Customer Reviews

Desert Survival Tips, Tricks, & Skills

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Desert Survival Tips, Tricks, & Skills is a very short, 80-page booklet containing tips on staying safe in the North American desert. In that respect, is very similar to Charles Lehman's book on desert survival and Bruce Grubb's book on Desert Hiking and Driving Tips. Intended for North American deserts only, they mostly treat all desert regions as the same in terms of survival response, though deserts vary widely even in North America in terms of temperature, hazards, weather, water availability, etc. Because they are so short, they tend to feature short pieces of advice, such as "learn to use a map and compass", "carry enough water", "watch out for venomous snakes". But, how do you learn to navigate the desert? How much water is 'enough'? How do you recognize the habits of venomous reptiles so you don't step on one, and employ the proper first aid response if you do? And, perhaps most important, how can you plan your desert vacation or backpacking trip so that you don't end up having to 'survive' in the first place? This takes a lot more information than most of these books can really provide.

As a brief guide to survival in a North American desert, this book is as good as Lehman's or Grubb's books. But there is no way the material in this book is adequate for someone interested in a long desert hiking or backpacking trip, mountain bike ride, or travel by four-wheel-drive, especially if you are going to remote deserts or deserts outside the United States. For example, there is not much here on snake and reptile hazards, water purification and collection (including the problems with so-called 'solutions' like solar stills), desert clothing and sun protection equipment, proper footwear, body conditioning, vehicle preparation, repair, and driving techiques(important in remote desert areas) and little or no information on learning to navigate using map, compass, the stars, or GPS equipment to stay out of trouble (vital in the desert).

My choice for best desert survival book would be either Desert Survival Skills by David Alloway (especially for the deserts of Texas and New Mexico), or The Ultimate Desert Handbook by Mark Johnson (covers both North American and world deserts. These are much larger and more complete books that go far beyond the booklet size publications in covering the subject of desert survival. They contain enough information so that a person can begin to actually understand and coexist in a desert environment. This includes planning and preparing to travel the desert safely, so that your risk of having to 'survive' is minimized.

Desert Survival: Tips, Tricks & Skills by Tony Nester is a brief yet solid review of information pertaining to surviving up to 72 hours in the desert. This book is not about long term survival or living in the desert environment. Desert Survival by Nester is a good introduction to provide the novice a direction for further research into surviving in a very harsh and difficult climate. This is not an all encompassing book covering every topic and detail of the desert.

Included in this book are the topics of:

What is a Desert?

Physiology of Humans in the Desert: Dehydration, hyponatremia, heat related injuries, hypothermia

Desert Hazards: Flash floods, scorpions, killer bees, rattlesnakes, cacti, and sand storms

Anatomy of a Survival Situation: preventable survival situations, unplanned survival situations, and three critical steps to take before a hike or drive

The Basic Skills of Survival: attitude, water, shelter, fire, signaling, first aid, and sleep

Outfitting your Vehicle: basic vehicle gear

Obtaining Water in the Desert: Reading the landscape, places to look for water, Tinajas, gathering water, and hazardous sources to avoid

Desert Survival Shelters: shelter types

Firemaking Skills: always have three methods to obtain fire

Knife Use and Safety: a knife is a must have for any survival situation

Signaling for Rescue: methods to attract the attention of potential rescuers

Again, this is a basic book with valuable information to point you in the right direction for further research. It is not designed to be a comprehensive volume of information regarding all the aspects of desert survival. I recommend this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed and gleaned new insights after reading this book. It is by far the most in-depth book I have read on water needs and dehydration concerns as well as covering an often overlooked malady of hyponatremia or sodium deficiency. The author, when not speaking from his own vast experience, draws upon prominent researchers in heat-related studies, toxicology of venomous creatures, and search and rescue personnel. I especially liked the section on Desert Survival Myths which debunks useless methods like the solar still and explains what really works in a survival situation which other books over the years have failed to cover.

I was really pleased with this book. Very well-written and researched and the author really gets to the heart of the matter without a lot of chatter. Nester has done his homework and clearly delved into the latest research on snakebites, solar stills, water needs, and heat-related injuries while doing so in a way that doesn't insult the reader. Next to Alloway's book on the subject, I'd have to say that this is the best book on desert survival written in years. The section on how to adapt to heat-stress was worth the price alone for this old desert wanderer.

This book can help save your life if you live,or travel in desert
areas.It is packed with facts and tips about how to deal with
survival situations in the desert,and it is absolutley worth reading.
It is not a book about how to live in the desert for extended periods,
and live from the land.But it is definintly about how to deal with survival situations that can occur to anyone living or traveling in the desert.
.Great book for a great price.

I live in Arizona, so have occasion to go into the desert a lot, this is a great book for helping you to survive in the desert should you break down in your vehicle or get lost.

Mr. Nester has done his homework on this book. Accurate information is essential and all too rare in books of this genre. Not so with "Desert Survival". The author has consulted with many experts in individual fields regarding dehydration, Search and Rescue, shelter, firemaking, signalling and vehicle preparation.

The book offers concise information on how to prepare ahead of time and what to do if one does become stuck in the desert. It is small enough to keep in the glovebox or a daypack. My family lives in the SW and we keep a copy in both cars. Essential reading!!