Customer Reviews

Camping & Wilderness Survival

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I found "Camping & Wilderness Survival" rather less useful than other outdoor guides I have seen. The author includes so much material, much of it unnecessary, that the reader is overwhelmed with detail.

Furthermore, some of the information is just wrong, or completely useless. For example, the author claims that a needle can be magnetized by stroking it in one direction with a piece of silk; this notion confuses electrostatic effects with magnetic effects.

Under the heading "Starting fire without matches", we are told to "place a lit candle below a teepee of kindling" to start a fire. Then the candle is to be removed and extinguished for future use! (How did the candle get lit in the first place?)

To find the height of a tree, the reader is told to bend over, facing away from the tree, look at the tree through his legs, and move away until the top of the tree can be seen ; then the height of the tree is equal to the horizontal distance between the observer and the tree, because "the angle when looking through your legs is 45 degrees."

The book could have used better editing and proof- reading; on every page the reader will find spelling and grammatical errors. In fact, I found this feature to be more irritating after a while than the occasional factual errors.

The book would be an interesting addition to one's library, for reference purposes, but it is far too lengthy (350 pages) and heavy for routine use in the outdoors.

Teaches survival skills. Basic survival like how to use a compass. To Building a survival shelter and how to tie good Knots. Basic First Aid. It also teaches you to identify trees,birds,and plants.

This large text is so cluttered with unorganized information that I found it very hard to find useful tidbits. In addition, the author should have checked his refrences closer. Perhaps then he wouldn't have included mythical or incorrect information (see previous post for some examples).

If you want a good book on how to survive in the wilderness check out Gregory J. Davenport's book "Wilderness Survival" or Frank and John Craighead's book "How to Survive on Land and Sea".

I think some of the other reviewers have been way to critical of this book. I'm glad it does not go into too much detail, because by being broad it is able to cover many different areas. It is easy to look up what you need quickly. The illustrations help to clarify what is written about. I am not a wilderness expert, but if the information in this book is accurate, it is a very useful reference tool for your average family outdoor outing. I would think that some of the survival techniques could be translated into great projects for kids who sometimes get bored on camping vacations. Yes they should fix the spelling, but I don't spell well enough myself to notice

For what you pay (less than 20 bucks), this book more than satisfies. The sheer breadth of the topics covered is astounding. But it seems that Tawrell went for quantity instead of quality when he wrote this. A lot of the information included in the book is too brief, whetting the reader's interest and then leaving him hanging. This lack of depth hurts Tawrell's credability a bit, but for a book this size, I can understand his need for brevity. The book would have been much better (but more expensive) with photos instead of illustrations. Also, a few reviewers have mentioned the grammatical errors that abound in the book. This bothers me too (I'm an editor), but I can look past it. It almost seems to give the book a sort of old-fashioned charm. The layout of the information is a bit messy sometimes, but again, I'm sure it was done to cram as much information into the book as possible. This is a great source to introduce readers to the wilderness. It almost functions as an encyclopedia of sorts, since it covers such a broad area. You won't be disappointed with this book. It's well worth the cost. Trust me.

I also believe that the reviewers are being a bit too critical of the book; it is a guide to outdoor survival. It is not a textbook on magnetism nor the science of burning wood. What this book offers is sound advice that covers a broad and diverse range of topics. Using illustrations rather than vast amounts of text, I believe the author has provided more information than I need. This is, I believe, I positive attribute in comparison to most texts of the "survival" genre.I do agree, though, that the editing is the poorest aspect of this book. It seems, at times, that the book was edited too hastely. Verb tenses are often in disagreement and the text seems just end mid-sentence. Although I find this is often the case in these types of books, it is nonetheless bothersome.

I would, however, reccomend this book for both individuals who are recently interested in camping and wilderness activities and those who are more experienced in camping. It is, I believe, one of the best in the area of survival and cmping.

I will start off by saying that this book is awesome. It has everything a beginner needs to become better equiped for the outdoors. The topics cover are broad, but very informative. I would definetly recommend this book to anyone looking for survival/wilderness books, but if you are looking for more depth on to certain issues, than look for something else. In conclusion, The books great, covers multiple issues, a must for beginners.

This is my favorite wilderness survival book -- I own many. .... This book takes detail snippets of information and forms it into a detailed tome of knowledge. Having graduated from the US Marine Corps Cold Weather Survival School (CWSS), The US Navy Water Survival School (WSS), and the US Navy Jungle Enviroment Survival Training (JEST), I can tell you that all of this information is solid. It is something that I would use to teach my Marine subordinates... because it applies in every clime and place.

Semper Fi!

I have used and used this book. I live in Alaska and this is the handiest darned book I think I have ever bought. I just wish it came in a spiral version with laminated pages. It is a MUST for anyone who likes to be outdoors...even in your backyard. It has emergency information on survival shelters, how to build fires and cook, and how to keep your head in case of an emergency. This book doesn't just cover the skills or info needed in the Northwest, it has information on how to survive in tropical areas, desert areas, and even on the open seas. It has some historical info about Native American habitats, and information about game animals that could be used for food. It has lots of great tidbits to digest whenever you have a few minutes to pick up the book. I recommend getting two copies...one for the back of the toilet and one for your nightstand!

This book looks as if the author has cut out articles from other books and pasted them in his own. It has informations for nearly every outdoor question you might come up with, but leaves you alone when it comes to details. Nevertheless if you have children this might be the perfect book for an adventurous youth. It somehow reminds me on the famous boy scout book of Donald Duck's nephews. Otherwise if you are serious into camping and/or survival buy an other book.