Surviving the Great Outdoors, Everything You Need to Know

Everything You Need to Know Before Heading into the Wild (and How to Get Back in One Piece).

“Leonard’s durable tome (seriously, the cover is rubber) is stuffed with so many tips about surviving in the wild, you’ll be able to leave your smartphone behind.”
—Entertainment Weekly, Best New Books

Please note: The previous edition of this book was titled The Great Outdoors: A User’s Guide.

From how to fight off a bear and how to identify poison ivy to how to rappel down a mountain and select the right sleeping bag for cold-weather camping, this intro-level guide teaches the skills that anyone can use to thrive in the great outdoors.

This easy introduction to outdoor life will ensure that even a novice won’t get lost in the woods while finding an activity he loves to do in the great outdoors--whether it’s hiking a 14er or camping on ice. With 400 strategies for engaging in the outdoors, and expert tips and tricks, Surviving the Great Outdoors makes Mother Nature easier to understand than ever before. Brendan Leonard, writer, filmmaker, and outdoor adventurer, shows the reader how rewarding it can be to live life away from the computer and get outside. From mountain climbing, to skiing, sledding, and sailing, Leonard shows that you don’t need to be a risk taker to enjoy the outdoors. And if the reader does find himself at the point of man vs. nature, Leonard shares survival skills from how to bandage a wound and read a topographical map, to how to drive on sand and remove a tick from your skin—all organized thematically and written in short takeaway entries with helpful line drawings. Bound in a uniquely rugged (and waterproof!) PVC cover material, Surviving the Great Outdoors is a friendly way into the outdoor lifestyle, whether you're looking to dabble or go all in.

About the contributor(s):

Brendan Leonard is an adventure writer whose work has appeared in Outside, Men's Journal, Backpacker, Climbing, Alpinist, National Geographic Adventure, and dozens of other publications. He is the author of The Great Outdoors: A User's Guide. He lives in Denver, Colorado. Find him on Instagram @semi_rad.

320 Pages