FM 12-76 US Army Survival Manual

Originally posted 2017-03-26 19:48:37.

I picked up this book on a goof one day in the surplus store, and I figured it would make a good addition to my library.  I was correct!  The FM 12-76 US Army Survival Manual is a no-nonsense straight to the point survival manual.    It’s an excellent resource for all sorts of primitive survival skills in a variety of climates, ranging from the Arctic to the rain forest.  Information is delivered in simple to understand language.    There’s not any humor in this book, unlike some of my other book reviews.  (It was made by the Department of Defense, after all.  Serious business.)

The book contains 285 pages and has multiple different versions available.   Most of the information contained are how to guides of various wilderness skills, like making a fire, trapping small mammals and reptiles, field dressing, brush shelters, and much more.   It covers all sorts of geographic areas and how to survive in them as well, everything from the dusty, hot desert, to the jungles and swamps, to frozen Arctic     Mostly the book contains good common sense information that can be generalized to any emergency situation.   I think the most valuable information in this book, as well as some of the others I review on this site, is how to keep yourself mentally stable in survival situations.  All of the bushcraft skills are great and important to know, but if you are too much of a nervous wreck to be able to use them, they are worthless.   I should make note that the version I have is the unclassified “civilian” version, so your mileage may vary depending on which version of the book you obtain.  Nonetheless, it’s still a great basic resource for these kind of skills. The FM 12-76 US Army Survival Manual  is worth a spot in your library!