Customer Reviews

Bush Craft: Outdoor Skills and Wilderness Survival

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

i think this is a great book for someone who already knows a good bit about wilderness survival...kochanski does a great job of digging deeper into firecraft, shelter, axe and knifecraft...more detail than you'll find in most places and good stuff for the diehard fans of outdoor skills...but as far as a wilderness survival manual, i wouldn't rely on it...not at all comprehensive and doesn't cover many important basics...

don't get me wrong! i really like the book a lot and consider it one of the best in the outdoor skills genre...but it's more for folks who already have a good basis in wilderness survival skills...as far as the "outdoor skills" part, it's definitely 5 stars...

mr. kochanski says straight off that space limitations didn't allow him to cover other areas...i would REALLY like to see a "bushcraft 2" which covers other topics, and perhaps more than moose and hares!

I live in Alberta Canada. Mors lives in Edson, about 2 hours away. So far, the information I have read all pertains to the area I am in. I think that you will like this book if you live in the area as well. Shelters and the basic firecraft principles that are shown would translate almost everywhere.

This book is not a survival guide, its a bushcraft guide. That means that a lot of the ideas are for those who are interested in putting themselves in a position of minimalist living rather than being thrown into it by circumstance. Many of these ideas and principles would serve well in a formal camp setting as well.

If you choose to purchase this book, choose to do so because of these reasons. If you are looking for a survival guide, I would recommend Tom Brown's Field Guide to Wilderness Survival or Survive! Ultimate Edition Both are reputable authors with plenty of field experience.

This book is outstanding. Though written as a book of wilderness living skill in the northern boreal forest, the skills can be applied to a survival situation. The book is well illustrated with clear blackline drawings and is easy to read. Check out some of Mors other articles in The Society of Primitive Technology's 'Primitive Technology: A Book of Earth Skills.' Mr. Kochanski is one of the world leaders in wilderness living skills his dedication, research and expertise in wilderness living is recognized around the world. After reading Bushcraft and his work in other journals you'll know why.

I thought the book was thorough on the subjects it covered. I am from Louisiana so most of the information was new to me, although some of it may be basic for you northern foke. The chapters on fire and shelter constuction were extensive and complete compared to the dozens of survival books I have read. Kochanski did not cover animal traps except for one for hares. The only other animal food Kochanski talked about was the moose. Still, I leared a lot about fire and winter shelter constuction. Except for the lack of information on traps and animals, I think it is a very good book on winter and cold weather survival.

If you live in the northern climes you are a fool not to get this book. If you live anywhere else it will still be invaluable! Really good thorough and easy to follow instructions on axemanship, knifecraft, fire-making, shelter building, cordage & rope, bark containers, working with birch, conifers, willows, moose and snow! A bestseller in Canada, with a cult following in the US.

The first reviewer has really said it all. I have also found that EVERYTHING in this book works. I have found myself in a few unexpected circumsatnces that have required the knowledge that this book taught me and I am here to write about it.

I hear the author of this book is writing another comprehensive and exhaustive book on the same subject. I will be first on line to pick it up if his first book is any indication of his knowledge, and I know it is.

After years of being an outdoor enthusiast, I have finally found a book that gives practical, well thought out, easy to follow explanations of techniques of survival and practical outdoor skills. All too often I have found that survival skills authors seem to simply lift a technique from a book written by someone else 20 years before. It doesn't seem to matter if it works or not, or whether the conditions have to be exactly right for it to work, they just paste it into their books. It has become obvious that most of the authors have never even tried many of the tecniques since the techniques they write about don't work or need such specific conditions to work that you never find the exact right conditions in which to use the techniques. This book is different.

Every single skill presented is detailed and clear. They have all worked for me in REAL conditions. It is obvious that the author has not only written about the skills, but has spent long hours LIVING the skills and perfecting them. There is advice and observations that I have found nowhere else, another good indication that the author has written from experience rather than from reading what other people have already written and regurgitating outdated or worthless knowledge (and knowledge that doesn't work becomes dangerous in the bush). His attention to detail (he even drew all the drawings in the book himself)and his great concern for safety in performance of the skills goes unmatched.

I would hardily recommend this book to anyone who wants to feel a little safer when they may be faced with an unexpected emergency, whether you are a backpacker, mountaineer, camper, outdoor enthusiast, or simply driving in your vehicle in a snow storm. This book could save your life one day, when you least expect it.

I purchased this book along with the "SAS survival guide" and "Wildwood Wisdom". It did not dissapoint. It is specifically concerned with Northern climates, and was perfect for areas I explore. Its writer is obviously VERY knowledge-able about bushcraft and has a gift for explaining concepts clearly and hitting the highlights. ESSENTIAL information is given with good explanations of WHY it works.

Proper saw, axe, and knife use. How to fell trees, build shelters, utilize fires for various conditions/uses. The best trees to use for various needs .. Well worth it !!

I agree with the earlier reviewers who say that this is an outstanding book. Kochanski is widely acknowledged as the expert's expert in bushcraft. It is true that the line drawings can be a bit crude, but the content is superb. I have heard that Kochanski is writing a second edition and I hope it is true.

This book is frankly a waste of your money. if you are going to spend it, spend it on a more practiacal book. Bushcraft spends 35 pages telling you how to hold a knife, it almost insults a person with any common sense.

One other thing, it does not have any pictures, all line drawings. (most impractical, and innapplicable in the real thing)

It does not have anything on traps, snares, or other devices, which will make-or-break a person in wilderness survival.

This is a good book if there were none others available, however, there are many which are a much greater value of your money, like Primitive Wilderness Survival Skills, by John McPherson. Check authors like: Jim Riggs, Larry Dean Olsen, Tom Brown, Richard Jamison, to name a few.