Reddit reviews Northern Bushcraft

Northern bushcraft, as i live in alberta canada it's a perfect fit for my options

https://www.amazon.ca/Northern-Bushcraft-Expanded-Mors-Kochanski/dp/0919433510

I wouldn't say one of the most scientifically precise and experience-proven books on bushcraft, from one of the legends of survival lore, who many of the greats cite as their influence or teacher, is "lacking" or "geared towards weekend bushcrafters". I would say instead that you were maybe expecting a different book.

I think you're mistaking the book as an overall guide to survival, perhaps misled by the subtitle "Outdoor Skills And Wilderness Survival", which wasn't included on earlier editions of the book (first published as Northern Bushcraft). This is how publishers, in hopes of luring more buyers, can obscure the aim and sphere of an author's work.

The focus of Bushcraft is narrower than the catch-all guides like Lofty's SAS Survival Guide, but by the same token the book contributes a great deal of instruction that those other guides leave out in terms of the hands-on skills of bushcraft. The book focuses on the fundamentals of fashioning your survival and comfort from resources found in the wilderness (particularly, but not exclusively, the boreal forest). It focuses on the craft part of bushcraft: developing the skills to create (craft) the things you need with your hands or with the tools you carry. Given the focus of the book, it irks me to read the word 'lacking' in reference to this revered classic by Kochanski. To my mind, the book is more for the person who wants to spend extended time in the bush, free to work, travel, or reside, unburdened by many of the items carried by backpackers and casual campers.

Re. water purification: it might be easy to overlook Kochanski's first comment (in the introduction) that boiling is the most reliable method. (Therefore firemaking skills come into play and a metal pot is of great value, if not indispensable).

Also in the introduction, Mors mentions the decision not to include broad information on various animal species. Adding enough information on hunting to be useful would have made it a completely different and much larger book, or rather a multi-volume set. Whether the choice was a matter of subject focus, marketability, or publisher concerns, it's clear what the book is and is not.

Similarly, Kochanski has said many times that plant lore comprises 70% to 80% of survival knowledge, if by survival we mean the ability to comfortably sustain oneself indefinitely in the wilderness; but his Bushcraft also leaves out the many volumes of encyclopedic knowledge he could impart on this topic. Again, the scope and focus of the book are clear. It was never meant to be an all-encompassing reference; and I think Kochanski himself would find such an idea laughable, since he himself continues to research, conceive, and test survival knowledge and strategies even after many decades of expertise, and continues to make use of many reference sources as well as teach on many platforms. Anyway, books are only the jumping-off point for further study and practice, not an assurance that you will fare any better in dire circumstances.

This is a book on the craft part of bushcraft; and one of the best you're likely to find on the subject.

Edit: From the seller's description of Northern Bushcraft:
>This book provides practical advice on skills required for prolonged stays in the wilderness, using a minimum of materials and tools.

OP, you also need this:

http://www.amazon.com/Zwilling-Henckels-Complete-Knife-Skills/dp/0778802566/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451086748&sr=8-1&keywords=knife+skills+book

Hell, everyone who uses knives should know the skills in this book, at least in the kitchen.


Those interested in knife usage for the outdoors (non-cooking) see if you can locate a copy of this:

http://www.amazon.com/Northern-Bushcraft-Mors-L-Kochanski/dp/0919433510

Yours, a knife skills snob. ;)