This book is great. It tells you basic needs for survival like how to find water, make shelter and purify water. It is just a great book. If you frequently travel to different places like jungles or forests and you want to know how to survive in the wild if you get lost, this is a good book to get.

I bring this with me every time I go camping. It is very compact, fairly light, and packed with tons of useful info. Much of the info is practical knowledge even if you're not in a survival situation. It is written clearly and well illustrated, and is fun to read. The book is also water resistant and very durable. I have noticed a lot of typos in the book, but I still consider it the best survival book I have seen, and I highly reccomend it. I also have the larger version, which is a little easier to read and contains a bit more info, but the smaller one is very comprehensive and has almost as much information.

seems complete, the color pics of plants & stuff are great, the only slight problem is he uses some idioms that are from england but considering were he is from, i have read & tried parts of this book, seem to work well

put it in your pocket.it will fit.not comfortably ,but it will fit.better yet,put it in your fanny pack.wrapped in a ziploc bag.this is not the'be all,end all'of survival books.none is.in fact,i am going to make a recomendation that the publisher will love,though you may not.buy the larger text of this book.read it.over and over.along with your other books on the subject.you need a small library on any subject that interests you.why 2 copies? because reading the small volume will make it expand and loosen the binding(note to publisher..waterproof paper in the next edition).yes the text is small,but you have a magnifying glass in your kit(if not..read the bloody book again).also when out in the boonies...you have something to read.i know that sounds silly...but you arent always going to be chased by bears.even in a survival situation you will have 'down time'.use it.anouther 'extra' with this in your kit.you have something to burn(after you read it naturally).at this price and this size..there is no excuse not to have a copy in your kit.four stars..but it just missed five.happy camping.

The product description clearly states the size of the product but I hadn't really paid attention to it. I just knew that this edition of the book is a smaller version, handy to keep in your backpack.

Backpack? Back pocket is more like it. It's about the size of a deck of cards. While that means there's no excuse not to take it with you, it also means that the type is awfully small. If you wear reading glasses be sure to pack a pair or two along with the book.

I would have preferred that they use larger pages and make the book thinner. But I can't really argue with the decision they made. Most people will probably prefer the fatter but smaller dimensions.

The book, by the way, is impressive. Wiseman is indeed a wise man who knows what he's talking about.

If you do buy this book I think you should seriously consider buying its bigger brother, SAS Survival Handbook: How to Survive in the Wild, in Any Climate, on Land or at Sea too. That way you'll have the best of both worlds. An easier to read edition for home, which will allow you to read and study it thoroughly and this very small, very portable version you just might want to take everywhere.

I think the reader of the SAS Survival Guide would also benefit from a survival guide that focused exclusively on the readers own region. But the SAS guide presents a very fine overview of survival in just about any region and circumstance. It is a must have for any survivalist.

Jammed with critical info, buy a copy of this little book for your car, home and backpack.

I wanted a manual for an emergency pack, and I got exactly what I was looking for: A general manual, with broad topic coverage, easy to understand. Also, the small size is easy to pack. I've ordered more for all my packs now.

This book has a lot of helpful survival tips which hopefully you would never actually need, but it is interesting to read. If you like to spend a few days out "living off the land" this book can give you some help. I was a bit surprised by the small size of the book. This is a very small book which was not evident from the main listing. The dimensions are listed down in the details, but it will fit in a shirt pocket and has very fine print, so if you don't have perfect eye sight, a magnifier of some sort would be helpful. The US Army and Ranger survival manuals, also available through Amazon, are more along the lines of a larger size paperback book as far as page size goes.The SAS book will fit easily into a backpack pocket.

I'm glad to purchase this one, lots of good info packed in small size which makes it easy to carry.

This is a GREAT survival book! I saw this at Barnes & Noble and loved it for the color pictures of plants/roots/flowers/etc. that are edible/poisonous/healing/etc. and for the helpful parts on different climates, conditions, and finding your bearings (directioning ability, not the little metal balls). I still might get the regular-sized version, but this is TRULY a (cargo) pocket-sized book. The print isn't too small at all. The pictures still show fine and helpful details. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON SOME OTHER BLACK AND WHITE, CHEAP PAPER BOOK! GET THIS ONE!!!

I have to say this is a great book, probably the best survival manual I have read.

Many survial books will tell stories to help fill up the pages but this book is pure survival knowledge. If you want a book that goes straight to the point of survival then this is that book.

This book is small just put it in a ziploc bag and it makes a perfect manual to carry with you. It's small, light and filled with tons of information.

This book is very small, very descriptive, and incredibly comprehensive. It is not light reading, but WILL HELP YOU SURVIVE a worst-case situation. That's what's important.

I like the book; it has VERY useful, detailed, information for anyone in a "survival" situation. However, it is 385 pages in a quite small book (approx 1"x3"x5"), and printed in VERY small font. The book size makes makes it nicely packable. BUT, if you are over 40 you'll definitely need glasses or a magnifier to read it.

I like the book; it has VERY useful, detailed, information for anyone in a "survival" situation. However, it is 385 pages in a quite small book (approx 1"x3"x5"), and printed in VERY small font. The book size makes makes it nicely packable. BUT, if you are over 40 you'll definitely need glasses or a magnifier to read it.

I love survival and have a ton of survival references. I have both the "Survival Handbook" and the "Survival Guide", by Lofty. The Handbook is by far the best reference I have found. Most other survival books are just knock-offs of old Army survival manuals. The Guide is an abreviated version of the Handbook. The Guide is an excellent size to carry with your survival kit. Most of what is cut out of the Guide is foundation to make for easier reading and is not very noticable unless you actually compare each book side-by-side. There are a few exceptions. To save space, some of the pictures of useful plants that are in the Handbook are missing from the Guide.
Overall, a solid buy!

I recently moved back to Oregon after being away for 20 years or so and am now very passionate about hiking and nature.While I am not by any means a risk taking hiker I wanted to feel more secure in my surroundings.
This is a great LITTLE book that is easily carried in a backpack and it is packed with all sorts of useful information on outdoor survival.When you read about people that die because they got stuck in the snow it's a wake up call that you should know what to "just in case". May I also reccomend that parents should buy their children WILLY WHITEFEATHER'S OUTDOOR SURVIVAL BOOK and THE RIVER BOOK they are both excellent books for teaching children outdoor survival skills. The outdoors shouldn't be a scary place and there is no reason for people to die because they are lost or stranded after all the wilderness was our ancestors home!

I recently moved back to Oregon after being away for 20 years or so and am now very passionate about hiking and nature.While I am not by any means a risk taking hiker I wanted to feel more secure in my surroundings.
This is a great LITTLE book that is easily carried in a backpack and it is packed with all sorts of useful information on outdoor survival.When you read about people that die because they got stuck in the snow it's a wake up call that you should know what to "just in case". May I also reccomend that parents should buy their children WILLY WHITEFEATHER'S OUTDOOR SURVIVAL BOOK and THE RIVER BOOK they are both excellent books for teaching children outdoor survival skills. The outdoors shouldn't be a scary place and there is no reason for people to die because they are lost or stranded after all the wilderness was our ancestors home!

This strong booklet is a well illustrated comprehensive manual of all the things you have learned as a boy scout. It concentrates on the essentials, is very useful and to the point. It helps to behave intelligently when outdoors.

When I bought the SAS Survival Guide, I was looking for a book that would help me gain some knowledge about what to do in certain survival situations along with some interesting tidbits. I initially was upset when I saw the size of the guide (my fault, no one else's) but I eventually came to realize that the size of the guide was perfect for what I needed it for.

So what's to like about this book? There's a TON of great information in this book. The major topics are:

Essentials
Climate & Terrain
Food
Camp Craft
Reading the Signs
On the Move
Survival at Sea
Rescue
Health
Disaster Strategies

There's a wealth of information in between these topics. I'll admit that I bought this book because I'm a nervous wreck when it comes to traveling and I thought this would be a good book to bring along in case something bad happens. For the peace of mind, this book is invaluable.

And what's not to like? Like I said, if you want a book that's bigger, be sure to read the dimensions and get the bigger size. Other than that, the book is great.

Adults, this is a good book to own simply for the peace of mind. In case something happens (god forbid) where you need to know information about not only basic survival skills, but more complex things like what foods are safe to eat, where the best place is to build a shelter, and how to find safe, drinkable water, it's great to have this book on hand. You can't beat the price!

I have read a few books on survival and this is the best one I have found up to this point. I have even read the U. S. Army's handbook and this is better.
I purchased the full size book first and then ordered this version so I could pack it easy in my backpack or day pack. The Gem version has all the same information the full size book has. I was going to purchase some survival cards to pack, but have purchased the GEM size book after finding out it was available through a survival seminar I attended with the Boy Scouts.

I have read a few books on survival and this is the best one I have found up to this point. I have even read the U. S. Army's handbook and this is better.
I purchased the full size book first and then ordered this version so I could pack it easy in my backpack or day pack. The Gem version has all the same information the full size book has. I was going to purchase some survival cards to pack, but have purchased the GEM size book after finding out it was available through a survival seminar I attended with the Boy Scouts.

Lots of good information in a very compact package. This book fits easily into a backpack or ATV trunk

Lots of good information in a very compact package. This book fits easily into a backpack or ATV trunk

I bought this book for a class..I thought it was the full size edition but it was the pocket size and all the readings were on different pages so it was pretty much useless...other than that it's pretty good.

I bought this book for a class..I thought it was the full size edition but it was the pocket size and all the readings were on different pages so it was pretty much useless...other than that it's pretty good.

My husband and I wanted a little guide for our house and cars, so we'd be better prepared in case of disaster. We were hoping for something that would help in just about any situation: plane crash, getting stuck in the car in a blizzard, a natural disaster that cut off power and access to our house, and so on. This book meets that requirement beautifully. The SAS Guide (as opposed to the regular SAS Handbook) is a pocket-sized book, so it easily fits in the glovebox, and it's surprisingly complete for such a small book. I'm also grateful that it's completely free of any weird political agenda. It's just straightup information without even the slightest hint of a paranoid subtext. I'm thrilled with the purchase, and I'll buy more copies for other people in my family.

I think this book is very general in it's explanation of survival in specific areas of the world. I would recommend this book for those who are looking for suggestions on how to survive for a short time in the wilderness. There are other books out there that are more specific to certain climates and I would imagine that Lofty could even write those books knowing that he served with the SAS and probably put in a lot of field time.

I was telling my brother about this book I've had over a year now and felt a review written here would benefit others as well.

The little practical things Wiseman advises may not seem important now, but sure will come in handy if necessary.

How to tell direction with a wristwatch and the sun; Not walking a straight direction back to an abandoned vehicle, but going north or south of it and then doubling back. How to distill water in any kind of land, sea situation. They don't call him Wiseman for nothing.

The range and detail of information in this book is simply amazing. This book is so well put together I apreciate it as a work of art just as much as a handy reference book in my library. It covers surviving a broad range of environments and emergency situations for long and short periods of time. Not only does the book offer multiple solutions to problems such as fire, shelter, food and being found, but it explains the concepts behind them so that the reader can understand and improvise as needed.