Everyone loves a good book right? Okay, well maybe not everyone. To be honest with you I was never much of a reader, I could ever only finish a book if it’s about a topic that interests me and luckily Bushcraft interests me. I have personally read all 5 of the bushcraft books that I am going to share with you and can vouch for the information in each and every one of them.
Even if you are not a big reader I promise, if you are interested in bushcraft you will not be able to put these books down!
Let’s get into it.
My Five Favorite Bushcraft Books
Below you will find my picks for the current Top 5 books for learning about bushcraft that you can find online right now, they are all unique in their own right and each offer something different.
1. Bushcraft 101- A Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival
Bushcraft 101 is a great survival book to help you assist in the wild. This book concentrates upon survival based on 5Cs. Cutting tools, containers, covering, cordages, and combustion devices.
The subject of this copy is to give you knowledge about the right items for your kits, how you can manufacture the tools needed, how to collect and make food, and how to protect yourself. This book would bind you with nature and help you in forming an actual connection to it. The topics that are mentioned are discussed in detail in the book and give you accurate know-how.
It is a great survival book written by a great author known for opening one of the top 12 survival schools in America. The writer, Canterbury, has done an excellent job of providing a guide for survival.
In his book Bushcraft 101, he isn’t just telling us about how to survive in the wild, but he has also written about Bushcraft art. It will allow you to connect with nature on a deeper level.
2. Bushcraft: outdoor skill and wilderness survival
It is a great book and also has a lot of visual aids. The book is filled with clear and extensive diagrams to help you understand properly.
It also has full-color pictures to guide you further and give you clear cut knowledge about surviving in the wild.
It deals with the topics regarding basics of survival like how to light and maintain fire properly, how to build a protected shelter, how to chop woods, how to use tools like axes and knives safely.
By reading this, you will acquire the authentic knowledge required to survive in the wild. It will get all the basics to survival covered for you before you go to your outdoor adventure.
The writer of the book, Mors Kochanski, is a knowledgeable individual with diverse experiences. He has an excellent international reach and follows.
3. SAS Survival Handbook, Third Edition: The Ultimate Guide to Surviving Anywhere
It is the ultimate book of survival and has got everything covered for you. It is the best and most comprehensive survival book we recommend. For keeping up with the latest technologies, this book is revised and now contains all the latest tech and solutions to more dangerous scenarios of modern times.
The topic of the book is vast and has many folds. It talks about the necessary survival skills like reading the weather, essential kit tools, and necessary preparations. The book also has topics related to making camps. This includes finding the right place for the camp, building a protected shelter, making tools, staying warm, etc. The first aid guide is also available in case of an emergency along with a Food guide, where he tells about the food to eat and things to avoid.
The book also covers topics related to disaster survival, security, self-defense, terrain, and climate. The writer is John Lofty Weissman. He has served in British Special Air Services for about 26 years.
4. Bushcraft Basics: A Common Sense Wilderness Survival Handbook
Bushcraft Basics is definitely one of my favorite books. This read is going to help you survive in any situation. It would help you in preparing for the wild. This book is for everyone, for beginners, for people looking to step up their hiking and outdoor adventures game, etc.
The topic is about how to develop a survival mindset, how to craft survival kits, how to select clothes best for survival, and how to build shelters. Furthermore, it tells how to pick up materials for your durability, decide which survival tools you should take with you, and make a fire using various techniques.
We all need to read such a piece. As we said, it is for everyone and every bad situation. Today, people are facing more disasters than before, and so an essential guide to Bushcraft should be with every person.
Leon Pantenburg wrote bushcraft Survival. He also has a website and a blog regarding the same topic, which has been up since 2009. He never claims to be an expert in survival, but he is an enthusiast and has been reporting about disasters for almost four decades.
Thanks to his journalism career, he has interviewed many expert survivalists and has reported many disasters. Many of these cases he says could have been prevented if common sense actions were taken. This book is an experienced guide to survival, and if you are a beginner, you should give this a try.
5. The Ultimate Bushcraft Survival Manual
If you are ever abandoned in the wild with nothing but your will to survive, do you think you will make it out alive?
The answer is, yes! only if you have read this nominee for best bushcraft book. It is a complete guide on surviving based on how native people are living in the wild, the history of how they made their shelters, weapons, found food, tools, etc.
This book has everything you will require to survive for a small period or even long term. This book tells you about how to be prepared for any situation, and it also has a history of traditional ways people lived in the wild if that’s what you’re interested in..
The topic of this book is three folds. Firstly, it talks about the basics of survival. The very basic things you need to survive for short term wilderness situations. This includes building a shelter, fire, food, water, and first aid.
Secondly, it talks about how to live a comfortable life in the wild. This includes learning techniques like collecting food, hunting, hygiene, tools building, etc.
Thirdly, it talks about the things necessary for a longer wilderness living like a year. This includes traditional techniques used by the ancestors to survive like food storage, natural navigation, wild medication, etc.
The writer of this is Tim MacWelch. He is the founder and head instructor at Advanced Survival Training School. He teaches familiar people different survival techniques they can use in case of an emergency. MacWelch is also a survival blogger and the author of the New York Times Bestseller. So you can be sure he knows his stuff.
Choosing The Best Bushcraft Books – The Ultimate Buying Guide
Bushcraft is a term used to define the skill of surviving in the wilderness. The best bushcraft books include capabilities that you are required to know to thrive in the wild. They provide knowledge of many necessary survival skills in the wild like hunting, fishing, hiking, tracking, fire craft, building a shelter, water sourcing, usage of tools like a good backpacking hatchet and knives.
A great way of learning bushcraft skills is through books. There are many books written on this subject, and some may seem to overlap a little with their topics. However, each writer is an individual and writes from their perspective, and so you will get a broader view of the subject.
Even if you are a beginner or an experienced outdoorsman, a good book is your best companion in the wild. It seems complicated to learn survival skills by reading books, but some of the top books are written so well that they portray every aspect of surviving in the wild.
Things to Consider Before Buying
Here are some things that you may want to consider before you go on to buy a new book.
- Who is the Author?
A book is a reflection of its author and his knowledge. When looking for a solid wilderness book the first thing you should do is carry out a little research in this genre. There are many different books written on this topic and by many different writers. Dave Canterbury is one of my personal favorites.
Search about the best authors of the genre and compare them to know the best one for you. Search their books and buy the one that gets your interest.
- What subject are you looking for?
Just like writers, there are many different subjects a wilderness survival book can be written on. Before buying any book, analyze, and search for the right topic for you. Maybe you are looking for a basic guide to survival and end up getting a book based on extreme wild situations and how to tackle them.
If this happens, then you may scare away from it. So searching for the right subject is essential. Make sure you are being careful about what you are buying.
- What do the Reviews Say?
Reading reviews before you buy a new book is crucial because a person who has already read the book can tell you how it is. However, you should get the right information, and not all reviews are acceptable. Consider using sites that are well-known for authentic reviews. Or you can ask a trusted fellow reader about the book you want to buy. There is also many reader’s clubs present over social media that you can join to get the right knowledge.
- What do the recommendations say?
Besides getting reader’s reviews, you can also browse over the internet for recommendations and best sellers from different authors. Almost everything is available over the internet these days, so make sure you take full advantage.
- Did you read the description?
You must read the description of the book. It’s the book’s essence, and you will know everything the book is about through its description. If you are buying online, there are always descriptions available, so make sure to check them out. And if you are buying from a stall or a store, read the backside of the book where descriptions are usually written. If you find the book appropriate for your adventure, then buy it.
- What’s the Budget?
All of the 5 books we’ve talked about are available at different prices. So get a book that comes under your budget. Buying a book under budget can be a difficult task, but it is not impossible. With proper research, you can always find the one that fits all your needs.
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Hey I’m Josh! I have been practicing Bushcraft for a little over 6 years now! I Started this website to review awesome bushcraft gear that I love as well as share information I have learned along the way!
