SAS Survival Handbook, Revised Edition: For Any Climate, in Any Situation [Paperback]

John 'Lofty' Wiseman (Author)

Book Description

Release date: March 3, 2009

For Any Climate, in Any Situation.

Newly updated to reflect the latest in survival knowledge and technology, the internationally bestselling SAS Survival Handbook is the definitive resource for all campers, hikers, and outdoor adventurers. From basic campcraft and navigation to fear management and strategies for coping with any type of disaster, this complete course includes:

Being prepared: Understanding basic survival needs and preparing essentials, such as a pocket survival kit.

Making camp: Finding the best location, constructing the appropriate shelter, organizing camp, and creating tools.

Food: What to eat, what to avoid, where to find it, and how to prepare it.

First aid: A comprehensive course in emergency/wilderness medicine, including how to maximize survival in any climate or when injured.

Disaster survival: How to react in the face of increasingly frequent natural disasters and hostile situations—and how to survive at home if all services and supplies are cut off.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Includes new case studies and survival scenarios

The experts' survival techniques, based on John 'Lofty' Wiseman's 26 years in the SAS

Practical, easy-to-follow advice with diagrams and color illustrations

*Visit the Apple iTunes store to be fully equipped with the SAS Survival Guide iPhone App.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

John 'Lofty' Wiseman served in the British Special Air Service (SAS) for twenty-six years. The SAS Survival Handbook is based on the training techniques of this world-famous elite fighting force.

Product Details

• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Rev Rep edition (March 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061733199
• ISBN-13: 978-0061733192
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (659 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #449 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Hiking & Camping > Camping
  • #1 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Hiking & Camping > Instructional
  • #7 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Outdoor Recreation

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.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

365 of 375 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Best survival guide September 16, 2009

By Alberto Vargas TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I own and love this book. It is a super comprehensive guide to surviving all sorts of extreme emergencies in a variety of geographic zones and climates. Plane crashes, car crashes, getting lost in the wilderness, tsunamis, earthquakes, terrorist attacks - you name it, book covers it!

The author is an authority on survival, being the former survival instructor or the British SAS special forces troops, which operate around the world, from arctic to desert zones, and from big cities to remote jungles. Tone is very down-to-earth, and straight to the point. The book is easy to read and understand and does not assume or need any prior knowledge of military and survival techniques (which is the author's background). I am a former search-and-rescue team member and trained wilderness first-aid responder, and I find the information in this book first rate.

The content is very densely concentrated, so reading it once will not make you an expert. To make the best of this book, you need to practice some of the survival techniques. The best way is probably to go camping and backpacking, but you can try a lot of them in your own backyard.

The book overemphasizes outdoors survival (what plants to eat, how to fish and catch animals), which is due to the author's background as a special forces soldier. For more on urban disaster preparedness, read Cody Lundin's book "When All Hell Breaks Loose". Unlike Cody Lundin and many American survival books, the SAS Guide is refreshingly free of political statements and sticks strictly to the topic of survival :) The SAS Guide is about surviving a relatively localized and temporary emergency (measured in days, not years), and assumes you will eventually be helped, rescued or return to civilization. If you are interested in long-term survival of a total global catastrophe (aka "survivalism"), this is not the best guide.

It is such a great book that I am planning to buy more copies, to keep in my car, take when traveling, and give to friends. Highly recommended!

344 of 357 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Survive- anywhere June 18, 2009

By "Outdoor" Jack

Format:Paperback

No need for a long review here. This book was written by a professional soldier who was in the SAS, or the Special Air Service. For those not in the know, that's an elite unit of the British Army trained to carry out operations in ALL parts of the world. Eventually, the author became a survival instructor to the SAS, so you can be sure that this guy knows his stuff.

The book covers all you'd ever want to know about the essentials of surviving in climates such as: the polar region, mountains, seashores, islands, tropical regions, or even at sea. Here's few of the many topics the book covers:

-food, what you can and can't eat
-animal tracking with numerous pics
-color pics of edible plants
-pictures of traps and how to trap things
-how to handle animals you've killed for food
-how to make a camp and various shelters
-knot tying pics
-first aid
-color pics of medicinal plants
-picures of dangerous/poisonous critters
-things to have in a survival kit

A very handy resource for anybody who enjoys outdoor/wilderness activities, it's just a darn good thing to have around in case of emergencies- or even just to look at the pictures! Also recommend Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff if you have a shoulder problem that is interfering with your outdoor activities.

223 of 232 people found the following review helpful

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

By Eric

Format: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!