10 Best Survival Books In 2020

For a full textbook on basic survival skills usable in any situation, the SAS Survival Handbook: The Ultimate Guide to Surviving Anywhere. The textbook covers everything from how to find food, shelter, and water to first aid, disaster survival, self-defense, security, and reading the weather. This is the third edition of the book, so it's been updated to stay modern and full of the best information possible.

The author, John "Lofty" Wiseman, also brings plenty of experience to the table. He served for the Special Air Service as their Chief Survival Instructor, giving him career experience and authority over the content.

Bushcraft 101: A Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival dedicates itself to the 5 Cs of surviving. This includes information on cutting tools, covering, containers, cordages, and combustion devices. Its focus is to help you learn how to make everything you need to survive from seemingly nothing while also helping you create the perfect survival kit before you go. The author aims to give the reader everything they need to know about using nature to their advantage.

Dave Canterbury has plenty of experience too as the co-owner as well as the supervising instructor for the Pathfinder School. This survivalist school was ranked as one of the best 12 in the United States by USA TODAY.

If you want something a little more story-driven, Hatchet by Gary Paulsen is an award-winning survivalist novel. The novel is geared towards young adults but its a worthy read for any age.

The story focuses on 13-year-old Brian Robeson. It begins with him flying on a single-engine plane on the way to visit his father. However, the plane crashes and leaves Brian as the sole survivor alone in the Canadian wilderness. All he has on his is the clothes on his back and a hatchet from his mother. It's a particularly interesting saga because Brian isn't a survivalist before the crash. Instead, the reader gets to follow along as he learns the ropes in an effort to survive.

There are some survival books that go past just the practical skills you need and Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why looks at surviving from a different angle. The biggest focus of the book isn't on survival techniques themselves but one of the mentality of surviving.

The way you react to a survival situation right away can determine your chances of surviving greatly. If you want to look at the psychology of surviving just as much as you want to know practical skills, this is must-have for your survival book list.

The title 98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive is apt because the focus of the book is maintaining your body heat to stay alive. Author Cody Lundin uses the knowledge he's gained at the director of the Aboriginal Living Skills School to give you everything you need to know.

The book doesn't focus as much on finding food and water as it does making sure that you stay at a safe temperature to survive even in a desert or blizzard. Lundin keeps the boo

You can learn everything from finding food and water to emergency first aid in The Survival Handbook: Essential Skills for Outdoor Adventure. Writer Colin Towell aims to cover everything that you might need to know if you find yourself trying to survive in the wilderness. This takes you all the way from planning your next outing to surviving a catastrophe and even how to get out of it.

Towell brings his expertise from being in the Royal Navy and serving as a Combat Survival Instructor for the 22 Regiment SAS.

Beginner survivalist will find the simplistic and informative style of Build the Perfect Bug Out Survival Skills: Your Guide to Emergency Wilderness Survival very helpful. It uses step-by-step, illustrated guides to help teach tough topics like tying different knots and building shelters.

The guide is meant to help you learn to survive even if the tools you carry are rather primitive. Don't be deceived by its simple format, though. It delves into advanced knowledge you'd need to protect you, your family, and your friends.

Tom Brown's Field Guide to Wilderness Survival is a great read for any survivalist because it helps you tackle survival even if you don't have anything with you. It's all about learning to survive by living off of the Earth.

This includes what you'd expect such as finding safe drinking water and knowing which plants to eat. However, it also tackles subjects like starting a fire without matches and learning how to find, stalk, and kill animals and how to prepare them for eating after. Brown aims to teach readers survival tips that have been passed down through the ages.

Being lost in the wilderness with nothing is the fear of many and that's exactly what Primitive Wilderness Living & Survival Skills: Naked Into the Wilderness addresses. This book teaches readers to live just like our ancestors did - thriving off the land.

This information doesn't come from a spectator either. Both McPhersons practice what they preach. They've even taught these same skills U.S. Army Special Operations S.E.R.E Survival Instructors for the past four years. The authors even incorporate visual learning with 700 images in 400 pages.

If mountaineering is your preferred outdoor pastime, Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills has all the outdoor survival skills you need in this setting. Different settings call for different survival skills and this is the self-defined "bible" for mountaineers and climbers.

The book is incredibly detailed with a textbook-style that isn't dull to read. This is the eighth edition of the book, so it's updated to give you the best, up-to-date information for tackling a mountain when you're lost or stranded. The information comes straight from The Mountaineers Club of Washington which is one of the biggest and oldest organizations of its kind in the U.S.