Review: Not Recommended Based on Bad Information
Rating: 1 out of 5
Date: 01 13, 2014
Bug Out Bag List - Survival Gear You Must Have For Emergency Preparedness by Zachary Carver is a book that begins to fail the reader as a resource pretty fast and it seems to pick up the pace as it goes.The beginning starts with the author stating, "Today's economic, social, political, environmental and international environment are so fragile that the need to bug out is imminent and can happen from any direction at any time." Either the author fails to understand the word "imminent" or he is fear mongering. While being prepared is absolutely essential there is nothing imminent going on right now that requires that I bug out! The same probably applies to your situation. Then he goes on to discuss the importance of a obtaining a back brace should your back go out. If your back is that bad in a crisis a back brace is probably not going to get you up and running to bug out. The author then goes on to discuss "Mindset" but never defines what mindset is using a clear definition. While the author probably understands the importance of mindset I don't feel that he articulated the information very well. He attempts to use elaborate verbiage such as: Strategic bug out mindset, survival strategic power, The Survival G.A.P., etc.  He uses a lot of acronyms and mnemonics to get his points across. In many respects it feels like Carver is overcomplicating many of the concepts. Simple works best especially in a crisis.One area that I completely disagree with the author is with his recommendation of the Baofeng UV-5R+ ham radio. Baofeng radios are notoriously known for quality control issues. Unfortunately many individuals get wrapped up over the price of the radio at the expense of the quality of the radio. Baofeng radios are very inexpensive but I would much rather spend extra money for a radio that I know will function properly during a crisis. I recommend theYaesu FT-60R DualBand Handheld 5W VHF/UHF Amateur Radio Transceiver - Dual Band. It costs about $149.00 at Ham Radio Outlet compared to the $50.00 for a Baofeng but the Yaesu is solid and dependable. The same cannot be said for Baofeng. If my life is on the line I need a radio that is dependable and will work. I'm not chancing it to a low quality radio. If you decide to go with the Baofeng it is important to understand that you will be sacrificing quality for a low priced radio.The author includes many photos of items that he uses in his bug out bag. My concern is that most of the items are still in the original unopened packaging. It makes me wonder if he has actually used and tested these products in a realistic environment. Maybe he has used the equipment and is using new items to photograph. But, if he has not used and tested the equipment he is recommending items that may be faulty or poor quality like the Baofeng.In the First Aid chapter Carver gives information that I think is harmful for most individuals. He talks about having a suture kit to give yourself stitches. The reality is that most people will never resort to this level of care.  They won't have the necessary training and they probably are not aware of the contraindications. Also, it is very possible that you will not be able to effectively clean the wound. When you stitch a dirty wound closed it is going to be problematic. Now you have a breeding ground for infection that can become life-threatening. Additionally, without the use of pain medication, such as Lidocaine, getting stitches is painful.This suturing advice is bad and Carver is jumping on the bandwagon like many other authors. Stay away from stitching unless you have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to do it correctly otherwise you are just going to cause more problems.The author has a chapter titled: 8 Easy Ways to Start Fire which is a joke. The eight ways he cites are: Hand drill, two man drill, fire plough, fire pup wheel, bow drill, magnesium bar and flint, and batteries and steel wool. The first five of these are anything but easy. This solidifies that the author is lacking real world experience because if he has ever started a fire using these methods he would know that they are not easy, time consuming, calorie burning, and damn near impossible if you are injured. A little more emphasis on carrying a simple lighter might be in order. Again, I get the impression that the author is regurgitating information that he has read elsewhere without the benefit of real experience.Overall Assessment:Bug Out Bag List - Survival Gear You Must Have For Emergency Preparedness by Zachary Carver is a book that I would skip. Some of the bad information that is provided kills the rest of the book. This is not a book I would recommend.