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

Awesome book full of useful info

Most books about survival and outdoor skills don’t become “bestsellers”. But somehow Bushcraft 101 made it onto the 2014 New York Times list of Best Selling Sports Books. Why was that? In our opinion this book was popular because it’s a good, basic beginner bushcraft/wilderness survival book that can also be enjoyed by an experienced outdoors person because of the author’s credentials, writing style and content. Written by Dave Canterbury, known to many people as one of the original two survivalists on the TV show “Dual Survival,” where he was teamed with Cody Lundin (Dave was the one that wore shoes), the book focuses on Dave’s view of bushcraft; a view that means taking advantage of what nature makes available to you and using a minimum of gear to survive and thrive in the natural world, carrying “the knowledge and skills needed to create items straight from the landscape”. The main way that Dave’s book differs from the first two books on our favorites list is due to his focus on the skills necessary to thrive in the woods – not just the skills essential to surviving in the wild in an emergency. Because of this much of the book is based on Canterbury’s “Five Cs of Survivability” – items chosen since they are extremely hard to make in the wild and directly impact controlling your body’s core temperature. Dave’s Five Cs are: 1) Cutting Tools – to manufacture needed items and process food 2) Covering Elements – to create a microclimate of protection from the elements 3) Combustion Devices – for creating the fires needed not only to preserve and cook food, but also to make medicines and provide needed warmth 4) Containers – to carry water over distances or to protect collected food sources 5) Cordages – for bindings and lashings The book also shows how Dave has a “systems” mindset (e.g. never carry anything unless it can perform multiple functions). The book has sections on: Gearing Up Your Pack Tools Rope, Cordage, Webbings, and Knots Containers and Cooking Tools Coverage Combustion In The Bush Setting Up Camp Navigating Terrain Trees: the Four-Season Resource Trapping and Processing Game Appendices Conserving and Utilizing resources Wild Edibles and Medicinal Plants Bush Recipes Glossary Dave’s detailed section on Tools is especially helpful for people new to camping. We also like Dave’s “Four Ws” relating to setting up a camp – Wood, Water, Wind and Widowmakers. Having 256 pages, measuring 5½ x ¾ x 8½ inches and weighing ~10 ounces this is probably a book that you learn from but do not take on the trail with you. Although shorter than all of our other recommended books, Bushcraft 101 is not intended to be all encompassing – since it is only intended to cover the “20 percent of bushcraft that is of the most value”.

Rarely do reviews of products but I’m a big fan of Dave Canterbury. I grew up hunting and camping but I’ve recently taken a dive into the art of bushcraft. Now I’m looking to expand my knowledge and hone my skills into mastery. This book is very easy to read and comprehend as it feels more conversational than lectured. I’m excited to finish this one and move on to advanced bushcraft.

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.

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