Backpacker The Survival Hacker's Handbook

I haven't backpacked or camped in years, but found lots of interesting survival information that could come in handy. One never knows when a disaster will strike and I, for one, am not counting on government help. Sometimes self sufficiency is a good thing! In my opinion, anyone who hikes or camps or even car or rv travel should read this book. Loads of common sense info that could be very helpful in an emergency.

This should be mandatory reading before anyone ever sets out on even their first hike. It covers how to survive most wilderness emergency situations - from getting lost, running out of food or water, encounters with predatory wildlife, and assessing and treating injuries - both when you have appropriate gear and when you don't, with helpful illustrations in some cases and accompanied by heart-pounding true tales of survival.

If you've read Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills (which, if you're doing any semi-serious backcountry activity, you should have) or many other well-known preparedness books, you'll know a good bit of this information. But it's always good to have a refresher, and this book's inclusion of "MacGyver-ing" survival tools based on things you might have in your pack or find in the wilderness around you makes for interesting and potentially life-saving reading.

This book would make a great gift for anyone who hikes or likes to camp outside. There is a lot of great information on how to survive outside. I enjoyed the short survival stories that were mixed in with the tips.

I wish my merit badge requirement books had read like Ted Alvarez’s The Survival Hacker’s Handbook. Written with humor and sprinkled with some fun unconventional fixes, this book is a how-to guide (based on the author’s research and experimentation) for the weekend warrior who may fall into a sticky situation. Alvarez includes his own anecdotes from the wilderness, as well as several stories from adventurers who have been “Mauled by a Grizzly” or “Lost in an Alaskan Blizzard.”

Alvarez begins the book by mapping out the basic premise that all the information in the book is based upon, the “Rule of 15.” He says that people in dire situations can survive: 15 minutes without shelter. 15 hours without water. 15 days without food. 15 months without being found. (Mental deterioration may occur after that.) From these assertions come the knowledge of How to… Build snow shelters. Start a fire with hand sanitizer or a cashew. Self-diagnose hyperthermia. Cook a grasshopper first to stave off its tapeworms… This is only a short list of the plethora of great knowledge passed on. Alvarez also includes many instructive diagrams which take you step by step through many of the skills; I especially like the “locations on the body where animal attacks occur” diagram.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Survival Hacker’s Handbook and while I haven’t been backpacking in a while, reading it perversely encourages me to get back out on the trail. Alvarez constantly advises the reader to practice the survival skills. And why not build a shelter in your backyard or the next time you go car camping? I’m sure it would be lots of fun!

Thank you to NetGalley, Backpacker Magazine, Falcon Guides, and Mr. Alvarez for the advanced copy for review.

A very interesting look at backpacking and hiking. Useful as a reference too.

Sadly, there is a trend in survivalism books, most of them are very 'doomsday' centered and I am over here 'ok, but what do I do if I get lost in the woods while hiking in the middle of winter?' As you can tell I am moderately disdainful of the other kind and am rather fond of nature survivalism. Moving to an area where hiking is more likely to happen, I needed a refresher, I had been living in the city for far too long and needed to have my memory jogged. This was a great book for it, an excellent refresher or introduction to the kind of scenarios you need to be aware of when going on a serious hard-core adventure in the wilderness.

This is the kind of book that students love! Real information, presented in an interesting way, catches and keeps their interest. I learned things, too!

This definitely a book you want to have on hand on your next adventure! There were so manh new things that I learned in this guide and found it quite intriguing!

I really enjoy how the information in this handbook was presented. It was a simple but comprehensive text that is versatile and crafty.