Out on the Land: Bushcraft Skills from the Northern Forest

by Ray Mears, Lars Fält

"Fifty years into my life journey I realise that; while I love remote wild places and the peoples I meet there, it is in forests that I find the greatest joy. Of all the forests that I have explored, it is the great circumpolar Boreal forest of the North that calls to me most. Here is a landscape where bush knowledge really counts and where experience counts even more. . . This book has been thirty years in the making."

Out on the Land is an absorbing exploration of, and tribute to, the Boreal forest of the its landscape, its people, their cultures and skills, the wilderness that embodies it, and its immense beauty. The book is vast in scope and covers every aspect of being in the wilderness in both winter and summer (clothing, kit, skills, cooking, survival), revealing the age-old traditions and techniques, and how to carry them out yourself. It also includes case studies of early explorers, as well as modern-day adventurers who found themselves stranded in the forest and forced to work out a way to survive.

So much more than a bushcraft manual, this book goes deeper, to the traditions and cultures that gave us these skills, as well as focusing on the detail itself. Ray and Lars's practical advice is wound around a deep love for the forest, respect and admiration for the people who live there and sheer enjoyment of the stunning scenery.

Genres: Nonfiction, Survival, Nature

336 pages, Hardcover

Published October 11, 2016

Reviews

[Steve Brooker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent. Clearly it is the work of two of the worlds greatest authorities and is filled with practical detail with real world examples and nice presentation.
The only reason I didn't give it a 5 was because I think it could be either a fabulous coffee table feature or a technically detailed manual. I guess that there are some technical experts out there that could find fault with what tips might be missing and I bet that there are some armchair adventurers that feel it gets too technical in places. Perhaps by combining the two, it falls (very slightly) short of either but as I straddle the two worlds myself, I found it a cracking read and it made me yearn for more adventure than I could probably handle these days.

[Phil Greaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a funny old book, one that seems a bit uncertain as to its function, as has been written elsewhere here. What is it - a manual for how to survive and flourish in the boreal forest? Or a lavishly photographed account of the peoples and practices there? I think Mears just about gets away with bringing the two parts together, suggesting how the local outdoor practices and principles have affected his approach, which he details in the remainder of the book.

Even if it is a book in two parts, they are lovely parts - of the context of the northern forest, followed by impeccably illustrated and sound (as far as I'm concerned) guidance. I think you have to illustrate well, given how easy it is to find and follow videos on all manner of specific bushcraft and outdoor practices.