all-end-all, but anyone who intends to read a single survival manual won't feel cheated by buying this one.

This is not a good survival manual. It doesn't explain some very basic and essentials well at all, people who gave this a good review are probably people with no experience. I recommend Mors Kochanski's books.

Has some good info about what to do if lost in the ocean but much of it can be found online.

Unlike a previous review, I believe the US Army Survival Manual to be superior to other survival books. Being an Eagle Scout, I have a lot of experience with the "Official Boy Scout Handbook." It is a great resource, but a lot of the book deals with requirements to advance in rank in the scouts. This is useless to most readers. It is also heavier then the Army manual, and for backpacking trips that is a big difference. There may be some useless information in the Army manual, but lets face it, it is more interesting to read about how to make a belt out of snake hide then to know that you need 21 eagle-required merit badges to get to Eagle scout. The color photos of poisonous snakes, and edible plants also makes this guide superior to other manuals.

If you want a manual that can help you in an emergency, deals with all manner of terrain, and is small enough to carry on all kinds of trips, this is the right one for you.

Having recently broken down just near Dagenham, I don't know what I would have done without this superb guide to practical survival. For a full two hours, as I waited for the RAC man to come, I was hiding in my lion-proof shelter while stalking the A406(S) for meercats to cosh and stew along with the edible grasses I had fried in improvised oil (let's not go there). All in all, an excellent book.

I like this book and enjoyed reading it. However, I agree with a previous reviewer who recommended Greg Davenport's books (Wilderness Living and Wilderness Survival) in addition to or instead of the US Army Survival Manual. Davenport covers the same material but avoids all the military issues found in this manual.

Its a very good survival book, I recommend you to read this book with the help of some other well illustrated books, this one is well illustrated too but not perfect at all. I recommend it for outdoor enthusiast, and for boy scouts. I recommend to have other books at hands specially in the venomous animals and poisonous plants as well as edible plants, this because some plants are not listed, only few, as well as some dangerous animals.

This is a great book! It has every little detail about survival. If you want a survival book, forget the Worst Case Survival Handbook which only has tips you'll probably never use in real life. This book gives you instruction on Desert, Tropical and Sea survival. From how to get water in the Sahara, to starting a fire, to confronting natives, If I fly in an airplane or go out to sea on a vacation, I'm bringing this book!