The SAS Survival Handbook

[wingstoo]

Hi folks, Just an aside.

What a great bloke John "LOFTY" Wiseman is, I have just been round to see him at home, current project is a sportster kit car, invited in for a cup of tea and a chat and even managed to get him to sign my copy of his book, his book is years of personal knowledge and experience, not like some of his modern counterparts, his is the REAL stuff, not just practice in a non-hostile environment. Well worth buying this Christmas if you are looking for something worth reading ISBN 0-00-217185-6.

Lofty's main advice is to have the "mental ability to want to survive", without it you are on to a loser from the start, you can have all the kit and all the training, but without the attitude you won't get anywhere.

Ludlowsurvivors

 

[fa11en ange1]

I'm sure the book is an excellent survival guide (in fact I was given the pocket version, just haven't got round to reading it yet), but I'm curious about your phrase 'not just practice in a non-hostile environment'.

Does this mean that you believe no one can hold any level of Bushcraft expertise or experience unless they have had to do so under combat conditions? Without wishing to offend, it seems a touch narrow minded from my perspective.

 

[wingstoo]

You can respectfully draw my attention to anything you wish!

What I was saying is that Lofty did his stuff for real in very different situations that probably 95% of the readers of this forum would find themselves in, he was in the services for 28 years and was and still is HIGHLY RESPECTED for what he did, and has received many letters from people who have been saved or members of their family have been saved by his tried and tested methods, not just in a quite little wood where your life is not really at risk but in jungles and deserts and other hostile places around the world.

You may be the very best cordage maker in the whole universe, but doing it for "fun" and doing it for "real" are very different situations.

LS

 

[Beer Monster]

I think he means survival in a hostile environment such as the desert, arctic etc etc not in combat.

 

[Beer Monster]

You can respectfully draw my attention to anything you wish!

What I was saying is that Lofty did his stuff for real in very different situations that probably 95% of the readers of this forum would find themselves in, he was in the services for 28 years and was and still is HIGHLY RESPECTED for what he did, and has received many letters from people who have been saved or members of their family have been saved by his tried and tested methods, not just in a quite little wood where your life is not really at risk but in jungles and deserts and other hostile places around the world.

You may be the very best cordage maker in the whole universe, but doing it for "fun" and doing it for "real" are very different situations.

LS

Yes but I think you maybe getting confused between bushcraft and survival.

 

[Spacemonkey]

I understand exactly what you mean.
Maybe it comes down to the old Bushcraft vs Survival argument again, but I would agree that surviving for real, whether under hostile E&E conditions or not, is a lot different than making a cosy leaf shelter in the woods in Surrey.

I have a first edition SAS Survival Handbook, and it is a cracking book that has been read so many times over the years that it is pretty much all filed in my head to be recalled at any time. Handy that...

It might not be better, or worse than anything by 'Chubby' Mears, just different. The more variety of people from different backgrounds you can learn from, the better.

 

[Ahjno]

Lofty's main advice is to have the "mental ability to want to survive", without it you are on to a loser from the start, you can have all the kit and all the training, but without the attitude you won't get anywhere.

Exactly: to survive ... Bushcraft is for everyone interested in outdoor living, etc. - no mental ability required, unless you want to start fire by friction for example ...

Ooh and I didn't knock his book.
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showpost.php?p=133942&postcount=15 I've got one myself, and it almost falls apart, just tried to point out the difference that is considered to excist between bushcraft and survival.

Hope you had a nice cuppa - must have been most impressive to meet Mr. Wiseman, regarding the double post you've made.

 

[happy camper]

I think it's a great book with loads of really useful stuff, of both the "fun to practice in a quiet wood" and "i really hope i never need to put that into practice" variety.
Although i'm not sure where you practice the "exiting a moving vehicle drills" ( i'm pretty sure tescos car park would be frowned upon ) i'm sure lofty has spent many, many hours practicing (and having fun) in a quiet wood, if he hadn't, he wouldn't be able to apply his knowledge effectively in a "real" situation, whatever you read that to be.
I'd love to have half his knowledge but, being honest, probably wouldn't want half of his experiences and i imagine there's a few he would have gladly swapped for a quiet day in the woods. Whatever your experiences are, i personally reckon its all "real", unless the suvival v bushcraft argument has some more subtle existential quality that i'm missing.

 

[Nemisis]

Besides which a peaceful bushcrafting day in the woods can easily turn into a survival situation if the killer squirrels are about.No less dangerous than an AK47
Dave.

 

[addyb]

Well, the SAS Survival Handbook is great, I received it from my friend's parents on my 10th birthday, I still have it sitting in my bookshelf. It's a lovely book with a lot of useful knowledge.

As to what area of the outdoors it's meant for; yes; I'd say it's more directed towards survival in a hostile area, or a bad situation than it is bushcraft. For me, I have never practised bushcraft. I'm a climber, I don't even spend a whole lot of time hiking. I haven't gone climbing in a good year, and I spend my nights dreaming of the next time I can get out there. The closest I've ever came to bushcraft was taking an Aircrew Survival Course when I was in air cadets, it was held at a Cold Lake, Alberta, which is the main base for the RCAF's fighter wing. They had a few CF-18's do a flyby on our graduation parade.

I don't have even own much in the way of "bushcraft gear" until last year, all my outdoor clothing consisted of synthetics like Polypro underwear, fleece jackets nylon climbing pants and gaiters, and gore-tex parkas. It's only recently that the idea of "slowing down" my expeditions has entered into my mind, so I've started to purchase bushcraft type gear; Ventile, wool, etc etc... Hell, I've never even started a fire with anything other than a Zippo or cooked a meal in the outdoors on anything other than my stove. (Well, unless you count Aircrew Survival) That's the whole reason I joined these forums, was to offer my form of outdoor knowledge to others, and to gain knowledge from people who operate on a different schedule than I do when "in the boonies."

But at least it's a good read!

Adam

 

[Graham_S]

i've been to cold lake, it gives a whole new meaning to "the middle of nowhere"

 

[PatrickM]

Hi folks, Just an aside.

What a great bloke John "LOFTY" Wiseman is, I have just been round to see him at home, current project is a sportster kit car, invited in for a cup of tea and a chat and even managed to get him to sign my copy of his book, his book is years of personal knowledge and experience, not like some of his modern counterparts, his is the REAL stuff, not just practice in a non-hostile environment. Well worth buying this Christmas if you are looking for something worth reading ISBN 0-00-217185-6.

Lofty's main advice is to have the "mental ability to want to survive", without it you are on to a loser from the start, you can have all the kit and all the training, but without the attitude you won't get anywhere.

Ludlowsurvivors

Hear....Hear ........ I'm sure Raymond Mears bought and read this before writing his own 'SURVIVAL HANDBOOK' and Lofty is right, when you are living in the wilds it does come down to a positive mental attitude.

 

[Tony]

Good to know that he's doing ok, thanks for letting us know. I know quite a few of his family and they've got some great stories from when they were younger and Uncle John came hunting for them!

His book has inspired generations of outdoors people, it's a great resource and it's one of the originals that many take out with them to have their first experiences. It's full of Bushcraft skills.

It's a shame that John's not still teaching, but hey, everyone deserves some rest at some time in life

 

[The Joker]

I think his book is really good and I have the smaller revised one aswell, there is one thing in it though. There's a section on knife craft and using your knife to split wood, nothing wrong with that apart from the picture shows battening the knife with a rock :yikes: lol even so a great book and one of my first.

 

[Adi]

I think his book is really good and I have the smaller revised one aswell, there is one thing in it though. There's a section on knife craft and using your knife to split wood, nothing wrong with that apart from the picture shows battening the knife with a rock :yikes: lol even so a great book and one of my first.

But as i said on Saturday night if you are in the Gobi desert and there is not a stick for hundreds of mile around you too would use a rock

It is a great book that was inspired by military survival from all the lessons the British army has learnt from the last 200+ years of its travels. The information is known to work and is designed to work when the good times go bad.

 

[The Joker]

But as i said on Saturday night if you are in the Gobi desert and there is not a stick for hundreds of mile around you too would use a rock

It is a great book that was inspired by military survival from all the lessons the British army has learnt from the last 200+ years of its travels. The information is known to work and is designed to work when the good times go bad.

ahhhh yeh Adi but if your splitting wood there will prob be another bit to batten with.......................nermy............nermy..........nermy.........ner lol lol

 

[scanker]

Bang to rights.

 

[Adi]

I will let you have that one but it has taken you 3 days to think of the answer

 

[Rebel]

I've got the large edition of his book. It's excellent.

The title with "SAS" in it put me off at first (not being a military or tactical person) so I went over to look at the Ray Mears books instead, but when I went back and opened up Lofty Wiseman's book I saw what an excellent resource it is for civilians too and bought it. I refer to it often.