I didn't find this book dry at all, though admittedly I am the target audience. I also didn't find it unnecessary or superfluous reading - people get lost in the woods all the freaking time. It doesn't take a whole lot to get turned around. Mistakes get made. Shit happens.

I will never understand why those of us who prepare for practical emergency situations are considered strange. Where I live, it's perfectly plausible that an ice storm could smash through and leave us without power for weeks on end.

Why is this plausible? Because it's happened before, and it was not a one-off occurrence.

When we go hiking in the woods, we always try to adhere to Angier's rule of "Stay found" (don't get lost in the first place). We are also aware that things could go wrong.

Will I ever need to do all the things in this book? Probably not. Does it cover everything in the most practical manner? Nope, but even though gear has come a long way since it was written, most often the less complicated something is, the better.

What it does is complement other books in the category, with experience, brevity, and clarity. I didn't find the language convoluted. Having written it in the 60's, some of the terminology used was a little outdated.

There was two typos I found, and not having a statement on hanging things to keep them away from bears seemed like a pretty big oversight, as was misusing poisonous/venomous (though I don't know if that was for simplicity or not). I also found it cheeky he suggested I buy a second copy of the book - one for home, one for the bag.

As with anything of this nature, theoretical knowledge does not translate to proficiency. Get out there are try the most likely things you may need to do - you'll be surprised they're aren't always as easy as you think, and if you ever need them, you'll certainly be happy you practiced.

Be safe out there.

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Created May 28, 2019 at 8:01pm • Submit your own review...