SAS Survival Handbook [Paperback]

John Wiseman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1992

A complete course in how to survive outdoors, on land or sea, in any weather, in any part of the world.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John 'Lofty' Wiseman served for 26 years with the Special Air Service and was their Chief Survival Instructor. He remains the foremost authority on SAS training techniques for civilians. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers (June 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0002171856
• ISBN-13: 978-0002171854
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 8.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (104 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #110,678 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #66 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Survival Skills

More About the Author

John 'Lofty' Wiseman served for 26 years with the Special Air Service and was their Chief Survival Instructor. He remains the foremost authority on SAS training techniques for civilians.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

191 of 198 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding! The most comprehensive survival info. available, November 16, 1999

By 

Eric (Pensacola, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: SAS Survival Handbook (Paperback)

The British Special Air Service (SAS) is an elite military unit trained for long range patrols,sabatoge and covert operations far behind enemy lines. The U.S. Navy SEAL teams are trained on principles developed by the SAS nearly fifty years ago. SAS troops are deployed to some of the most remote regions on the planet and for this reason, must be experts in outdoor survival. John Wiseman is a former SAS survival instructor, so you can rest assured that you are receiving the best available information. The techniques desribed in this book are simple, functional and extremely clever, all hallmarks of SAS operations. The section on traps and snares is spectacular! All drawings are clear and easy to understand and the book is organized into specific geographic regions according to climate(i.e. deserts, jungles, etc.). I have spent most of my professional career in the woods (I'm a biologist by trade)and I use the information in this book on a daily basis, including training fellow employees in the basics of land navigation, improvised direction finding, and basic "woodsmanship". Additionally, I apply the SAS mindset to daily problem solving and find that it serves me well. The book comes in two sizes and I can highly recommend the pocket sized version for your pack or field bag. I can not say enough good things about this book. I have over fifty survival books in my personal library and this is the one I use as my bible. I can also highly recommend the SAS Escape,Evasion and Survival Manual by Barry Davies. It contains the same high quality info. as this book plus some additional goodies!

64 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Common sense information that you might actually use!, October 7, 2002

By 

"tess73" - See all my reviews

This review is from: SAS Survival Handbook (Paperback)

The first time I read this book, was as a teen. I "borrowed" the copy belonging to my brother, and have never been without a copy since then.

The information contained within is aimed at surviving in the most extreme conditions. Granted, not many of us will be stranded in the North Pole - but if we were, we'd know not to eat a polar bear's liver, because the amount of vitamin A contained therein is toxic!
More usable information includes:

- Beautiful, accurate pictures of edible and poisonous plants
- How-to advice on setting up temporary camps
- Basic first aid and medical care
- How to survive a nuclear attack, war conditions, fire/ice/extreme weather conditions
- A virtually complete instruction on how to set up different traps to catch your food,
And other amazing pieces of information simply too numerous to list.

All in all, there are probably more professional, intensive survival guides - but this is by far one of the more approachable, with common sense advice that we can use even in a non-survival situation.

51 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific pocket guide, January 17, 2007

By 

New Englander - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: SAS Survival Guide Handbook (Collins Gem) (Paperback)

My husband and I wanted a little guide for our house and cars, so we'd be better prepared in case of disaster. We were hoping for something that would help in just about any situation: plane crash, getting stuck in the car in a blizzard, a natural disaster that cut off power and access to our house, and so on. This book meets that requirement beautifully. The SAS Guide (as opposed to the regular SAS Handbook) is a pocket-sized book, so it easily fits in the glovebox, and it's surprisingly complete for such a small book. I'm also grateful that it's completely free of any weird political agenda. It's just straightup information without even the slightest hint of a paranoid subtext. I'm thrilled with the purchase, and I'll buy more copies for other people in my family.