US Army Survival Manual: FM 21-76

As a civilian I found myself filtering a lot of the information and wondering how I would adapt if I ever encounter any of the scenarios. I did enjoy the information on the psychology of survival. It gave me food for thought in rounding out my emergency gear.

I would recommend, as another poster has, to download this book for free just by using google and inserting Fm 21-76, then print in out, although paying for printing could be more? Don't waste your money if you are ok with digital copies.

This book is very interesting. I started out planning to give it a quick look and ended up reading it almost cover to cover. It contains a lot of very useful information; however, it has a 1970's copyright date and some of the information seems to be outdated. For instance, with respect to snake bites, it still recommends cutting the bite to suck out the venom and applying a tourniquet. Most authorities now indicate that these practices are not only no longer recommended but are actually now considered to be the cause of most of the serious injuries (at least from the venomous snakes in my area).

With a simple update to insure that all information reflects current knowledge, I would feel comfortable giving this book 5 stars and recommending it to everyone. That said, it is still chock full of valuable and potentially life saving information and at the price, it is still a good investment.

This manual is very extensive. Its range of topics include survival medicine, to creating emergency shelter in the field, to foretelling weather and how to find direction. It includes full color images of poisonous snakes and edible as well as poisonous plants to avoid.

While I haven't been in situations that tested virtually most of these methods, as many are geared toward survival in extreme circumstances, I always take this with me when I hike. I have, however, needed the info on tying knots, have used the pictures to identify snakes, and I often peruse the descriptions of first aid to keep familiar with it.

---*** THE BOTTOM LINE ***---

If you are someone who regularly spends time outdoors, even if it's just a dayhike or camping close to other people, you should really have this book that could help in many situations.

This is by far the best book I have seen on this topic. It covers all necessary areas without being too wordy. Don't go camping without it!