Though most of us are unlikely to ever take a trip to the Amazon or plan an adventure to the North Pole, reading survival books and learning a few basic skills could come in really handy. Even if you never actually use the skills that you read about in survival books, learning the techniques themselves can be a really interesting, and the knowledge can be pretty cool to have. And of course you never know- you may one day find yourself in a situation where you have to use your wits to survive and if that situation ever arose you would be very glad that you had read a couple of survival books.

If you are thinking of reading survival books, then here are some suggestions that you might find a good starting point.

Ray Mears

Ray Mears is a true expert on survival as he has travelled all around the world, experiencing different situations and spends a lot of time learning how the local people survive in these harsh extremes. He has an incredible knowledge of different survival techniques, and is a master of bush craft- the skills associated with surviving and thriving in the wilderness. Ray Mears has written loads of great books that demonstrate different survival techniques for you to learn from.

Essential Bushcraft by Ray Mears
Essential Bushcraft acts as a handbook of survival skills gathered from across the world, with staple lessons such as obtaining drinking water, building shelters and getting a fire started. For me, what really sets Ray apart from other survival experts is that he is able to not only survive in harsh environments, but he is able to enjoy them, as his amazing skill set allows him to take advantage of his surroundings and make his existence in the wilderness relatively comfortable.

Bear Grylls

If Ray Mears is fantastic a making the use of his surroundings, then Bear Grylls is the man that specialises in staying alive, no matter the discomfort. Famous for his TV series’, where he undertakes some pretty full on survival tasks, where he eats and drinks some pretty awful things including giant larvae and the liquid contained in elephant dung. Bear is a pretty interesting character and his books are well worth a read. “Man vs. Wild” teaches things such as how to skin a snake and eat it, and digging yourself a shelter in the snow- maybe not everyone’s idea of fun, but entertaining stuff all the same.