Review: Lots of Good Advice, Some Bad
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 11 19, 2013
This book starts out with some very good and practical, if simple, advice for the bug out bag "essentials" like water, food, and shelter. This advice will definitely be helpful for readers that are brand new to prepping. After the basics, there were several recommendations that I absolutely disagreed with. The worst of which was the advice in the Weapons section(2.5 pages on a kindle reader) in which the author states that weapons should be left at home unless you are bugging out because of an invasion "from another nation or another planet". While he made a good case for leaving long arms out of a bug out bag because of the size, his argument concerning a handgun was less than convincing: "What I know now is that a handgun is not really all that useful a tool. The shorter barrel length, make it far less accurate than a rifle, so not very good for hunting. Overall, there are probably far better choices in your bag or on your body than a handgun." Modern handguns are actually quite accurate and many areas have specific handgun hunting seasons. Handguns can be quite useful, lightweight, multi-purpose tools for both hunting and self-defense.It also seemed somewhat insulting when the author compared people that believe in the potency of handguns to children that believe in the tooth fairy. Not cool!I won't say that you shouldn't buy this book. There is some good and helpful information, but this definitely wouldn't be my first choice if you are looking for advice concerning weapons. If you don't care about firearms advice and you are a beginner, by all means, buy this book. Even with my disagreements, this book gets 3-stars from me. According to Amazon, that means "It's OK"If you are looking for a comprehensive guide to the bug out bag essentials, go withBuild the Perfect Bug Out Bag: Your 72-Hour Disaster Survival Kit. Yes, it costs three times as much as this book, but it's definitely worth it. If you are looking for bug out bag firearm advice, I have to recommend a book written by yours truly,Ultralight Survival: Prepping a Small and Light Bug Out Bag With Essentials and Gear That Could Save Your Life, with a special section about defensive tools with tips for customizing handguns and ammunition for longer range accuracy and more stopping power.