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101 Skills You Need to Survive in the Woods: The Most Effective Wilderness Know-How on Fire-Making, Knife Work, Navigation, Shelter, Food and More
The Foundation of All Survival Skills is “Feeder” Mind-Set
“Feeder” mind-set means being in control of a situation, proactive rather than reactive. It is an optimistic outlook that reframes any situation as a learning experience. Kevin Estela teaches survival skills from this feeder-based perspective, which is what separates his teaching style from other wilderness instructors.
Kevin has written the quintessential guide for an outdoor enthusiast’s “bucket list” of skills―how to make a fire, build a shelter, gather food, find water, use a knife correctly and make cordage. These skills will keep you safe and better prepare you to deal with emergencies in the field, when you’ll need the additional skills of signaling and communication, navigation and crisis first aid taught in this book. Each chapter concludes with more advanced techniques to build your skills in various challenging situations, with tips that even seasoned survival enthusiasts haven’t thought of.
101 Skills You Need to Survive in the Woods is not a onetime read but a lifetime reference you will turn to over and over again. It will become the first thing you pack for any adventure and just might save your― or someone else’s―life. kevin estela, a bushcraft and survival expert, is an avid world traveler and martial arts instructor.
“Feeder” mind-set means being in control of a situation, proactive rather than reactive. It is an optimistic outlook that reframes any situation as a learning experience. Kevin Estela teaches survival skills from this feeder-based perspective, which is what separates his teaching style from other wilderness instructors.
Kevin has written the quintessential guide for an outdoor enthusiast’s “bucket list” of skills―how to make a fire, build a shelter, gather food, find water, use a knife correctly and make cordage. These skills will keep you safe and better prepare you to deal with emergencies in the field, when you’ll need the additional skills of signaling and communication, navigation and crisis first aid taught in this book. Each chapter concludes with more advanced techniques to build your skills in various challenging situations, with tips that even seasoned survival enthusiasts haven’t thought of.
101 Skills You Need to Survive in the Woods is not a onetime read but a lifetime reference you will turn to over and over again. It will become the first thing you pack for any adventure and just might save your― or someone else’s―life. kevin estela, a bushcraft and survival expert, is an avid world traveler and martial arts instructor.
208 pages, Paperback
Published April 16, 2019
64 people are currently reading
201 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 21, 2022
"I liked it." - 3 out of 5 star rating.
Solid survival entry to the genre.
This publications strength and weakness go hand and hand. Great coverage that hits pretty much every topic you could think of (missed a few, but no need to nit-pick) and while at the same time due to such a large scope... deep dives/desired depth is lacking. Which I am sure is entirely what the author intended, aiming for a one-size-fits-all approach. From a business perspective, probably the right move.
Generalized notes that I captured throughout my read:
- train, train, train
- decent gear list found here
- fire worship
- knife poetry
- flashlight love
- concept of stealth camping was interesting
- lots of coverage of shelter
- short and sweet food/water section, despite being extremely touch-and-go, was well done
One other minor critique is I found a copy/paste about cold weather survival. The whole being cold and wet misery classic line was duplicated twice around the 25% mark and then again at the 75% mark (not precise numbers, but fairly close).
The Bruce Lee quotes kinda disappointed me too. I suppose that is because I am a bit Bruce Lee'd out, as too many authors have used him.
Great one-stop-shop survival book. Mile wide, inch deep delivery.
Solid survival entry to the genre.
This publications strength and weakness go hand and hand. Great coverage that hits pretty much every topic you could think of (missed a few, but no need to nit-pick) and while at the same time due to such a large scope... deep dives/desired depth is lacking. Which I am sure is entirely what the author intended, aiming for a one-size-fits-all approach. From a business perspective, probably the right move.
Generalized notes that I captured throughout my read:
- train, train, train
- decent gear list found here
- fire worship
- knife poetry
- flashlight love
- concept of stealth camping was interesting
- lots of coverage of shelter
- short and sweet food/water section, despite being extremely touch-and-go, was well done
One other minor critique is I found a copy/paste about cold weather survival. The whole being cold and wet misery classic line was duplicated twice around the 25% mark and then again at the 75% mark (not precise numbers, but fairly close).
The Bruce Lee quotes kinda disappointed me too. I suppose that is because I am a bit Bruce Lee'd out, as too many authors have used him.
Great one-stop-shop survival book. Mile wide, inch deep delivery.
April 4, 2020
If you ever need to get an idea of what it takes to survive outdoors this is a great place to start. I say start because no one book will include everything. This book has knowledge based on experience which to me is key. The experience of doing it will make any skill come alive. 101 skills means exactly that. This book is well designed and expertly written. Highly recommended!!
April 8, 2021
Great survival resource
A great book written clearly and concisely on how to survive in the wilds. The book gives the basic survival skills you will need. You’ll have to practice them and he tells you how to do that as well. Great book.
A great book written clearly and concisely on how to survive in the wilds. The book gives the basic survival skills you will need. You’ll have to practice them and he tells you how to do that as well. Great book.
August 23, 2020
really enjoyed this actually, feeling inspired after hearing the way he put some of the things in this. not just another churned out survival guide with the same info in a different order
April 4, 2022
Although as a mere day hiker I will never need the majority of these tips, it was an enjoyable read and I did learn several practical pointers.
October 24, 2022
Pretty solid basics if these skills are new to you.
December 7, 2022
Interesting book
July 27, 2024
Really does not translate well to audiobook and Libby does not include PDFs but I assume the physical copy has a lot of helpful pictures and diagrams. Overall easy to understand instructions.
May 19, 2022
This book served its purpose. Aside from being long winded on topics that are meant for hands on learning, Estela did well in situating a novice wilderness gal on the right path. This book is fair game for a beginner to start as you will finish this book with more questions than answers. It's piqued my interest in wilderness/survival skills, for sure, and I would highly recommend. Some helpful tidbits:
'Maintain feeder mindset. A feeder mindset stays positive and in control. As opposed to Receiver mindset that allows situations to effect mentality. Train hard/Fight easy. Practice other strong side, to remain dexterous. Keep a pocket knife and lighter on person, at all times. Birch bark is best for kindle. Learn at least 10 knots, it could save your life. Learn different ways to hold knife. Keep a flashlight. Only if necessary use flashlight for hunting. Animals and mammals are temporarily blinded by light. Poncho can be used for shelter. Cattail can be used for medicinal purposes and finding water sources as well as the color of willow trees. Make salt water drinkable by boiling with a piece of cloth over top. Wring out cloth for fresh water. Always have two mirrors. Buy turnakit rather than a makeshift one. Turnakits should stay on no longer than 6 hours. You can safely eat any plant that smells like garlic or onion, in the US only. Whoa! Take heed to the rules of 3's. 3 minutes without air, 3 hours without shelter, 3 days without water and 3 weeks without food. All food caught in the ocean is fair game to eat.'
'Maintain feeder mindset. A feeder mindset stays positive and in control. As opposed to Receiver mindset that allows situations to effect mentality. Train hard/Fight easy. Practice other strong side, to remain dexterous. Keep a pocket knife and lighter on person, at all times. Birch bark is best for kindle. Learn at least 10 knots, it could save your life. Learn different ways to hold knife. Keep a flashlight. Only if necessary use flashlight for hunting. Animals and mammals are temporarily blinded by light. Poncho can be used for shelter. Cattail can be used for medicinal purposes and finding water sources as well as the color of willow trees. Make salt water drinkable by boiling with a piece of cloth over top. Wring out cloth for fresh water. Always have two mirrors. Buy turnakit rather than a makeshift one. Turnakits should stay on no longer than 6 hours. You can safely eat any plant that smells like garlic or onion, in the US only. Whoa! Take heed to the rules of 3's. 3 minutes without air, 3 hours without shelter, 3 days without water and 3 weeks without food. All food caught in the ocean is fair game to eat.'
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews