The Best Bushcraft Books
The world of bushcraft has become more and more well-known thanks to popular tv shows and youtube 
channels such as John Plant’s Primitive Technology. With so much buzz about the topic, you might be wanting to get into the hobby as well. Luckily for you, there is a great number of bushcraft books and guides to help you get to grips with the lifestyle. But not all of them are created equal, some are mediocre at best. So we have weeded out the books that are not worth your time and created a list of what we believe to be the best bushcraft books available, plus two alternative books written by true experts in this field.
QUICK LOOK
#1|Best Bushcraft Book Overall| Bushcraft: The Ultimate Guide to Survival in the Wilderness
#2|Runner Up| Bushcraft: Outdoor Skills and Wilderness Survival
#3|Best Bushcraft Book for Beginners|Bushcraft Basics: A Common Sense Wilderness Survival Handbook
#4|Best Bushcraft Book for Building Tools and Shelters| Primitive Technology: A Survivalist’s Guide to Building Tools, Shelters, and More in the Wild
#5| Great Alternative| The Ultimate Survival Manual (Outdoor Life Extreme Edition)
#1|Best Bushcraft Book Overall| Bushcraft: The Ultimate Guide to Survival in the Wilderness
Taking the title “Best Overall: Bushcraft: The Ultimate Guide to Survival in the Wilderness is the ultimate well-rounded guide for any experience level. Written by Richard Graves, the very man to coin the word bushcraft and started the fire of the bushcraft craze we know today. Covering virtually every topic in survival such as, making ropes, building huts, finding food and water, making maps, camp craft, starting fires, tying knots, and creating traps for hunting. As well as identifying plants and animals that will provide resources to remain self-reliant in a survival situation. With 400 black and white illustrations and a vast amount of valuable content, Bushcraft: The Ultimate Guide to Survival in the Wilderness sets the standard for bushcraft guides and bushcraft as we know it. This is a great gift for the survivalist in your life who knows their stuff and only wants the best.
#2|Runner Up| Bushcraft: Outdoor Skills and Wilderness Survival
Coming in a close second place is our runner up| Bushcraft: Outdoor Skills and Wilderness Survival. Written by Mors Kochanski, a well-known survival expert, and YouTuber. This book teaches what the writer has learned through his experiences and instructs the reader with the bare bones, tried, and true techniques that keep you alive. This is a clear, easy to read guide with a mass amount of color photos and diagrams for easy visualization of the concepts taught. Includes instructions on the basics such as making a fire, felling trees, and cooking, as well as more complicated tasks like making tools, ropes, and even baskets from plant recourses. Well-structured, clear, and simple writing, make this book a great choice for the beginner or experienced bushcrafters.
#3|Best Bushcraft Book for Beginners|Bushcraft Basics: A Common Sense Wilderness Survival Handbook
Leon Pantenburg’s book Bushcraft Basics: A Common Sense Wilderness Survival Handbook, is the best starting place for someone getting to grips with the concept of the survivalist mindset. Written plain and simple with no extra fluff, the writer draws his information from his experience as an outdoorsman and journalist. This book is largely focused on giving its readers the survival mindset to be able to think clearly, and calmly in a disaster situation. While also teaching basic, time-tested survival techniques that every bushcraft junkie should know before learning more advanced concepts. This is a great gift for someone interested in the world of the survivalist mindset.
#4|Best Bushcraft Book for Building Tools and Shelters| Primitive Technology: A Survivalist’s Guide to Building Tools, Shelters, and More in the Wild
Written by John Plant, creator of the massively popular youtube channel, Primitive Technology with nearly 10 million subscribers.
Primitive Technology: A Survivalist’s Guide to Building Tools, Shelters, and More in the Wild is a great guide to creating your own useful tools and shelters, completely from the resources of the wilderness. Mr. Plant has created a mass YouTube channel teaching the art of bushcraft through videos but his valuable information is now available in book form allowing for easy access anywhere in the wild where using a cellphone is unreliable. Features 50 projects with detailed color illustrations including pottery, shelters, weapons, clothing, tools, and much more. This is a great book for those who love to create things from scratch.
#5| Great Alternative| The Ultimate Survival Manual (Outdoor Life Extreme Edition)
The Ultimate Survival Manual (Outdoor Life Extreme Edition) is a fun and attractive book with colorful illustrations, photos, and a bounty of rapid-fire tips to aid you in modern-day disasters such as hurricanes, floods, fires, even pandemics such as the one we are facing today (thanks COVID). This book touches on survival situations in a wide range of scenarios from wilderness, disaster, and urban. Though not a deep, step by step guide to survival, this book provides you with basic tips and tricks that can give you an edge in a dangerous situation. Plus this book is just entertaining to flip through due to the tidbits of helpful information and top-level illustrations. Making this a great book for a youngster who likes the outdoors and to pass the time with.
Bushcraft FAQ
- What is bushcraft?–Bushcraft is the practice of useful skills, in order to survive and thrive in the wilderness without modern gear but a knife and your wits.
- What is bushcraft camping?– Bushcraft camping involves leaving behind creature comforts such as a tent and heater to focus on surviving with skills learned from experience and books.
Conclusion
If done correctly by following the instruction of experienced experts, bushcraft can be a fun and rewarding hobby. There is nothing like the challenge of living off the land with only your resourcefulness and skills. Making bushcraft increasingly popular, and creating a community around the subject with like-minded people. There has never been a better time to join the movement of preparedness for a survival situation, and you never know, it just might save your life one day.
