Book of the Week: When All Hell Break Loose

20 May 2014

This week I read When All Hell Breaks Loose: Stuff You Need to Survive When Disaster Strikes by Cody Lundin, a survival expert. I learned about Cody Lundin from watching the Discovery Channel’s Dual Survival. The premise of the show is that two survival experts with different philosophies will go through survival scenarios, such as being lost in the jungle or ship capsizing on a deserted island. Most of the drama in the show is from the conflicting philosophies. Cody is the hippy, eat grubs and insects kind of guy. The other survival expert is the build traps, kill animal, take risks type of person. From watching the show, you can tell that Cody is a person who practices what he teaches. I learned a lot about starting fires from watching him on the show. That was enough motivation to read his book. People have this romanticized ideal of camping and living off the land. Living off the land sucks and is really hard. Most people would be dead if they were forced to live off the land. This book deals with that reality. The first part of the book is about the mental game. The second part of the book is about actually doing stuff about keeping warm, securing food, making water potable, sanitation, lighting, cooking, first-aid, etc. There’s useful information, like using newspaper for insulation to keep warm. Although, I already learned that trick from homeless people in San Francisco. I’m not one of those doomsayers who stock up on ammunition, but I have been through the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. One has to be prepared for the next disaster. This book is a reminder to get my preparation in order. Those interested in survival manuals might also want to check out US Army Survival Manual: FM 21-76. The book was okay. I’d rather watch Dual Survival and go camping instead.