With a broad perspective, this book passes on some useful information necessary to prepare for any disaster whether man-made or natural. By not focusing on a specific type of turmoil, the author keeps an expansive approach, covering all types of preparation for short-term or long-term survival. “The Urban Survivalist Handbook” is current with its information and sources, unlike many books on the subject that are outdated.
One of the most important chapters that will help determine the whole approach to survival is chapter five, Should I Stay or Should I Go. This discusses that whole concept of whether to bug out or hole up and stay put. This is the question around which all other preparations and plans will be made, and the answer will vary according to the situation. Painter proposes having a bug out bag placed in every vehicle and inside the home with supplies that will last each individual a minimum of three days. An extensive list of the essentials that need to go in every bag is provided. Although most of the items are common sense, food, water, and fire starting supplies, some are basic tools with multiple functions such as a supply of trash bags that can be used from everything from collecting drinking water to sheltering from the rain. The components of a comprehensive first aid kit are also spelled out. He states that these are the basics and each person must individualizes the contents of their bags.
If you do bug out, there are simple plans for setting up your spot. An oddity, though, is the use of a bag of cement to construct a fire pit. I’m not sure how many people are going to be able to find and carry a bag of cement to a remote camp. If there is time to prepare well in advance, this can be accomplished, but most bug out camps may be spontaneously chosen as the conditions just may not exist to get to a site chosen in advance. Painter gives brief advice to know plants in the area in advance. This is excellent advice and should be followed immediately with some good resources that can be used to learn this basic survival knowledge.
Chapter seven deals with living without the power grid. Ice storms, thunderstorms, overloaded power grids, and infrastructure failures can all lead to hours or days without power. Painter gives a brief explanation of making jerky from all the frozen meats that would otherwise go to waste. He assumes, though, that everyone will have extended sunny weather to accomplish this task. The section on cooling with a simple homemade swamp cooler applies only to arid regions of the country or during an unusual dry spell in the east. There are some really basic ideas in this section. If you have solar garden lights bring them in at night for temporary lighting. In contrast, another section tells how to rig up a generator indoors so as not to attract the attention of those who may want your resources.
Overall, the book seems to have been hastily written, a little vague in many places, and oddly detailed in others. Do we really need to know exactly how to make self-watering containers for growing plants? Maybe this is essential knowledge, but I wonder. This is Shane L Painter’s only book and this comes as no surprise. There is a hint of inexperience in the survivalist ranks, but this book makes for a good general overview of the subject. I would recommend previewing it before purchasing. If things like grammar errors bother you, be prepared.
The book as illustrated throughout with clear, color photographs, sometimes quite helpful, other times they just seem to take up space. Some of the photos show the obvious and don’t really add to the information. Well-designed diagrams may have been more useful than generic example photographs. A case-in-point is the photo of a homemade rain barrel to collect water from the roof for later use. A better choice would have been a diagram detailing how the rain barrel was constructed. With the great resources on the internet, most of the details can be found once the idea is gathered from the book.
Although this is a brand new book with current resources, a better choice may be a book by an experienced survivalist.