One of the most important aspects of surviving any situation, whether it be planned or unplanned, is accurate information. In fact, the more valid information an individual or party has, the greater the chances of survival and success. Often times, however, factual information can be hard to verify and is laced with opinions that may or may not be useful.
When it comes to prepping and surviving any situation, it doesn’t take long to realize which information is useful and which is not. Unfortunately, by the time this discovery is made it is likely too late to reverse whatever situation or condition is occurring and the results can range from a simple inconvenience to death.
The whole idea behind prepping is to be prepared. You don’t want to take the time to experiment with a process or idea to see whether it’s valid or not. You need information that has been proven through extensive experience under some of the worse possible conditions.
Enter “The SAS Survival Guide” by John “Lofty” Wiseman.
According to Wikipedia’s entry on Mr. Wiseman:
“Wiseman became the youngest person ever to pass selection for the SAS, at the age of eighteen, in 1959, joining from the Parachute Regiment which he had joined a year earlier. He went on to serve in the SAS for 26 years, rising to the rank of Warrant Office. Wiseman was also Head of Operational Research 22 SAS, set up a counter hijack team known as SP Team and founded the SAS Counter-Terrorist Team (who are well-known for their involvement in the Iranian Embassy siege) and trained the US Green Berets.”
After his retirement, “Wiseman become a survival consultant, writing a number of other books on the subject, as well as appearing on television. When he provided survival training to the cast of the 1990 film Memphis Belle, his ability to make food out of unlikely materials inspired cast member Harry Connick Jr.to write Lofty’s Roach Souffle.”
In my opinion, I would be inclined to trust the expertise of an individual who has the distinction of being the youngest ever member of an elite group in addition to having served for 26 years. However, it’s generally not a good idea to accept any information without a little review, so let’s dive in and take a look at what we’ve got.
Sections
There is a LOT of information in this book and all of it appears to be useful. For the sake of simplicity I’ve divided the book into the following sections and subsections:
- Essentials
- Make Camp
- First Aid
- Hunting
- Disaster
- Wild Food
- Environment
- Polar
- Sea Coast
- Desert & Tropics
A Deeper Look
The breadth and depth of the information presented in this book is very impressive. Sometimes what is presented doesn’t seem to flow very well, but the sections compliment each other very well. So what may seem out of place or unrelated actually makes sense when taken into full context.
As each section is very extensive, I’m going to provide a simple synopsis:
Essentials
This section reviews the essential equipment and core survival skills, including making a fire, finding water, navigating by stars and signaling for rescue. There are several case studies that provide real-life experiences and how the principles presented can be put into practice. The examples range from detailing the need for mental stamina to the importance of sticking together.
From there, the book goes on to talk about various kinds of preparations that individuals and groups should take before going on any adventure. The steps that are listed include:
- Research of the intended adventure
- Planning the details individually or together
- Equipping the expedition – taking the right tools for the right job
- Preparing for the unexpected – seems impossible but the explanation is worth reading
From here, there are discussions about the normal things you would expect to see in such a book: the need for a survival kit, knives (a good knife is your BEST friend in the wild), finding sources of water, creating a fire and different methods of navigation and communication/signaling. In all honesty, I knew a lot of what was written but the nuances were enlightening. As the old saying goes, “the devil’s in the details” – and there were a LOT of details.
One thing I was surprised to read about that I wasn’t aware of was the need for salt. I knew that salt was important for proper wound healing, but I didn’t know that it was essential for water retention as well. But, here’s the trick, salt also increases dehydration so if you are on reduced food of water rations then it is the FIRST thing that should be cut from your diet.
Make Camp
Moving on to this section, the author describes the various types of shelters and which ones are appropriate for which environment. There is detailed information about where the best places are to create camps and the layout. This may not seem important at first, but it becomes obvious fairly quickly that you don’t want your latrine area next to your food storage or the primary shelter. The results could be…undesirable.
One of the nuggets of knowledge I’ve picked up along the way is the importance for mental diversions – boredom can dull the mind very quickly potentially leading to clumsy or even life threatening mistakes. The author seems to take this into account as he describes the various activities that can (and should) be done when creating a camp.
He talks about the importance of creating tools, furnishing the camp, making clothes and ropes – which eventually leads into a discussion on the various types of knots and their uses. In all honesty, I never knew there were so many possible way to tie a rope. I’m still amazed at how useful knots are, but still not experienced enough to create them from memory.
Lastly, a description of movement is discussed. The importance of when to move (during the day – not at night, if at all possible) and the importance of moving in groups so that no member of the group becomes inadvertently separated or lost. He talks about the pace and progress of the group and reasonable expectations. And finally, how to move at night (didn’t we just say it was a bad idea), only if it becomes necessary.
I’ve been out in the wilderness on several occasions and it never ceases to amaze me how dark it gets and how difficult it can be to find your shelter without a light when you need to make a latrine run in the middle of the night.
First Aid
To me, this was the most interesting section. I guess it’s because there are so many ways to get injured in general that understanding how to heal oneself and alleviate as much suffering as possible greatly appeals to me.
Here, the author discusses the steps in determining not only the type of injury but how to order each injury in its level of severity. Some of it seems like common sense but probably wouldn’t occur to you in an emergency situation.
For example, if I saw a person bleeding, my first instinct would be to find a way to stop it. However, Mr. Wisemen flatly states that the first issue to be addressed should be the restoration and maintenance of normal breathing and heartbeat. Only then should bleeding be addressed.
Also, this section details the different types of injuries such as “Breathing But Unconscious” vs “Not Breathing And No Pulse”. Of course bleeding, burns, fractures, sprains, shock, emergency childbirth and general ailments are all discussed plus a plethora of other issues all with their various treatments listed.
One of the enlightening parts of these sections was the description of Natural Medicine and Medicinal Plants. I’ve known for a long time that different kinds of plants can be used for different ailments, but it’s nice to finally have a book where all of them are listed in one place. I’ll probably be studying this section for a long time…
Hunting
OK – not one of my favorite topics but I understand how important this can be, especially if you get tired of nuts and berries and would like a little meat in your diet. I don’t know much about which plants and animals are tasty (outside of what I see in the grocer story), much less which ones are safe to eat.
Thankfully Mr. Wiseman goes into great detail about the types of animals you can eat, how to capture them and the types of weapons that will be useful not only in subduing game but defending yourself too.
And, of course, what good would capturing your meal be if you didn’t know how to prepare it? The author does the reader a great service in describing how to prepare the edible parts while removing the not-so-edible parts.
Now, a good middle ground for me was the section on fishing. I think I can catch and prepare fish without feeling like I’m going to waste too much of it. On top of that, I’m a big fan of fish so this is probably something I would lean towards catching and eating, vs say a deer – although I like deer meat too, lol!
Finally, the author details the dangerous creatures (e.g. snakes) that may also be edible, but should probably be avoided. The risk of injury is probably not worth the effort as there are likely safer creatures to eat. I viewed this section as a warning to avoid danger, but the information is definitely useful, if there are no other choices available.
Disaster
This section was probably the easiest to understand. Here, the author details a number of types of disasters and how to best handle them. He talks about Car Accidents, Airplane Crashes, Drought, Fire, and even Chemical/Biological Warfare.
Of course there are other scenarios he touches upon, but I think you get the idea. The two topics that I found most useful were the discussions about People and what he calls “The Home Front”.
In the section on People, he talks about the risk surrounding people during unexpected events. He mentions that in some cases, people can come together to get things done, but in the event of a panic, it may be best to avoid people if at all possible. People are capable of amazingly unexpected actions when under great stress. Best to not be the easiest target.
With regard to “The Home Front”, the author talks about the incredibly useful things both inside and outside the house that people could use for survival but often times go dismissed as useless. Personally, I found it interesting that there are several kinds of common weeds that can be prepared as very useful pain killers. They appear to be safer than most modern drugs and are, obviously, much cheaper to produce.
Wild Food
Obviously food is an important aspect of survival as it provides heat and energy. A basic understanding of your body’s nutritional needs and how to meet them is very important. In the wild, the trick is to know not only what will provide the most benefit but which foods to avoid.
This section of the book focuses on the different kinds of wild food generally available as well as it’s value – what foods will provide the most value in the smallest amounts. Of course, this is based on the body’s general needs and although it may not be the most appetizing food, it will keep your body healthy and keep you alive.
The book then goes into describing food plants, how to test them for safety, gathering them in reasonable quantities and identifying them using recognizable characteristics.
Edible plants are discussed next. As you can imagine some of these items are commonly known to most people, like fruits and nuts. However, there is also a description of roots, leaves and stems. There are plenty of foods in everyday life that already fit this description such as carrots (roots), spinach (leaves) and broccoli (stems). However, there are some that are not as well-known. You’ll have to read the book (or check the applicable sections of this website) for the details.
And, of course, no discussion of this topic would be complete without detailing the various types of poisonous plants that could be encountered. The author describes how to identify and avoid both poisonous plants and trees. Honestly, I knew some plants could be poisonous, but I hadn’t thought of any trees that could be. I guess you learn something new every day…
This section concludes with edible and poisonous fungi. Basically, these are mushrooms and other plants that grow in very moist conditions and generally little, if any, sunlight. I have always been taught that mushrooms don’t have much nutritional value, but from the author describes them as “excellent eating”. From my experience, this may be true on steaks, but by themselves – well in a survival situation you can’t be picky and your tastes will probably adapt to whatever is available.
Environment
Yes! Now this is a topic I’ve always found fascinating and really wanted to get into. I’ve been camping in the Rockies (plus I live in the mountains), visited the provinces and cities of the Philippines and explored some of the ancient Greece ruins of the Ukraine (the Ukraine was a Greece colony back during their height, if you didn’t know that) and I’ve always imagined myself pitting my survival skills against nature in the various climates I’ve encountered during my travels.
Now you may be wondering what my travels have to do with the environment discussion of this book. Well, I’ve experienced almost all of the environments that Mr. Wiseman covers and I can verify with some certainty that his information is accurate.
This section is broken down into three basic types of environments:
- Polar
- Sea Coast
- Tropics & Desert
As it relates to me, I’ve experienced Polar conditions at my home in the mountains (OK – it’s not as cold here as it is at the poles, but I think surviving through Five (5) feet of snow with sub-zero temperatures over the course of a week counts for something, lol!), Sea Coast & Tropical conditions in the Philippines and Desert conditions in the American southwest on my Two (2) month trip across the United States (did I mention I like to travel).
For Polar regions, the author describes the methods of Travel, Shelter, and the strong needs for Fire, Water and Food. I was surprised to find that there are more fire/fuel sources in polar regions than one might anticipate. Water appears to be more easily obtainable than in other conditions and food is an absolute necessity for long term survival as your body will burn a lot of calories just to keep warm – not to mention allowing you stay active.
For Sea Coast regions, Mr. Wisemen pretty much covers the same topics: Water, Food, and also the potential dangers of living near the coast. Shelter doesn’t seem to be as important as the sea shore environments tend not to be as intense as those at the poles or in deserts. But, he does talk about how to survive on islands and what seashore plants can be used for various purposes. He also includes a (IMHO) bonus section on how to increase your chances for survival after a sea accident. I’m going to have to re-read this section in detail – there was a LOT of great information presented here.
For Tropical & Desert regions, the same themes are repeated: the procurement of Water, Shelter and Fire (What! Fire in a desert or the tropics, what for?? Isn’t it hot enough! Read – and understand why this is important). There’s also a section on clothing because what you wear in these environments will not only help with the heat but also with the types of critters you’re likely to encounter. And, yes, there is also a great description of the types of plants that can be used as well as the ones that should be avoided (i.e. poisonous ones).
Conclusion
Bottom line is that I really enjoyed reading this book. It’s not like reading a novel but more like an instruction manual. However, since the information contained are on topics that you may have THOUGHT you knew a lot about, it’s really eye-opening to pick up the tidbits of information that run counter to “common sense”.
Because the information here is so extensively detailed, I recommend you pick up a copy and keep it as a handy emergency reference. Personally, I have Three (3) copies: one on my phone, one on my iPad and a physical copy in my survival pack, as it’s likely that any extended emergencies may prevent access to electricity (side note: I also have several solar charging devices, but that’s a discussion for another review, lol!).
So, I highly recommend “The SAS Survival Guide” by John “Lofty” Wiseman and I strongly believe it should be an essential part of any prepper or survival kit. Given that the average price is under $20, it could definitely pay for itself several times over in keeping you and your loved ones alive.
Comments
As always, I welcome comments and thoughts on this review. Let me know what you think below…
