Desert Survival Skills

Comment: Alloway's book is perfect for anyone who enjoys the outdoors, especially those who visit arid regions. This book is chock full of very useful ideas and tips about being prepared for the most common circumstances you are likely to encounter. By taking the simple steps outlined in the book, you and your friends and loved ones will greatly reduce the chance of becoming victims in remote areas. The vast majority of deaths and serious injuries in the desert are due to the fact that people who venture out into these remote areas are not prepared. When unfortunate situations occur, unprepared people panic, and fear causes them to make hasty and poor decisions. Don't be a statistic! Read this book if you are planning a trip to arid or desert regions and make your stay comfortable and safe.

Comment: Desert Survival Skills by David Alloway was a highly recommended book to me by several sources. I was hoping to pick up new tips and techniques beneficial for the desert environment. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with this book as it did not provide new information that hasn't already been presented in numerous other desert survival books. Essentially, it is just a rehashing of information that has already been written somewhere else.

I was especially disappointed with the chapter on survival kits. His philosophy of a `personal survival kit' differs from my perspective. Alloway believes: "It is easy to get carried away and add too much." For anyone who may have to survive in one of the harshest environments on Earth, the desert, I would much rather have too much than too little. Granted he does talk about an "expanded kit" but much of these items should be part of a main kit and not just an add on to create an expanded kit. In the desert you can be roasting during the day and freezing at night so it is essential to be properly prepared with the right gear to survive in such temperature extremes.

If you have never read a book on desert survival you will get good information from this book. If you are experienced in desert survival or have done a lot of research then this book will not offer any new information.

Comment: "Desert Survival Skills" is enjoyable to read and very informative. While written specifically about the Chihuahan desert (mainly Texas, New Mexico and Mexico), much of the information is applicable to other US deserts. The section on navigation is limited, but then the topic is desert survival, not land navigation. He provides a great deal of excellent instruction regarding plants (for food and medicine) and animals. You will also gain a good understanding about things you should not do (assuming you don't enjoy snake bites). In addition, he provides sound guidance on selection of survival equipment and how to help Search and Rescue teams locate you. Also of interest are true-life stories of others who have found themselves in desert survival situations. Some of these ended well - many did not. These (very brief) accounts are sprinkled throughout the book and help illustrate his points. I found the book easy to read and well worth the money.

Comment: This is strictly a desert survival book, not a desert hiking book; i.e. it is mostly about surviving until rescue once things have gone very wrong. But don't look for a lot of information on how to plan a desert hike, learning to navigate, recognizing and avoiding all types of poisonous snakes, or checking out groundwater sources so as to avoid having to use those survival skills. Desert Survival Skills is written by the late David Alloway, who learned his desert skills at at Big Bend National Park. It is a good resource for survival skills in that part of the country, though it is true that some of his book doesn't translate to other deserts of North America and the world. I give it three out of five stars.

Comment: This is a good book on desert survival, though it is a little uneven. It is at its best in describing survival in the Chihuahuan Desert (Texas, New Mexico) of North America. Its usefulness in other desert areas is limited; in particular the sections on finding water and food, or plant and animal dangers, are really targeted to that particular bioregion.