101 Skills You Need to Survive in the Woods: The Most Effective Wilderness Know-How on Fire-Making, Knife Work, Navigation, Shelter, Food and More
The Foundation of All Survival Skills is “Feeder” Mind-Set
“Feeder” mind-set means being in control of a situation, proactive rather than reactive. It is an optimistic outlook that reframes any situation as a learning experience. Kevin Estela teaches survival skills from this feeder-based perspective, which is what separates his teaching style from other wilderness instructors.
Kevin has written the quintessential guide for an outdoor enthusiast’s “bucket list” of skills—how to make a fire, build a shelter, gather food, find water, use a knife correctly and make cordage. These skills will keep you safe and better prepare you to deal with emergencies in the field, when you’ll need the additional skills of signaling and communication, navigation and crisis first aid taught in this book. Each chapter concludes with more advanced techniques to build your skills in various challenging situations, with tips that even seasoned survival enthusiasts haven’t thought of.
101 Skills You Need to Survive in the Woods is not a onetime read but a lifetime reference you will turn to over and over again. It will become the first thing you pack for any adventure and just might save your— or someone else’s—life. kevin estela, a bushcraft and survival expert, is an avid world traveler and martial arts instructor.
Reviews (118)
No nonsense straight forward knowledge
( I am no expert, and this is just my opinion on something) (I'm confident in my skill set but you can never have enough knowledge) I'm an avid woodsman and spend as much time as possible in nature. Received this in mail last night. So far I can tell this is above the rest of the "survival" books. I haven't read much yet but the basis for this surpasses the others because well this isn't a gimmick book. This isn't a zombie apocalypse nuclear fallout extreme situation book. This is no nonsense knowledge. From survival in emergencies to just a great understanding of the woods and "bushcraft" this isn't pushing a certain pace, gear, a pre made kit like most do. Thank you @estelawilded for this great piece of work. Nothing beats knowledge gotta keep things sharp in the brain as well as blade. 🍻. So in this I highly suggest this book. Even if you are confident in your skill set and have been a woods tramper for your whole life it's always good to refresh and learn new ways for you to do things. Safe journeys and remember it's one thing to know but another to do get out and practice
Wisdom yes, intelligence not so much
Not a bad book for practical knowledge and progression, but I was bothered by a few things. I am a realist with a twist of pessimist. Sure, there is a section on knots, but no good illustrations on how to tie the knots are provided - just a picture of the final knot. However, I far more troubled by the incorrect scientific information mentioned. Notably, the chemistry of fire triangle and the physics of air currents were incorrect. Even worse, aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) is derived from the salicylic acid found in willow bark, but the author says acetaminophen (a.k.a. Tylenol) is. The mention of the taste of oxalic acid made me cringe a little as it is the harmful when ingested chemical found in rhubarb leaves. This book does not make the top 10 in my library section on survival.
This book covers it all
Many survival books don't discuss the most important factor, the mindset. Kevin does a phenomenal job delving into this before he presents any skills. The book is also color coded to make it easy to reference the section/skill you are looking for. This is a MUST HAVE for any outdoorsman's library
With this book, Enrich your outdoor experience
Before you go, everything in this book is helpful to know. Perfect gift for the outdoor enthusiast looking to pack less and adventure more efficiently. Perfect for the Cub Scout leader looking to inspire kids for the future. Perfect for the guy, standing at the wood line, wondering what all happens when you step off the edge of the lawn and into the deep woods Buy this book for yourself, someone you love, or your local library. Get it into everyone’s hands so that they may enjoy the outdoors more fully and have the confidence to bring someone else along with them in order to share the fun!
This well rounded book of life skills is pure gold.
This guide has excellent visuals and the author is very articulate in his delivery of this valuable information. I’m completely blown away and enjoyed every minute reading it. The words WORLD CLASS and REFERENCE STANDARD come to mind and describe this book perfectly. Perfect gift to buy for those you care about. To the author: Thank you for taking the time to do this!!
Perfect Rundown of Critical Skills
Mr. Estella does a superb job of covering all the critical elements and then some with great tips for beginners and experts alike. From knife work to first aid, even to the often forgotten need for light discipline at night, the contents of this book could save your life. The book is an easy, accessible read and very well illustrated. Definitely keep handy for everything from a day hike to a days' long camping expedition.
This is the book you are looking for!
Nice book, good clear explanations with photos. Actually field tested information unlike a lot of other books on this subject. If you are getting one book on this subject this is the one to get.
Read this book and go practice
Amazing book and a good read. Broken down into sections that make sense. This author lives what he teaches and presents the material in a way that the average person can accomplish everything in the text
A great compilation of things you don't know you need to know
This is a great compilation of survival skills that you don't know you probably need. It's not a "comprehensive" guide in the manner of a step-by-step wilderness survival guide, but more of a "grab it and read a few super-fascinating tips every day" kind of book. Don't let that dissuade you -- each group of skills is broken down by survival area: - fire - shelter skills - knife skills - cordage - illumination/light - navigation - signaling and communication - first aid - water - food gathering Grab this book and stick it someplace where you'll read a few new skills every day, like when you drink your morning coffee. When you need a skill, you'll remember it and be able to refer back to it thanks to the well designed table of contents.
Best book ever on wilderness survival skills and practical real world situations.
Simply put, this is the best comprehensive outdoors skills book you will ever read. Mr. Estella’s extensive research combined with training and firsthand real world experience is showcased throughout the pages. To quote the section in the author’s forward, “Find a school or training program that fits your style, and don’t change yourself to fit theirs. Do not let this book, as proud as I am of it, be your sole teacher. Books do not replace human interaction and instruction.” The reason I personally take this quote to heart so much, is that Mr. Estella understands that there is no one magical way to get teach people about outdoors survival and no one instructor that appeals to every personality. He’s also stating in the nicest possible way, that you are required to get off your butt and into the great wild areas to hone these skills.
