Top 10 Survival Books Ever

Survive Anything

Disaster can strike at any moment. From earthquakes to virus outbreaks, it’s never expected, it’s never avoidable and it’s always a matter of life or death. Those who know how to survive do exactly that. Those who don’t? Unfortunately, they seldom make it out unscathed.

But I have GOOD NEWS: I am here to transform you into a survivor. I will help you become a capable and knowledgeable outdoorsman and arm you with all the skill you will need to plan your escape and then follow it through to safety.

Your Survival 

This manual by Dr. Bob Arnot and Mark Cohen is a simple, easy-to-read book focusing on disaster survival. The book is broken into three sections that provide advice "Before Disaster Strikes," "During an Emergency," and "After the Crisis." This book is packed with expert tips and helpful checklists so you can purchase and organize your food, first aid equipment, and supplies. As a bonus, the book comes with a 90-minute disaster preparedness video that the whole family should watch.

How to Stay Alive in the Woods

This Bradford Angier book is an absolute classic, and the small paperback can be easily tucked into your gear and taken along for the trip. The content is fairly solid, though the drawings leave you a little short on the details of certain skills like setting traps and fire building. Although the language is somewhat dated now (it was written in 1956), the book has one great thing going for it: The information is evergreen. That is, the skills presented have anyways worked and always will work. If you are lucky, this little book might be all you ever need.

How to Eat in the Woods

A comprehensive, practical, and reliable guide to staying alive in the woods and living off the land, by one of the most respected wilderness survivalists.

With text by wilderness survivalist, Bradford Angier, the information in How to Eat in the Woods is tried, trusted, and true. One of the most complete books written on the subject, this portable guide includes essential information on how to track, trap, kill, and prepare various types of animals; select bait, land fish, and clean and cook the catch; recognize edible plants, fruits, berries, and nuts; locate bird eggs; catch edible insects; and find potable water. Also included is information on building a fire and preparing food without utensils.

SAS Survival Guide

This Best Selling Survival Book written by ex-Special Air Service survival expert John 'Lofty' Wiseman contains some of the most reliable and respected survival info available. From old-school navigation skills to up-to-date technologies like GPS, you can learn survival skills for any climate, on land or at sea. Disaster survival and other contemporary topics have been added to more recent additions of this popular and trusted book.

When All Hell Breaks Loose

Another great read from Cody Lundin is his 2009 disaster survival guide, When All Hell Breaks Loose. For those that liked 98.6 Degrees, you'll love this large book filled with disaster preps and emergency skills. With topics ranging from bugging out, to building an emergency outdoor kitchen, to dealing with a dead body, there is a wealth of information covered in this very detailed book. This is not just a disaster survival or urban survival book; there are lessons in here for almost any type of emergency. This is one of my favorite books.

Build The Perfect Bug Out Bag

The title pretty much says it all. Survival instructor/recently turned author, Creek Stewart, has written a play-by-play book to guide us through the art of building an evacuation kit that would be our life line if we ever had to "bug out." This book helps us determine the gear we would need to assemble a 72-hour kit on virtually any budget. Loaded with options, each chapter helps us assess our needs and find a way to meet them. Numerous checklists and photos make the book easy to read, understand, and use.