Bushcraft 101: A Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival (Bushcraft Survival Skills Series)

Awesome book full of useful info

Exactly as advertised

First off all the negative reviews on here I feel are people who either did not honestly read the book or didn't understand the material and how or what Dave Canterbury teaches. First the context of the book, it's about the basics of bushcraft literally for someone who is brand new to the world of bushcraft. It covers the usual recommend gear and tools (packs, 5 C's, different style and grinds of knives, saws, and axes) plus why. Goes over safety and considerations of said tools to etc. Basic skills in catagoeries such as shelters, fire craft, how to find a location for camp considerations for said site, how to navigate the terrian, a few trees (four season resources) and the basics on trapping. Second does this book cover everything in one go. No absolutely not and I didn't expect it to. Why people would assume it does or would is beyond me. Other they had unrealistic expectations. I would love for someone to write a book that covers everything in very fine detail. But let's be honest that would be a hudge undertaking for said author. Also the book itself would be enormous. I do like how the book is laid out basically going from how to prepare for your trek to implementing said trek. AT A BASIC SKILL LEVEL. Like the book is intended to be this the title "Bushcraft 101" not something like "ultimate guide to bushcraft" which don't get me started in those books. I like this book along with the next addition Advanced bushcraft that does cover more in better detail. But could you take either of these books and go out to either your own or state property and train with the knowledge in these books yes, you absolutely can. It just takes a little effort or your end.

Bushcraft 101 is a pleasant source of knowledge for many different expertise levels, the descriptions are well worded although as a beginner myself I prefer more diagrams than what was provided. There were so many useful points that someone could use no matter if they were primitive camping or stranded in the middle of a jungle. Some of the topics that were discussed ranged from tools, your pack and shelter, cooking and cleaning food, fires, ropes, and navigating terrain. There was continued useful information in the appendix sections which detailed ways to conserve your tools and resources, bush recipes, medicinal plants and wild berries, as well as a glossary for almost all of the terms used. The way Canterbury addresses the reader is not as if they are incompetent rather that they do have some knowledge but are not well versed in the survival skills discussed. The book is written from the point of view of a teacher or mentor and has a very simplistic language during the explanations of the skills. As I went through the book I found the glossary to be extremely helpful since I am not well versed in outdoor pertinent terms. The index was also very helpful and would be helpful in the case of practicing the skills after reading the book. It has a thorough list of different sections that point you to where the information you are looking for is located. I also liked how the skills were separated by headers and the book was sectioned into two parts, this made it very easy to go back and find what I needed even without using the index. The separations and headings also gave a sense of organization throughout the book which I feel, makes me more secure when I imaging needing to find something in an emergency. The size of the book is perfect to store within my emergency backpack or any camping bags, the cover is also a little more firm than a regular paperback which leads me to think it could withstand more abuse. One issue that I found when looking over skills is the diagrams are not very descriptive, the knots portion of the book only details the steps of certain knots instead of all knots. The book seems to be geared more towards an auditory learner versus a visual learner, although the verbiage is clear you would have a harder time learning the skills without seeing the step by step directions in some cases. It also does not appear that the author used any outside sources, these seemed to all be skills that the author practices frequently and has learned through experiences. I felt as if the tone of the book was very formal, with verbiage that would be used in a classroom or workshop. This tone throughout the book does take some time to read through due to the lecturing or monotone delivery as would be used in a classroom. As a person who often needs some sort of excitement in my reading choices, this was a harder read to get through only because it was strictly focused on teaching the skills outlined. Although this can also be a positive attribute when you are attempting to find a skill in a hurry when you are out in the field, fewer words to filter through to learn the skill you will need. Personally, upon reading the book, I could not relate to any of the chapters due to my inexperience in the field. There were specific skills outlined within the book such as using a cast iron skillet and some of the fire lighting methods, which I was able to learn quickly and use for a camping trip that came shortly after beginning to read the book. However the more we practice these skills the easier it will be to remember them in the times a survival situation or emergency comes around. I have attempted some of the knots shown in the book and some of the fire-starting information was helpful as well. I found when I have used the information given that it was very helpful and rewarding to see that what skills I was learning were paying off. This made me enjoy the book more than when I had originally begun reading it.

Very happy with this book. I don't understand why all the haters. It's a thin, 12 dollar paperback. With that in mind, it's loaded with good information for a novice or first timer. As a sort of added bonus, you have the author's youtube channel as an extra resource. I found that for virtually any subject in the book, I could go to his youtube channel, search the subject I was reading about, and there was a video showing everything the text was talking about. So you have an actual guy doing the stuff and describing it as you watch, as well as text and pictures to go along with it. Then when I was in the field, just browsing at the book brought back to mind watching the guy doing the stuff and the next thing I knew I had a shelter and fire ~ no matches, no paper, no lighter fluid, just what I collected around from the woods and the knowledge I had obtained from this book. In just a few hours I had a pleasant camp site and an enjoyable weekend with no sort of artificial aid. It was very satisfying to me. I am grateful to Mr. Dave Cantebury simply for sharing most of his knowledge and experience for free on youtube. And then he took the time and effort to write a book, which now is a valuable reference in the field. If you are a novice at bushcraft, camping, field craft, etc, then I think you will appreciate this book very much. If you are an "expert" at everything, and/or get hung up on details (such as, "the title clearly says SURVIVAL, which implies EMERGENCY and he doesn't adequately cover all scenarios blah blah blah blah") then this book might not be for you. I will be ordering and reading the advanced version of this book in the weeks to come, and I feel good that it will also be a good purchase simply because I already know I have his youtube channel as an added resource. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfa-XVztQrDlf-2v1UUdkwg bayite Survival Drilled Flint Fire Starter Ferrocerium Rod Kit with OD Green Paracord Landyard 6 Inch Large Catahoula Manufacturing #12 Tarred Twisted Nylon Twine (Bank Line) 395' Spool, 100lb Test 138' Catahoula Manufacturing #36 Tarred Braided Nylon Twine (Bank Line) 320 lb Tensile Strength Ontario Knife 7025 7-Inch Butcher Knife Ka-Bar Leather Sheath, 7-Inch, Brown

Take along with you while hiking,camping and your adventures.

As was written in the book also - 90% of the time you are in the bush, you are using basic skills. Master the basics and all the rest will be easy. Quality read - especially if you are starting out. Watching long videos online often with repeating topics can cost a lot of time. And still you could come short in important skills. Good book to carry - small and light. If need be.

Nice for beginner

It gives you the base on how to start with bushcraft and survival

Cool book,I’m going to learn a lot of useful things reading about it