This book works really well as a companion to Ray Mear's many TV series. It is full of great info on survivial techniques from making fire to building a shelter. There are some gorgeous pictures of alpine and other remote landscapes, and some great step by step pictorial guides to outdoors techniques.But this is a big hardback book - more of a coffee table edition than a survival manual. You would be hard pressed to take this one out into the wilds. You might need a good memory to carry some of the ideas outlined into the woods.
But it will give you a greater apprecaition of what can be done out there, and you could probably learn enough to impress friends with off the cuff remarks like 'you can use the joo-joo bush to build a house for four' or 'the Nngati tribe of Polyponesia use shells like that as hair grips'.
Or you could just just sit back, enjoy the pictures, and dream yourself away into the wilderness.
I found virtually all of the essential information included here in Ray Mears' more recent release "Essential Bushcraft"which has to be my favourite of all his "survival" books. The more recent presentation is by comparison a far more compact handbook and notably suitable as a companion on any expedition/trip.
Although Ray Mears here again reveals an absolutely enormous wealth of experience and knowledge in the field of survival and bushcraft, this particular book is quite hefty and more useful as a reference only.
For those wishing to carry a reference book into the field, the more recent "Essential Bushcraft" is far more suitable. Despite not being "pocket-sized" it does not take up much space.
As with most Ray Mears "survival" books, by clear step-by-by instructions the reader is led through a plethora of subjects including how to construct a shelter from the elements at virtually any time of the year in a wide variety of circumstances/environments.
The book also covers sections which deal with the many uses and natures of cordage, the use of knots, a wide diversity of cutting tools (and how they should be used correctly), first aid & personal hygiene together with a list of the essential items to be included within a survival outfit.
An entire section of this handbook is devoted to the importance of water and the dangers of dehydration. Instruction is provided in how to locate water sources & how to access and use them. Emphasis also being given in relation to the collection and purification of water.
Another section is devoted to "living off the land" which includes instruction on "foraging" and how to differentiate between food that is edible and that which is poisonous. Also included is a section allocated to fire and how to make fire by improvising with the use of unlikely raw materials.
In each and every section clear photographs are supplied to assist the reader. This is indeed another essential volume from Ray Mears for anyone interested in the outdoor life, and not just for survival purposes. A basic knowledge would do none of us any harm and this book meets this need and those who require much more. Another excellent purchase.
