Best Bushcraft Books – Top Books for Survival [2020]

| Last Updated: October 23, 2022

When it comes to learning bushcraft skills, it's not always the best idea to get these skills from a book. However, if you're going to start this way it's best to go with the most accurate source. Which is why we're here to give you our take on the 3 best bushcraft books available.

Comparison Chart of the Best Bushcraft Books

Product

Rating

Price

The Lost Ways

No products found.

Best Overall

Bushcraft 101

No products found.

Runner-up

Self Sufficient Life

Review of the Best Bushcraft Books

We did our best to be as objective as possible when reviewing these products, as to not give the illusion that they're all perfect. Each of these books are fantastic in their own way for each person, but none of these books are perfect. 

So please read the pros and cons to get the gist of what we thought.

Best Overall:
The Lost Ways

No products found.

Pros

  • In Depth explanations and walkthroughs for those that are complete beginners.
  • A seemingly endless amount of PROVEN information that was used by our forefathers to survive the wilderness.

Cons

  • Not a huge amount of video explanation.
  • Price is incredicbly reasonable for the information you get, but could be a little less.

This book from Survivopedia takes the traditions and habits of our forefathers from the pioneer days. And if you're going to go to a book for information about something that is a lifestyle and not just information, it's best to base that book off of the lifestyle of those who were successful at the skill.

From what we read from this book it's an extensive explanation of traps, preservation tactics, hunting skills, and much more. Fortunately this book doesn't give the same old song and dance of "if you want to get better at building traps and catching animals, build more traps and practice..." duh ,right?

Runner-up:
Bushcraft 101

No products found.

Pros

  • The author is a trusted source that hasn't just written a book, but has LIVED it.
  • Useful information that isn't "fluff", but can be used by all walks of life.

Cons

  • The book carries more weight due to the author's reputation rather than the information in the book.
  • Few pictures & diagrams in the trapping section could lead to some costly mistakes by readers.

Our next suggestion is from the one and only Dave Canterbury of Dual Survival on the Discovery Channel. Now as an ex Sergeant in the United States Army, and with special training in wilderness survival, Dave is pretty qualified to give advice in the arena of bushcraft survival skills.

And his book does a fantastic job of illustrating tactics that will help you reunite with nature the way we were intended. The best part is that you know that you're getting reliable information from a no-bs source. Unless you just don't trust our military to properly train our troops.

Also the fact that Dave's book is available in paperback as well as digital makes it a huge help, as you probably won't be able to whip your phone out when you're in the backcountry. Plus, having something you can put your hands on is something that is a mental benefit to provide security in the woods.

The only complaints we have about this book is the thin amount of detail. We understand that it is a beginners book, but at the same time it seems a bit remedial in how it comes across. The good news is that he has a sequel to this one if you find you're ready to take the next step!

Pros

  • Great resource for those who are wanting to LIVE and THRIVE in the bush.
  • Multiple courses are available for different aspects of homesteading. Almost no aspect is left out.

Cons

  • The information being broken into separate books doesn't make it the most easy to consume. But it does make it cheaper.
  • Real life users are limited to give online reviews, but that's to be expected from those who go off the grid.

Now if you're looking to make self sufficiency a lifestyle, then this is your resource! From the appropriately named site, self-sufficient-life.com and author Edmund Morris, comes the best collection of books we could find on making a living off the land.

And even if it's not your heart's desire to devote yourself to nature and get a divorce from siri (wouldn't we all like that), these books are a wonderful resource to give you information you can use while backpacking or any outdoor activities.

From beekeeping to aquaponics these books/courses have everything you could want to get started on your journey to a self sufficient lifestyle.

One quam we have with how this information is put together is the fact that all the information is segregated in different books that have to be purchased individually. However, if all you want is to learn one specific piece of their homesteading puzzle then it's perfect!

All in all it's a great resource and worth testing out at least one of their courses.

Conclusion

And there you have it, we did our best to be as objective as possible with these selections, and not slap a stamp of approval on every one of them. After all nothing is perfect, and you should know what you're getting should you choose to spend your money on one or more of these 3 best books for bushcraft survival and homesteading!

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