Practical Outdoor Survival: A Modern Approach [Paperback]

Len McDougall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1993

A potential lifesaver for anyone who ventures into wild country.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Here is a thoroughly practical, 'hands-on' guide to wilderness survival by a teacher of survival procedures who has used these techniques himself in genuine survival situations. Most guides to wilderness survival assume that one wants - or needs - to live like the 19th-century mountain men, lacking modern technology and materials. Len McDougall disagrees. Using modern materials (like the 'space blanket,' composed of aluminum-laminated plastic) the modern survivalist has better means to live unscathed in the wilderness - and to get safely home more quickly - than anyone in ages past. Covered here are complete instructions for assembling the basic survival kit, constructing shelters of all kinds and in varying weather and terrain, obtaining food and water, rescue strategies, compass use, fishing and hunting with emergency gear, and much, much more. Practical Outdoor Survival belongs in the backpack of anyone who ventures into the wild. (51/2 X 81/4, 160 pages, diagrams)

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: The Lyons Press; 1st edition (April 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558212280
• ISBN-13: 978-1558212282
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,191,199 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very thorough survival manual., June 10, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (West Virginia USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Practical Outdoor Survival: A Modern Approach (Paperback)

I have been a survival instructor for 5 years and have used military survival manuals in the past. With the growing number of civilians wanting practical survival skills I needed to find a book that would teach from a civilian view point. This book is exactly what I have been looking for. While giving the basics needed to survive the book is very easy to read and understand. The chapters are organized well and cover everything a hunter, camper, hiker or outdoors person would need to survive for either a short or long period of time. Len McDougall tells it like it is and does not pull any punches when making reccomendations on equipment to purchase. This book will be utilized by myself in any future civilian survival courses I teach.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Useful, but outdated, November 20, 2004

By 

Beach Guy - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Practical Outdoor Survival: A Modern Approach (Paperback)

This book delivered less than I expected. Its chief flaws are that it is outdated, superficial and poorly organized. It begins with highly detailed advice about basic tools that outdoorsmen should always carry: knives, compasses, etc. This is welcome information, but the author put the cart before the horse by introducing this material first. What was needed was a general discussion of the challenges of wilderness survival and the basic methods needed to overcome it. Without this overview, how can the reader prepare a proper shopping list? And regarding the author's proposed shopping list, few of the specific tools he mentions are still available. So the author's list of compasses and survival knives is nearly useless. The same type of problem is illustrated by the author's strong recommendation that every outdoorsman should carry a "dog rag", because it has so many uses. But this term and the cloth it refers to are now obsolete. In fact, I was unable to find a single reference to "dog rags" when I performed an internet search. There may be a few old timers who still use this term, but that's the point: it's now obsolete! Many other sections of the book also seem outdated or superficial. For example, although the section about snares will help the reader understand their general nature, it doesn't provide enough detail so that he could actually build one that will work properly. Despite these problems, I found this book somewhat helpful. It's short and easy to read, and it provides many useful ideas about basic issues such as finding food and shelter. But the overall impression left by this book is that it is merely an expanded magazine article rather than a thoughtful and thorough discussion of methods that can save a hiker's life during a wilderness emergency. On balance, I'm disappointed that this very good author produced such a light weight book on this important topic.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars PRACTICAL OUTDOOR SURVIVAL hits the mark., September 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Practical Outdoor Survival: A Modern Approach (Paperback)

Thanks to Lyons Press for publishing Len McDougall's PRACTICAL OUTDOOR SURVIVAL. Thumbing through other books on living in the outdoors, I find many of them interesting and useful on the topic of surviving a calamity in the wilderness, but this book hits the mark by being both thoroughgoing and compact. If you could pass this on to Mr. McDougall I would appreciate it.