Backpacker The Survival Hacker's Handbook

by Backpacker Magazine, Ted Alvarez

Backpacker The Survival Hackers Handbook provides detailed instruction on how to use everyday items to survive in extraordinary circumstances. Sure the quirk is here. For instance learn how to make a fishhook out of a beer can start a fire with hand sanitizer or purify water with bleach. But it goes beyond the quirk to identify real solutions for real scenarios with real items you carry with you. The book includes useful tips and tricks from survival experts, and provides step by step instructions along with short stories of survival situations where these modern survival skills have come into play. The book is organized around basic fundamental concepts of survival finding food building shelter securing water etc.

Genres: Outdoors, Survival

264 pages, Paperback

Published April 15, 2018

Reviews

[☆Dani☆ ☆Touch My Spine Book Reviews☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

*Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, provided by the author and/or the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.
I received a Kindle Arc in exchange for a fair review from Netgalley.

[Elwin Kline · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am currently doing a "survival series" and this is my 4th book in the series and has been the worst of them all hands down.

Absolutely terrible.

I should have seen the warning sign when observing 'who' the author is of this book is ... aka "Backpacker Magazine." Which now that I've finished it, it makes perfect sense. This feels like a bunch of cheap and re-used magazine/blog posts all piled together to be misappropriately labeled as a book. It really feels like a collection of shallow Internet articles chain-linked together without any flow whatsoever. It jumps from topic to topic without any form of structure and it is full of just random crap. For example to my disbelief there is even a dumbbell workout routine thrown in this!

This is just an awful cash grab. Stay as far away from this as you possibly can. This is so bad, I am honestly a little embarrassed to have this on my reading list. But, if anything it is teaching me a lesson in embracing the dreadfully awful works along with the good.

I do not recommend this book for anyone. I say again, do not waste your time with this.

[Lili · Rating 4 out of 5]

From Netgalley for review:

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.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I'm not a frequent backpacker, I like to be prepared. This book is a good way to get prepared. I hope I never need the emergency suggestions it lists!

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

Full review can be found here: https://paulspicks.blog/2018/04/02/ba...

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